long moment.The summer wind drifted over from next door, wanting to playfully lift everyone's clothes, but it was startled by the atmosphere and quickly scurried away, sticking to the wall."Good, wel...But she had never met the two men and couldn't make a decision right away. She cautiously said, "Madam, may I have a chance to meet the two gentlemen before deciding Miss Nannan is still young and a girl. When she grows up and gets married, she will need a good uncle to rely on..."

Lady Li softened her expression, seeing that she truly had the best interests of her master at heart.

"Alright, I'll have the second son make some noodles and take you to meet the two Mr. Suns. You can choose which family to stay with, or whichever family takes you in, we won't interfere."

Having said that, she pointed to the two parcels and continued, "The necklace given by Mrs. Sun back then, was supposed to be a pair with little one's. Little one's must have been lost, right Take this back, it'll serve as a remembrance."

Besides, Madam Sun gave our family one hundred taels of silver. Now our Li family will repay ten times over…

Li Saozi, fearing that the old woman would say something about stopping her movements again, quickly kowtowed.

"Madam, I don't want silver. Our mistress has passed away. Please, Madam, have pity on this little orphan girl and help her one more time"

Tao Hongying met the old lady's gaze and asked, "What can we do to help"

Li Saozi pondered for a long time, then quickly replied, "This silver, could Madam help me buy a small manor or some farmland to grow wheat"

"At least we'll have something to produce for a living. The servants and young mistress can rely on someone, and won't have to be beholden to others for meals. In the future, when the young mistress gets married, this will also be part of her dowry. "

"Also, in the future during festivals and holidays, could you allow that maidservant and young mistress to come kowtow to the old madam I beg the old madam's protection. I'm truly afraid I can't protect the young mistress as she grows up..."

The old woman immediately shook her head, "No! If you're not comfortable taking the money, you can leave it here temporarily and come back to collect it later. But buying land and properties is something our family isn't good at handling, so you better arrange it yourself."

“Moreover, during festivals and holidays, there is no need for you to visit anymore. Tomorrow, I will have the second son send you to the Sun family. This will be a final act of kindness toward Mrs. Sun. From now on, you should take care of yourselves.”

Before Li could say anything more, Tao Hongying had already called He Mama to send them back to the ear room of the Ye family.

Li Saozi was very disappointed, but she didn't dare to say anything more. She hugged Nannan and kowtowed again, then lowered her head and walked out obediently.

The next morning, Li Lao'er changed into a silk robe. Ye Shan drove the carriage and brought along He Mamá and Li Saozi, master and servant, into the city.

Li Saozi and Nannan dressed up intentionally, but instead of being neat and tidy, they smeared a lot of black ash on their clothes and faces, looking like refugees in disarray.

When Li Lao Tai and Tao Hongying saw them off, they were startled. Then they understood.

Even without the Lee family's support, this master and servant would still be able to make a good life for themselves with just this mindset.

In the north of the city, at the Sun family residence, Sun Chengjian had specially stopped his teaching for the day because he had received an invitation from Marquis Zhongshan yesterday, stating that he would be visiting today.

At this moment, he was sitting with his cousin Sun Sizhen drinking tea, both of them wondering why Zhongshan Bo had come to visit.

Surely you're not sending your children here to study, are you

Sun Sizhen, being in the government office, was more familiar with the history of the Li family's rise to wealth.

He even knew that Li Jiarren, his student from Hanbo back then, was the grandson of this Li family.

But Li Jiaren only studied at the academy for a few months, and he wasn't his direct disciple. Now that he knows where Li Jia lives, he doesn't have the face to visit him.

And Zhong Shanbo is Jiaren's father, could it be that he came to the door today to invite him to teach in the village

He had heard that there was a school on Suijin Beach...

The two brothers each had their own thoughts, their minds racing, when Li Lao Er and his people arrived.

The Sun family brothers hurried to the front door. Seeing that not only men but also women and children came out of the carriage, they were all a little confused.

When Li Lao Er entered the room, they exchanged pleasantries. Then, Li Lao Er bowed to Sun Siyuan in greeting.

"Many thanks to sir for his careful teachings back then. I didn't expect to meet him here again."

Sun Sizhen quickly returned the courtesy, also smiling and saying, "Master, you flatter me. Your family's young master is intelligent and polite, and he has a talent for studying. Although I have only taught him for a few months, I still feel honored to this day. But I wonder, where is your family's young master studying now"

Li Laer listened with a smile, his heart filled with emotion.

Back then, he brought his son to Hanbo Academy. He was so careful walking, afraid of stepping on an ant. That kind of cautious and reserved demeanor is still vivid in my memory today.

And Mr. Sun, who was in front of us at the time, was the best teacher at the academy and also a cousin-in-law to the dean, responsible for all the administrative affairs of the entire academy.

Although they got along fairly well as father and son, there was still a certain degree of superiority on the father's part.

In just three short years, he, a common farmer, had become a respected elder while the scholar from the academy was reduced to a low-ranking official in the government, forced to address him as his superior.

The changes in the world are so unexpected!

Of course, he couldn't say those things. He merely replied, "Our family moved here not long ago, and Jiaren entered Luan Academy to study. Now he doesn't have time to come home often."

Mr. Sun nodded and said with praise, “Young master has accumulated knowledge for a long time, surely he will make a great achievement, top the list of the imperial examinations.”

"Thank you, sir, for your kind words!"

The two of them sang back and forth, their conversation lively, leaving Sun Chengjian aside.

He was already handsome, and now he was annoyed that his younger cousin hadn't mentioned knowing the Li family beforehand. He couldn't hold it in anymore.

He spoke up, “Master, with your esteemed presence today, our humble abode is truly radiant. To this end, I've specially granted the students a holiday.”

"I wonder, Uncle, if your visit today is on account of some matter that requires my brothers and I to lend a hand If so, please just say the word. My younger brother Siyuan works in the government office. Even if he's not able to help, there's still me, your incompetent elder."

This is a roundabout way of saying that Sun Sizhen is not free, and the Li family needs someone to work for them, so they can only choose him.

Sun Siyuan raised an eyebrow, lowered his head to drink tea, and said nothing.

Li Laoer smiled faintly and motioned for He Mama to lead Li Saozi and Nannan forward.

"As Mr. Sun said, I did come here today for a reason. It's not about our family situation, but rather that a relative of your esteemed family has come to seek refuge with us."

"Before, my elder brother returned from Quanzhou Prefecture by ship and met these two master and servant traveling together. Because our family had a brief encounter with them in the past, he helped them along the way. Today, I specially sent them to the mansion!"

Did relatives flee

Sun Siyuan and Sun Chengjian were both stunned. They had thought of countless reasons, but they never imagined that their grandfather's visit was for this!

But Li's wife knelt down holding her daughter and started to cry.

She was still quite clever. She didn't say that Uncle Wang had poisoned the master, but only said that the old master had disappeared, the wife had died of illness, and her uncle's family could not stay there.

Luckily, I remembered that my niece's uncle was here and came to seek refuge.

Sun Siyuan was very surprised to hear that his second cousin had gone missing and his sister-in-law had passed away. He asked about it carefully for a long time.

But Son Chengjian didn't say a word, his brows furrowed tightly.

Li Sao sobbed as she spoke, her eyes darting between the two Mr. Suns, and a plan began to form in her mind.

She tugged at Nanny, and immediately rushed over to hug Sun Chengjian's pants leg, crying loudly.

“Sir, we implore you, in the name of our late master, to take us in. Miss is young, and only requires a meal a day to survive.”

"I can do housework and sewing, miss. After you get married, I will earn the dowry money, and I will never be a burden to your master."

Sun Chengjian was not happy to begin with. Since his father remarried and had a younger brother, he had been treated poorly by him. Over the years he had been away from home, he hadn't received any support from his family.

Now that his brother is dead, he's still expected to help raise his children

When he's being taken advantage of!

But with Elder Master Li present, if he refused, wouldn't it make the Li family feel that he was cold and heartless

Just as he was hesitating, a woman's voice suddenly rang out from outside the door, "No! Master, you can't take them in!", like winter snow meeting the warmth of the sun, melting instantly...For a moment, the crowd surged towards the inner courtyard, flanking both Lord Hou and Old Fourth Li.The village head and Zhao Shu...