Chapter 42 "Identity"

Identity
Watching her son and two maids leave, Aunt Li began to panic. In this big mansion, these three were the only ones who were close to her. If they all left... she quickly chased after them.
"Come back, come back, Brother Chun, don't leave. Tell us what you want! Auntie will listen to you..." Seeing the three of them about to leave the yard, Aunt Li grabbed An Chun's hand and hurriedly responded.
Li Yinang was really scared, An Chuan turned around and asked, "Is what Auntie said true?"
Auntie Li nodded, "It's true."
She was always indecisive, and her maidservants were her backbone, "Chuan ge'er, Tao'er, Xing'er, let's go back and talk."
Tao'er and Xinger are no match for An Chun. When Qiao was brought out, they had already stepped aside. Upon hearing this, Xun went back and opened the curtain to let the mother and son in.
"If Auntie listens to me, this matter can actually be resolved..." An Chun also didn't want to have any conflict with Auntie, as it would hurt her heart.
Although the aunt was sold, how can the bond of flesh and blood be completely severed? It is only natural for the aunt to feel compassion for her own birth parents. She gave them thirty taels of silver so that the elderly couple could save and buy some land, and they could make a living.
"When Auntie goes out with the money, it wouldn't hurt to explain clearly that this is for their retirement. If they want to take it to give to their son, it's fine, but don't expect Auntie to pay for their support anymore."
"Aunty has done what she should do. Once they are ruined, they will be gone."
Li Aunty breathed a sigh of relief after hearing it. At least her son still cares about his maternal family. She was really afraid that if she didn't give them any money, the two of them would starve to death in the countryside.
Don't worry about our parents, but began to worry about my brother, "What about my brother?"
"My brother?" An Chun glanced at Li Yiniang with a smile that wasn't a smile. "What does your brother have to do with us? Should an abandoned daughter like you not only support our parents but also your brother?"
"It's his own fault that he's in debt. Why should you pay it for him? If you can't pay it off, I'll pay it off for you?"
"Aunt is willing to let someone suck blood, and Mrs. is also willing?"
"What does this have to do with Mrs..." Aunt Li looked at her son in confusion, her eyes still red from crying before.
An Chun was both angry and amused. It is rare for the Shen family to be generous. Aunt Li has been in the house for many years but she still lives a simple life. "Did Aunt Li have one or two silver coins when she entered the house? How can she now enjoy the finest clothes and food, and also have a private stash? It's because Madam sympathizes with our mother and child's hardships, that's why she's lenient."
"So Auntie has something in her hands, and now if Madam knows that Auntie is using her good intentions to patch up the holes for her incompetent brother, it will not be spent in the right place..."
"Could the wife be happy? But would she still be willing to take care of both the concubine and me? Or does the concubine think she can do things unnoticed by the wife?"
An Chun was left speechless by Li Yiniang's series of questions. This was something she had never considered, but what Chun-ge'er said... does make sense, and even the most significant point.
She is just a mistress, everything she has, from head to toe, belongs to the main family. If she were to sell herself, there would be nothing that is truly hers. It's fine for her to dabble here and there, as no one would question that. But if a large sum of money were to be spent on paying off her family's gambling debts... that would be against the rules.
In front of the Shen family, Aunt Li dares not behave improperly.
What Aunt Li is most afraid of is the Shen family. No matter how kind the Shen family has been to her over the years, no matter the status and dignity, she will always be anxious and short-tempered.
"Then...then..." Aunt Li still wanted to say a few words to her brother, but she couldn't think of anything to say.
What could she say? Aunt Li knew herself that she was not in a position to speak in this household.
An Chun opened the box and took out thirty taels and a red-gold hairpin, handing them to Xing Er. "Take these over there."
Then he half bowed to Aunt Li and said, "Aunt, please rest. We are fortunate people, let's not squander our fortune."
Anchun and Xinger went out together, leaving Aunt Li in a daze in the room.
After leaving the Xufang building, Anchun took out a few taels of silver from his money purse and said, "Take this and give it to the people at the door. Tell them to have some drinks. In the future, if anyone from Aunt Li's family comes looking for her, report it directly to me and don't alarm her."
Xinger held the silver and agreed, "Don't worry, Eighth Master."
Every movement and noise in this mansion could not escape from the notice of the Shen family. As early as when the people from Aunt Li's family came knocking on the door, someone had already reported it to Hualian.
When Hua Lian saw Madam dealing with the master, she held her tongue and waited until Madam came out. She first poured a cup of hot tea for Shen Shi, then handed over two plates of snacks, saying, "Madam must be exhausted! Relax and have a rest."
沈氏不耐烦吃点心，只让画莲捶着腿，冷笑道，“自从听我说徐姨娘被送到庙里，情知回不来，老爷也不提她了，你是不知道这一路他们的恩爱，也这么撂开手了。”
Saying this, Shen Shi couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. Despite seeing so much over the years, she still wasn't accustomed to it.
"It's understandable. Master gave her a thousand taels of silver from his private fund, which is enough for her to live comfortably for the rest of her life. Master really did his best for her," Hualian said, noticing Shen Shi's unhappy expression. She changed the topic and smiled, "It's really cold today!"
"In the cold winter days, it's unavoidable." "I'll have someone bring a hotpot for you tonight. Madam will feel comfortable after eating."
"Alright, go and get more money. Make sure to add a hotpot for each of the children." Mrs. Shen sipped her tea and gestured to Hualian to stop hammering.
"Then... did the 8th young master and the 10th young lady also have a new addition?"
Shen Shi glanced at Hua Lian, "Of course, they did. How much money do you think there is? Why are they behaving so miserly?"
Shen cannot tolerate the mistreatment of illegitimate children by the main wife. It seems that if she doesn't do so, she can't see the dignity of her own children. Remember, justice is evident to everyone. Isn't that the only thing missing?
Lotus smiled and said, "I'm not a narrow-minded person. It's just that I heard about an accident earlier. It's said that someone from Aunt Li's family came asking for money. It seems like they need quite a sum to repay their son's gambling debts."
“Aunty Li listened to the message while crying, and then wanted to give money. She was stopped by the maidservant and Eighth Young Master before she could finish. In the end, it was Eighth Young Master who made the decision…”
“Aunty Li stayed in her room crying for the entire afternoon, but she also listened to Eighth Young Master's words.”
Shen nodded, "If he's willing to listen to advice and can make sense of things, then that's fine. Everyone makes mistakes from time to time. If he can keep things from getting out of hand, then that's enough. But I have to say, Chun is not bad either..."
"This child seems to have gotten stronger too... Let's see how he does in school. If he's really promising, it wouldn't hurt to give him a helping hand. Our Zhou Ge'er, Hao Ge'er, Shu Jie'er, and Cheng Jie'er will have even more support in the future."
Shen's own children have made achievements, so naturally they have a broader view towards their illegitimate children.
"Madam is right." Hualian was about to go and deliver the message but was stopped by Shen, "It's the end of the year, the managers and stewards of the properties should come to deliver goods and report accounts, right? You may be too busy alone, so let Hezhi and Heye help you."
When Lian thought about it, she smiled and said, "I understand what Madam means, I will make sure they both dress up beautifully."
Shen nodded, saying, "Take some money from my private stash to get Heye and Hezhi some nice clothes and jewelry."
Draw Lianying out and call Lianzi Lianze to come in to serve in the outer room. Then look at the lotus leaves and lotus branches and say with a smile, "The year is coming to an end, so I'll give you two an early congratulations."
Lotus leaf doesn't fully understand yet. "What do you mean, Aunt?" Being pulled and turned around by Lotus Branch, she finally realized what she meant when she saw her flushed face. She couldn't bring herself to ask again.