Mistakenly recognized as a cousin, thousands of pampered

In the end, Shen Zhiyi and Tao Jiuxi failed to move out as they wished because Shen Zhiyi's mother fainted from anger.

After she regained consciousness, she saw Shen Zhiyi by her bedside and began to cry, fuss, and even threaten to hang herself, accusing Shen Zhiyi of being unfilial. Shen Zhiyi initially ignored her, but her elderly grandmother also burst into tears, recounting the hardships Xie Ningqiu had endured over the years. After all, they were all her family, so Shen Zhiyi couldn't ignore her.

For several days, Jiangning Prefecture had been hit by heavy rain and raging winds, causing the water level to rise continuously. Therefore, the guards on the southbound ships disembarked, and Jiangqu booked an inn for them as temporary shelter.

Fuya and Xiaohe were also taken back.

In view of the fact that the two of them were poisoned together last time, Tao Jiuxi carried a small bottle of each of the poison, drug and antidote given by Xue Yunmeng with him in case of emergency.

However, although Tao Jiuxi never spoke a word to Xie Ningqiu since then, she still advised Shen Zhiyi not to become estranged from his mother because of this matter. After all, she was Shen Zhiyi's biological mother.

It is still windy and rainy today.

Mu'er took out a thin cloak and gently put it on Tao Jiuxi who was sitting in the corridor.

"Girl, Fuya is asleep, you should go to sleep for a while too."

"No, it's been raining for days straight. I've been eating and sleeping all day. I'm almost going stupid."

"The young lady is really patient now. Last year, even when it snowed, the young lady couldn't sit still." After saying this, Mu'er returned to the room and poured a pot of hot tea.

Tao Jiuxi felt quite helpless: "Hearing what you said, it seems like I have ADHD. Am I not as quiet as a virgin and as agile as a rabbit?"

"If the young lady said yes, then it must be true! But the young lady is very knowledgeable, and I don't understand many of the things she said." Mu'er nodded seriously.

After a while, Mu'er frowned and said again, "Miss, the second daughter of the Xie family sent someone to tell her today, asking you to help her plead for mercy. Miss has always been kind-hearted, so you are not really going to help her, are you?"

"Repaying evil with kindness is something I can't do. I'm not that great. Besides, she could have lived a good life, but she chose to degenerate into a concubine. I really can't sympathize with someone like her. Besides, the punishment she's receiving now isn't that severe. She can go home after a year of training."

As Tao Jiuxi spoke, he felt in his heart that Mrs. Shen was also a heartless person.

Since Xie Shumei was locked up, she had never sent anyone to visit her. If she loved her so much, she would at least try her best to deal with Shen Zhiyi again, or if she thought Shen Zhiyi listened to her, she should also say a few words and try her best to release Xie Shumei.

However, she just closed the door and refused to see anyone, stubbornly waiting for others to apologize to her.

"I'm still thinking about returning to the capital. Living here is really very restrictive. Madam Shen stays indoors all day long, and I don't even dare to speak loudly."

"Don't even mention you. Even three-year-old Fu Ya doesn't dare to speak loudly. We just need to be quiet every day." Tao Jiuxi also lowered his voice and said.

"Is this what the girl used to call hiding...hiding one's incompetence?"

"No, it's called invisibility."

These days, I just take care of the baby quietly every day, close the door, and play cards with Mu'er and Xiaohe, trying to reduce my presence as much as possible.

Madam Shen and Shen Zhiyi were mother and son, and blood was thicker than water. Even if their relationship wasn't as strong as before, they could still be reconciled in a flash. But if he offended Madam Shen now, she would likely harbor a grudge for the rest of her life.

"Will the invisibility spell work? And didn't the doctor say that Madam Shen is fine?"

Tao Jiuxi nodded slightly and said, "Although the doctor said there was nothing wrong, he fainted from anger. I'm afraid he must be feeling very depressed."

Mu'er sighed softly, "I don't know when this will end. Girl, are we just going to wait like this forever?"

Tao Jiuxi frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and then said, "Let's take it one step at a time. The current situation does not allow me to act rashly. I just hope that we can return to Beijing as soon as possible and live a stable life."

The rain continued to fall, hitting the eaves with a crisp sound. Tao Jiuxi looked at the courtyard shrouded in rain, and an inexplicable melancholy surged in his heart.

It seems that the storm in Jiangning Prefecture will never stop, and their return date is as vague as the rain and fog.

At this time, Shen Zhiyi and the two brothers Jiang Qu and Jiang Shun returned from outside holding umbrellas.

"Mu'er, look, Ayi and his two brothers are standing together. Isn't this a pleasing sight?" Seeing Shen Zhiyi coming back, Tao Jiuxi instantly became energetic.

"What's so good about it? It's not even as good-looking as the big pork elbow stewed in the kitchen."

"It's been a while since I took you out for a good meal. When it doesn't rain one day, I'll take you out for some pork elbow."

As they were talking, Shen Zhiyi and others had already arrived in front of the two of them.

"Ayi, how's the water level at the river?"

Due to heavy rain for several days, Shen Zhiyi went to the riverside with local officials this morning to check the water level.

"I've checked it out, and the water level is about the same as during flood seasons in previous years," Shen Zhiyi responded.

"The flood came so suddenly that we have to block the low-lying areas with sandbags. Have all the residents living along the river evacuated?" Before going south, Tao Jiuxi made a cramming of knowledge about flood season waterproofing. When Shen Zhiyi chatted with her before going out, she also expressed her own views.

"Everything has been arranged." After Shen Zhiyi finished speaking, he pulled Tao Jiuxi to continue sitting in the corridor.

Jiang Shun said angrily, "Humph, if the master hadn't gone, those officials wouldn't have agreed. That fat, big-eared official, when he heard about using sand bags to block the low-lying areas, started making excuses. He insisted that the water level is the same every year and there's nothing to worry about. He even had the audacity to ask Lord Shen to show sympathy to his subordinates and not to torture the soldiers on such a rainy day. This is outrageous! Is the safety of the people unimportant? The country supports them, and at this critical moment, they only care about their own comfort."

Jiang Qu also frowned and said, "These officials are used to a life of luxury and comfort. They don't care about the lives of the people at all. They should be taught a lesson."

"Miss, you don't know that the fat, big-eared official was kicked several meters away by his master. Now he is tied to the riverside, left in the rain and supervising his subordinates' work. It is really gratifying."

Upon hearing this, Tao Jiuxi felt that Shen Zhiyi, this senior employee, was quite impressive. "However, is there anyone who dares to shirk responsibility in front of you?"

"Some officials, who are in high positions, are surrounded by people who curry favor with the powerful. After a long time, it is inevitable that they will lose their sense of proportion." Shen Zhiyi patiently explained to Tao Jiuxi.

"That guy is obviously drifting."

As Tao Jiuxi was speaking, he saw the maid standing at the door of Xie Ningqiu, who looked over here from time to time.

"Ayi, your mother has been locked up in the house all day again. Now that you're back, go check on her."

Shen Zhiyi followed Tao Jiuxi's gaze and then gently touched Tao Jiuxi's head: "Then I'll go there first. If you want to know anything else about the situation by the river, you can ask Jiang Shun."

Shen Zhiyi recalled the treatment of Xie Jinghuan's mother and the situation his own mother faced after making a mistake. Comparing the two, he suddenly felt an extremely strong sense of emotion in his heart.

He really never thought that Ah Xi could understand him so well and be so tolerant of his mother.

In this matter, Tao Jiuxi never mentioned any wrongdoings of his mother in front of him, nor did he put him in any awkward situation. On the contrary, he repeatedly advised him not to become too estranged from his mother because of this matter.

Shen Zhiyi thought to himself that this was probably the difference between love and not love. His Ah Xi loved him so much that he loved everyone in him as well.

After Shen Zhiyi left, Jiang Shun couldn't help but praise: "Miss, the master's temper is really getting better and better. If we met such a person in the previous military camp, the master would have chopped him to pieces long ago."

"Have you been to the military camp?" Tao Jiuxi looked surprised.

"Of course. Master, you have achieved what you have today through your own hard work..."

"He never told me." Tao Jiuxi herself had never asked, including Shen Zhiyi's family affairs. She would only know if Shen Zhiyi was willing to tell her.

"Hehe, so you didn't know. If the master didn't tell me, I can't tell you either."

"You only speak half of what you say. You won't get any delicious food from now on." Tao Jiuxi said pretending to be angry.

Tao Jiuxi suddenly saw Shen Zhiyi coming back, but Jiang Shun was unaware and was still talking cheerfully, "Girl, speaking of food, I haven't had a cake made by you for a long time. If you make one someday, you must save some for me as a reward for my contribution in bringing Fu Ya home."

Jiang Shun is not as calm as Jiang Qu. He has always been lively and took good care of Tao Jiuxi at the beginning, so the two of them were not so restrained when talking.

Just as Jiang Shun finished speaking, he was lightly kicked from behind.

"How dare you order my woman around?"

Jiang Shun immediately turned around and smiled awkwardly: "It's all because of the girl's excellent cooking skills."

"I think I have too good a temper. Today I will tie you up by the river." Although Shen Zhiyi said this, he was not angry. In his opinion, although Jiang Shun was a servant, they had been through life and death together for many years and had long been as close as a brother.

Then, Shen Zhiyi said to Tao Jiuxi: "After we return to Beijing, when I send Jiang Shun out to do some work, you can make the cake again."

"Master, why are you like this?" Jiang Shun said pretending to be aggrieved.

Tao Jiuxi glanced at Shen Zhiyi with an angry look, knowing that these two people probably saw that he was bored and were trying to find ways to cheer him up.

"Why are you back?"

"Come back and give this kid a kick before you go."

Jiang Shun: “…”