The Daily Life of a Concubine's Daughter After Transmigrating

Li Anqi felt a pang of tenderness and gently stroked Li Anshu's delicate palm.

"Does it hurt?"

Li Anshu smiled innocently and shook his head: "It doesn't hurt at all, really!"

Li Anqi touched her chubby little face and comforted her, "There will always be a chance."

After having a private chat with Li Anshu, Li Anqi went to Aunt Xia's courtyard.

Li Anhua was doing the homework assigned by Master Qi, while Aunt Xia patiently fanned her from the side.

Upon seeing Li Anqi arrive, Aunt Xia hurriedly greeted her warmly: "Oh, Second Miss, what brings you here? Come, come, please have a seat!"

Li Anhua glanced up at Li Anqi, then continued writing.

Li Anqi smiled slightly: "This watermelon was given by the old lady. I hope you won't find it offensive, Auntie."

Upon hearing that it was given to Li Anqi by the old lady, Aunt Xia's expression changed slightly, and then she smiled.

"Second Miss, what are you saying? In this sweltering heat, you've gone to all this trouble to bring me watermelons. You're so kind."

Li Anqi looked at Li Anhua: "It's been a long time since I've seen Fourth Sister. How is Fourth Sister?"

Li Anhua gripped his pen tightly, focusing solely on writing and ignoring Li Anqi.

"Oh, this child!"

Aunt Xia quickly tried to smooth things over, her face showing apology.

“Hua’er has always been this way since she was little, and the Second Miss knows it too.”

Li Anqi nodded and looked around.

Although Aunt Xia's room was shabby and simple, it was full of human warmth.

All the calligraphy and paintings hanging inside the house, regardless of their beauty or ugliness, were painted by Ang Lee himself.

Even some everyday items and toys are things that Li An likes to paint, with very little trace of Aunt Xia's own personality.

"To be honest, I really envy my fourth sister."

“Hua’er is foolish and surpasses you brothers and sisters in every way. Now that the second young lady has the old lady’s favor, why should she be envious?” Aunt Xia said.

“Neither Shu’er nor I have a birth mother, unlike Fourth Sister, who has you by her side all day long, taking meticulous care of her in every matter, big or small. How can I not envy you?” Li Anqi said.

Ang Lee's brush suddenly paused.

Aunt Xia was also taken aback, and sighed, "It's pitiful to say. Back then, Aunt Xu was also very much loved by the master. It's just a pity that she was frail and sickly, and passed away so young. Alas..."

"The deceased is gone, and Shu'er and I are all alone. We have suffered for so many years, and now we are finally seeing some improvement."

Li Anqi took Aunt Xia's hand in his.

"Tell me, what's the point of living if not to have something to look forward to?"

Li Anqi's words seemed to have struck a chord with Aunt Xia.

Aunt Xia looked at Li Anhua, her eyes reddened, and then she lowered her head sadly.

"You and the Third Miss have suffered so much. Actually, back then..."

Aunt Xia was muttering to herself when she suddenly remembered something and swallowed her words.

"Back then what?" Li Anqi noticed that Aunt Xia's expression was a bit strange.

"N-nothing." Aunt Xia's eyes darted around as she pulled her hand away from Li Anqi's, looking somewhat uneasy.

Li Anqi had a vague intuition that what Aunt Xia wanted to say but didn't must be related to the deceased Aunt Xu.

"Second Miss, have some tea, have some tea." Aunt Xia got up and poured tea for Li Anqi.

"Thank you, Auntie."

Li Anqi calmly took the teacup, took a small sip, and then continued.

"When I went to pay my respects to Madam before the New Year, I happened to see her talking with Steward Tang. They were saying that Aunt Xia's brother had passed away, and Madam Zhao had given her twenty taels of silver as a reward, according to the old custom of the household. I wonder if this amount of silver is enough for Aunt Xia, and whether the funeral was conducted properly?"

Aunt Xia was startled.

Even though Aunt Xia was trying hard to control her expression.

Li Anqi still caught a hint of dissatisfaction on Aunt Xia's face.

Aunt Xia said, "Although the Xia family is not a high-ranking family, my father was still a fourth-rank official. My brother's funeral will not be as grand as that of the imperial family, but it will not be undignified."

"It's such a pity that your brother died young."

As he spoke, Li Anqi's expression turned somewhat sad.

Thinking of her deceased brother, Aunt Xia was overcome with grief and couldn't help but wipe away two tears.

Li Anqi handed her a handkerchief.

Seeing Aunt Xia so heartbroken, Li Anhua's nose also felt a little sore.

She put down her pen and hugged Aunt Xia: "Don't cry, Mother."

Aunt Xia touched Li Anhua's head, her eyes filled with pity.

Then, Aunt Xia held Li Anqi's hand tightly.

"The Second Miss is beautiful and intelligent, with a very clever mind. She can not only take care of herself, but also protect the Third Miss. I am ashamed that I am not even one-tenth as good as the Second Miss."

"Auntie, you flatter me. Shu'er is my sister, and Hua'er is also my sister. As long as it is within my power, I will never abandon them."

Aunt Xia smiled, tears welling in her eyes.

"If that day ever comes, I hope the Second Miss will not forget what she said today! However, the tallest tree in the forest will be felled by the wind. The Second Miss will inevitably be favored even more in the future, which will make others jealous and may cause a lot of trouble."

"Mother, why are you telling her all this?"

Li Anhua was very annoyed. He couldn't help but hate Li Anqi for being so attention-seeking, and at the same time, he hated his own incompetence.

"Thank you for reminding me, Aunt Xie."

Li Anqi didn't take Li Anhua's words to heart, bowed to Aunt Xia, and prepared to leave.

"and many more."

Aunt Xia stopped Li Anqi and bowed to him respectfully.

"I've tried to compete for Hua'er before, but it was all in vain. I became a laughingstock and struggled in vain. If you need any help in the future, Second Miss, please don't hesitate to ask. I will help without hesitation if I can. If you'd like to lend a hand..."

Li Anqi looked at her quietly.

"I'm sorry to disappoint Aunt Xia, I don't have such great ambitions."

Aunt Xia's eyes darkened, and she said, "Then... let nature take its course. I hope that the second young lady will not end up like me, forced into a desperate situation one day."

Li Anqi pondered for a while and then nodded.

Just before Li Anqi turned to leave, Aunt Xia silently mouthed to him: "Be careful of Madam Zhao."

Li Anqi's eyes widened for a moment, then he nodded and left.

……

As soon as Li Anqi arrived at Aunt Gao's courtyard, he heard a commotion coming from inside the house.

"Give it to me, give it to me now!"

Li Ancai burst into tears, crying, "No, this was a reward my father gave me last month!"

"I'm your own mother! Your things are mine! Give them to me now!"

When Li Anqi entered the room, he saw Aunt Gao snatch the jade flute from Li Ancai's hand.

Li Ancai's personal maid, Xu'er, stood to the side, looking like she was about to cry but was trembling.

"I told you not to disobey! I told you not to disobey! Don't cry!"

Concubine Gao abandoned her usual charming and gentle demeanor, and began to whip Li Ancai's back several times with the end of her jade flute.

A five-year-old child can neither cry nor hide.

Li Anqi frowned slightly, feeling a pang of heartache.

"Aunt Gao, what are you doing?"

Aunt Gao was caught off guard by Li Anqi's sudden visit.

She quickly put the jade flute aside and asked awkwardly, "Why are you here?"

"I've come to bring Cai'er a watermelon."

Li Anqi entered the room and sat down, then ordered someone to place a watermelon on the table.

She pulled Li Ancai close, lifted his sleeve, and saw a patch of bruises. Her expression instantly turned cold.

"Cai'er, don't cry, it's alright." Li Anqi gently stroked the back of Li Ancai's head.

Li Ancai looked at Li Anqi, and his intermittent sobs gradually subsided.

Wow! What a huge watermelon, and it's even chilled!

Aunt Gao smiled as she held the watermelon and quickly asked someone to cut it open.

"The old lady brought me quite a lot. I thought Cai'er might be thirsty, so I brought it over."

Upon hearing that it was given to Li Anqi by the old lady, Aunt Gao's smile vanished instantly.

She was furious and grabbed Li Ancai by the ear, giving him a good scolding.

"Look at your second sister, and look at yourself! If you had half the ability of your second sister, what favor wouldn't you have?!"

After saying this, Aunt Gao glanced at Li Anqi sideways and rolled her eyes.