Song Jiaye was really being unreasonable. Li Tong was still so young. Why was Song Jiaye arguing with him about these things?
Li Qiyu was just about to knock on the door and go in when she heard Song Jiaye say, "Tongtong, have you ever heard the saying, 'Speak with purpose, strive with gain. Do not speak recklessly, do not strive aimlessly'?"
Li Tong's small head was filled with great confusion. He looked up at Song Jiaye, puzzled.
And at the door, Li Qiyu stopped in her tracks.
This saying sounded so familiar.
Wasn't this... the family motto of their Li family!
Song Jiaye didn't notice that Li Qiyu was right behind him. He was still explaining the meaning of this saying to Li Tong.
"This saying means that when you're talking to someone or want something, don't ramble on about other things. You need to know what you want to express, get to the core, and put forward your real request," Song Jiaye was very good at taking care of kids. When he said this, he even used an example to explain.
"For example, if you want to eat eggs, just tell your uncle that you want to eat eggs. Your uncle can ask Sister Liu to fry some for you. If you're feeling sad, you can also tell your aunt and uncle directly. Your uncle can give you a hug. But if you're actually sad but grab your aunt's eggs, this won't make others like you. It will only make others think that Tongtong is a stubborn and disobedient bad kid."
Hearing this, Li Tong pursed his lips, his nose was sore, and his eyes were red. It seemed that he was about to cry.
But Song Jiaye didn't rush to hug him. He asked, "Now, Tongtong, tell me, do you really want to eat eggs or..."
Li Tong's little face was downcast. He was actually on the verge of crying. Facing Song Jiaye's questioning, he really wanted to avoid it, but finally he summoned up the courage and opened his arms towards Song Jiaye.
"I want uncle to hug me."
Song Jiaye reached out and hugged Li Tong, holding him in his arms. All his seriousness disappeared, and he became a gentle and amiable uncle.
"Tongtong is really good. Don't be afraid, Tongtong. Your aunt and uncle will accompany you."
Li Qiyu slowly backed out of the room. When she left, she didn't forget to close the door for them.
"Speak with purpose, strive with gain. Do not speak recklessly, do not strive aimlessly."
She murmured. It had been a long time since she last heard this saying. This family motto was hardly known to outsiders except for the Li family members. In the era of the founding ancestor of the Li family, there was a misunderstanding because of this family motto. Outsiders mistakenly thought that all the Li family members were people who chased after fame and fortune. The Li family suffered a setback because of this, so they rarely mentioned this family motto in front of outsiders.
How did Song Jiaye in modern times know about it?
However, Song Jiaye in ancient times did know about this. Generally, the family mottos of other families were about propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame, benevolence, filial piety, loyalty, and righteousness. Only the Li family's was out of the ordinary. Back then, Song Jiaye even asked her why the Li family had such a strange family motto.
Li Qiyu leaned on the sofa absent - mindedly. A bold and terrifying thought formed in her mind.
Could it be... that Song Jiaye was also...
Concubine Yu had also traveled through time, which proved that she wasn't the only one who could travel through time. It was possible that Song Jiaye had traveled through time too.
He looked exactly the same and even had the same name.
In Li Qiyu's heart, the contradictory thoughts of supporting and suspecting Song Jiaye turned into two little people having a mental battle in her mind, staging a debate that gave her a splitting headache.
Little Man A: "No. If Song Jiaye had traveled through time, how could he be so familiar with modern knowledge?"
Little Man B: "People travel through time at different times. Song Jiaye might have traveled through time first and learned this knowledge first. Weren't you also here before Concubine Yu traveled through time? This isn't strange."
Little Man A: "But after getting along with him for so long, there's no sign of the ancient Song Jiaye on him."
Little Man B: "Song Jiaye is always good at disguising. You've seen how he acted in front of the court officials. Most likely, he's just acting."
Little Man A: "But why? You even jumped off a building to avoid him. Why is he so persistent?"
Little Man B: "Who knows? Maybe Song Jiaye is just being a busybody."
Little Man A: "No, I still don't believe that the ancient and modern Song Jiayes are the same person. It's too hasty to draw such a conclusion just based on one saying. Maybe we can go and ask Song Jiaye."
Little Man B: "If he's pretending, will he tell the truth when we ask him? Moreover, does this even need to be asked? If the ancient and modern Song Jiayes are the same person, then many doubts can be explained. For example, why did you hear that Li Xiyu and Song Jiaye had a very bad relationship before, but after you traveled through time, he was so considerate to you. And why is Song Jiaye's study decorated in an ancient - style, and he likes those ancient things like writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones."
Little Man A: "Didn't Song Jiaye say that he would get a divorce and let me go?"
Little Man B: "Whoever believes that is a fool. Song Jiaye is obviously just stalling for time. He has been very attentive these days. Didn't you also think it was strange and remind him several times?"
Little Man A was clearly at a disadvantage. Blushing, he could only repeat, "Even if you call me a fool, I believe in Song Jiaye. He's not such a person."
Little Man B sneered, "You didn't believe that Song Jiaye would change his heart before, and you didn't believe that he would marry other women. But what happened? It was you who was exterminated along with your whole family, you who was sent to the cold palace, and you who was betrayed and abandoned. He, Song Jiaye, got rid of you after using you, had many women around him, and enjoyed his later years."
Little Man A was almost convinced, "If we don't like each other, why torture each other? Why not just let each other go?"
Little Man B: "Who knows? Maybe your jumping off the building hurt his pride, and he thinks he must get it back from you. Maybe he still likes you and wants to make up with you."
When the words "make up" flashed through her mind, Li Qiyu's first reaction was to refuse.
Song Jiaye was a mud pit. She had fallen into it once and was badly hurt. She didn't want to fall into it a second time.
Because of her aversion to Song Jiaye, in the end, Little Man B won this mental battle.
Because Li Qiyu knew that even if she wronged Song Jiaye and even if he had nothing to do with the ancient Song Jiaye, she didn't want to have any more contact with Song Jiaye.
It's better to wrong ten thousand than let one go.
She had finally come back to life and was finally ready to start a new life.
She didn't want to see the ancient Song Jiaye again.
She didn't want to, once again, be completely destroyed, disgraced, and left with nothing.