Shen Miao's tone was full of grievance, and her face wore a pitiful look. Those onlookers around couldn't help but side with Shen Miao, thinking that she had been completely bullied.
However, in Shen Li's eyes, Shen Miao's pitiful act was nothing but fake. With a smile on her lips, she couldn't hold back and let out a snort of laughter.
"What a pity, dear sister. Your excellent acting skills are wasted here. If you were to perform on stage, you'd probably become a sensation in the capital within two days! It's truly a pity that you use your skills to play the victim, seek sympathy, and deal with me!"
For a moment, Shen Miao couldn't maintain her aggrieved expression. She stared at Shen Li, and a flash of killing intent quickly crossed her eyes. Although she concealed it quickly, Shen Li still caught it.
"Sister, I... I don't know what you're talking about. You must have misunderstood me. I have no intention of blaming you. I know you don't like me! But it's okay. You'll always be my sister!"
"From now on, if you don't want to see me, I'll surely stay far away from you. Please, just don't think of me as a bad person anymore, okay? I just wanted to get closer to you. I meant no harm. Just now... just now, it was my own fault that I didn't stand steadily. Sister must have wanted to help me, but I was too clumsy and still fell to the ground!"
"Really, it was I who fell. It has nothing to do with my sister. Please don't misunderstand!" The last words were directed at the on - looking pilgrims. Her eager expression of explanation made the onlookers feel even more pity for her.
At this moment, a tall and strong middle - aged man in the crowd stepped forward and advised Shen Miao, "Alas, girl, why can't you see clearly? Your sister doesn't regard you as a family member at all. Why do you still keep explaining for her?"
"She... she is my sister. She is not wrong!" Shen Miao's timid expression made her seem like a completely different person from the overbearing one who had raised her hand to slap someone just now.
"This girl is just too naive. That's why she's been deceived by such messy relatives." An old woman carrying a basket, wearing coarse cloth, with neatly combed hair and a tidy appearance, couldn't help but speak out, completely ignoring the son beside her who was desperately winking at her.
"Girl, listen to this old woman's advice. Hurry up and stay far away from your sister with such a devious mind!"
"Mom! Stop talking!" The old woman's son was sweating profusely with anxiety. He kept pulling on his mother's arm, signaling her to stop.
"What's wrong? Why can't I talk? Everyone here saw what happened. We're not blind. We all know clearly who is in the wrong. What's the matter? She dared to do it but is afraid of us talking about it?"
The more the old woman spoke, the more confident she seemed. By the end, her voice even involuntarily got a bit louder.
Her son's face turned red. He whispered to her, "Mom, these people clearly come from wealthy and noble families. They're not people we ordinary folks can afford to offend. Please stop talking. Don't offend them."
The old woman's face froze. Her expression changed quickly. She already regretted being so eager to stand up for others, but still stubbornly retorted, "So what if they're from wealthy families? She clearly did something wrong. Am I not allowed to say anything when I see it?"
But this time, her voice was much weaker, and even her tone was much softer than before.
The old woman's son wanted to leave. He pulled on his mother's arm and was about to quietly slip out of the crowd.
They didn't know that their every move had been watched by Shen Li. Seeing their retreating steps, Shen Li spoke up and interrupted them, "Please wait a moment, you two!"
When the old woman looked up and saw Shen Li staring intently at them through the crowd, her heart skipped a beat. She regretted even more for being so eager to stand up just now.
"I appreciate your kind intention, ma'am. But this is actually our family matter, and we don't need others to interfere. Moreover, the truth of this matter still needs to be verified."
"This can't be covered up just by someone pretending to cry, acting pitiful, and saying a few words! Am I right, ma'am?"
Since just now, Shen Li's eyes had never left the old woman and her son. Now she stared at them intently, making the old woman feel a chill down her back even in the summer.
She wiped the cold sweat off her forehead, filled with fear. She never thought that a look from a teenage girl could scare a person in their fifties or sixties into sweating.
"Yes, yes, yes! This is your family matter. It's not for us outsiders to butt in. I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Summoning up her courage, the old woman managed to finish this sentence in one breath. Then she quickly pulled her son through the crowd and went home.
After the old woman and her son left, Shen Li turned to the on - looking crowd again. "Is there anyone else who wants to meddle in our family matter?"
Everyone around shook their heads and took a few steps back.
"Of course, today's matter is indeed our family matter. But since it happened here, in front of the Buddha and the Bodhisattva, we'll settle it right here. In that case, I'd like to trouble those who stay here to be witnesses!"
As soon as Shen Li said this, most of the people who had come to watch the fun slipped away because they were afraid of getting involved.
As for the few who remained, some were bolder, while others had some status and background and were not afraid to stay.
"Sister, why do you want to keep these people here? We can solve our family matter by ourselves! And this is not good for your reputation, nor for the reputation of our Shen family!"
Shen Miao had already achieved her goal of making others misunderstand Shen Li. She didn't want to give Shen Li a chance to prove her innocence. Seeing that Shen Li had kept these people, she had already anticipated that Shen Li would not admit defeat so easily.
So she wanted to drive these people away, so as to make Shen Li bear the reputation of bullying her younger sister. Naturally, she didn't want Shen Li to keep these on - lookers here.
That's why she mentioned the name of the Shen family, trying to scare away these on - lookers with the family's name.
But her words didn't have much effect. When they heard her mention the Shen family, the pilgrims who remained didn't react much. Only two ordinary people left.