Ji Shisu was full of energy. He picked up a knife and fished out a live crucian carp from the water tank.
He stunned it with a pat, gutted it, scraped the scales off with the back of the knife, and with a swift motion of his hand, the fish was soon cleaned.
Who would have thought that these hands once held a sword and commanded the world?
Knowing that Ji Shisu was going to be busy in the kitchen for most of the night again, Gui Su and Jing Su wisely left.
Early the next morning, Gui Su came again to deliver the fish soup.
The gatekeepers of the Ye Mansion already knew her and didn't stop her to ask for a visiting card. They just opened the gate and let her in, and while opening the gate, they didn't forget to remind her.
"The third young master is here. He's talking to the young lady inside."
Zhao Luoming?
Why did he come so early?
Gui Su walked in with the food box on her arm. Just as she passed the main hall and reached the courtyard where Zhao Luoning was, she heard Zhao Luoming's voice.
They seemed to be talking about Concubine Zhao.
Zhao Luoming sat below Zhao Luoning and thanked her. "Elder sister, A Shun told me everything. Thank you and second brother for not bearing a grudge and sending my mother back."
Zhao Luoning smiled.
It was true that she had sent Concubine Zhao back. After learning that A Shun had sent Concubine Zhao back to the Zhao family's farmstead, Zhao Luoning didn't forget to send someone to have a good "talk" with the steward of the Zhao family's farmstead.
From then on, it would not be so easy for Concubine Zhao to run out again.
Zhao Luoning took a sip of tea and asked, "Is Concubine Zhao feeling better now?"
As she said this, Zhao Luoning even thought her performance was too fake.
Fortunately, Zhao Luoming didn't notice.
Zhao Luoming was now solely worried about Concubine Zhao.
"I just found out that third sister actually withheld the food money I gave to mother! The people in that farmstead were really hateful. Without money, they wouldn't give mother any food. She was so hungry that she ran out."
Thinking of this, Zhao Luoming didn't forget to apologize to Zhao Luoning.
"I heard that my mother snatched second brother's bag on the street and was caught by him. Please convey my apologies to second brother on my behalf. My mother had no other choice. When she first ran out of the farmstead, she was extremely hungry. At first, she tried to snatch money from the beggars, but was beaten up by a group of beggars on the street. After that, she didn't dare to take money from the beggars anymore. Later, when she was really starving, she had no choice but to act."
Zhao Luoning waved her hand and pretended to be magnanimous as she calmly reminded him, "The people in the farmstead are just doing their jobs for money. Although it's really excessive not to give people food, they are just workers. There's no reason to ask them to subsidize."
Zhao Luoming nodded.
"Yes, so I told them that they don't need to go to third sister every month. They can just come to me to get the money. I just want my mother to have enough to eat and wear warmly." Zhao Luoming sighed. "It's also my fault as a son. I really can't spare the time to take care of her now."
How could Zhao Luoning not know Zhao Luoming's difficulties?
It was said that Zhao Luoming had even sold the small courtyard he had just bought in order to open a shop. He himself had to make do in the firewood shed with A Shun after the inn closed.
Not to mention that Concubine Zhao was not in a normal mental state now.
Even when she wasn't so crazy before, she wouldn't be willing to stay in a place like an inn.
Concubine Zhao was such a noble person. She wanted to live in the best place, a single room with a large courtyard. How could she make do with living in a firewood shed?
So, Zhao Luoning had already expected this.
For the sake of Concubine Zhao and the business of the inn, Zhao Luoming wouldn't keep her in the inn.
Given Zhao Luoming's current situation, although he knew that the Zhao family's farmstead was not a good place, he had no choice but to entrust her there.
As long as she was still in the farmstead, it was okay.
Zhao Luoning sneered coldly in her heart.
She would let Concubine Zhao know what it meant to live a life worse than death.
It was true that Zhao Luoning had let Concubine Zhao go at the inn, but that was for Cai Xue's sake.
As long as Cai Xue wasn't involved, of course she would slowly settle the old score with Concubine Zhao.
Luo Jing couldn't have died in vain, and Luo Yu couldn't have been injured for nothing.
There was also elder brother, mother, and herself.
The blood feud of so many years couldn't be easily passed over with a simple sentence "for Zhao Luoming's sake".
He, Zhao Luoming, didn't have that much influence yet.
Of course, since Zhao Luoning wanted to deal with Concubine Zhao, she wouldn't be like the people in the farmstead who didn't give her food or clothes and let her run out to seek help from her children.
She wanted Concubine Zhao to look normal on the surface.
Physical torture was too easy on Concubine Zhao.
Zhao Luoning had already replaced all the people in the farmstead and brought in those who had grudges against Concubine Zhao from the Zhao family before.
Now they had the opportunity to take revenge for how Concubine Zhao had bossed them around before.
Zhao Luoning had already told the people in the farmstead to tell Concubine Zhao every day how Lord Zhao had despised her, how miserable Zhao Luoyue was after being divorced, and how prosperous the eldest branch, which she had always wanted to suppress, was.
She would have someone whisper in her ear every day, "You've lost."
Even though Concubine Zhao was crazy now, she was still stubborn.
When she was caught by Zhao Luoning, she stubbornly refused to show her face to Zhao Luoning.
She had been competitive all her life.
Then Zhao Luoning would let her lose completely.
Hiding her thoughts, Zhao Luoning looked up at Zhao Luoming.
Zhao Luoming also had a huge headache when he thought of Concubine Zhao.
Zhao Luoning advised, "You've already done a great job."
This was the truth.
Although the person Zhao Luoming was now protecting and taking care of was Zhao Luoning's enemy, it didn't stop Zhao Luoning from admiring Zhao Luoming.
At least compared to Zhao Luoyue, who had abandoned Concubine Zhao in this situation, Zhao Luoming could be called a filial son.
Zhao Luoming shook his head with a bitter smile.
"How I wish I could just give up, but if I don't take care of her, no one else will." Although he said so, Zhao Luoming didn't blame Zhao Luoyue. "Of course, I can't blame my elder sister either. She's already married, and it's originally my responsibility to take care of mother. Moreover, she's also having a hard time."
After Zhao Luoming found out that Zhao Luoyue had withheld the food money for Concubine Zhao, he went to confront her.
The result made Zhao Luoming feel heart - wrenching.
The once - so - vain Zhao Luoyue was now dressed in plain clothes. All her gold and silver ornaments on her head had been sold, and most of her serving maids had been dismissed.
When she saw Zhao Luoming coming, Zhao Luoyue immediately asked him for money.
In this situation, Zhao Luoming didn't feel right to scold her.
Of course, if Zhao Luoming knew the real reason why Zhao Luoyue had fallen to this state in just half a month, he wouldn't feel sorry for her.
Zhao Luoyue was in such a miserable state because she wanted to maintain her prestige in front of others. In order not to let people know that she had been divorced, she still acted like the second young mistress of the Ning family. She had even attended a noblewoman's birthday banquet a few days ago and gave a birthday gift that she couldn't afford at all.
After Zhao Luoning no longer had to avoid Ji Shisu, her information network became more extensive.
As soon as Zhao Luoyue rented clothes and entered the noblewoman's house, Zhao Luoning received the news. She even knew exactly what gift Zhao Luoyue had given and how much it was worth.
It wasn't that the people under Zhao Luoning were that powerful.
If Zhao Luoyue knew the reason behind this, she would probably be so angry that she would die.