Although Wu Caiwei was busy, she achieved results. Under her care, Li Yuqun clearly felt much better. Of course, for safety's sake, she had him continue to feign weakness.
During this period, Huang Yu'an, as Li Yuqun had said, visited him frequently. Every time he went out and returned, he would bring him small gifts and tell him some interesting stories from the outside world. After each visit, Li Yuqun's mood would be exceptionally good.
Wu Caiwei was puzzled. She had observed for so long but found no concrete evidence against him. Could it be that he wasn't the one responsible? But if not him, then who? If Li Yuqun were to perish, he would be the biggest beneficiary in the manor.
Wu Caiwei fell into deep distress, wanting to catch the culprit quickly, as no one wanted to live in fear, constantly in danger.
To quickly expose the culprit, Wu Caiwei accompanied Li Yuqun to dine with the old lady that day. The old lady had specifically ordered more of Li Yuqun's favorite dishes. Li Yuqun was very happy and unknowingly ate an extra bowl. During the meal, he kept serving dishes to the old lady and Wu Caiwei.
The old lady, who had been closely observing her grandson's every move, had already noticed the change in him and was overjoyed. Not wanting to break the harmonious atmosphere, she had refrained from asking.
It was only after the meal that she looked at her grandson with expectant eyes and said, "I feel like you've gotten much better. In the past, let alone eating an extra bowl of rice, even staying with me for a while would be unbearable. Today, you look rosy-cheeked and not out of breath. My heart is filled with joy."
"I also feel much lighter, I don't know why. Perhaps one feels more spirited when good things happen. Grandma's ritual to ward off evil spirits was indeed very effective. Of course, it's also because Xue'er is blessed with good fortune; I started getting better as soon as she arrived." Li Yuqun pulled Wu Caiwei forward, making his grandmother think even more highly of her.
The old lady nodded in agreement. She also felt that her grandson had married well. After consulting so many renowned doctors for years with no improvement in her grandson's health, he had improved by half in such a short time after her granddaughter-in-law's arrival. This was something she wouldn't have dared to imagine in her dreams. She decided to spend more time with her and absorb some of her good fortune.
In the afternoon, Huang Yu'an received the news and excitedly rushed to Wu Caiwei's courtyard, saying with surprise, "Younger cousin, I heard from grandmother that your health has improved a lot. Is it true? I'm truly happy for you."
"Of course, it's true. How could Grandma joke about my health? Before long, I'll be able to go out with you, cousin. I hope you'll guide me then," Li Yuqun joked with him.
"Naturally, who else would guide you if not your cousin? You've been confined to your room for so many years and missed a lot of beautiful scenery. When you're well, I'll take you traveling, so you can experience the magnificent mountains and rivers." Huang Yu'an said with passion and grandeur, his imagination of them galloping on horseback filling him with excitement.
After seeing off the enthusiastic Huang Yu'an, Li Yuqun looked at Wu Caiwei and said, "See how happy my cousin is for me? Clearly, he's not the one."
"That's not necessarily true. Perhaps he's here to probe, as some people are naturally gifted actors." Although Wu Caiwei saw no flaws in Huang Yu'an's performance just now, she wouldn't jump to conclusions about anyone. Everything required evidence.
"We've tried to test him, so what should we do next? Wife, who do you suspect? Just give the word, and I'll charge forward," Li Yuqun said dotingly as he looked at her.
"I haven't thought it through yet. We can only take it one step at a time. By the way, tell me about Huang Yu'an's family situation," Wu Caiwei said as she pondered.
"Cousin's mother is my aunt, and also the old lady's only daughter. Because the Li family has few descendants, the old lady only has one son and one daughter, whom she naturally doted on, which also contributed to her willful personality. I heard that she met her current uncle on a trip. My uncle's family was very poor back then. The old lady vehemently disagreed, but her daughter insisted on marrying him. She even threatened to hang herself and go on a hunger strike. In the end, the old lady relented and sent her off with a grand dowry." Li Yuqun didn't have a very clear understanding of his aunt's past. This was what he had heard from the elders in the manor.
"How did cousin end up in our manor?" Wu Caiwei inquired again.
"Cousin is older than me. I hadn't even been born when he came to the manor. I only heard from the elders that after my aunt married, they had a period of sweet days. But it was short-lived. Once the Huang family became wealthy, they became arrogant. His mother always wanted to assert dominance over her, leading to a very poor mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship. My uncle not only didn't help but colluded with his mother to bully her. Their relationship grew increasingly strained. Later, after my aunt gave birth to cousin, my uncle brought back a concubine from outside. Fearing that the concubine would harm cousin, my aunt sent him to the Li manor," Li Yuqun recalled.
"What happened to my aunt and uncle's relationship later? Did they not consider taking cousin back?" Wu Caiwei found the situation quite strange and continued to ask.
"Later, I heard that the old lady had also asked them to divorce. My aunt refused, instead driving the Huang family out of her own residence. Later, after some discussion, my uncle returned, but his mother returned to the countryside alone and never stepped foot in the manor again. One year, I heard they were planning to bring cousin back to the Huang family, but for some reason, it was dropped." Li Yuqun told Wu Caiwei everything he knew.
Wu Caiwei knew that Li Yuqun had been in poor health and confined to his home, so his information was limited. Since the other party had gone undiscovered for so many years, they must be deeply hidden. Now that Li Yuqun's health had just improved a little, they would see what moves the other party made.
Zheng Yiming had been languishing at home for a few days, constantly contemplating his next move, when suddenly there was a knock on the door. A moment later, he heard the maid's startled cry.
He frowned, thinking the maid was truly uncultured, what was there to be so surprised about.
However, after a moment, looking at the person standing before him, Zheng Yiming was also astonished, and then his eyes gleamed with fierce malice. He felt like killing the person.
It turned out that standing before him at this moment was Old Master Zheng, who had disappeared for days. Old Master Zheng was now ragged, had lost a hand, and was disheveled. He was startled by his son's appearance.
He hadn't intended to return, fearing his son would harm him again, but with nowhere else to go, he had no home.
In fact, after he had lost all his money gambling, he had also been a vagrant, living as a beggar for a period of time. But being a beggar was not easy; going hungry was the norm, and the steamed buns given by people who pitied him were often snatched away.
At this moment, he intensely missed his son and the Zheng family. Thus, he had returned while begging and wandering.
Zheng Yiming suddenly lunged forward and grabbed his father's throat. Old Master Zheng was momentarily stunned, but when he reacted, he easily brushed off his son's hand, as Zheng Yiming had only used his left hand to choke, and his right hand was not strong enough.
He collapsed to the ground, saddened by his own powerlessness, and cried out hoarsely.
Old Master Zheng watched his son weep, his mouth agape. He could clearly sense his son's pain, but he heard no sound, which was very strange.