Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands-Chapter 535 - 0499: Second Brother is Angry (2)

She wasn’t angry either, and sat down on a chair in the outer room.

Li Yu En dressed up and freshened up in the room, and asked Second Lady Liu to open the door.

Lady Lou didn’t get up either, sitting on the chair and looking toward the doorway.

Li Yu En came out from the bedroom, looked at her and asked, "Sister-in-law, you’re so early. Chengye went out early in the morning. If you’re looking for him, go to Father’s study."

Lady Lou glanced outside, smiled, "I’m not looking for him, I’m here for you."

Li Yu En was surprised, "I’m not familiar with Sister-in-law, why are you looking for me?"

Lady Lou inwardly sneered, pretending to be ignorant, are you? "I just passed by the lotus pond and found all the red plum trees gone. What’s going on? Does the fifth sister-in-law know?"

"Oh, I asked Chengye to cut them down," Li Yu En said matter-of-factly.

Lady Lou took a sharp breath, is she stupid or just bold?

She actually dared to admit it so openly?

Lady Lou’s maid, along with Nanny Jing and others, all looked at Li Yu En in shock.

"So it was the fifth sister-in-law who asked the fifth brother to cut them down." Lady Lou laughed.

"That’s right. Sister-in-law, what are you laughing at?" Li Yu En asked, looking at Lady Lou.

"Nothing." Lady Lou dabbed her lips with a handkerchief, covering her mouth while laughing, "By the way, fifth sister-in-law, why did you have the fifth brother cut down those plum trees? This year’s blossoms were the best. Mother was planning to invite the ladies from other mansions over to admire the flowers, and you went and had the trees cut down."

Li Yu En shook her head, "I didn’t want to cut them either, but wasn’t there no firewood around here to chop."

Lady Lou was taken aback, "Chop for firewood? What kind of firewood?"

Still think you’re living in a village, huh? Lady Lou inwardly sneered.

"Oh, the water brought from the kitchen is too cold. Chengye went to check and found the kitchen locked, so we had to figure out a way to boil water ourselves. We only have an old stove and no firewood, so we cut those trees down to make do." Li Yu En sighed, "The small trees were too thin, and half of them got burned last night, leaving only a few sticks. Where can we find firewood today?"

Lady Lou and her maid listened, dumbfounded.

Still going to cut more?

You sure have some nerve!

Lady Lou discreetly tugged at the corner of her lips, "By the way, fifth sister-in-law, Mother asked me to invite you over for breakfast. We’ll go see the old lady later." She stood up, "Let’s go, fifth sister-in-law."

Li Yu En shook her head, "Chengye said I have to go anywhere with him. I can’t leave here by myself."

Lady Lou raised her eyebrows, "Fifth sister-in-law, Mother only asked you to come, not the fifth brother. You don’t have to wait for him. Let’s go, Mother is getting anxious and will be angry."

"But if I leave and Chengye can’t find me, he’ll be angry too." Li Yu En spread her hands, "Sister-in-law, what do you suggest I do?"

Lady Lou inwardly sneered, this new fifth sister-in-law, acting all sweet and silly, is cunning and not falling for it!

Fine, you’ll get yours in time!

Lady Lou smiled, "I’m just relaying the message, fifth sister-in-law, it’s your decision if you go or not." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Li Yu En smiled sweetly, "I’ll go with Chengye when he returns."

Lady Lou glanced at Li Yu En mockingly and left with her maid.

The two walked back along the treeless lotus pond, and the maid, seeing no one around, whispered, "Eldest Young Madam, this fifth young mistress, she seems like a fool. She doesn’t seem to understand what you said. We passed on the message, and she didn’t go. Isn’t she afraid of being punished by Madam?"

"She deserves it, still thinks she’s in the countryside, coming and going as she pleases? Causes trouble on the second day of her wedding, angering Madam, she won’t have peaceful days in the future." Lady Lou sneered coldly.

Lady Lou returned to Lady Lou’s main room.

Lady Lou had already dressed and was having morning tea served by another daughter-in-law. Seeing Lady Lou return alone, she asked in confusion, "Why did you come back alone? Where’s the fifth son’s wife?"

"She refused to come, said she wouldn’t come without the fifth brother accompanying her," Lady Lou replied.

"What? She said that?" Lady Lou was so angry her face darkened, truly clueless about propriety!

She just knew it, shouldn’t have married a village girl!

No manners at all!

"And there’s more, Mother." Lady Lou lightly curled her lips.

"What else, quickly tell me." Lady Lou’s face was dark.

"She said it was her who asked the fifth brother to chop those plum trees. Said they were cut to burn bath water. Also said almost all the wood from the trees is burned, and wondered where to cut more firewood today." Lady Lou secretly observed Lady Lou’s expression and continued.

See, Mother-in-law is furious, that village girl is in trouble!

"What?" Lady Lou’s voice rose three notches, suppressing her anger, she looked at the two nannies beside her, "Go and invite the Fifth Young Madam over for a talk."

It’s the second day of the wedding, and she doesn’t know to serve tea to her in-laws?

Still needs me to remind her?

"Yes, Madam." The two matrons responded, exchanged a glance, and headed towards He Feng Courtyard.

Similarly, when they saw those bare tree stumps by the pond, their eyes widened in shock.

What a bold Fifth Young Madam she is!

The two walked into the main house of He Feng Courtyard, not seeing Li Yu En.

With the cold weather, Li Yu En had gone into her bedroom.

Second Lady Liu saw the two matrons approaching with ill intent and smiled as she went forward, "What instructions do you have, sisters?"

"Lady Lou has orders, we’ve come to fetch the Fifth Young Madam," one of the matrons said.

Second Lady Liu smiled slightly, "The Fifth Young Madam just said she’s feeling a bit unwell and has gone to her room to rest; please wait while I call her."

However, after she entered the bedroom, she never came out.

No matter how the two nannies called out outside, Second Lady Liu wouldn’t open the door, only saying Li Yu En’s stomach hurt, and she couldn’t get out of bed.

Further calls were simply ignored.

The two matrons looked at each other, resigned to stand outside and wait.

This was right after the wedding; they couldn’t just take down the door.

If they couldn’t bring her, returning empty-handed would mean Lady Lou wouldn’t spare them; well, they would have to wait.

.

Without a fire basin inside, Lou Chengye was awoken by the cold early in the morning.

After waking and seeing Li Yu En still asleep, he hurriedly dressed and washed and went to the kitchen to find some charcoal to light the fire basin.

But the charcoal in the kitchen had a lot of smoke, and there wasn’t much of it.

Using it to light a fire basin in the bedroom would warm the room, but the smoke would suffocate them.

Lou Chengye returned disappointed.

Upon returning to He Feng Courtyard, he was called by Chang Sui, Prefect Lou’s servant, saying Prefect Lou wanted to speak with him.

Lou Chengye greeted Second Lady Liu and followed Chang Sui to meet Prefect Lou.

Once he left, Lady Lou arrived, so he was unaware of the situation at He Feng Courtyard.

On the way to Prefect Lou’s study, he encountered Li Xingsheng coming from the guest room.

Li Xingsheng quickly called him and asked about Li Yu En’s situation.

Lou Chengye hesitated, "It’s okay, don’t worry, Second Brother, she’s fine."

Li Xingsheng squinted, staring at his face, "Really?" His evasive look suggested he was hiding something.

Lou Chengye awkwardly said, "Yes... really..."

But Li Xingsheng did not believe him.

He pulled Lou Chengye aside, his gaze solemn, "Lou Chengye, are you hiding something from me?"

Lou Chengye’s face turned pale, "Second... Second Brother, actually... actually..."

"Actually what?" Li Xingsheng asked coldly.

Under his stern questioning, Lou Chengye couldn’t withstand the pressure and had to speak the truth.

His face was full of guilt, "Our family lacks charcoal. Besides it being a bit cold inside, everything else is fine, but don’t worry, Second Brother, I’m going to see my father now, I’ll talk to him about the charcoal."

"No charcoal, so you endured the cold all night last night?" Li Xingsheng was surprised.

His own silly sister, despite her plump appearance, feared the cold.

He wondered how well she slept last night.

Li Xingsheng furrowed his brow.

Seeing his changed expression, Lou Chengye immediately waved his hand and said, "Don’t worry, Second Brother, she won’t be cold tonight, I will find a way to get charcoal."

Li Xingsheng glanced at Chang Sui, Prefect Lou’s servant, ahead of them and asked Lou Chengye sternly, "Lou Chengye, tell me the truth, what’s really going on? You just got married last night; you shouldn’t lack charcoal everywhere!"

In his guest room, there was even a small fire basin.

Yet the newlyweds’ room didn’t have a fire basin; Li Xingsheng found it suspicious.

Lou Chengye’s face turned grim, furrowing his brow, unsure of how to respond.

Li Xingsheng sneered, "Is someone intentionally doing this?"

Lou Chengye grimaced, "Second Brother, I’ll handle this matter, I won’t let Yu En suffer from the cold."

"She’s already suffered from the cold—there’s no charcoal now either, right?" Li Xingsheng sneered.