Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands-Chapter 600 - 0558: Come to My Side

Seeing the disbelief on Li Yuwen’s face, Uncle Wei also said, "We really didn’t deceive you, Mrs. Pei, we’re truly sorry for causing a misunderstanding."

Wei Dalang and his wife kept echoing, "She’s been ill for a long time, often sitting in this room in the dead of night. We really didn’t deceive you."

"Yu Wen?" Pei Shenyan called again, "This is a misunderstanding, please don’t be angry."

About when Pei Shenyan got out of bed, Li Yuwen heard the tapping of a cane.

Li Yuwen glanced at the Wei Family and walked into the bedroom.

That Wei San was still sitting in the chair, blank as a wooden figure.

Pei Shenyan was carefully walking past Wei San, leaning on a cane, and Wei San didn’t even blink.

Is this what a person with sleepwalking disorder looks like?

Li Yuwen stepped forward to support Pei Shenyan, "What exactly is going on? Why didn’t you tell me?"

"A young girl wandering outside in the middle of the night, is that something pleasant to talk about? What’s there to say?" Pei Shenyan let her assist him as he sat in another chair.

The Wei Family all entered the room, apologizing to Li Yuwen together.

Cui Xi walked up to Wei San, curiously examining her face, even waving a hand in front of Wei San’s eyes, but Wei San had no reaction.

"So strange." Cui Xi blinked, "How is she just like a wooden person?"

Everyone was speaking, but only Wei San sat in the chair, her eyes lifeless, as if in a trance.

Mrs. Wei went over and said to Cui Xi, "Be sure not to wake her, a doctor in the county said her condition should not be startled, it’s best to let her wake up on her own."

"Really strange, why can’t she hear us talking?" Cui Xi exclaimed in surprise.

"Ah, isn’t that why it’s called a peculiar illness?" Mrs. Wei sighed.

"My old servant said that Miss Wei San stayed the whole night in my husband’s room, is that true?" Li Yuwen glanced at the Wei Family standing there, asking coldly.

Taking this opportunity, she wanted to get to the bottom of things.

Whether it’s true sleepwalking or fake sneaking into beds, she doesn’t like being kept in the dark.

Uncle Wei, worried she was angry, had to tell the truth, "She did, she sat here all night..."

Li Yuwen snorted coldly, "Ha!"

Pei Shenyan tugged at her sleeve, "Yu Wen, she was having a spell, couldn’t wake her, had to let her sit here."

"So you’re saying, the two of you, one asleep, one sitting, a man and a woman spent the night together?" Li Yuwen glanced at Pei Shenyan, sneering.

"No, Fusheng and Ji Bo were also in the room." Pei Shenyan said, "They only went to sleep in another room when you arrived."

Li Yuwen, "..." Not just a man and a woman alone in a room? She glanced at Pei Shenyan, then at the Wei Family, "You all saying this and that, one of you explain the whole thing clearly, I want to know what really happened."

Seeing Li Yuwen’s tone soften, Mrs. Wei explained the truth, "In short, we only wanted to protect her reputation, Mr. Pei is a good person, which led to the misunderstanding with Mrs. Pei."

It turns out, since last year, Wei San suddenly fell ill with this strange condition, every few nights sitting in this room in the middle of the night.

After Pei Shenyan moved into this room, the door was originally locked from the inside, but when Pei Ji went out to relieve himself, he returned to find an extra woman sitting inside.

Frightened, he shouted out.

Pei Shenyan was woken up by the noise, saw it was Wei San sitting by the bed, he was also startled. Unaware of Wei San’s condition, he woke Pei Fusheng to chase Wei San away.

Wei San was scared awake and started yelling loudly.

Worried about his reputation, Pei Shenyan grabbed Pei Fusheng and Pei Ji and bolted.

But when they reached the threshold, Pei Fusheng’s trailing foot stepped on Pei Shenyan’s robe hem, and both Pei Shenyan and Pei Fusheng fell.

Pei Fusheng, with tougher skin, was fine, but Pei Shenyan sprained his foot.

Of course, the commotion alarmed the other members of the Wei Family in the East Courtyard.

Wei San’s parents and older brother and sister-in-law, as well as her second brother, all came to this West Courtyard.

Frightened, Wei San ran out of the house screaming.

Wei Erlang chased her for over a mile before catching up.

As for Pei Shenyan being woken and spraining his foot, it naturally had to remain a secret.

The Wei Family asked Pei Shenyan to keep it discreet, assuring him they would get a doctor to heal Pei Shenyan’s foot.

The Wei Family has been Pei Shenyan’s major tenant. The Wei Family has farmed Pei Shenyan’s land for eleven years, always paying rent on time, never in arrears.

During holidays and festivals, the Wei Family even sends gifts to Pei Shenyan.

Considering the past relations, Pei Shenyan agreed to keep the matter of Wei San a secret for the Wei Family, only stating he twisted his foot while inspecting the fields.

Li Yuwen glanced at the Wei Family, then at Pei Shenyan.

These two parties, you say this, I say that, it all sounds seamless.

Li Yuwen continued, "Since Miss Wei San has this illness and often comes to this room, why do you still let my husband stay here? Are you deliberately trying to scare him, causing him to twist his ankle on purpose?"

Mrs. Wei looked distressed, "Mrs. Pei, even though our house has so many rooms, there’s no decent furniture inside. Our second son fought with someone last year and injured them, and their family wouldn’t let it go and took quite a bit of money from us."

"..."

"Last year’s harvest was poor, and the money barely covered the rent. We even had to be frugal over the new year. This spring, we sold some things to buy seeds to plant."

"..."

"The bed and quilt in the East Courtyard are shabby. Mr. Pei is the owner; how could he sleep on a broken bed in a shabby house? This room was newly built the year before last, and everything here is new, so we had to let Mr. Pei stay here."

"..."

"My husband and I were also worried our youngest daughter would scare people if she had an episode, so we would lock the door from the outside once she slept. Who knew she would crawl out the window? Last night she climbed out this way. Tonight, we tied her feet to the bed, but she managed to untie the rope. If Mrs. Pei doesn’t believe it, you can take a look at her feet; there’s still a rope hanging there."

Mrs. Wei lifted Wei San’s trouser leg, and Li Yuwen indeed saw a rope, made from a gray fabric strip twisted as thick as a finger, hanging from Wei San’s foot.

The explanation was logical and well-reasoned, making it impossible not to believe.

Li Yuwen said flatly, "Well, I’ll believe your family for now. From now on, you should keep a close watch on Wei San. My husband is honest and wouldn’t do anything to her, but if she runs out and encounters bad people, that wouldn’t be good."

"Sure, sure, Mrs. Pei, don’t worry. We’ll take her back and lock her up." The four members of the Wei Family said in unison.

The noise from the conversation disturbed Pei Ji and Pei Fusheng in the wooden house nearby.

They both came over together.

They were surprised to see Wei San.

Mrs. Wei repeatedly apologized as she led Wei San away.

After the Wei Family was gone, Pei Shenyan said, "Alright, the misunderstanding is cleared up. It’s late; everyone should go to sleep."

Li Yuwen still had one thing that she didn’t understand. She said, "Wait a moment; there’s one more thing I’d like to ask."

Pei Shenyan smiled and said, "Yu Wen, go ahead."

"When I was on the street, I heard people say that my husband invited Wei San to ride in a carriage. Where did you go?" Li Yuwen asked with a composed yet angry face.

Pei Ji and Pei Fusheng frowned at her.

Pei Shenyan, however, just chuckled.

Li Yuwen sneered, "And you can still laugh? You marry a wife, yet you wish for a concubine, is that it?"

Pei Fusheng said, "Young mistress, the young master wouldn’t take a concubine."

"Wouldn’t take a concubine? Yet you rode in a carriage with someone else’s daughter. Rumors are all over the street!" Li Yuwen sneered.

Pei Shenyan was not angry at all and gently said, "Yu Wen, Wei San asked me to be her matchmaker; how could she be my concubine? Besides, I wasn’t the only one in the carriage; Fusheng was there too. You’re overthinking it. I promised your parents from the start, in this life, I would only marry you as my wife and would never take another woman."

Pei Ji also said, "The young master has only ever been good to the young mistress, and you’re worrying needlessly."

Li Yuwen glanced at Pei Shenyan, "How could you blame me? You may not have another woman in your heart, but you didn’t avoid suspicion. Rumors about you and Wei San are running wild on the street."

Pei Shenyan bowed to her in apology, "It’s my fault for making you worry, my lady."

He sincerely apologized, leaving Li Yuwen with no choice but to let it go, "Alright, let’s leave it at that this time. Next time, hmm!"

Pei Shenyan gently said, "There won’t be a next time."

Having got to the bottom of things, Li Yuwen finally said, "Everyone, go to sleep."

Pei Ji, Pei Fusheng, and Cui Xi left their bedroom one by one and went to sleep.

Li Yuwen closed the door and washed her hands with the cool water in the basin.

She turned around to see Pei Shenyan already lying back on the bed. He had lifted her side of the quilt, waiting for her.

Li Yuwen looked at him, removed her cloak, hung it up, blew out the lamp, and gently climbed back into her side of the bed.

After such a commotion, she couldn’t sleep.

Li Yuwen turned and looked at Pei Shenyan beside her, "Shen Yan, I’m cold."

Pei Shenyan couldn’t sleep either, but he kept his eyes closed, trying to fall asleep. Hearing Li Yuwen’s soft, coquettish voice, he immediately opened his eyes.

"You just went out, so of course you’re cold. You’ll warm up after a while." Pei Shenyan comforted her.

"It won’t get better. I didn’t sleep well just now; the Wei Family’s quilt is too thin, and there’s only one blanket..." Li Yuwen sighed.

Pei Shenyan suggested, "Why don’t you sleep with your outer robe on?"

"Wouldn’t I end up all wrinkled? How would I face people tomorrow?"

Pei Shenyan couldn’t think of a solution, "Then what should we do? The Wei Family is too poor this year to burn a big brazier..." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"You come over here and help warm my hands and feet." Li Yuwen stretched her foot over, nudging Pei Shenyan’s foot.

Pei Shenyan was taken aback.