RWNEFE -Chapter 99 I Know Why Liu Laohu Won’t Let Lanxi Help Us!

Shen Yuanjing said, “Father, if anyone in the family gets sick next time, I’m afraid Liu Laohu won’t let us buy on credit anymore!”

Grandmother Shen stiffened and awkwardly turned her head away.

“Father, I want to go too!” Shen Yuanjun said—not for the money or medicine, but because he enjoyed the thrill of slaying villains.

Those bad people all deserved it; their actions were righteous justice!

Shen Congwen couldn’t dissuade his son, constantly sighing. His son was right. The family still had a long way to go, and sickness was always possible. If Liu Laohu didn’t let Lanxi help them, they would be helpless!

“It’s my failure as a father—I can’t protect you!” Shen Congwen’s eyes welled with tears.

“Father, don’t say that. This is our own choice,” Shen Yuanjing said, also enjoying the feeling of earning by skill.

“I’ll go with you!” Shen Congwen said, only to be loudly stopped by Grandmother Shen.

“No! Pirates are vicious. You’re just a delicate scholar—they’d cut you down without a second thought. I won’t let white-haired parents bury black-haired children. You are not going!” Grandmother Shen’s face was stern and unyielding.

Shen Congwen hesitated: “Mother, I also don’t want to be a white-haired parent burying black-haired children!”

Grandmother Shen was at a loss, frustrated, and pounded her legs in anger several times.

“Then none of you go. We can survive eating black corn buns every day. If anyone gets sick… I refuse to believe Lanxi really has no solution!” Grandmother Shen began to be frustrated with her eldest granddaughter. She was supposed to be strong, so why couldn’t she even deal with a few constables?

Shen Yuanjing frowned. Wasn’t Grandmother making things hard for Big Sister?

“Grandmother, Big Brother has already helped us a lot. Without him, the refugees would have killed us long ago.”

Madam Tian muttered softly, “Big Brother? She’s a girl, pretending to be a boy, looking neither male nor female—who is she trying to fool? No matter how she dresses up, she won’t become a man!” She remembered that in the palace, because of her mother, they called her “Miss,” but it confused her so much she didn’t even know her own surname.

No matter how fierce or reckless she was, she was still a girl. In the Shen family, men always made the decisions; a little girl had no right to interfere!

Madam Tian had long disliked Shen Lanxi. In the past, the Shen family always listened to men. If Lanxi couldn’t fight or protect them, she would have urged Grandmother to drown her long ago.

Hmph! A woman abandoned by her husband doesn’t deserve to live!

“Shut up! I won’t let you speak ill of Big Brother!” Shen Yuanjing clenched his fists and glared at Madam Tian.

“If it weren’t for Big Brother all along, you’d have died eight hundred times over. No matter how Big Brother looks, you can’t slander him!”

“Yes! Fourth Aunt, if you say that again, I’ll tell Big Brother that next time he shouldn’t save you when in danger!” Shen Yuantang had long been furious. In dangerous moments, people call for protection; in safe moments, they start criticizing Big Sister. It was time these people learned a lesson.

Madam Tian scowled, cursing: “You’ve gone too far, daring to defy your elders?”

Shen Congwen glared at Shen Congyi: “Fourth brother, you think the same way?”

Shen Congyi’s eyes darkened, and with a swift motion, he slapped Madam Tian hard, knocking her to the ground.

“The Shens do not tolerate ungrateful people. Go apologize to Lanxi!”

Madam Tian, seeing her husband’s grim face, turned pale and collapsed to the ground, wailing.

“Big Brother, the Shen family shares both honor and disgrace. I absolutely will not allow anyone to destroy our family’s unity. Once we reach Dongchuan, I’ll divorce this foolish woman with one document!” Shen Congyi gritted his teeth.

Seeing Fourth Brother was clear-headed, Shen Congwen softened slightly and sighed.

“You all know Lanxi’s situation. She disguises herself to protect herself. If she protects herself, she can protect us!”

Shen Congyi nodded quickly.

Grandmother Shen was pleased to see her sons gradually uniting. In the capital, wealth had blinded them and weakened their bonds. This exile wasn’t entirely without benefit. Her eldest daughter was always capable; she hoped she could influence the other three sons, slowly correcting them.

“Congwen, Yuanjing, if they want to go, let them. They were able to fight mountain bandits; they can surely fight pirates too.” Having been beaten before, Grandmother Shen felt she couldn’t rely solely on her eldest granddaughter.

The eldest granddaughter wasn’t a prisoner. If Liu Laohu wanted to stop her from helping, it was just one word from him.

She wondered why, this time, being sent to the lower cabin, they had offended Liu Laohu.

Suddenly, not far away, a voice rang out: “Those who don’t fight or help, back to the cabin! Want buns? I’ll see if you want the whip first…” The shouting, mixed with whipping sounds, reached Grandmother Shen’s ears.

Her eyes lit up, and she suddenly understood.

“I know why Liu Laohu won’t let Lanxi help us!”

The Shen family all turned to look at Grandmother.

“Mother, what do you mean by that?”

Grandmother Shen, with a knowing expression, said calmly: “We didn’t contribute to the exile team.”

Hearing this, some sneered, some scoffed, some pondered.

Shen Yuanjing’s eyes flickered: “Grandmother, all the other prisoners are fighting, and only our Shen family isn’t contributing. Those constables will definitely keep targeting us!”

At the word “targeting,” the Shen family’s eyes shifted. They had always felt something was off, and now they finally understood—the constables were singling them out!

Grandmother Shen, thinking this through, immediately began to lecture her descendants.

“From now on, all of you work harder. Whatever tasks the team has, rush to do them, show yourselves in front of the constables!”

Grandmother Shen looked at her grandson’s hopeful eyes and felt uneasy for a moment, but reality quickly crushed that feeling.

“Yuanjing, Yuanjun, if you want to go, go—but be careful!”

“Yes, Grandmother!” Shen Yuanjing and Shen Yuanjun exchanged a smile.

“Grandmother, I want to go too!” Shen Yuantang also wanted to earn the reward silver.

Grandmother Shen’s face darkened: “You’re just a girl. Stay out of this. Fighting pirates is a man’s job. You stay on the ship!”

Shen Yuantang objected: “I fought mountain bandits last time. The money for Grandma’s buns came from me killing those bandits!”

Grandmother Shen scowled: “Mountain bandits are not pirates! Shut your mouth, or I’ll have your father discipline you!”

Shen Yuantang was unwilling to accept this and was about to argue further, but Shen Yuanxin tugged her sleeve.

Shen Yuanjing’s eyes swept over their uncles and their children at home: “Grandmother, the uncles and their children have been training in martial arts for days. Now’s a good chance to earn silver. Why not let them join too?”

Before Grandmother Shen could reply, the daughters-in-law shouted over her.

“No! No! The uncles and children train for fitness. Facing ruthless pirates, they’ll never come back alive!”

“Yuanjing, it’s one thing for you to risk yourself, but why drag your uncles and cousins? What are you thinking?”