Chapter 55

Before Li Yao could even walk up to her, Lu Shi had already pulled her old face and said sarcastically,

"Oh, now that you've made it, building such a big house and holding a housewarming banquet, you didn't even tell your maiden family a word."

"Didn't you disown me as your daughter? Why would I tell you?"

"I may disown you, but how dare you disown me?"

Li Yao found it funny.

Did she really think she was somebody's mother and could do whatever she wanted?

"If you have something to say, say it. If not, leave quickly. I don't have time for you."

"Is that how you talk to your mother?"

"I've said it before," Li Yao said, "We've severed ties. I don't have a mother like you."

"You..."

Lu Shi was furious.

She had heard that Li Yao had recently made a lot of money and built a big house. Today they were holding a housewarming banquet.

She thought that no matter what, she was still Li Yao's birth mother. Even if they had conflicts before, Li Yao would at least invite her maternal family over for the banquet to save face.

She had planned that she could take this opportunity to reconcile her relationship with Li Yao a little, so Li Yao could continue giving her money for Li Xian's education.

But she didn't expect Li Yao to be so heartless and not give her any chance at all.

Of course she had anticipated this situation and came up with a plan beforehand.

Today was Li Yao's big banquet, with all the villagers present. As long as she cried and made a scene, letting everyone see how heartless Li Yao was to her own old mother, let's see if she still had any face left!

Lu Shi did as she planned, and started wailing at the top of her lungs.

"Heavenly Lord, how could I have given birth to such a creature? She doesn't even recognize her own mother now that she has some money!"

"How can there be such an unfilial creature in this world!"

"Ah... Ah..."

Lu Shi's loud crying soon attracted the attention of the villagers eating at the banquet. Many busybodies put down their chopsticks and gathered around. Seeing more and more people coming, Lu Shi's cries grew even louder.

"Fellow villagers, you should all speak reason!"

"I raised her painstakingly, and found her a good family!" "When she had no food and her children were starving, her in-laws didn't care and left them to die. It was me who gave them food to keep them alive!"

"Now that she's rich, she doesn't even recognize me!"

The villagers of River Bend were very disgusted.

Everyone knew how Li Yao used to pander to her maiden family, wishing she could scrape three layers of skin to give them.

But now this old woman was spewing nonsense, claiming that she had helped Li Yao. Anyone with a brain wouldn't believe her!

"This old lady really has no shame."

"That's right, calling white black and black white, she has quite the skill in reversing right and wrong."

"I've never seen someone so shameless."

......

The villagers spoke one after another, leaving Lu Shi stunned.

What was going on here?

Wasn't it said that Li Yao had incurred the wrath of heaven and man in River Bend, and no one thought well of her? How come everyone was speaking up for her now?

Even if her family was hosting a banquet today and everyone was being polite after eating her food, they wouldn't fawn to this extent, right?

"Are you all blind? She doesn't even recognize her own mother!"

Village head Fang Mingchuan said, "With a mother like you who wished she could chew her bones and eat her alive, who would dare recognize you!"

"That's right. Recognizing you means having to give you grain, and lending you their old hen to lay eggs."

"That's nothing. She'd even have to give money to support her brother's education! I heard at least three taels of silver a month. What kind of mother and brother is this? Who is willing to recognize that? I'd keep as far away as possible if I were her."

"Old lady, go back. You're not young anymore, don't embarrass yourself in front of everyone."

Even if Lu Shi had skin thicker than city walls, she was still burning with shame now.

She was quite an influential figure in the village, but couldn't get a word out now.

"Li Yao, do you really not recognize me as your mother?"

"I don't have a mother," Li Yao said coldly. "I sprouted out of a rock."

"Fine, remember what you just said!" Lu Shi said viciously. "I know your Wang Er is studying, but don't forget, Li Xian can take the county exam next year and become a scholar in a few years! All it takes is one word from me, and Wang Er won't ever succeed in his life!"

"Who's spouting nonsense here!"

Before Li Yao could retort, a loud, majestic voice rang out.

Everyone looked up to see a burly man in black official robes with a sword hanging from his waist, walking over imposingly with two yamen runners.

Village head Wang Jiafu recognized him at once. "That's Zhang, the county captain!"

The county captain was the assistant to the county magistrate, in charge of public security and capturing criminals. His authority was tremendous.

Zhang the county captain currently had a black face and extremely majestic bearing. Even if they had done nothing wrong, the villagers felt afraid just looking at him.

Zhang marched right up to Lu Shi and barked harshly, "What did you just say? Say it again for me!" Lu Shi's mind went blank as her body shook like a sieve.

How could she ever have expected to run into the county captain in a place like this!

"County... County Captain, you must uphold justice for me!"

Zhang frowned. "Uphold justice for you? You slandered an official's reputation. It's already very lenient that I'm not beating you twenty times. What justice do you still want from me?"

"I didn't, really didn't..."

"So you're saying I'm framing you? Men, take her away!"

"I don't dare! I didn't! Please let me go, Your Honor. I'm just an old woman. Even my own daughter doesn't recognize me..."

Zhang glanced at Li Yao and saw she had no intention of speaking up. He immediately guessed the gist of it.

This old woman must have gone too far, resulting in Li Yao severing ties with her. Otherwise, how could someone like Li Yao do something so unfilial?

"In consideration of your old age, I won't pursue this with you. Hurry and scram, don't get in my way."

"Yes, yes."

After Lu Shi cowered away in fright, Zhang finally approached Li Yao.

"Mistress Li, congratulations."

"You flatter me, County Captain," Li Yao replied. "May I ask what business brings you here?"

"A joyous occasion." Zhang beckoned his runners, and they immediately brought up a small box. "The county magistrate said you dug a well to fight the drought and brought benefit to the entire Baichuan County, even the entire Yizhou Prefecture and the whole world. So the county magistrate specially brought a set of exquisite porcelain from Yizhou as his personal reward to you."

Li Yao: ...More... porcelain?

The runner opened the box, and inside was indeed a set of exquisite... street market wares.

The porcelain of this world really couldn't please Li Yao's eyes.

"Thank the county magistrate for me."

"Mm," Zhang continued, "The county magistrate said for you to rest assured that he has memorialized your achievements to the court. There will be even more rewards in the future."

Wow!

The villagers unanimously gasped. This was definitely going to lead to meteoric success!

"Right," Zhang asked, "What's going on in your family today?"

"Oh, we're holding the housewarming banquet for our new house today," Li Yao said. "County Captain Zhang, if you don't mind the poor hospitality, please join us for a simple meal."

"To encounter such a joyous event!" Zhang was eager to curry favor with Li Yao and immediately accepted with a beaming smile. "Then I shall humbly oblige and impose on your celebration banquet with two of my brothers."

"Please come in, County Captain Zhang!" Village chief Wang Jiafu immediately said ingratiatingly, "I've been wanting to drink with you for some time, just never had the chance. Today I must make it up to you and drink you under the table!"

The villagers followed behind as they returned to the banquet table, no longer giving Lu Shi another glance.

At this time, Lu Shi was already regretting it to her guts. If she had known Li Yao would have this kind of dumb luck, she never would have said those words about severing their mother-daughter relationship.

No, she must think of something. She had to latch onto Li Yao no matter what.