The Double-Chapter 405 - 136: Girl_3

Madam Jiang the Elder looked at Jiang Yuanbai. Jiang Yuanbai stared at this unfamiliar daughter and said, "Go on."

"The Daoist Master is right; people’s nature and preferences cannot change overnight. However, my departure from home to the temple wasn’t just for one night, not for a day or two, nor for a month or two, but for eight years."

"Eight years can’t be called a short period of time," she said with a smile as she looked toward Chongxu Daoist Master.

Facing the girl’s gentle gaze, Chongxu Daoist Master felt surprised, yet he nodded and replied, "It is indeed a long time."

"A lot can change in such a long time. Mother mentioned that I am of similar age to my youngest sister, but our temperaments are worlds apart. Not to mention the natural differences between individuals, expecting me to be as innocent and carefree as her is perhaps too harsh on me," she continued with a smile at the corner of her lips. "Madam Liu happened to visit Green City Mountain to worship Buddha one day and saw me by chance. I wonder if everyone paid attention to her words. When she saw me that day, I was being punished in the temple pavilion, kneeling for a day and a night without a drop of water."

"For me, this was the norm: hunger and lack of warm clothing were part of everyday life. Under such circumstances, please forgive Jiang Li for being unable to be lighthearted and carefree."

With those words spoken, both Madam Jiang the Elder and Jiang Yuanbai’s faces darkened. Although they had never sent anyone to inquire about the kind of life Jiang Li led in the temple, they knew that life there must have been very hard. However, because Jiang Li had caused Ji Shuran to miscarriage, they were very angry at that time and consciously or unconsciously neglected her.

Speaking of these old affairs in front of the entire Jiang Residence, although Jiang Li did not use an accusatory tone, it felt like a resounding slap on the faces of Madam Jiang the Elder and Jiang Yuanbai.

"As for habits, I indeed used to enjoy eating meat and sleeping in a soft bed, and I even preferred brightly colored clothes with fine stitching. However, during my years in the temple, where could I get mutton soup? The bedding was so thin, with only one quilt. In winter, I stuffed it with cotton; in summer, I took the cotton out. Mother might not know, but that cotton was nearly turned to scraps after being handled so much. One’s environment dictates one’s habits. If I hadn’t changed to survive, Jiang Li would have gone mad long ago. So changing habits was all about survival. It was a luxury to think of brightly colored clothes when an extra monk’s robe in the temple was enough to keep me covered."

"All I wanted was to struggle and survive. But it’s different for my youngest sister. She lacks nothing growing up in the house and naturally develops such a disposition. I had been tempered by life. If I had not made compromises to grow up early... I really don’t know if I would still be alive to see Father now."

Her words, steady and firm, were filled with sorrow. Even Lady Lu, who was known for her fierceness, showed a trace of pity on her face, unable to understand what Jiang Yuanbai was thinking. Even if Jiang Li was at fault, she was still his own flesh and blood. If Jiang Jingrui and Jiang Jingyou had done something wrong, she would have punished them severely but would never have gone to the lengths Jiang Yuanbai did.

Shame, anger, and frustration intermingled on Jiang Yuanbai’s face as he avoided Jiang Li’s gaze. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

Ji Shuran inwardly cursed vehemently, condemning her as a sly and despicable person. On the brink of death, she still struggled, no wonder she was so troublesome. No wonder back on Green City Mountain, despite her orders to wear Jiang Li down, that little wench had still managed to survive!

Chongxu Daoist Master, however, felt a nagging unease. Over the years, he’d deceived his way through life, fooling even the emperor. Aside from his cunning tricks, his success was also due to his ability to read people accurately. Catching people’s character flaws and striking there made many things easy.

But with Miss Jiang the Second, from what he had heard about her before entering the Jiang Residence to his observations in this brief period, he couldn’t find Jiang Li’s character flaw. Even now, she wasn’t panicking. She spoke logically and convincingly enough to persuade others.

No matter if she succeeded in persuading them, her composure alone was troublesome.

Jiang Youyao said, "Although Second Sister puts it well, after living on Green City Mountain, Second Sister seems just as refined as the young ladies raised in Yanjing City. Didn’t Second Sister also take the top prize in the Six Arts?"

The Six Arts? Ji Shuran felt a stir in her heart, hesitantly saying, "That’s true. Lili didn’t like to study when she was young, but to think that after spending eight years in the temple, she has become a talented lady. Later when I had people inquire, I found out that there were no horses, no long zithers at the temple, yet Lili was able to learn on her own; that’s quite impressive indeed."