It doesn't matter what the lord is.

Two merchants from Yusai Castle, who went by the alias of Aishi and Aru, were captured in an inn near the Yoshihirata family's territory.

After three years of wandering, Liu Shi was finally brought back to the Yoshihirata family, still tied up.

44. Reunion after a long separation

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Liushi's infiltration was quite smooth.

He was too familiar with the Huaiwang Territory, the territory where he was born and raised, especially the Yufeng City where the Jipingtian family was located. When he said that he was a businessman who immigrated from the Huaiwang Territory to Yuxi City and now returned to his hometown to do business, the guards in charge of the investigation were a little skeptical at first, but when they asked some more secretive things about Yufeng City, Liushi answered them fluently, and the guards' doubts naturally disappeared.

Liu Shi successfully entered the Wind City and rented a house in an inconspicuous inn.

Afterwards, Ryuishi got in touch with an old lady named Luo Mei from the Yoshihirata family.

Luo Mei was originally a woman who was responsible for taking care of Carissa's daily life. She didn't have a very good relationship with Liu Shi. The rift between the two began the day Liu Shi entered the Yoshihirata family, because in Luo Mei's opinion, the eldest lady would marry such an insignificant little man because Liu Shi used sweet words to deceive her. Even when Liu Shi first came, Luo Mei secretly replaced the refined salt in his dipping sauce with lemon powder, and deliberately overturned the iron bucket filled with water when he just fell asleep, etc. In short, she always had a hard time with him.

Even after being together for many years, she still often whispered in Liushi's ear:

——"It is your blessing that the lady is willing to marry you. It is because you have accumulated good deeds in your previous life."

——"If you dare to treat the young lady badly, there is no need for the master and the mistress to take action, I will teach you a lesson first!"

——"Look at other sons-in-law, they are excellent and hardworking, but what about you? You live off the fat of the land and will eventually bankrupt the young lady as well."

Luo Mei was loyal to Carissa. After Carissa's death, she stayed in the Jipingtian family and now she doesn't know what to do. Since Liu Shi was driven out of the Jipingtian family, the two have not been in contact for three years.

However, Liu Shi still remembers that when he was driven out of the Jipingtian family, the whole family looked down upon him and mocked him. Only Luo Mei made a basket of scones for him to eat on the road without saying a word, and kept muttering:

——"Don't die outside, that would be too easy for you. You have to live and think about the young lady forever. Every time I think about it, I want to slap myself twice, and my heart is bitter and bitter. Only in this way can I atone for my sins."

Liu Shi waited in the inn for a few days and finally met Luo Mei.

She was not doing well, the kind that was obviously not doing well. Her clothes were patched, her hair was messy, she was already old, her hair was gray, and she was hunching her hands, looking particularly miserable.

When he met Liu Shi, Luo Mei still had a bad tone, and he started with a series of ruthless blows:

"How dare you come back? What's wrong? Do you want to ask for forgiveness from your family?"

"Can't make it out there? Tsk tsk, life isn't that good. You've become so skinny, can't you afford to eat?"

"I've heard so many bad rumors about you in the past few years. You deserve it! You did that to the young lady, and now you're expecting forgiveness?"

Liu Shi lowered his head and let Luo Mei scold him without saying a word.

Luo Mei said she was tired and sighed. She took off one of her shoes, pulled out the insole, and then poured out a paper bag from it. The paper bag was wrapped in many layers. She unwrapped it layer by layer, and finally found five silver coins and a few copper coins. She counted them, then folded the paper bag casually, threw it on the table, and said:

"You, can't you have some backbone? You've been driven out, and you still want to come back? You have hands and feet, what can't you do? What can't you do to survive? Don't always think about those nonsense, thinking about taking shortcuts or something like that. Even if you want to come back, they don't want you. After the young lady left, my position and salary were also reduced. I used to have a subsidy of two silver coins every month, but now it's just a few copper coins, and some of it has to be taken away by those big maids above. This is the only money I have saved in the past three years, so use it first. Don't even think about returning to the family, isn't that just sticking your face out for others to hit you?"

Liu Shi looked at the money on the table, then glanced at Luo Mei's disappointed expression, and said with a wry smile:

"No need. Grandma, just keep it."

"Why are you pretending to be nice to me? If nothing happened, would you come back to Yufeng City?"

Luo Mei didn't believe it and tried to persuade him again. Finally, Liu Shi said:

"Really, no need. Grandma, I came here this time because I want to see A-Mo."

The expression on Luo Mei's face froze for a moment.

Unnaturally speaking:

"Why would you want to see her? What's so good about it? She's even worse than you. She found a new father before her father died. She's so vain at such a young age. I don't know who she looks like. How could the young lady give birth to such a heartless thing!"

Luo Mei's voice was not very polite, and her face showed both anger and sadness.

Liu Shi didn't understand what he meant, but he still briefly explained the situation to Luo Mei:

"Isn't Amo sick? I..."

Before he could finish his words, the outspoken Luo Mei interrupted him:

"Sick? What kind of illness? How can she get sick when she eats all kinds of meat and fish all day long? There is no one in the mansion who is healthier than her! She is hooking up with the guy from the family, and she calls him daddy all day long. Who dares to treat her badly? And she is sick? Even if she is sick, half of the doctors in Wind City will have to come and serve her! How dare you, a guy who can't even afford to eat, care about her?"

Liu Shi was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but say:

"I received a letter from the Jipingtian family, saying that Amo was ill and wanted to see me, and asked me to come to Fengcheng..."

Luo Mei frowned and stretched out her dry hand towards him:

"Bring it to me and see!"

Liu Shi took the letter from his bosom and handed it to Luo Mei. Luo Mei unfolded it, took a closer look, and said doubtfully:

"It's strange. This seal is indeed the family seal. Only people from the main family are qualified to stamp it. This kind of seal is difficult to forge and you can tell at a glance. I have been in the Yoshihirata family for decades and I still have some good eyesight. But why... it's not right! You idiot... Hey! What are you doing back here! Go, go quickly! Run away before they find out! This is a trap, a trap to trick you into coming back. They are just waiting for you to fall into the trap! They asked you to come back at this time, probably because they don't intend to let you live anymore!"

Luo Mei looked quite flustered. She grabbed the money on the table and quickly stuffed it into Liu Shi's pocket, then kept pushing him from behind.

Liu Shi was still sitting on the chair, with no intention of standing up, but answered seriously:

"I can't leave."

He repeated it and continued:

"I can't leave... Since they are using A-Mo as bait, I can't leave like this. Otherwise, A-Mo might be in danger. I have to see her, please help me."

45. You are really a jerk

Perhaps it was because Liu Shi's tone was too calm, the originally panicked Luo Mei couldn't help but stop pushing him.

Luo Mei sat back down, put one arm on the table, and said bitterly:

"Alas... you treat her as your daughter, but she may not recognize you as her father."

Glancing at Liushi, Luo Mei suddenly asked:

"Hidetsu Yoshihirata, I wonder if you still remember this name. He is the son of Yoshihirata's family, the third son of the current head of the family, and also your childhood sweetheart. When your young lady got married, he even attended the wedding. Do you still remember him?"

Liu Shi thought for a long time before nodding.

Luo Mei sighed and said:

"After the young lady left, the family discussed for a long time about how to deal with Amo. At first, they planned to let the young lady's brother Kanaan raise her, but not long after, Xiuzi took the initiative to adopt Amo as his adopted daughter. He had a good relationship with the young lady before, and after obtaining the consent of the head of the family, Amo was adopted by the main family. This was a big deal. A little girl from a branch family came to the main family, and her life became more and more comfortable. There were more than 20 maids serving her. Tsk tsk..."

At this point, there was a hint of contempt on Romen's wrinkled face:

"But after she came to the family, she forgot all the kindness the young lady had shown her. She ate the best food every day, became spoiled and arrogant, and there was no trace of the young lady in the past. She even didn't say a single good word when she mentioned you. Once, in front of many people, she even said that she wanted to kill you and avenge her mother with her own hands! Tell me, ah..."

Liu Shi's hands suddenly clenched into fists, a look of pain flashed across his face, but he quickly calmed down.

Over the years, he gradually got used to controlling his emotions, and there were few things that could irritate him.

Without hope or direction, they live like zombies. If such people are not afraid of death, what else can they be afraid of?

Liu Shi whispered:

"Did she... mention Carissa?"

Luo Mei sneered:

"Yes! She mentioned it many times! Do you know what she said? She thinks the young lady shouldn't marry you. She is ashamed of a father like you! You stay in the forging room every day. When have you ever been with her? Other children will receive gifts from their parents on their birthdays, but you don't even remember when her birthday is! Especially during the time when the young lady was running around outside every day and the relationship between you and her was becoming increasingly tense, not only did you not try to ease the situation, but you left Amo to be taken care of by Naru, and you became more and more crazy in the forging room alone... She mentioned these things again and again over the years. She said that the young lady was so stupid at the time that she fell in love with a useless man like you."

Liu Shi lowered his head deeply.

Luo Mei looked away and said calmly:

"Now, she relies on her status as a member of the family to constantly suppress the old people who followed the young lady at that time. I understand. That girl has suffered too many grievances in the past, and now she is starting to settle accounts. On the one hand, she is trying to please the man named Xiu Zi, and on the other hand, she is openly and secretly making things difficult for people like us."

Liu Shi was silent for a while and said:

"So is she interested in forging?"

Luo Mei was stunned for a moment, probably because she had never expected Liu Shi to ask such a completely irrelevant question.

However, after thinking carefully for a while, Luo Mei nodded hesitantly and replied:

"Indeed... If you must say, this is the only thing that makes her look like a young lady. She has been interested in those jingling things since she was a child. Relying on Xiuzi's favor, she has read all the forging diagrams that are not passed on to others in the family. Many of them were not even seen by you at the time. They are all secrets of the family. She also often sneaks into the forging room to work, but once the forging fails, she will fall into a rage, and she has also taken someone down in front of many people to vent her anger."

Liu Shi nodded, stood up, and bowed deeply to Luo Mei:

"Please help me talk to A-Mo. I want to meet her and give her the results of my three years of research."

Luo Mei stared at the flowing stone for a while and asked:

"Have you thought about it? She won't think highly of you!"

Liu Shi replied calmly:

"It doesn't matter. There's nothing about me that's worth her worrying about. I thought she would be in danger, but now it seems that the Yoshihirata family just wants to trick me back. I remember Shuzu. He used to have a good relationship with Carissa. He is willing to take Amao in, so Amao will probably not suffer any grievances again. But since Amao is interested in forging, I will teach her something in the end. This is the only thing I can do for her as a father."

Luo Mei squinted her eyes, nodded, and said:

"That's fine. Maybe she will forgive you. After all, blood is thicker than water. She is your daughter after all, and you are her father after all... This afternoon, I will go to my family's house to deliver the laundry, and I should be able to see A-Mo. If she wants to see you, she should be able to see you this evening."

Luo Mei stood up after saying this. Liu Shi wanted to return the money to her, but Luo Mei refused to take it and staggered out of the room.

Naru, who had been guarding the door, came in. Liu Shi told him what they had just talked about, and the two of them discussed it together and decided to set off immediately after meeting Amo, return to Yuxi City first, and then make plans.

But what Liu Shi didn't expect was that when he made this decision, he could no longer leave.

In the evening, Naru offered to go out and buy some dinner so that Liushi could fill his stomach before meeting Amo. If Amo didn't have dinner, they could eat together. Liushi naturally agreed. He didn't touch the money that Luo Mei gave him, but took out some of the cash that Lid prepared and gave it to Naru.

After Naru left, Liu Shi started to get nervous.

When he thought about meeting his daughter whom he hadn't seen for three years and who still had a prejudice against him, Liu Shi couldn't help but clench his hands together, and sweat kept dripping down his face.

What will it be like when we meet next?

He imagined many kinds of meeting scenarios, such as A-mo swearing at him, screaming at him hysterically, punching and kicking him continuously, and even hating him so much that she would tear off his flesh with her teeth and swallow it.

Amidst countless tragic fantasies, Liu Shi took a glass of water with trembling hands, and just as he took a sip, the door rang.

He walked over and opened the door.

It was a scene that was different from all the fantasies, yet more desperate than any fantasy.

A little girl in an expensive dress stood there, followed by dozens of burly guards. Each of them had a dark face and held a sturdy stick in his hand. They looked at him with hostility.

The little girl raised her face and glanced at Liu Shi.

That look was like the icicles formed on the eaves in the coldest days of winter.

"It's him, that's right. Take him away."

These were the last words Liu Shi heard when he was conscious.

Following the little girl's order, the guards behind her grasped the sticks at an extremely fast speed and swung them hard on Liushi's head.

That familiar face became so strange at this moment. Liu Shi could feel himself falling to the ground, bleeding all the time. He barely blinked twice, and the scene he saw each time was blurrier than the last time. Finally, his eyes went black and he completely lost consciousness.

In front of him, the girl named Amo didn't even look at him, turned around indifferently, and left first.

46. ​​No one cares about the past

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"Mom, when will Dad come back?"

"When the war is over, Dad will be back."

"Who is Dad fighting?"

"Aliens. They are those races with strange appearances. They are different from humans and are other creatures living on the continent."

"Is that alien race very strong?"

"It's very strong."

"Stronger than Dad?"

"Ah."

"But Dad is the most powerful man I know. What should I do if Dad can't beat me?"