bookcurios Chapter 1956 I Know What Conscience Is
Chapter 1956 I Know What Conscience Is
"Dr. Li... Dr. Li? You... you're still awake?"
Lan Cuihua forced a smile, but it looked somewhat stiff and forced, and her voice was a little dry.
Li Xiangnan didn't respond immediately, but instead looked at her quietly.
His gaze was incredibly calm, yet possessed a penetrating power, slowly sweeping across her cheeks, her eyes, and her slightly trembling fingers.
He didn't ask her anything about whether anyone had come to see her that day, but this silent gaze was more unsettling than any direct questioning.
Under such gazes, Lan Cuihua lowered her head further and further, her fingers unconsciously twisting the edge of her apron, and her breathing became rapid.
She dared not meet Li Xiangnan's gaze; her eyes darted to the ground, then to the basin in her hand, or drifted into the room where Zhu Qiuju and Tang Qingshuang were talking.
"Once you're done with your work, go home and rest early! Your father still needs someone to take care of him. Thank you for helping out at the Li family these past few days!" Li Xiangnan finally spoke, his tone still gentle, showing no sign of anything amiss. "It's cold at night, so please be careful!"
"Oh, okay... okay... thank you for your concern, Dr. Li!"
Upon hearing this, Lan Cuihua nodded hastily as if granted a pardon. She hurriedly carried the washbasin into the house and put it in the cupboard, forgetting even her usual habit of tidying up the stove. With her head down, she walked quickly towards the door as if fleeing.
"Dr. Li, Aunt Zhu, Grandma Tang, I...I'll head back now!"
"Huh?" Zhu Qiuju heard the panic in her voice and was puzzled. She stood up habitually, picked up a jar of pickled vegetables and handed it to her. "How could you forget, girl! I reminded you at dinner to take these pickled vegetables back with you tonight! That way, whenever you come back, Old Lan can have something to eat if he's hungry at home!"
"I...I remember..." Lan Cuihua hurriedly took it, bowing her head even lower.
Perhaps it was because Zhu Qiuju was genuinely kind to her that she felt a pang of guilt.
Li Xiangnan didn't say much, but gently reminded her to be careful when walking at night.
Watching her hurried disappearing figure outside the door, a complex emotion finally surfaced in his eyes.
The girl's reaction tonight almost confirmed his guess.
Her inner struggle and fear were written all over her face.
Li Xiangnan did not sleep soundly that night.
He believed that Lan Cuihua probably had an even more agonizing night.
Sure enough, Lan Cuihua arrived later than usual the next morning.
She still came to help, still quick and efficient, but she was noticeably quieter, and her eyes always avoided Li Xiangnan's gaze. Occasionally, when their eyes met, she would quickly look away like a startled rabbit.
She seemed somewhat absent-minded when doing things, and didn't even realize she forgot to use soap when washing clothes.
It was Zhu Qiuju who noticed and reminded her, which made her hurriedly wash it all over again.
Zhu Qiuju thought she was just tired, so she coaxed her to go out into the sun for a while and persuaded her to go back and rest.
Li Xiangnan saw all of this but remained calm, talking to his mother and grandmother as usual, playing with Xiao Xitang, exchanging parenting tips with He Dashuang, and instructing Xu Damao on how to decoct Chinese medicine on the stove at the door.
Back in the backyard, he dealt with phone calls from the hospital and factory, and then chatted and laughed with Song Yi, Ding Yuqiu, and Lin Youwei, who had come to visit, about Xiao Xitang's bedwetting at night.
They seemed completely unaware of Lan Cuihua's unusual behavior.
But this calm only put more pressure on Lan Cuihua.
After noon, Lan Cuihua seemed to have finally made up her mind. She used the excuse of going home to deliver lunch to her father and hurriedly went back home.
Half an hour later, she returned the insulated lunchbox from the Li family, but this time she had an extra cloth bag in her hand, and her eyes were more determined, with a kind of resolute determination to go all out.
Instead of going directly to the main house to help prepare postpartum meals as usual, she went straight to Li Xiangnan, who was reading medical books in the backyard. She lowered her head and spoke softly, but her voice trembled.
"Dr. Li...I have something I want to tell you...just the two of us..."
Li Xiangnan put down his book and his gaze lingered on her face for a moment.
Going inside is fine, but closing the door is absolutely out of the question!
If a young girl in the prime of her life were to be seen in her own room with the door closed, it would be like having mud smeared on her crotch – even if she wasn't already in a mess, she'd still look like a piece of shit!
"Alright, have a seat inside!" He got up and led the person inside, then went to make tea.
The small room was extremely quiet, with only the slight hissing sound of the kettle Li Xiangnan had placed on the stove.
Lan Cuihua sat on a stool by the octagonal table, her hands nervously clutching the hem of her clothes, which had turned completely white.
She struggled for a while, then raised her head. Her eyes were red and filled with tears, a mixture of fear, guilt, and a sense of relief.
"Dr. Li," she began, her voice still choked with emotion, "I'm so sorry to you, so sorry to my sister-in-law, so sorry to Aunt Zhu, so sorry to the Li family..."
"Cuihua, what are you saying? Speak slowly, don't rush, don't cry!" Li Xiangnan's voice was gentle, with a soothing quality.
Lan Cuihua's tears finally fell. She wiped them away haphazardly with the back of her hand and said intermittently, "Yesterday... after I got home, someone found me... gave me a hundred yuan... along with some high-quality donkey-hide gelatin and brown sugar... and two jin of pig liver, saying it was to nourish my father..."
She took a deep breath and mustered her courage to say, "He said... he knows you saved my father's life, and he knows I often come to your house to help out... He doesn't want anything else, he just wants me to pay attention to what you, the police, and your family talk about when I'm at your house... tell him everything in detail... especially about your grandmother, and what the account books are like... write down whatever you hear, and find an opportunity to tell him..."
Her voice trailed off, filled with shame: "I...I was terrified...I had no idea what to do...That person said if I didn't agree, or if I told anyone...they would poison my father again, and it wouldn't be so easy to save him next time...My father is my only family..."
At this point, Lan Cuihua was already sobbing uncontrollably.
Li Xiangnan listened quietly, his heart churning with emotion, but his expression remained unchanged.
As expected, the young master has begun to take action!
The goal was very clear: Grandma and that mysterious ledger!
Their methods were truly despicable; they manipulated Lan Cuihua by exploiting her filial piety and fear!
"Cuihua!" After Lan Cuihua calmed down a bit, Li Xiangnan looked at her with clear eyes: "You could have kept this from me and done it quietly, and no one would have known. Why did you choose to tell me?"
Lan Cuihua suddenly raised her head, looking at Li Xiangnan with teary eyes, her gaze filled with sincerity and an almost stubborn persistence.
"Dr. Li, although I am poor and have not received much education, I know what conscience is! You are a great benefactor to my family. Without you, my father would have died long ago! My family would have fallen apart!"
"Grandma Tang, Aunt Tang, and my sister-in-law all treat me like family. They've been so good to me. If I were to do something that would betray your family for a little money and things, or for my father, what kind of person would I be?"
"Am I even human? If my dad knew I did this, he'd beat me to death with a stick!"
Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was firm and resonant, carrying the most basic sense of right and wrong and the belief in gratitude among ordinary people.
A warm feeling welled up in Li Xiangnan's heart.
This also strengthened my conviction and plan.
Lan Cuihua is good at heart, and her frankness is a genuine expression of her feelings.
Such a person is trustworthy and deserves a helping hand.
"Cuihua, you did the right thing!" Li Xiangnan nodded firmly, his tone solemn: "By telling me, you saved yourself and your father! If you had really done what they said, you would have pushed yourself and your father into a fire pit, where there would be no way out!"
Lan Cuihua nodded vigorously, tears welling up again, but this time more with grievance and lingering fear: "Dr. Li, what should I do now? I brought all the money and things, and I haven't touched a single penny... I'm too afraid to go home again, I'm afraid they'll come looking for me again..."
Looking at the panicked and helpless girl, Li Xiangnan pondered for a moment, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
"Cuihua, do you believe me?"
“I believe you! I believe you a hundred percent!” Lan Cuihua said without hesitation.
"it is good!"
Li Xiangnan got up and walked to the door, looking at the courtyard in the winter, his voice calm but unquestionable.
"Since they want information from you, then we'll... give them information!"
Lan Cuihua was stunned and looked at him in confusion.
Li Xiangnan turned around, looking at her with piercing eyes, a cold smile curving his lips.
“Go tell the person who comes looking for you again, or find a way to pass on a message to him! Say that you overheard me talking to my family, and that my grandmother, Mu Huanying, has indeed been resting quietly in the back room of our house and rarely goes out! As for the account book they are looking for…”
He paused, then said clearly, word by word, "It's in my hands, Li Xiangnan's hands!"
Lan Cuihua's eyes widened instantly, her mouth gaped open, and all color drained from her face; she was so shocked she couldn't utter a single word...