After being reborn, I stole the female lead's cheat ability and raised the empress.

Chapter 31 A Chill on My Back

The older brother quickly retorted, "No! That will make Mother sad."

Xia Jingwen stood up abruptly: "Then what should we do? Just let her bully our sister?"

Xia Jingyuan was clearly thinking further ahead: "Brother! I'm afraid that Wen Wan has bewitched Father. We need to find a way to let everyone see her true colors!"

Ali nodded with interest: "The plan is feasible, tell me about it."

Xia Jingyuan was speechless: "It's still feasible. When did you become so old-fashioned?"

Ali laughed and patted him on the shoulder, "Tell me quickly."

Actually, I don't have any ideas either.

"..."

Seeing the murderous glares from Ali and Xia Jingwen, he immediately said, "How about this? Like this..."

The group was engrossed in discussing their plan, unaware that two people had appeared behind them without their noticing.

Cui Fangshu grew angrier the more she listened, and couldn't help but exclaim, "How dare you!"

Startled, the group immediately turned around and saw Wen Wan supporting Cui Fangshu standing there.

Cui Fangshu was furious. Her hand trembled as she reached out and scolded, "Have you said enough?"

"You're a young lady, and you're not learning good things. You're learning these treacherous schemes and even corrupting your brothers. It seems I'll have to punish you properly today."

Xia Jingwen instinctively shielded Ali behind her:

"It has nothing to do with my brother and sister. It's because I can't stand that my mother doesn't care about her own daughter, but treats an adopted girl like a treasure. That's why I instigated my brother and sister."

Cui Fangshu was so angry that her heart ached. She had just felt a little guilty towards her daughter and had gently persuaded her to come to Liuli Courtyard to see Ali. In the end, it would have been better if she hadn't come at all!

She felt it was all Ali's fault: "You! She taught you all this, didn't she? Get out of my way, I'll teach her a lesson, you wretched child!"

Xia Jingwen looked stubbornly at Cui Fangshu: "I won't allow it!"

"Get out of my way! Xia Li, you're not learning anything good, you're just doing things that corrupt your brother. I'm going to teach you a lesson today."

Cui Fangshu ordered her servants to bring the family rules: "Get out of my way, or I'll beat you too!"

"Forgive me for being unfilial, but I am your child and Ali's brother. I cannot watch my sister suffer."

Cui Fangshu was truly enraged and attacked Ali without regard for anything else.

Xia Jingwen rolled over and shielded Ali with his body, gently saying to her, "Brother's here, don't be afraid."

Ah Li was lost in thought, staring blankly at everything without reacting.

Cui Fangshu was perhaps truly enraged, and she showed no mercy in her attack.

The stick struck Xia Jingwen's body again and again, and it also struck the hearts of the three siblings.

Seeing that her younger brother had been beaten until he vomited blood, Xia Jingyuan quickly knelt down to shield her younger siblings.

"Mother, please calm down!"

“If Mother gets angry, she can take it out on me. My second brother has delicate skin and can’t take it at all.”

As children, they can't really go against their mother, but they also won't let their mother bully their younger siblings.

Seeing the determination in Xia Jingyuan's eyes, Cui Fangshu threw the stick aside in frustration, her eyes filled with disbelief.

She couldn't believe that her children had all betrayed her.

Wen Wan stepped forward to support Cui Fangshu, saying, "Mother, let me help you calm down. Don't upset yourself. I don't think your brothers did it on purpose. They've never done this before. It's just that your sister has only just returned."

These words made Cui Fangshu feel much better, and she felt even more affection for Wen Wan, so she couldn't help but say:

"Wanwan is also your sister, can't you treat her better?"

Xia Jingwen didn't buy it at all: "What kind of sister is she? Bah!"

"you!"

Xia Jingyuan spoke slowly, recalling the past: "Mother, I remember when I was little, our family was very happy. Father and Mother never dared to yell at us. But when did it suddenly become like this?"

"My brother was beaten and covered in bruises. I can't believe our beloved mother would do such a thing." He then looked at Wen Wan: "We dislike Wen Wan because everything changed after she came to our family. Our once sweet and lovable sister suddenly became the 'bad girl' you see, and she's always being sent to the countryside. How old was she when she was first sent there? Did you ever think about her feelings? Did you ever think about whether she was scared? All these years, have you ever shown her a single word of concern?"

Cui Fangshu was very flustered. She wanted to say, "No, no, I definitely cared about Ali. But every time, all I heard was about Ali getting into trouble, which made me forget to care."

Xia Jingwen choked up as well: "Every time my sister comes back, you either claim to be sick or take Wenwan out for a trip. Have you ever imagined how much she longs to see her mother?"

"If we don't treat her better, she'll have no one to love her anymore, Mother!"

It's said that men don't easily shed tears, but at this moment, the two Xia brothers were crying like babies. For some reason, Ali also started to shed tears.

Cui Fangshu left without saying a word.

Wen Wan quickly chased after her, saying, "Mother, let me see you off."

Cui Fangshu refused her offer to see her off: "Let me have some peace and quiet first."

Ali didn't say a word the whole time.

She doesn't need to explain, nor does she need to argue.

Although they are all human, they are not the same kind of people, so there is no need for me to waste my time on them.

But why was she crying?

Xia Jingyuan thought she was frightened, so he quickly comforted her, "Sister, don't be sad. Mother was just angry for a moment."

Ali shook her head.

Her mother...

That's enough. She's not my mother to begin with, so why be sad for someone who's not related to me?

Instead of trying to please those who already have prejudices against you, it's better to have fewer expectations of others and live a more carefree life.

Wen Wan looked at her, her tone unfriendly: "Ali, are you sick? Why are you making your mother angry? Do you know she's not well? Yes, of course you don't know. I'm always the one taking care of her at her bedside. You, her daughter, haven't cared about your mother at all for years. Why are you trying to sow discord between your brothers and your mother? Are you trying to get revenge on her for ignoring you all these years?"

Knowing she was trying to sow discord, Ali felt only exhaustion and didn't want to speak. Xia Jingyuan, however, stood up: "I don't want to investigate why my mother, who hasn't visited Liuli Courtyard in years, happened to come here at this time, nor do I want to ask why there just happened to be such a big stick waiting nearby. You'd better leave now."

He turned around and helped Xia Jingwen to sit down at the stone table: "How are you? Are you alright?"

Xia Jingwen waved her hand, but was more worried about her sister's silent state: "I'm fine, sister, don't take Mother's words to heart."

Ah Li finally realized what was happening, and her eyes showed some sincerity: "How are you, brother? You just coughed up blood!"

"It's nothing. I bumped into something when my mother hit me earlier. It's really not serious at all. I've been practicing martial arts for years, so my skin is thick. These are just superficial injuries. It's nothing serious. I'll just rest at home."

Upon hearing this, Xia Jingyuan decisively abandoned her younger brother and turned to help Ali, saying, "Sister, let me help you back to rest first."

Xia Jingwen: "..."