Chapter Thirty-Seven: Ultimately, She Shall Repent and Rise Anew from the Ashes!

When Li Yi returned to the living room, he found the two young masters yawning, sprawled listlessly across the cushions. Bingyu stood quietly at the side, and the room was filled with an uncanny silence.

“Oh! The young masters are awake?” he greeted.

Li Ye Xu yawned and immediately complained, “Big brother, why did you wake us up so early?”

Li Ye Si chimed in, “Exactly! What time is it now? I usually don’t get up until mid-morning!”

Li Yi’s eyebrows twitched. “Bingyu, fetch me a basin of water. I think these two still need to wake up properly.”

The two boys instantly jumped to their feet. “No, big brother, we’re awake! If you need anything, just tell us!”

“Hmph! You two lazybones—morning is the best time of day, yet you waste it sleeping. Why are you so enthusiastic about sleep? When you’re dead, you’ll have plenty of time for that! Starting tomorrow, you must be up before dawn. Since you’re not used to it, I’ll give you three days to adjust. After that, I’ll set up a schedule for your training and studies.”

Li Ye Xu protested, “Big brother, this isn’t fair! Why?”

Li Ye Si quickly covered his brother’s mouth. “Big brother, Ye Xu isn’t fully awake yet. Don’t mind him! Ye Xu, apologize to your brother!”

Ye Xu turned his head, sulking and breathing heavily.

Li Yi paused, then chuckled. Adolescents are naturally rebellious—it’s normal, especially since he was the “newcomer.”

He smiled, turning away and speaking slowly, “I know you resent me. Your uncle and aunt must have lectured you quite a bit these past days. It’s a normal phase of adjustment; it’ll pass. I was too impatient, and that’s on me. But regardless of how you feel, the fact remains—I am your elder brother now. Whether you like it or not, nothing will change that. Your only choice is to adapt, and quickly.”

He turned back to face them, his expression serious, his tone firm. “But that’s no excuse for tantrums. As sons of the Li family, you should speak and act boldly, own your actions. Why don’t you even have the courage to tell me you’re unhappy?”

Ye Xu spun his head to glare at Li Yi, venting his frustration. “I just don’t like you. Why is it that as soon as you arrive, everything changes? Why do you get to boss us around, telling us what to do? Who do you think you are?”

“Third brother, that’s enough!” Ye Si, being older, was also dissatisfied but knew better what should and shouldn’t be said.

Li Yi laughed, “Finally you’ve spoken your mind—that’s good! But no matter how much you complain, it won’t change anything. Do you think I want to manage you? Do you think I crave responsibility? But you are sons of the Li family—I can’t let you fall into ruin. Look at you now: drinking, fighting, sleeping all day, acting like ruffians! You’re neither learned nor skilled, utterly useless! Such people aren’t worthy of our family name! I’d rather you curse me now than resent me ten years from today.”

He finished, gazed deeply at the two boys, and left. Bingyu glared at them fiercely. “Young masters, I’m just a maid and don’t know much, but I do know the eldest master works late every day. He never says it, but I can tell he’s exhausted.” With that, Bingyu hurried off.

The two boys fell silent, especially Ye Xu, who sat on the floor, bewildered and lost.

At that moment, Lady Cui emerged from somewhere. “Mother!”

Her face was expressionless, her eyes full of disappointment. “As soon as I heard you’d been woken by Yi, I knew you’d act out. But I never thought you’d fall so low. Your brother is right—you’re good for nothing. Just days ago you shouted about being true sons of the Li family, wanting independence. Is this what independence looks like? You’ve disappointed me deeply! I suppose I’ve been too lax. It’s too late for regrets—you’ve grown up, you should know what’s expected. If you still care for your mother, then start behaving like men.”

She sighed. “It’s my fault. Our Li family attracts attention. I wanted you two to live an unremarkable, peaceful life, but in the end, I made the wrong choices.”

At some point, the old master (Li Jing), grandmother (Lady Hongfu), and Li Deqian arrived.

Grandmother slowly seated herself at the wooden stool. “Hmph! Only now you realize. I warned you long ago, but you stubbornly refused to listen. Still, it’s not too late. If the boys repent, I believe Yi will find a way. It’s just hard on him. I heard from Xue Yan and Bingyu that since Yi left the mountain, he hasn’t had a moment’s rest—the burden he carries is immense. My poor grandson is only fifteen.”

The old master gave a bitter smile. “But he is a son of the Li family.”

Li Deqian stood by, deeply ashamed. As the eldest son, apart from continuing the family line, he had contributed nothing. He hadn’t even raised his own sons properly, and now the family’s responsibilities would fall on his nephew’s shoulders.

With reddened eyes and unprecedented seriousness, Li Deqian declared, “Ye Si, Ye Xu! Stand up! Go and apologize to your brother. Your father is a failure. I hope you can redeem me.” He saluted Li Jing and Lady Hongfu, then left, no longer concerning himself with his sons—he had at least that much confidence in them.

The two boys’ eyes were red with remorse. They looked at each other and found a spark of resolve.

---

The two approached the old master, knelt, and bowed three times before rising and leaving. Yet now, their entire bearing was filled with vitality—they had been reborn through fire.

Grandmother smiled gently. “Old man, our family’s storm has finally cleared.”

The old master sighed with feeling. “Yes, the sky is bright now.”

Lady Cui watched her sons walk out with heads held high, tears of joy streaming down her face. These years had been full of silent suffering for her.

Li Yi stepped out and walked straight ahead. Though he said nothing, he felt uneasy inside.

Bingyu hurried after him. “Master, where are you going?”

Li Yi answered gruffly, “The kitchen.”

“But the kitchen is that way!” Bingyu pointed in the opposite direction.

Li Yi stopped abruptly, then, seeing Bingyu’s flushed face, couldn’t help but laugh.

When Bingyu saw him smile, she smiled as well.

“Sigh! I’ve been under so much pressure lately, I even threw a tantrum! Ha ha ha…” Li Yi muttered, squeezing Bingyu’s cheek and exhaling deeply, feeling much lighter.

“Master, you’re being mischievous again!”

“Am I? You’re exaggerating.”

“But—”

“All right! Lead the way!”

Bingyu, seeing Li Yi play the rogue, stamped her foot in embarrassment and turned to guide him. “Master, why are you going to the kitchen?”

“To prepare lunch, of course! Frankly, the cooks here are hopeless—nothing they make tastes as good as mine!” He wasn’t wrong; out of curiosity, he’d once trained in the military’s kitchen brigade, learning enough to cook decently, and compared to chefs of the Tang era, his skills were much superior.

“You can cook, master?”

“Of course! There’s nothing I can’t do. I’m not boasting, but if you taste my food, you won’t be able to stop.”

“But isn’t it said that gentlemen stay away from the kitchen?”

“Girl! You know that? What did you used to do before?”

Bingyu fell silent, head down, walking without a word.

Li Yi smacked his forehead. “Look at me, running my mouth! Don’t mind it—if you want to talk, talk; if not, don’t. It’s all right.”

“You really don’t mind, master?”

“Heh! Don’t you know your master by now? Enough about that. Let me teach you something today! So you won’t embarrass me later, not knowing anything. The phrase ‘gentlemen stay away from the kitchen’ comes from Mencius’s ‘Liang Hui Wang, Chapter One,’ where Mencius advised King Xuan of Qi to practice benevolence. The original phrase is: ‘It is no harm, it is the way of benevolence. Seeing the cow but not the sheep. A gentleman, when it comes to animals, seeing them alive, cannot bear to see them killed; hearing their cries, cannot bear to eat their meat. That is why gentlemen stay away from the kitchen.’ The real meaning is that a gentleman should be compassionate, not simply avoid the kitchen. Otherwise, imagine a gentleman chewing on chicken, duck, fish, and meat, while preaching ‘gentlemen stay away from the kitchen’—that would make him a hypocrite!”

Bingyu giggled. “You really do know a lot, master!”

---

“Young lady! Worship is not the right attitude!”

Bingyu was about to reply when the two boys rushed over. She promptly fell silent.

They ran up and tried to kneel before Li Yi, but he swiftly stopped them.

“What are you doing? Even if you’re begging, there’s no need to be so extreme.”

“Big brother! We were wrong! We shouldn’t have treated you like that.”

“Heh! Whether you were wrong or not doesn’t matter. We’re brothers—no need for empty gestures. Whether you’re sincere or just pretending, I won’t let you off. If you think you can escape my training, forget it!”

The boys exchanged glances, and laughed.

Ye Xu lifted his chin proudly. “We won’t give you the chance to let us off, either!”

“My, that’s quite the bold statement!”

The three brothers glanced at each other and laughed heartily together, understanding each other without words.

Suddenly, Li Yi pulled back his smile. “What are you laughing at?”

Ye Si and Ye Xu paused. “Big brother, weren’t you the first to laugh?”

“Oh? Was I? Are you sure?”

“No, big brother, don’t listen to Ye Xu’s nonsense!”

“Then why are you still standing here?”

“Big brother, if you need anything, just say so!”

Li Yi grinned, showing his teeth. “You haven’t forgotten what I told you yesterday, have you?”

Ye Xu looked confused. “Big brother, did I see you yesterday?”

Li Yi’s face darkened. Ye Si hurriedly dragged Ye Xu away.

“Don’t worry, big brother, I remember! We’ll go right now!”

“Hmph! Those two rascals!”

“So what are you, master?”

“Bingyu! Have you ever heard of ‘Dan Yi Shan’?”