“No need to search anymore,” Just then, Seventh Grandmother entered, supported by You’er and leaning on her cane, her face stern.

“Seventh Grandmother, do you know where Run’er is?” Zhenniang hurried forward to support her grandmother, while Sister Liu Jin brought over a chair for Old Lady Li to sit down.

“I’ve locked him in the ink storehouse,” Old Lady Li said as she sat down, her face frosty.

Everyone was shocked by Old Lady Li’s words. Seeing Aunt Jinhua wanting to speak but hesitating, Zhenniang asked first, “Seventh Grandmother, why did you lock Run’er in the ink storehouse?”

“He stole the key to the ink storehouse from me during my afternoon nap and went in by himself, so I locked him inside,” Old Lady Li said with a dark expression, her eyes coldly glancing at Li Jinhua.

Zhenniang knew that although Seventh Grandmother had given her the keys to the ink storehouse, she still kept a spare set. Others didn’t know about Seventh Grandmother giving Zhenniang the keys.

This meant Run’er was targeting the ink storehouse. Of course, a ten-year-old boy wouldn’t have such schemes on his own—someone must have been behind his actions.

At this point, Li Zhenniang understood. Earlier, she had wondered what Wang Decai’s purpose was in approaching Run’er—now it was clear he was after the Li family’s ink storehouse, and most likely, the formula for Li ink stored inside.

“Old Lady, I never had any designs on the ink storehouse,” Li Jinhua’s face turned pale hearing Old Lady Li’s words. In the Li family, targeting the ink storehouse was a grave offense.

“I know you didn’t, but I want you to explain how this happened. As his mother, did you not notice anything about Run’er’s behavior before this?” Old Lady Li sat upright, glaring at Li Jinhua, her expression still cold. She naturally understood that Li Jinhua wasn’t that kind of person, but someone must be behind Run’er’s actions.

At this point, Li Jinhua didn’t hide anything anymore. She explained the recent trouble Run’er had been causing because of Wang Decai.

“So Wang Decai is behind this?” Old Lady Li’s eyes were cold.

“It seems so,” Li Zhenniang added from the side.

“How have you been raising this child? He’s ten years old now and understands some things. You shouldn’t be too lenient with him—what needs to be said should be said clearly,” Old Lady Li admonished. The Li family couldn’t leave such openings for others to exploit.

“Yes, Old Lady, I was wrong. I will teach Run’er better from now on,” Li Jinhua quickly promised. Even without Old Lady Li’s instruction, she would have made sure to explain everything clearly to Run’er, as many times as necessary until he understood. Run’er had caused far too much trouble this time. She was truly frightened. Targeting the ink storehouse—in Old Lady Li’s younger days, even expulsion from the Li family would have been considered lenient.

“Good, as long as you remember. This must never happen again, but we’ll let it go this time,” Old Lady Li nodded, then continued: “As for Run’er, though young, he’s already ten and understands some things. Tonight, let him stay in the ink storehouse. Right is right, wrong is wrong—he needs to understand the consequences of his mistakes. One night locked up and missing two meals won’t kill him.” With that, Old Lady Li stood up, supported by You’er, and returned to her quarters.

She had no intention of releasing Run’er tonight.

Li Zhenniang and Li Jinhua saw Old Lady Li out.

After Old Lady Li was out of sight, Li Jinhua began wiping away tears. Run’er was so young, and spending a night in the ink storehouse would be very difficult for him. However, she dared not challenge Old Lady Li’s authority, especially since Run’er’s mistake this time was so serious.

Thinking of this, Li Jinhua wiped her tears forcefully: “That cursed Wang Decai, I’ll fight him to the death.” Her face showed rare determination as she prepared to settle accounts with Wang Decai.

“Aunt, it’s too late today. Go tomorrow, and don’t go to Wang Decai’s home. Go directly to the Tian Ink Shop on Four Treasures Street and make a big scene. Then Wang Decai will have to be careful and won’t dare target Run’er anymore,” Li Zhenniang advised.

Run’er’s situation wasn’t just about Wang Decai—Chunzhi was involved too, and possibly even the Japanese. Zhenniang remembered seeing the Tian family’s current relationship with the Japanese when leaving Nanjing. They had to be careful about this. Making it public would be good—targeting another family’s ink formula was taboo in the ink business. If it became public, both Chunzhi and Wang Decai would have to be more cautious.

Hearing Zhenniang’s explanation, Li Jinhua nodded firmly. Then she sat down heavily on the stone steps, burying her face in her hands. Zhenniang understood that Aunt Jinhua was worried about Run’er.

Seeing that it was completely dark now, and thinking that Run’er had been locked up since the afternoon, alone inside—for a ten-year-old child, spending a whole night alone in there might cause psychological problems. After some thought, she said to Aunt Jinhua: “Aunt, go get some food that Run’er likes, I’ll take it in and keep him company.”

Nobody else was allowed in the ink storehouse; now besides Old Lady Li, only Zhenniang could freely enter and exit.

“This… no, Old Lady will…” Li Jinhua shook her head, not wanting to implicate Zhenniang in Run’er’s trouble.

“It’s fine, I can enter and exit the ink storehouse. Besides, Old Lady only said to lock Run’er up for the night, she didn’t say no one could keep him company,” Zhenniang said.

“Ah… good… that’s good…” Hearing Li Zhenniang’s words, Li Jinhua relaxed and quickly went back to the sixth branch to prepare some food, which she brought over in a food box.

Zhenniang informed her grandmother and mother and then took the food box to the seventh branch’s ink storehouse. Li Jinhua followed.

“Aunt Jinhua, you can’t enter the ink storehouse. You should go back and rest,” Zhenniang said.

“I won’t rest. While you keep Run’er company inside, I’ll keep you both company outside. If a child isn’t taught well, it’s the parent’s fault. This child has no father, so as his mother, it’s my fault. Therefore, when he’s punished, I should share in it too,” Li Jinhua said.

Seeing her determination, Zhenniang didn’t try to persuade her otherwise. It was actually good—letting Run’er see Li Jinhua sharing his punishment would help him better understand the consequences of his actions and make him more careful in the future.

They went to the Buddhist hall, where Old Lady Li was still sitting in meditation. Zhenniang cheerfully greeted her Seventh Grandmother, then opened the ink storehouse door and went in with the food box.

Old Lady Li acted as if she hadn’t seen anything, clearly tacitly approving Zhenniang’s actions.

Li Jinhua knelt beside Old Lady Li, joining her in meditation.

Inside the ink storehouse, it was completely dark. Zhenniang lit the lamp by the side and searched for a while before finding Run’er huddled in a corner, shivering.

He appeared to be in a state between sleep and wakefulness, somewhat dazed.

“Run’er, Run’er…” Zhenniang sat down in front of Run’er and shook him gently.

Run’er finally raised his head, and upon seeing Zhenniang, burst into loud tears. He had been locked up since afternoon, and his emotional state had already broken down. Seeing Zhenniang now, he completely forgot all the bad things Wang Decai had said about her, feeling only that this elder cousin was dearer to him than ever. He cried pitifully.

Seeing him cry hard, Zhenniang felt relieved—it was good that he could cry it out.

“Here, your mother made dinner for you, eat first,” Zhenniang opened the food box. When Run’er smelled the food, his eyes brightened. His stomach was growling with hunger, so he picked up the bowl and started eating. Before long, he had devoured all the rice like a whirlwind. The little fellow burped contentedly, his spirit restored.

“Elder Cousin, why aren’t we going out?” At this point, Run’er finally asked, tears still hanging on his eyelashes.

“You need to stay here tonight. Do you understand why?” Zhenniang looked at Run’er seriously. She decided to have a good talk with the boy during the night.

Hearing Li Zhenniang’s words, Run’er’s face turned pale. After a while, he said: “I did something bad, and Seventh Grandmother is punishing me by locking me in here.”

He wasn’t completely ignorant—when he entered the ink storehouse and heard the door being locked, he naturally understood that Seventh Grandmother had locked him inside.

“If you knew it was wrong, why did you do it?” Zhenniang continued asking.

Run’er lowered his head, and after a while looked up with red eyes: “Everyone else has a father but me. I want Father to come back. Father said if I could get the Li family’s ink formula, he could make good ink and prove his ability, then Old Lady would let him come back.”

“Your father can never return to the Li family, regardless of his ability, because he betrayed your mother. But leaving that aside, when you were doing this, did you think about your mother? If you took the formula, your mother would bear all the consequences. How could she continue to live in the Li family?” Zhenniang asked with furrowed brows, then pointed at the door: “Do you know? Your mother is kneeling outside right now, sharing your punishment.”

“I… it was my fault, it has nothing to do with Mother…” Run’er’s small face darkened, showing confusion.

“But you’re still a child, you don’t understand these things. Your mother naturally has to bear responsibility for your mistakes,” Zhenniang said.

“I…” Run’er didn’t know what to say, his heart filled with regret.

“Run’er, I know it’s not wrong to miss your father, but adult matters aren’t so simple. You’re still young, there are many things you can’t understand yet. So for now, don’t get involved in adult matters. What you should do is study, learn proper behavior, and grow as a person. When you’re old enough to understand things clearly, then you can decide what to do. Do you understand?” Zhenniang added.

“Mm.” Run’er looked up at Zhenniang and after a while, nodded firmly.

Whatever the case, today’s lesson had left a deep impression on him. Although he missed his father, over the years, his father had become somewhat abstract to him. Now, his actions had caused his mother to share his punishment. At this point, thoughts of his father naturally had to be set aside.