Chapter 23
Following Lu Liangwei’s complaisant words, the Dowager Duchess’s intense anger suddenly subsided.
However, despite her complicated feelings, whenever she reminded herself that this granddaughter of hers had done something as cowardly as hanging herself for a man, she still felt angry.
Looking at her little granddaughter in front of her, she felt nothing but heartache and said in disappointment, “You, girl, why are you so devoid of self-love?”
Lu Liangwei could tell that the old woman was not as angry as before.
She blinked and immediately admitted her wrongs. “Grandmother, you are right to reprimand me. I must have been blinded by lard to do such an absurd thing. Please punish me severely so I may remember this lesson.”
The Dowager Duchess was not a harsh person; on the contrary, she was the kind to yield to gentleness instead of force.
If Lu Liangwei acted as she did before when she was caught doing something wrong—running away from the responsibility or going up against the Dowager Duchess—then it would only arouse greater anger from the old woman.
She would no longer feel anything for the girl other than complete contempt.
However, Lu Liangwei had just displayed a good attitude when she admitted her mistakes and showed a willingness to correct them. Not only did this make the Dowager Duchess feel relieved, but it also made her less angry.
“Do you truly admit that you were wrong?”
Lu Liangwei nodded, a firm light sparkling in her beautiful eyes. “I really do. In the past, I was ignorant and made many mistakes, I even made you angry. I promise that I will turn over a new leaf and will not be as misbehaved and reckless as before.”
Lu Hetian’s heart had been aching since the start of the exchange, seeing his little daughter kneeling on the ground for such a long time.
After holding back as long as he could, he finally could not help but interject, “Mother, Weiwei has truly realized her mistake and has changed. She is now sensible and well-behaved.”
The Dowager Duchess had already been showing signs of yielding in her heart, but when she heard her son defending her granddaughter, she could not help feeling displeased. “Isn’t Weiwei’s behavior thanks to you spoiling her as her father?”
Lu Hetian hurriedly replied, “Yes, yes, it’s all my fault.”
The Dowager Duchess gave a huge snort and finally helped Lu Liangwei get up.
Although her expression was still far from kind, her voice was not as harsh as before. “Although you say that you have recognized your mistakes, you can’t prove that they aren’t empty words. I will be watching you. If you make mistakes again, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
Lu Liangwei obediently agreed, “Rest assured, Grandmother. I will not let you down again.”
“Although you have owned up to your mistakes, to make you remember your lesson, starting from today you must hand me a handwritten copy of scripture every day. This is your punishment and also to let you reflect on your mistakes so you shall not repeat them in the future.”
Lu Liangwei privately exhaled in relief. She thought that the old woman would order her to kneel in the ancestral hall or something worse.
As she had guessed, the Dowager Duchess still loved Lu Liangwei as her granddaughter very much in her heart.
She readily agreed, “Thank you, Grandmother. I won’t betray your good intentions.”
Seeing her latest reaction, the Dowager Duchess paused.
If it were in the past, this girl would have wrinkled her little face in bitterness upon hearing that she had to copy scriptures as her punishment, but now she seemed to accept it readily.
She could not help but wonder if the punishment she gave was too light.
With this in mind, she eyed the girl a little sullenly. “What are you standing there for? The food is getting cold.”
Lu Liangwei stuck out her tongue sheepishly and went back to her seat, grinning.
The sight of this was the final push that finally brought a smile to the Dowager Duchess’s tense face.