If it had been a few days earlier, He Xi would have likely retorted directly.
But recently, his mother had taken to verbally attacking him at any given moment, and she occasionally hit him too.
He Xi had, instead, grown a bit more reverent.
The person before him was no other than his widowed mother, who had raised him with immense hardship.
Even if He Xi had the nature of an ungrateful wretch, he would calmly consider the pros and cons.
If he weren't filial enough and incurred his mom's displeasure, and she made a fuss about it...
Well, with the accusation of being "disrespectful," not to mention holding an official post, he feared he might even be criminally charged.
It was still the same story—if his mother had continued to depend on him, being compliant and cautious as always, He Xi wouldn't worry at all about her causing trouble.
But now... his mother seemed different, and He Xi had no confidence that if he angered her, what she might do!
