Chapter 236 - 233: Return to the Capital City

Chapter 236: Chapter 233: Return to the Capital City

After chatting for a while longer, Grandma Li saw that her eldest grandson and granddaughter-in-law had explained everything they needed to. "It’s getting late," she said. "You have a long drive ahead, so you’d better get going."

Zhou Lian didn’t lower her waving arm until the car was past the village entrance. Rubbing her slightly sore arm, she said with a resigned sigh, "Grandma is so old, but she still walks so fast!"

As they got in the car and drove off, Grandma Li and the others followed behind them on foot. They only stopped once the car passed the village entrance and began to speed up.

Reaching out, Li Xiu gently rubbed Zhou Lian’s arm a few times. "Grandma’s hale and hearty," he said with a smile. "Don’t be fooled by her bound feet. A few years ago, when Li Guo and Li Bo were causing trouble, Grandma grabbed a willow switch and chased them halfway through the village!"

Zhou Lian remembered that incident too and smiled softly. It had happened not long after she had married into the family, when she was pregnant with Nuonuo. Her two young brothers-in-law, not knowing who told them, had heard that pregnant women should eat sour things. Times were tough back then, so the two of them ran up the mountain and picked a bunch of wild hawthorns for her. Because of that, Grandma chased them halfway through the village. ’You absolutely can’t eat hawthorn when you’re pregnant! It can cause uterine contractions and, in a severe case, a miscarriage!’

"Yes, Li Bo was only a few years old back then, and Li Guo wasn’t much older," Zhou Lian said, feeling a bit sentimental. "They were just boys, how would they have known you can’t eat hawthorn during pregnancy? But still, you can’t fault their intentions!" Her three brothers-in-law, including Li Bao, truly treated her and Li Xiu like their own dear brother and sister-in-law.

Li Xiu couldn’t help but laugh out loud. ’The real culprit was Li Bao. He was at an awkward age, so to avoid any impropriety, he goaded the two younger ones into doing it.’ Seeing his wife’s expression, he figured she didn’t know about this part of the story, so he stifled his laughter and said, "The little ones had nothing to do with it. Li Bao put them up to it!"

"What!" Zhou Lian was stunned for a moment, but then it all clicked. ’Li Bao wanted to avoid any impropriety, so he pushed the two younger ones to take the lead! And if Li Xiu knows about it, then...’ She smiled and asked, "Does Grandma know?"

Li Xiu snorted with laughter, recalling how pathetic Li Bao had looked. "I told Grandma after she was done punishing the two younger ones. Word is, after Grandma was finished with him, First Aunt dealt with him. And when First Aunt was done, Third Aunt gave him a piece of her mind too!"

Zhou Lian shot Li Xiu a look of mock disgust. "Wipe that gloating look off your face. Does Li Bao know you’re the one who sold him out?"

"He knows," Li Xiu said dismissively. "It’s his own fault for being so reckless and not doing his research first. What if you hadn’t known any better and had eaten them? It’s good that he learned his lesson."

The two cars rolled into the Capital City, one behind the other. It was already after five in the afternoon. Li Bao followed his older brother’s car directly to his house—his two children were still there, being cared for by his sister-in-law’s parents!

They had just parked when Mrs. Zhou came out to welcome them. She was overjoyed to see them back. Taking a few steps forward, she took Yanyan from Sister Fang’s arms, doting on her endlessly. Li Bao and Wang Xiaojuan got out of their car behind them and greeted Mrs. Zhou as well.

Cuddling Yanyan, Mrs. Zhou started walking toward the courtyard and said to them, "They’re all in the garden. Go on, I’m still busy in the kitchen!"

Sister Fang saw this and followed Mrs. Zhou. The remaining four—forgetting all about their luggage in the cars—immediately turned and rushed toward the garden. They hadn’t seen their children in a week and missed them like crazy!

In the pavilion, Zhou Huaitai and Zhang Yizhen were each holding a child, reciting classical poetry to them. Nuonuo sat by herself to one side, writing something with her back perfectly straight. Nearby, Mr. Zhou watched them all with a gentle smile. The peaceful, harmonious scene brought a knowing smile to the faces of the four arrivals, and they instinctively lightened their steps.

It was Zhou Huaitai who sensed something. He gently lifted his head and looked around. Seeing Li Xiu and the others, he broke into a wide grin. "Auntie, Uncle," he said softly. "You’re back! And you too, Uncle and Auntie!"

Before Zhou Huaitai could finish, everyone in the pavilion turned to look, pleasantly surprised to see Li Xiu and the others approaching. After a round of greetings, the three children slid from the older boys’ laps and off the stool. They dashed toward their parents. Li Bao and Wang Xiaojuan each scooped up their daughter and son, while Nuonuo threw herself at Li Xiu and Zhou Lian, who had both crouched down to receive her. She hugged her father with one arm and her mother with the other, so happy that the tip of her tongue peeked out.

After a long round of hugs and kisses, they all moved into the pavilion and sat down. Zhou Huaitai and Zhang Yizhen had already fetched teacups from the kitchen and poured tea for the adults. Zhou Lian nodded in approval at the sight. ’Her nephews are turning out well. Their IQ is normal, nothing out of the ordinary, but their EQ... after just a few months of Li Xiu’s tutoring, it’s skyrocketing!’

Noticing that all four of them were wearing signs of mourning, Mr. Zhou knew that Li Xiu’s father had passed away. He asked Li Xiu softly, "Did your father suffer?"

Li Xiu immediately understood his father-in-law’s concern. He shook his head. "No. He was already unconscious when we arrived. He had a brief moment of lucidity, said a few words, and then he was gone."

"That’s good, that he didn’t suffer greatly," Mr. Zhou murmured, not dwelling on the topic. He then changed the subject, asking about the wake and burial.

Li Xiu patiently explained everything, holding nothing back out of fear of airing the family’s dirty laundry. He told his father-in-law all the details, proper or not.

Mr. Zhou’s brow furrowed deeper as he listened. ’How can his family be so shameless?’ he thought. After Li Xiu finished, Mr. Zhou shook his head and sighed. "What a mess... But that’s your birth mother and your younger siblings. Are you sure about this? Can you really be that heartless?"

"Father-in-law, it has nothing to do with being heartless," Li Xiu said with a dismissive smile. "The things they’ve done... they just disgust me. It’s better to be out of sight, out of mind. As for my mother, she’ll get the same treatment as my father. When her time comes, I’ll give her a grand funeral. It’s actually for the best this way. Not seeing each other while we’re living is better for both of us."

Mr. Zhou stared at Li Xiu, stunned. ’Is my son-in-law cold-blooded, or does he value ties of sentiment?’ At this thought, he turned to his daughter. Zhou Lian saw the look on her father’s face and knew what he was thinking. "Father, don’t worry about it," she said softly. "Several of the Li family elders support Jin Chen’s decision. After all, a mother who treats her own son like an enemy is truly a rare sight. It’s better for everyone to keep their distance. When her time comes, we will go back to see her off on her final journey and give her a grand burial. That will be enough to fulfill the bond between mother and son."

"It’s fine, Father-in-law," Li Xiu added casually. "When it comes to my father’s matters, almost every member of the Li family, including the main branch, is fed up with them. What I’ve done isn’t that outrageous; no one’s going to gossip about it. Besides, the village gossips are a force of nature. The reputation of the second branch—everyone except me—is already rotten in the village. As for me, I haven’t done anything scandalous to give them something to talk about. They all know I’m doing well for myself. No one’s stupid enough to try and drag me into anything."