Chapter 337 - 334: Younger Brothers and Sisters

Chapter 337: Chapter 334: Younger Brothers and Sisters

Listening to her brother and sister-in-law, Li He felt as if she’d had a sudden breakthrough. There was nothing to worry about in the world; people just created their own troubles. She had simply been overthinking things. It was someone else’s business to begin with, so why was she letting it torment her? Besides, while you could obtain most things in this world through hard work, matters of the heart were different. Be it familial love, friendship, or romance, you couldn’t get it just by wanting it. Her own brother was the perfect example of that. She really had been unable to see the forest for the trees!

"Thank you, Brother, Sister-in-law. I was overthinking it!" Li He said earnestly to Li Xiu and Zhou Lian. ’I’ve really studied myself silly. Life isn’t always so full of clear rights and wrongs, of debts and grudges to be settled!’

"Sister-in-law, what do you do when there’s a nasty person around?" Li Miao, who had been playing happily on the bed, asked Zhou Lian, sounding dejected after overhearing her siblings’ conversation. "You can’t scold them, you can’t hit them, and they’re everywhere. It’s so aggravating!"

Looking at her little sister-in-law’s scrunched-up face, Zhou Lian couldn’t help but smile. ’She’s only ten or so, where is all this world-weariness coming from?’ she thought, then asked gently, "Miao, do you have a classmate like this?"

"Yeah, she’s so annoying," Li Miao said, agitated. "She talks badly about people behind their backs, tries to stir up trouble, and she’s a total flip-flopper. It’s infuriating! The worst part is, she can cry at the drop of a hat, and you have no idea why!"

Zhou Lian’s expression grew serious. She knew Li Miao had run into the type of person who feigns innocence while being secretly manipulative—what later generations would call a "white lotus." Her straightforward little sister-in-law would likely have trouble dealing with someone like that. She glanced at Li Xiu, then at her other brothers- and sisters-in-law. After a moment’s thought, Zhou Lian decided she ought to give them all a little lesson, lest they encounter such people and suffer for it.

"Miao, I’ve met people like that, too. They sweet-talk others when they can, and when they can’t, they start crying. The tears flow like they’re free. When you run into someone like that, don’t be polite. Tell her straight up, ’I don’t know you well, and I have no interest in getting to know you.’ Also, state directly that you can’t stand people who use tears to manipulate others. You have to be firm and declare, ’We have nothing to do with each other. We’ll stay out of each other’s way. If there’s a next time, I’ll expose your true colors!’"

"Sister-in-law, is that all it takes?" Li Miao asked doubtfully.

Zhou Lian smiled. "Not necessarily. A smart one will stop bothering you. But for the ones who aren’t so smart, the solution is even simpler. In front of a teacher and as many classmates as you can, state that you don’t want to associate with her—that you’re strangers. Don’t get into an argument; just calmly express your dislike and say, ’Let’s go our separate ways!’"

"Right, just like Sister-in-law said. You can’t get entangled with people like that, or you’ll end up looking like you’re in the wrong even when you’re right. In short, just ignore them!" Li Cui added softly. ’People like that are like a sticky plaster. Once they latch on, they’re incredibly hard to shake off. It’s beyond annoying!’

Seeing Li Miao nod with a look of partial understanding, Zhou Lian smiled. ’She’s still young,’ she thought. She turned to Li Cui and asked gently, "You’ve encountered someone like this at school, haven’t you!"

"Sister-in-law, don’t even get me started. She’s in my dorm," Li Cui said. "Li Guo came to see me once, and she saw him and insisted I introduce her. Honestly, if she genuinely liked Li Guo, that would be one thing. But she’s seen our eldest brother before, and she’s always subtly asking about him. I grew up with Brother; did she really think I couldn’t see through her little ploy? I shut her down, but then she started crying and making a huge scene. I had to lay out the whole truth in front of most of our department’s students and teachers before she finally backed off!"

As everyone stared at her, Li Cui said calmly, "What are you all looking at me for? It takes all kinds. Li Guo is a guy, so he’s less likely to run into this. But He, once you start university, Brother and Sister-in-law will surely come to visit. You’ll understand then. Having brothers like ours can be tiring. It’s not just our eldest brother—Brother Bao and Li Guo, too. Every single one of our brothers is a magnet for attention!"

"What? You’ve had issues involving all of them?" Zhou Lian asked curiously. ’Li Xiu only went to her school once, didn’t he? I think Brother Bao did as well. Only Li Guo has visited more frequently. I never imagined they had become the man of so many schoolgirls’ dreams!’

Glancing at her eldest brother’s faint, teasing smile and then at Li Guo, who was pretending to be calm, Li Cui laughed. "Yes, Sister-in-law, you have no idea. Our eldest brother wasn’t too bad, since only my classmates saw him. But when Brother Bao visited, it was a Saturday. He’s handsome, has an impressive air about him, and he drove a car—you can imagine the reaction. And Li Guo visits frequently. He’s good-looking and a top student from a prestigious university, with the added bonus of two older brothers who clearly look wealthy and influential. Sister-in-law, just picture it!"

"Sister Cui is right," Li He said with a sigh of resignation, glancing at Li Xiu, then at Li Guo, and finally at Li Bo, who looked more and more like Li Xiu every day. "After seeing our brothers every day, when you look at the other boys and men out there... well, it’s hard to put into words. Sometimes I think it’s a good thing our four older sisters married young and never left home. Otherwise, they might have struggled to find anyone to marry. Honestly, I’m worried that for Sister Cui, our two younger sisters, and myself, it’s going to be hard to find a man who can measure up!"

Li Cui nodded in agreement. It was true. Compared to their brothers, most of the men outside simply didn’t measure up. Of course, there were some excellent men out there, but there was no guarantee they’d be interested in her. So now she was beginning to wonder if she’d be able to get married when she reached that age.

"So what!" Li Yuan retorted irritably at her two older sisters, all while happily playing with her little nephew and niece. "If you find someone you like, get married. If not, then don’t! It’s not like the family can’t support you! I think Sister Cui and Sister He just have too much time on their hands. Your schoolwork isn’t keeping you busy enough, is it!"

Li Bo, who was slicing a peach with a fruit knife, spoke up softly. "Our sister is right. Should the women of the Li family really be afraid of not marrying? If you don’t get married, we’ll support you at home. What’s there to fear? Live your lives however makes you happy. I’d like to see who dares to gossip then!"

After speaking, he ignored the gazes from his sister-in-law and siblings, picking up a small spoon to feed the freshly cut peach to his nephew and niece. ’People overcomplicate simple things when they grow up and have too much on their minds,’ he thought. ’There were only four unmarried sisters left in the family. So what if none of them wanted to marry? Were he and his three older brothers not capable of protecting their own sisters?!’

Raising an eyebrow, Zhou Lian glanced at Li Xiu. ’I can’t help but think of the Li Bo from my past life, who was just as fiercely protective,’ she mused. ’I remember how Li Xiu was nearly broken by his mother’s passing. It was Li Bo who sought out Li Xianglin and Li Xiangrui, which led to Li Xianglin taking Li Xiu in. Thinking about it now, a person’s true nature is bone-deep. To Li Bo, his family is what matters most. But for people like Li Hua, personal gain is everything. It’s no wonder that in both of his lives, Li Xiu has cherished these particular younger siblings from the first and third branches so dearly!’