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Chapter 505: Chapter 505: Chaos and Panic
Zhang Lijuan, of course, knew that they had wronged Tong Yao. She would never bow her head to Tong Yao if it weren’t for their struggle to survive.
She had once coveted Tong Yao’s husband. Now her life has come to this, she was the one who couldn’t face Tong Yao. She was willing to swallow her pride and bow her head, while Si Boyi was still concerned about losing face. What was his dignity even worth?
Si Boyi stood in the courtyard, mixed emotions in his heart. How could he be unaware of the family’s financial problems?
But how could he face Tong Yao and say those words?
"Brother, mom wants to talk to you." Si Xiaohui ran out of the house and stood at the doorstep calling out. She quickly turned around and went back inside.
Si Boyi walked into the house with a grim expression. Before he could even open his mouth, Lin Fengying picked up a pillow and threw it at him. "Are you two trying to drive me to an early grave?"
Ever since they brought Lin Fengying back from Kyoto, her temper seemed to worsen by the day. Si Boyi had become accustomed to her daily outbursts. He bent over to pick up the pillow from the floor and placed it back on the bed, his face still grim.
"Mom, what’s upsetting you now?"
He didn’t mind taking care of his bedridden mother to the best of his abilities, but he couldn’t stand it when she lashed out at him and Zhang Lijuan.
There was nothing he could do about her irascible nature.
"Why does Lijuan want to invite Tong Yao over to stay? To let Tong Yao witness my humiliation closer?" Lin Fengying stared at Si Boyi and asked out loud.
Si Boyi bluntly responded, "She’s living a good life. Why would she waste time laughing at you? Do you think everybody is like our family members, always gossiping about others behind their backs?"
"You..." Lin Fengying was so angry that she couldn’t catch her breath. Si Xiaohui quickly sat down beside the bed, patting her chest to help her breathe.
She scolded, "Brother, you’re becoming more and more disrespectful. How can you talk to mom like this? She’s so frail, can she withstand your anger?"
Suddenly, Si Xiaohui had turned into the considerate and caring daughter.
Si Boyi glared at her, "Si Xiaohui, if you don’t want to be disowned, stop causing unnecessary trouble. Tong Yao has a wonderful life now. She’s no longer my brother’s wife and has nothing to do with our family. Stop gossiping about her behind her back. It reflects poorly on us."
"It’s still unknown who the disgrace here is. She’s slyly lingering around Gu Hongwei and then comes back to the village to disgust us. What does she mean by that?" Si Xiaohui retorted angrily.
It was clear that Tong Yao was doing it on purpose. She knew Si Xiaohui had always had feelings for Gu Hongwei, yet she intentionally got close to him.
"If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll slap you!" Si Boyi was truly angry this time, and roared, "Even if there is something between Tong Yao and Hongwei, what does it have to do with you? She is no longer part of the Si family. She is free to marry whoever she wants."
His yelling was so loud it alarmed not only Si Xiaohui and Lin Fengying but also woke up the child sleeping in the next room.
The child’s crying brought some sense back to Si Boyi. Glaring at Si Xiaohui, he said, "Si Xiaohui, unless you want to be thrown out of this house, stop causing trouble unnecessarily. Our family can hardly make ends meet now. If you keep this up, you will be kicked out immediately."
With that, he walked out.
Lin Fengying yelled from behind, "I’m not dead yet! As long as I’m alive, it’s not your turn to be the head of the family. On what grounds can you drive Xiaohui away?"
Si Xiaohui, who was initially frightened and trembling, straightened her back when she heard Lin Fengying’s words. She wasn’t afraid now that her mother was backing her.
She knew her brother well; he may seem fierce when angry, but he was a filial son.
Si Boyi paused, turned his head to look at Lin Fengying, his eyes devoid of emotion, "Mom, since you say you’re in charge of this house, then Lijuan and I will move to the city. How about leaving this house to you and Xiaohui?" 𝙣𝒐𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Upon hearing this, Si Xiaohui’s face changed, "You can’t leave, you’re the son. It’s your duty to take care of mom till the end. You must stay by her bedside."
"I’ll do like Hongwei, hire someone to care for you and deliver meals to you. You won’t starve for sure." With that, Si Boyi strode out.
Lin Fengying was genuinely taken aback this time. The last time Si Boyi went to the city, she experienced a life that was simply unbearable. Si Xiaohui was unwilling to stay by her bedside and care for her. Lin Fengying was left alone in the room for hours before her waste was cleaned up.
The room was full of odors due to the hot weather.
Lin Fengying finally understood the suffering her husband went through. He had died on this bed after enduring a lot of pain. Now, the same fate seems to have arrived upon her.
"Mom, you can’t let Brother move to the city. He’s going off to enjoy city life with his wife and child, leaving me to care for you here. On what grounds?" Si Xiaohui became frantic. She had had enough of this life, or else she wouldn’t have agreed to marry the twice-divorced Xun Guangrui.
Such an ugly man with three ugly children. She would never have been interested if not for Xun Guangrui’s wealth and his ability to frighten the Song Family.
It was all Tong Yao’s fault. If she hadn’t divorced and refused to give a single cent to her eldest brother, Si Xiaohui wouldn’t be living such a hard life now.
Thinking about it, a calculating look flashed in Si Xiaohui’s eyes.
Meanwhile, Zhang Lijuan was comforting her crying baby in the next room. It took her quite a while to get the baby back to sleep. She felt wronged and wanted to return to her parents’ house, but she couldn’t.
Her brother was married, and her sister-in-law didn’t like her constantly visiting her parents’ home. Every time Zhang Lijuan visited, her sister-in-law would find an excuse to fight with her brother. After a while, Chen Jinlan didn’t allow her to return home frequently either.
Desiring to return to her parents’ house just next door but not being able to was an unbearable feeling for most people.
When she was living comfortably, her family’s attitude wasn’t like this. The thought of Si Xiaohui and Lin Fengying’s actions making everything worse, made her grit her teeth in anger.
"Pack up our things in a few days. We’ll move to the city. Even if we have to scavenge for trash, we’re not coming back here." Si Boyi had made up his mind and was no longer willing to stay at home.
Zhang Lijuan’s eyes brightened, "Are you sure you’ve thought it through?"
"I’ve thought it through." Si Boyi nodded.
Zhang Lijuan felt a wave of relief. Placing the child back on the bed, she suggested, "Tomorrow, I’ll find a chance to chat with Tong Yao and find out if she’s willing to let us work at her shop. If she doesn’t agree, we can set up a stall on the street to sell bubble tea. As long as we don’t set up our stall in front of their shop, it’s not like we’re competing with them. What do you think?"
After thinking it over, Si Boyi finally agreed, "You’ll have to talk to Tong Yao first. It’s only fair if she agrees since we learned the technique from her."
Zhang Lijuan had no objections to this, "I think Tong Yao will agree. I’ve seen it now. I was petty in worrying about the little things before. Tong Yao is someone who deals with big things; she doesn’t have time to fuss over trivial matters."
