Witty Wife, Better Life

Chapter 263: Chapter 253: A Good Beating

Li Hongqi hung his head low, his eyes flickering with elusive thoughts.

Qiu Shuping, beside him, couldn’t stop fussing, "What are you doing? What are you doing? He’s your brother, your own brother. What kind of grudge must it be for you to hit so hard? Oh my, his face is swollen." She noticed her youngest son’s face swelling on one side, with a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, her heart aching immensely.

She helped her son to the door and angrily pushed at Li Hongjun, "Get out of the way!"

Li Hongqi still said nothing, dutifully allowing his mother to lead him away. He sensed that this was a particularly dangerous time for his second brother and that it was best to keep his distance for now.

"Can’t you act like an older brother? Even if your brother did something wrong, just scold him and be done with it. How could you hit him? Besides, your father and I are not dead yet. It’s not your place to beat your brother. Let me tell you, he’s about to go to university soon. If you mess that up for him, see if I’ll let you off." Qiu Shuping sat the youngest son next to old man Li, then carefully examined his injuries with great concern. The more she looked, the angrier she became.

"You good-for-nothing! You hit so hard. Son, bear it a little while, okay? Your mom will boil some eggs for you. It’ll feel better soon." Qiu Shuping was about to get up to the main room to boil eggs for her son when Li Hongqi grabbed her arm and wouldn’t let go.

"No need, Mom, I’m fine." Li Hongqi shrank back a little, feeling his second brother’s dark glare. Despite believing that his second brother couldn’t possibly know about the deed he thought he had kept a secret, he still felt uneasy. Remembering his brother’s temper, he couldn’t help but shiver.

"Oh my, if that’s you being ’fine,’ I can’t imagine what being hurt looks like. He almost hit your eye out," Qiu Shuping exclaimed with concern.

In truth, although Li Hongjun was angry, he had held back his punch, which was nowhere near hitting the eye.

Li Hongjun watched his younger brother hiding behind their mother, silent, and refrained from hitting him again, but he stood there and coldly watched him.

Li Hongqi still couldn’t stop Qiu Shuping from going to the main room to boil the eggs, and during this time, he felt an immense pressure coming from his second brother.

Old man Li watched his two sons, one with an icy gaze and expressionless, the other cowering as if he had done something wrong. He was not Qiu Shuping; he might not have understood at first, but by now, he had realized that the youngest must have done something to provoke the second son.

"Hey, you’re both grown-ups. If there’s something on your mind, just talk about it. You’re brothers, after all. If everything’s out in the open, all issues should be resolved," old man Li remarked. Without knowing exactly what happened, he believed that brothers should not hold grudges overnight; after a fight, they were still family.

The two brothers remained silent, casting a heavy silence in the room.

Li Hongqi felt this couldn’t go on and tentatively said, "Big brother, did Xianghe say something? Second brother, we’re blood brothers. She might have misunderstood something. You can’t..."

Before he could finish, Li Hongjun took a step forward and aimed a kick at his stomach.

The kick sent a man over 1.7 meters tall flying from the floor into the bedstead. If not for the wall blocking him, he might have been kicked right out of the house.

Just like that punch, the kick was so sudden that it left Li Hongqi curled up like a shrimp, gasping for air, unable to say another word.

Old man Li, frightened, jumped up from the kang and exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

"What’s wrong? Son, what happened?" Qiu Shuping stuck her head out from the main room to look inside, only to see her youngest son curled up on the kang, which scared her so much that she threw the egg in her hand and ran into the room.

Old man Li was also quick to check if his youngest son was okay, resulting in both husband and wife each grabbing one end to lift him up.

"Mom, I’m fine, it’s not big brother’s or sister-in-law’s fault..." Li Hongqi’s eyes flickered, his breath faint.

Ah, this really broke Qiu Shuping’s heart. Her own well-educated son had been beaten several times by the second son, and now, how had the second son’s wife gotten involved too?

"You good-for-nothing Li Hongjun, I’ve raised you for nothing, haven’t I? Did your wife instigate something at home, and you come back and take it out on your brother? If you have the guts, come at me, here I am, come at me!" Qiu Shuping yelled at her second son in a shrewish manner.

"Enough, shut your mouth," Old man Li stopped his wife, then turned to his second son and said, "Hongjun, did Hongqi do something wrong? Tell me, if it’s really your brother’s fault, we’ll think of a solution together. Just hitting him isn’t the answer." He still understood his second son; Hongjun wasn’t someone who acted irrationally or lashed out without reason, unless he was provoked, or if the youngest really made a serious mistake.

Li Hongjun just looked coldly at Li Hongqi, "Will you tell it or shall I?"

"Big brother, I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s really a misunderstanding with sister-in-law, it truly has nothing to do with me..." Li Hongqi intended to deny everything to the bitter end.

He knew admitting wouldn’t bring him any good, and if he didn’t admit, his parents would be there—he couldn’t let his big brother do whatever he wanted. His big brother couldn’t stay home every day, and once he left, this matter would blow over.

Li Hongjun, hearing him bring up his wife again, said nothing. He stepped forward, grabbed the front of his shirt and dragged him off the kang like a dead dog, with the elder couple unable to hold them back.

Then Li Hongjun proceeded to give Li Hongqi a fierce beating, targeting the most painful places, making Li Hongqi cry and wail for his parents.

The Li Family elders also snapped into action, jumping down from the kang and rushing over to pull the second son off to rescue the youngest son.

"Ah! My son!" Qiu Shuping, protective as ever like a mother bear, rushed to her youngest son’s side, hoping to shield him with her own body, but there was no way she could block Li Hongjun’s punches.

"Ouch, someone come help, quick! Xianghe, you worthless girl, what are you doing? It’s a murder scene in here, hurry up and come here," Qiu Shuping yelled for help, unable to do anything else.

Li Hongjun didn’t care about that, and after beating Li Hongqi until he’d had enough, he took a couple of steps back but kept coldly watching his brother who couldn’t get up from the floor.

"Son, son, how are you feeling?" Qiu Shuping and Old man Li pulled Li Hongqi up to check his injuries.

"Don’t worry, he won’t die just yet," Li Hongjun said coldly; he knew his own strength.

Having vented his anger and hatred, he felt more relieved. Since receiving the letter from his wife detailing his brother’s despicable action, he had been fuming inside. His wife had even given him fifty yuan; even if she hadn’t given a penny, there was no excuse for what he had done. How could he be so heartless and commit such an act, and then think he could act as if nothing had happened, continuing to be the good little brother-in-law, the good little brother? That was a fantasy.