NOVPUB
Chapter 698: Chapter 688: There are No Overnight Feuds Between Brothers
The joyous New Year’s Eve dinner had come to an abrupt end with a few words from Old Man Li or, perhaps, it was the topic of discussion that revolved around Li Hongqi that put a stop to it.
After the meal, Wang Dan was quite eager to stay and help Shen Yunfang clean up the bowls and chopsticks.
"Yunfang, let me tell you, you have to be firm in front of the old man and woman; otherwise, they’ll walk all over you," Wang Dan motioned with her mouth towards the house.
"Did you see that? Even in such a situation, they’re still worried about their youngest son. He’s inside now, but once he gets out and someone stirs things up, chances are they’ll really set their sights on your house," Wang Dan may have lacked experience, but she knew that a house in the Capital wasn’t cheap.
Even though she wouldn’t mind taking advantage and having her son stay at the second brother’s house, she never thought of taking over someone’s house for good, as she clearly understood that was impossible. She, too, couldn’t possibly give away her own house for nothing, not even to her own parents.
"Sister-in-law, don’t worry, even if they covet it, it’s in vain. The house is in my name, and it’s all for my daughter and son in the future. Nobody else should even think about it," Shen Yunfang declared decisively.
"That’s good, just be prepared in your mind. You know how troublesome the old lady can be, and how wicked Li Hongqi is," Wang Dan, seeing that Shen Yunfang was clear on the matter, chose not to dwell on the topic any further.
After cleaning up, Wang Dan took her children and husband home, also saying that they wouldn’t come over for the dumpling meal that evening.
In the afternoon, Shen Yunfang slept with the kids inside the house, and by the time the family got up, it was already past four in the afternoon.
"Why are you getting up so early? Lie down a bit longer," Li Hongjun insisted, holding down his wife who was trying to get up—as there wasn’t much to do anyway, with the dumpling meal still a while away.
"Mm, okay, look after the kids, will you?" Shen Yunfang readily lay back down.
At this time, there was really nothing to do at the old home other than work, so if you didn’t want to work, you’d just lie down on the heated brick bed.
"It’s okay, Mommy, my brother and I are going to play with Sandan," Manman, who was turning into a wild girl at home, couldn’t wait to get up and play as soon as she opened her eyes.
"Alright, but don’t go too far, and don’t play on the ice," Shen Yunfang instructed.
"Got it. Daddy, I want to play with the Fairy Stick," Manman whined to her father after getting dressed.
This year, Ma Liguo had also sent some firecrackers from the Capital. In January, he mailed quite a few to Shen Yunfang, which included sparklers suitable for kids to play with. When they arrived, Pangpang and Manman had stubbornly carried a good amount back with them, just so they could play with their brothers.
"Okay, but make sure you’re dressed warmly before going out. Don’t stay outside too long, and keep a safe distance when setting off firecrackers, don’t aim at people..." Li Hongjun droned on with a lengthy list of precautions.
"Got it," Pangpang and Manman promised in unison and then hurriedly grabbed their little backpacks and ran off—their dad really could be such a nag.
Watching his children run off, Li Hongjun’s face turned a shade darker, finding them quite unlovable at the moment.
Old Man Li couldn’t sleep all afternoon, tossing and turning. Hearing some noise outside, he quickly put on his shoes to check it out. The door across was still closed, "Hongjun, are you awake? If you are, come over, I have something to tell you."
Of course, Li Hongjun and his wife inside the house had heard it.
"Hurry over, your dad is looking for you," Shen Yunfang buried her face back into the pillow, "but remember, you’ve still got a wife and kids to support. Don’t agree to things you shouldn’t, don’t consent to things you shouldn’t." It was a precaution.
Li Hongjun tucked in the quilt corner for his wife, "Just lie there honestly, why worry so much?" With that, he pushed the door open and went out.
"Yeah, if your family were all good people, I wouldn’t have to worry so much," Shen Yunfang muttered from under the covers.
Li Hongjun pushed open his old man’s door to find the room filled with swirling smoke; he frowned and walked in.
"Dad, you were looking for me." He went to sit down beside the Kang bed.
"Yeah, I’ve got something to talk to you about," the old man, Li, sat cross-legged on the Kang, tapping his tobacco pipe as he saw his son come in.
"What is it?" Li Hongjun already had a guess in his mind—it was either about his mother, Li Hongqi, or the house; it wouldn’t stray from these issues.
The old man Li was silent for a while before he slowly began, "Hongjun, I know you don’t think much of your younger brother, but no matter what, he’s your blood brother, born of the same mother. As the elder brother, you should lend a hand when your younger brother is in trouble." This was what the old man had been tossing and turning over all afternoon, unable to sleep. In his view, there should be no overnight grudges between brothers. Being angry is one thing, fighting is another, but once it’s over, they’re still good brothers. Now that his youngest son was in such a state, and to be honest, it wasn’t without connection to the second son and his wife, so he felt that it would be right for the second son and his wife to lend a hand after the youngest got out.
After hearing his father’s words, Li Hongjun too was silent for a long time, and the two men sat facing each other, wordless.
It was quite some time before Li Hongjun finally sighed and said, "Dad, Li Hongqi has never treated me as his elder brother. If he had, he wouldn’t have written that report to frame my wife. If he treated me like a brother, he wouldn’t always stir Mum up to trouble my wife. If he saw me as his brother, he wouldn’t have bullied my wife behind my back while I was not home."
Old man Li frowned; in his view, these issues were no big deal, and the second son should not cling to these trivial matters.
"Hongjun, you’re a soldier, a man meant to do great things. These matters are what women fuss over, and as a grown man, don’t let your wife hold you back," he believed that the second son was being swayed by the whispers of his wife, making him lose his clarity.
"Dad, I am a soldier, but I am also a husband, a father, and I have to support a family. If under my watch, my brother can bully my wife, then what face do I have left as a soldier? Besides, Dad, Li Hongqi doesn’t only have me for a brother. If anyone should help, it should be the eldest brother, not me," Li Hongjun said with a cold expression.
"Nonsense, look at your eldest brother’s situation and then look at yours. How can you still drag him into this?" Old man Li also grew a bit angry.
"Dad, my situation? Over these years, I’ve been earning a salary, but before I got married, I gave it all back home. After marriage, I still gave you both a hundred yuan a year for you to live on, and I’ve got both sons and daughters to support too—I have to provide for my family," he defended.
Old man Li’s lips were tight, a look of anger on his face; the second son was settling accounts with him.
"Dad, Li Hongqi didn’t start off on the wrong foot; he simply didn’t make the most of his opportunities. There’s nothing I can do about that. As for helping him, I really can’t, I have a wife and kids to support, and counting you and Mum, I’m already stretched thin."
"But your house in the Capital..."
"Dad, that’s something Yunfang earned herself, and it’s meant to be saved for the children. Didn’t you educate me when I was a child, to not covet what isn’t mine, to work hard and strive for what I want?"
Old man Li was at a loss for words, blocked by his son’s reply.
