NOVPUB
Chapter 706: Chapter 696: Really Don’t Know What the Rush Is
On the sixth day of the new lunar year, early in the morning, Old Li paced back and forth many times between his own room and the central hall, displaying an unmistakable restlessness.
Shen Yunfang hastily nudged Li Hongjun, "Hurry and get up to cook, then go find your elder brother to take care of important matters. Your dad has already been pacing in and out quite a few times."
Li Hongjun sighed, resignedly dragged his clothes out from under the quilt, and then pulled them on, "I have no idea what the old man is so anxious about, it’s still pitch dark outside. Even if we get up now, we can’t visit others this early, and it’s still New Year’s after all."
In the north, winter days dawn late to begin with; Shen Yunfang looked at her watch, it was not even five thirty, no wonder it was so dark outside.
Anxious about what? Shen Yunfang didn’t dare to say what exactly the old man was anxious about, but from all the signs, it was clear the old man took this matter very seriously.
"Stop dawdling, get up quickly, go out and cook, and don’t wake the children in the process." Shen Yunfang showed no sympathy for her husband’s plight; with her family being so careless, it was inevitable he would suffer.
"Fine, fine, I’m getting up, today I’ll cook, you stay and sleep with the kids for a bit longer." After Li Hongjun finished dressing, he tucked the quilt around his wife, then turned off the light and went out.
Shen Yunfang lay in bed, listening to the faint voices and clanging of pots and pans from the hall, and drifted back to sleep.
By the time she woke up again, it was already seven in the morning, and outside the sky was just beginning to brighten.
She listened for any noise outside the door, hearing none, she couldn’t tell whether Li Hongjun was still at home or not.
So she pulled her clothes from under the quilt, put them on, and then carried the basin out to get ready to wash up.
There was warm water in the iron pot, surely Li Hongjun had heated it for them. Shen Yunfang scooped some out and began to wash her face and brush her teeth.
Li Hongjun was talking with his father inside the room and, hearing some noise in the hall, came out.
"You’re awake? The kids are still sleeping? I left some food in the pot for you, eat quickly later." Li Hongjun saw his wife about to carry the basin outside to pour out the water, and hurried over to take it from her, "Let me do that. Go inside and apply moisturizing cream."
"Mm, did you and dad eat?" Shen Yunfang didn’t play coy and handed over the basin to him.
"We finished."
"Then I’ll just move the table to our room." Shen Yunfang now didn’t much like being around Old Li.
Isn’t it said ’distant fragrances and close stenches’? Plus, comparing him to others, she used to think Old Li was quite a good man, at least the best among the Li family, not a troublemaker and relatively fair. But after living with him for a few days, she saw through the façade, realizing that Old Li was actually quite selfish, definitely not as good as she had previously imagined.
Furthermore, after the incident with Qiu Shuping, Old Li and her now saw each other with mutual disdain. Of course, that was just how she felt, so she tried as much as possible to avoid being around him.
Regarding Old Li’s eventual decision to stay in the old house, she found it to be a very good decision and fully supported it. Looking at the current situation, even if she had to pitch in some money to hire someone to take care of the elder here, she wouldn’t have any complaint.
After Li Hongjun went outside to empty the basin, he returned to the room to find that the table was already set up, and his sons and daughters, dressed in their thermal underwear, were huddled in blankets, sitting by the table waiting to eat.
"Oh, you’re all awake?"
"Slept enough, and Manman’s stomach is even grumbling." Manman complained urgently.
Pangpang didn’t say anything, just grabbed an egg and bit half of it directly.
"Pangpang, you haven’t washed up yet, eating like this without cleanliness," Shen Yunfang frowned at her son.
"I’ll eat first and then brush my teeth, I’m hungry," Pangpang shoved the rest of the egg into his mouth in just a few bites.
"Slow down, you just got up, and nobody else has an appetite, only you two, acting as if you’ve marched the Long March," Shen Yunfang said as she spooned up more eggs for the children.
"Humph, indeed I didn’t get much sleep last night, tossing and turning—I’d be surprised if I wasn’t hungry," Li Hongjun chimed in with a tease.
Pangpang just laughed goofily in response, not taking offense.
These days Pangpang and Manman had been going out to play with their brother every day, so with more physical activity, not even dreams would calm at night, resulting in several days of restless sleep.
After making sure the kids had eaten, Shen Yunfang finally had a moment to ask about the morning’s matters.
"So, have you asked around yet?" She thought that by this early hour, the old man would surely have hurried them already.
"It’s too early to bother people at their homes; it wouldn’t be nice to catch them still in bed. I just spoke with my elder brother, and we agreed to go together at eight o’clock," Li Hongjun had already prepared a basin of warm water for the children to wash with after eating. Whenever he had the chance, he played the doting father.
"Right, that’s how it should be; we’re asking for a favor, not seeking revenge," Shen Yunfang nodded in agreement.
"My dad is just overthinking it. He said we should ask quickly, and if they can’t help, find someone else soon. He’s worried that I might be sent on a task at any moment and there’ll be no one to take care of things here," Li Hongjun had already asked Li senior why he was in such a rush, and that’s what he had said.
Shen Yunfang nodded, thinking she might have been too suspicious earlier, and she was glad she hadn’t shared those thoughts with Li Hongjun; otherwise, she might have wronged someone.
After the meal, the kids hurried off to play again. While Shen Yunfang cleaned up the dishes, Li Hongjun waited at home for Li Hongxing. The appointed time was approaching, yet Li Hongxing hadn’t arrived—but Li Xianghe came first with Niuniu in tow.
Upon entering the room, she tossed Niuniu onto the kang bed to play and then began questioning Li senior about how the search for a caretaker was going. She hadn’t given up on the idea of looking after Li senior herself.
When she learned that Li Hongjun and Li Hongxing hadn’t gone to see the candidate yet, she proposed to accompany the brothers to Madam Xue’s.
"People usually talk about how good Madam Xue is, but you can’t always trust what others say. Both my big brother and second brother are careless men, and mother isn’t home—I should go with you to make sure everything is checked thoroughly," Li Xianghe shamelessly suggested.
Li senior didn’t comment, his thoughts were simple: as long as someone suitable was found to take care of him, it didn’t matter who went.
Li Hongjun really didn’t want to bring his sister along. She was more likely to ruin than to help things, and unpleasant remarks from her would only sabotage their efforts.
Of course, Li Xianghe noticed her second brother’s displeased expression. She quickly turned to Shen Yunfang and said, "Second sister-in-law, you don’t have anything to do at home either. Why don’t you and first sister-in-law join us and have a look together?"
"I’m not going," Shen Yunfang refused outright. She’d be crazy to get involved in Li Family’s affairs again—hadn’t she learned enough from past lessons? Even if she didn’t get involved, she’d still end up being blamed. If she went along, then surely anything that went wrong later would be her fault—she certainly wouldn’t go.
"Why are you like this? Aren’t you part of the Li Family anymore? You’re not concerned at all about father-in-law’s matters," Li Xianghe said, feeling a loss of face at Shen Yunfang’s resolute rejection.
"Exactly because I’m a daughter-in-law, I’m staying out of it," Shen Yunfang retorted. "Your second brother warned me—to be a daughter-in-law in the Li Family, I must quietly follow the man’s orders. With my big brother and Li Hongjun, these two sons around, why would they need me, a daughter-in-law, to stick my neck out?"
