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Chapter 780: Chapter 770 Old Man Li Changes His Face
She assumed Old Man Li couldn’t let go of her, but in fact, she had failed to fully understand Old Man Li’s personality and Qiu Shuping’s standing in the hearts of the Li family. Therefore, when he heard her words, he actually sighed in relief and then mumbled, "Alright then, when my wife comes back, I’ll come over to eat. She’s sure to come here and make a fuss, so I’d better not visit for a while. You’ll get some peace for a few days at least."
Having been alone for over two years, Old Man Li indeed contemplated finding another companion, but he was very clear that Qiu Shuping would return in a couple of years. With this thought coming and going from one day to the next, he couldn’t make up his mind. Thus, he dragged his feet with hesitation, resulting in two elderly people, their ages combined nearly a hundred, entangled in a romantic ambiguity, with nothing substantial happening.
Aunt Xue hadn’t expected Old Man Li to so readily speak of leaving, rendering her at a loss as to what to do. Although she had been the first to raise the idea, she couldn’t bring herself to retract her words at that moment, even if she was angry inside, she had to endure it. Thinking of Old Man Li’s previous actions, she steeled her heart. After finishing her meal, she went straight into the storeroom and carried out the bags of grain Old Man Li had brought.
"Your sister-in-law will be back soon, and I don’t want to be in your way. Here are the bags of grain you brought when you visited. I haven’t touched a single one; take them all back. Let’s just say I’ve treated Brother Li to some meals these days," Aunt Xue said, feigning generosity.
When Old Man Li first brought the grain, she wanted to display her virtuous quality, to show Brother Li that she wasn’t a woman who coveted his belongings. Reluctantly accepting the grain, she hadn’t touched it at all, and they’d been living off the rations she and her daughter had. She thought she already had the grain in the bag, but as soon as she heard the news about Qiu Shuping, Old Man Li changed his tune.
After lunch, Old Man Li went home, called his eldest son, hitched up the donkey cart, and took the several bags of grain from Aunt Xue’s home back to his house.
Watching the tail of the donkey cart disappearing, Aunt Xue slammed the gate shut with loud bangs, absolutely fuming. "Damn it, I wish I had never bothered with all this pretense," she thought. If she had known, she could have taken a hundred yuan from that old man. Instead, she’d let him eat her grain for over a year for free. The angry grimace on her face twisted as she thought about it, her heart aching.
But with her reputation in the village on the line, having spoken the words and having had the grain hauled away, she could only swallow this dumb loss herself.
As for Old Man Li, he returned home with his eldest son’s donkey cart and together, they carried the bags of grain into the house.
Mother Zheng stood in the doorway of the west room watching them, not saying a word, but her face was suffused with such mockery that it was embarrassingly obvious without needing to speak.
Old Man Li, worried about face, felt it improper to stay silent when seen, so he forced out a comment, "Mother-in-law, aren’t you resting yet?"
"With all this commotion, how could I possibly rest?" Mother Zheng’s tone had sharpened considerably since coming out; she no longer spoke with her previous smoothness. Presumably, holding a fair amount of resentment, she now addressed everyone with a confrontational tone.
Old Man Li laughed awkwardly, "Heh, we’ve finished moving things, you can go rest, go rest. We won’t make any more noise, that’s for sure."
"Mom, come inside quickly," Zheng Huilan’s voice called from within the house.
Zheng’s mother said nothing more and turned to go back into the house.
Old Man Li sighed in relief.
Li Hongxing had watched the whole exchange with a look of someone about to speak, but he stopped himself after a glance at his father.
"What’s gotten into you? Speak up if you have something to say. You’re letting your wife boss you around so much it’s like you’ve lost all your manliness," Old Man Li snapped as he turned around and saw his eldest son with a constipated expression.
"Dad, I think Mom will probably be home tomorrow. If she returns and finds Hongqi’s mother-in-law staying with us, she might not be pleased," he said tactfully. Earlier, his wife had made it clear that "a house cannot accommodate two tigers," suggesting that it meant trouble to have two matriarchs under one roof.
But Old Man Li didn’t take it seriously, "That’s no concern. That room belongs to Hongqi’s mother-in-law; your mother can’t say anything about that." As parents, they had always favored the youngest child. They were willing to do anything for him. Now, the youngest son was still in jail, and his daughter-in-law hadn’t yet insisted on a divorce, which meant they, the Li family, had to treat her like a gem. Helping out by taking in her mother wasn’t too much to ask.
That was exactly Old Man Li’s line of thinking. Although his youngest son, a college graduate, had been to prison and lost his job, if his daughter-in-law left too, then the young man would have nobody upon his release. As parents, they would do anything to ensure their son had a home to return to, with his wife waiting.
Li Hongxing never had much foresight and reminding his dad was already more than he usually would do. Seeing his father dismiss his concerns, he decided not to press the issue. After all, he had already separated his household affairs; even if they fought over the property here, it wouldn’t affect him.
As the sound of the donkey cart faded, Old Man Li had gone back inside, Zheng Huilan whispered to her mother, "Mom, my mother-in-law is coming back tomorrow. Can we really stay here when she does?" Truthfully, Zheng Huilan felt nervous at the thought of facing Qiu Shuping. Now, with Li Hongqi not around and her mother with her, she was genuinely afraid that Qiu Shuping might confront her physically upon her return.
"What are you afraid of? You’re still Li Hongqi’s wife. If the old lady comes back and doesn’t speak nicely, just threaten to separate the households and live apart from those two old farts. Let’s see if they’ll dare to fart in your direction then," Mama Zheng said vehemently.
Zheng Huilan was startled by her mother’s words, "Mom, how can we separate households? If we really did separate, how would we get by?" She had lost her job and only had the money her father gave her when she returned; it was diminishing day by day, and she felt powerless.
"You blockhead, I’m telling you, and you still won’t listen. I didn’t say to actually separate the households, do you think Qiu Shuping would dare to do that? After all the time you’ve spent married into this family, haven’t you realized anything? Those two old folks will always take your husband’s side, and for what?" Mama Zheng pointed at the room across the way, "They’re just waiting for your husband to provide for their old age. How could they possibly dare to offend you, relying on you, their daughter-in-law, for their welfare? So stop worrying and make things as difficult as you like. My life’s lessons are right in front of you. Don’t you understand? Love, affection, none of it matters. Your dad and I slaved our entire lives, and we never enjoyed a single good day, always serving the old and the young, only to be kicked to the curb eventually." Whenever Mama Zheng talked about her past struggles, she would become teary-eyed and emotional. "That’s why I say, only money is important. You make sure to hold onto the family’s money tightly. Those two old farts still have quite a bit stashed away. You figure out a way to get that money into your hands. If you have the money, what could you possibly fear from them? Humph, when the time comes, if you’re pleased, you feed them; if not, you send them onto the streets to beg."
"Mom, are you sure this will work?" Zheng Huilan felt her mother’s plan sounded improbable.
"Why wouldn’t it work? Even if it really comes to splitting the household, don’t fret. Your mom’s here, aren’t I? How could I not bite off a chunk of flesh for you," Mama Zheng said, harboring a sense of bitterness and a newfound focus on money over face.
