"Big brother! What are you saying? How can you be defending that bitch Liu Hong now! You...?"
Li Guihua was dissatisfied. The life she was living now, wasn’t it all because of Liu Hong? In her heart, Liu Hong was the main culprit, completely without a hint of repentance.
"Alright, mind your tongue. You still have a child, aren’t you afraid that because of the sins you’ve committed, your child will get implicated in the future? Go back, there’s nothing for you here, I’ve closed up shop. Why do you keep coming here? If your mother-in-law sees you, she’ll give you a hard ti.
Things aren’t like before. Big brother has no money now, so you need to control your temper. Besides, the child is already two years old! Leave him with your mother-in-law! Go out and find a job! Always resting at ho, it’s not convenient for you to spend money, and people look down on you. Liu Hong once stayed ho to look after the child, and that’s why we all thought she couldn’t do anything right.
Actually, if you think about it, Liu Hong did well enough, it was us who were insatiable."
Li Shuanzhu tidied up the stall while telling Li Guihua the truth, the truth being that without Liu Hong, they can’t beco the next Liu Hong.
From himself, he saw Chen Gui’s future, and if Li Guihua doesn’t pull herself together and still hopes for others, in the end, she might not even asure up to Liu Hong. At least Liu Hong really has money! This hard cash truly belonged to her.
But what does Li Guihua have?
Li Guihua was so furious at Li Shuanzhu’s words that she jumped up, "Big brother! Do you really wish to see doing poorly? If I don’t do well, what’s in it for you? Why should I go find a job? Chen Gui said he’d take care of for life. Besides, the child is still young, how can my mother-in-law be as ticulous as I am? I wouldn’t be at ease. Let’s wait until the child grows up a bit!"
She refused to listen to Li Shuanzhu. If it weren’t for big brother’s carelessness, Liu Hong would not have taken all the money.
Isn’t it because big brother is incapable?
She’s not Liu Hong. She’s a college graduate, married to Chen Gui, a worker, while still a virgin, and gave birth to a son! No matter what, she doesn’t have any faults for others to pick. Can Liu Hong compare with her?
Li Shuanzhu knew that Li Guihua has had her own mind since she was young; now he only hoped she wouldn’t regret it later.
Li Xiang tried to help push Li Shuanzhu’s car up, but Li Shuanzhu waved his hand, "No need! Don’t get your clothes dirty. Co, let’s go ho! Li Lu is coming back for lunch, we should go ho and prepare food now, our family is having a reunion today."
Having his son back made Li Shuanzhu quite happy! At least it was the happiest thing in recent tis, considering he thought they might never find this son again.
Unexpectedly, the child ca back.
The child seed to have matured a lot and appeared less reckless than before.
"Dad, it’s fine!"
Li Xiang, seeing his calm and kind father like this, felt a bit at a loss. If Li Shuanzhu had always been like this, would his mother need to divorce, would they as siblings have lost their ho?
Sotis people need a harsh reality check to realize the need to cherish what they have, wasn’t he like that?
It was because of the hardships and sufferings outside that he understood his mother’s difficulties. Surely, Li Shuanzhu felt the sa way; but could they really start over now?
Li Xiang pushed the tricycle from behind, with Li Shuanzhu pedaling in front, and Li Guihua trailing with a long face but still following.
Unconsciously, he thought about Liu Hong.
His mother’s current state was vastly different from Li Shuanzhu.
If he told his mother about his father’s change, would Liu Hong soften and consider starting over with his father?
He didn’t know, but there were countless wild thoughts growing in his mind.
They were still kids, longing for a sense of family, that much was certain.
They arrived at an old neighborhood in an urban village on the outskirts, full of shabby bungalows, with a complex population. Because it was in the suburbs, few people wanted to live here. Most of the tenants were migrant workers from the countryside or small traders; even better-paid workers didn’t co here.
Li Shuanzhu rented a one-room bungalow with a small kitchen outside, built with prefab panels. Li Lu was cooking there now. Seeing the obviously much-changed Li Lu, Li Xiang couldn’t help but feel heartache.
Every mber of the family had changed.
Upon hearing the noise, Li Lu turned around to see Li Shuanzhu, then saw Li Xiang and Li Guihua, and hurriedly ran over, "Brother, you’re back!"
Her eyes filled with tears, who could know what kind of days she had endured over these past six months? Everything that once was, had disappeared without a trace. Seeing her brother felt as if many years had passed.
Li Xiang silently caressed Li Lu’s short hair; her long hair had been cut, and likely the haircut wasn’t well-done, looking quite odd, sothing was just off. Li Lu’s clothes were no longer the beautiful branded dresses from before but simple school uniforms. She was much thinner, with much of her delicate and proud deanor nearly gone.
Yet she appeared much more spirited.
"Hmm! I’m back."
Feeling so peace at heart, the family’s upheaval caused everyone to grow suddenly.
Li Guihua lifted the curtain to enter, "Why is it so ssy inside, how can one move around like this? Li Lu, you’re just too lazy! When your dad isn’t ho, you don’t even clean up a bit, look how ssy it is.
If you continue like this, how will you get married in the future?"
Li Lu pouted, "She’s got the most to say, can’t rule the roost at her in-laws’, so she cos to our place to make a fuss. Every ti she cos, she asks Dad for money, just because she once gave Dad five hundred bucks, not recalling when Dad was well-off she wasn’t stingy with spending, how co now that five hundred bucks is always on her lips, as if Dad owes her."
She had long been fed up with Li Guihua! Although she couldn’t express it to Li Shuanzhu, Li Shuanzhu seed gentle now, but right after the divorce, he drank every day, and when drunk, he’d hit people. Li Lu wasn’t spared from beatings. Li Lu once thought of leaving, but in that month when she planned to run away.
A shocking case of girl trafficking happened near their school.
It was at the nearby high school, where a fifteen-year-old girl was lured by offers of high-paying work, accommodation, various generous benefits, and was sold off to a remote countryside elsewhere, deep in the mountains.
There, there was no escape, an attempt to run was t with brutal beatings. The girl had gotten pregnant before being rescued, but she was ruined, gossip spread everywhere after her rescue.
Li Lu saw that girl, she had gone crazy! Once she had been a girl Li Lu envied.
Beautiful, but now utterly insane, unrecognizable as the girl she once was.
That made Li Lu completely abandon the idea of leaving; if sothing like that happened, at twelve years old, she wouldn’t even stand a chance.
Before having the ability to leave this house, she would absolutely not go.
Reviews
All reviews (0)