He Hongjun had suppressed his anger for most of the day, but he couldn’t help himself when Li Shengi returned and struck her with his walking stick, intending to hit her a second ti when He Xuebing intervened.
"Father, calm down. Let’s talk this out," He Xuebing persuaded.
Li Shengi, in pain, scread out. Seeing her son return gave Li Shengi more confidence, and she began to rebuke He Hongjun while standing with hands on her hips—even as He Xuebing and He Xuewu tried to stop her, He Hongjun yelled, "Tell your mother to get lost!"
"Not if you’re the one asking—I’m leaving on my own," Li Shengi retorted and stord out, furious.
He Xuebing felt helpless, and He Xuewu even remarked, "Brother, I’m hungry."
So He Xuebing had no choice but to start cooking in the kitchen. He Hongjun was too furious to eat while He Xuewu, being afraid of He Hongjun, joined He Xuebing in the kitchen.
"Where are the eldest brother and his wife?" He Xuebing asked.
"I don’t know. We were walking behind them and then they disappeared," replied He Xuewu.
He Xuebing didn’t ask further and instead talked with He Xuewu about family matters and the Red Star Production Team.
"Mom and Dad are always arguing, and Dad makes train martial arts every day, always beating ," He Xuewu expressed his dissatisfaction with ho. Despite his na implying martial prowess, He Xuewu had disliked martial arts from childhood, preferring academics instead.
But with the schools on strike, He Xuewu had no books to read, only the option of working with the Production Team. Now, He Hongjun focused solely on grooming his youngest son for the military, like He Xuegang and He Xuebing, if studies failed.
In He Hongjun’s eyes, joining the military or pursuing academics were the best options for a farr’s child. But with academia no longer an option, only the military remained.
Thus, He Xuewu was incredibly distressed and complained incessantly, hoping He Xuebing would speak on his behalf.
He Xuebing patted He Xuewu on the head, smiling, "Practicing martial arts is good for strengthening the body. You shouldn’t resist it—learn to embrace it."
"But Dad is too harsh, always ready to hit with his walking stick," He Xuewu complained.
"You don’t realize how good you have it. Our elder brother and I got beaten a lot more when we were young. Because you’re the youngest, everyone at ho treats you like a gem," He Xuebing said, shaking his head, feeling that spoiling ’Wuzi’ had made even a little hardship seem unbearable to him.
He Xuewu pouted, "But I don’t want to be a soldier—I want to study and go to university."
"Not possible for now. Let’s see how things go this year; it might get better," He Xuebing said.
At the Gao family, when Gao Jiaxing and Xia Xiao heard that He Xuebing was back, they understood he wouldn’t co to visit imdiately upon his return.
The news that Li Shengi was summoned by Feng Ying to the Red Star Production Team couldn’t be kept secret, so everyone privately speculated about how Li Shengi would assist Feng Ying and Liu Haiguo.
Right after returning from the Red Star Production Team, Li Shengi had a falling out with He Hongjun and stord off towards her parental ho, drawing everyone’s attention.
Li Shengi’s birth family consisted of her birth mother, a stepfather, and two stepbrothers.
The eldest stepbrother was Gao Guoqing, and the next was Gao Guocheng. Gao Guoqing’s eldest son was already married. His youngest son was not. The house bustled with many family mbers, now including the educated youth Yang Zhonghong.
A mont of impulse had driven Li Shengi back here, but she regretted it as soon as she reached her mother’s doorstep.
Yet, hearing the laughter from inside, especially Gao Guocheng’s laughter, made Li Shengi stop in her tracks, driven by curiosity.
How long had it been since Li Shengi had heard Gao Guocheng laugh? Perhaps twenty or thirty years. She tried to rember but couldn’t recall.
"Today is a big celebration, everyone should be happy. Uncle Guocheng, let toast to you," a hearty voice rang out.
Upon recognizing the voice as the newly arrived educated youth Yang Zhonghong, Li Shengi was surprised. She hadn’t expected Yang Zhonghong to be so popular or to integrate into her parental ho so quickly.
Previously, when Li Shengi was here, she was everyone’s darling—her birth mother and stepfather adored her, and her stepbrothers were protective of her. But since leaving this ho to marry, she had lost that treasured feeling.
Mrs. Li, hearing the noise outside, ca out and upon opening the door, seeing her daughter, was surprised, "Shengi, what are you doing standing outside? Co in."
"Mom," Li Shengi called out, sowhat reluctant to enter, but Mrs. Li had already gone inside, so she had no choice but to follow.
Inside, the Gao Guoqing’s house was lively with chatter and laughter. Upon seeing Li Shengi, the atmosphere suddenly quieted.
Gao Guoqing put down his chopsticks and looked at Li Shengi, "Shengi, what’s wrong? Did He Hongjun bully you?"
With a smack, Gao Guoqing’s wife scolded him, "What are you talking about? I heard Gangzi and Bingzi both returned. Maybe Shengi just wanted to invite Mom over for a al, right, Shengi?"
"Yes," Li Shengi forced a smile and greeted her stepfather and stepbrothers’ spouses.
Gao Guoqing’s son and daughter-in-law each called out to Li Shengi, and Yang Zhonghong also called her "Director Li." Gao Guocheng, however, said nothing, only nodding at Li Shengi before averting his gaze.
Li Shengi’s stepfather said, "Since you’re here, take a seat."
Feeling embarrassed, as her maternal ho was so close yet she dared not return, Li Shengi felt sowhat guilty and thus sat down uneasily when her stepfather spoke.
Mr. Gao asked, "I heard you went to the Red Star Production Team today?"
"Yes," Li Shengi answered.
"What did you do there?" Mr. Gao asked.
Li Shengi explained simply, "Just went to see He Xiang, to talk. It’s been a few years."
"He Hongjun was upset, wasn’t he?" Mr. Gao asked.
Li Shengi nodded, "Yes, he was unhappy that I went to the Red Star Production Team."
Mr. Gao said, "You shouldn’t have gone."
If it had been anyone else, Li Shengi might have stord off, but she didn’t dare with Mr. Gao.
She respected her quiet, yet affectionate stepfather. However, due to the situation with Gao Guocheng, Li Shengi felt apologetic towards her stepfather and her second brother.
The reason for her guilt stemd from her childhood declaration of wanting to marry her second brother when she grew up—a statent she forgot as she grew older, but Gao Guocheng rembered, patiently waiting for Li Shengi to beco his wife. In the end, she fell for soone else and married another.
The jest of her childhood shouldn’t have made Li Shengi feel guilty, but with Gao Guocheng remaining a bachelor nearing fifty and never marrying, her conscience weighed heavily. Facing Gao Guocheng, Li Shengi couldn’t justify herself—her guilt intensified, exacerbated by knowing all her life how much Gao Guocheng cared for her, yet she never reciprocated.
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