Chapter 111:
Luo Zhi’er had just gone up the mountain…
Li Sanmao suddenly spotted Second Brother Li Lei, who hadn’t been seen for several days, hurrying in from the village entrance.
Seeing Li Sanmao blocking the road at the intersection, he looked puzzled: “Third Brother, what’s going on? What are you all doing here?”
“Recently, there have been strangers of unknown identity coming into the village to stir up trouble, so we’re specially guarding here!”
Li Yong, Zhao Si, and others looked down on Li Lei a bit; whenever anything happened in the village, they never saw Second Son’s Family’s Li Lei from the Old Li Family.
Li Sanmao and Li Daqiang ran pretty fast, though, and didn’t even greet Li Lei much.
Li Lei seemed preoccupied and didn’t notice the others. “You’re all just idle, aren’t you? Feeling twitchy or something?”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Li Lei realized what he had said and quickly smoothed it over.
Li Sanmao said, “Second Brother, why are you back? Isn’t your father-in-law’s shop in town busy today?”
Li Lei’s face was pale as he replied offhandedly:
“Uh… I, I have something to come back for. Is Dad home?”
“Dad went to the field to till the land. He’s about to harvest the corn soon. Will you come back then?”
“We’ll see. First, open this roadblock. I have something to do, so I’m heading back!”
With that, Li Sanmao opened the road barrier, and Li Lei hurried off!
“Heh, what’s up with your second brother?”
Li Yong had just smiled friendly at Li Lei, but he hadn’t even acknowledged him!
“He’s been staying in town, and now he doesn’t even greet people from the village. ‘No need to say it— he’s a town city slicker now. Why would he bother with you country bumpkins?'”
Zhao Si said.
“Tch! I’m not asking him to borrow silver!”
Li Sanmao’s face flushed pale by turns, and he took some undeserved verbal jabs…
Li Yong also felt it was a bit off. “Look what you’re saying. Li Lei is Li Lei, and Sanmao is Sanmao! Sanmao, don’t take it to heart!”
“Heh, no worries!”
Li Lei got home and first saw Li Zhenzhu, with her red nails.
She had dolled herself up all fancy, sitting leisurely under the big tree in the yard, eating things and sipping tea, enjoying the beauty of life…
Li Lei immediately flew into a rage.
Li Zhenzhu turned around and saw Li Lei behind her with a sinister look on his face. She didn’t sense anything wrong and looked at him with delight and a fawning expression: “Second Brother, you’re back?”
She ran over excitedly and grabbed his sleeve, saying,
“Second Brother, tell me quick—is Master Zeng from Zeng Manor really that rich?”
“Does he have a huge manor and plenty of maids and servants at his beck and call?”
Li Zhenzhu’s imaginings came from Old Li Tou’s description from his last visit; that’s how it was in her dreams at night too…
Li Lei gave a faint “Mm” through his nose.
“Great! Am I about to marry in?”
“Not bad!”
The look he gave Zhenzhu carried a hint of contempt.
Zhou Shi also came out from the main hall; she had heard Zhenzhu’s shouts just now and came running out.
“Old Second, why are you back?”
Li Lei snorted coldly upon hearing this! This family was always so unwelcoming to him—then they couldn’t blame him!
“Right, that Zeng Manor—quick, tell Mom, is it really like Zhenzhu said?”
Of course she had heard; she mainly wanted to confirm it again and get excited hearing it!
Li Lei still gave an “Mm,” his eyes rolling as he said, “Mom, not that now. I have something to discuss with you. I came back early this morning specially for it.”
Zhou Shi frowned: “What is it?”
“We’ll talk inside!”
Li Lei stayed in the room for over half an hour, then hurried back to town upon coming out.
Zhou Shi came out beaming with excitement, chattering nonstop, “I have to say, out of all the kids, our Old Second is the successful one!”
“Mom, what’s up with you?”
Li Zhenzhu saw her mom muttering to herself and looked puzzled.
“Zhenzhu, now our family is really going to prosper! You must thank your second brother well!”
Zhenzhu pouted; for their family to prosper, it still depended on her, Li Zhenzhu.
Li Lei passed by Li Sanmao’s spot like someone was chasing him from behind.
Li Sanmao didn’t even get a chance to greet him before he ran off into the distance.
Li Sanmao scratched the back of his head, staring strangely at his disappearing figure in the distance, feeling like something was off!
In the afternoon, before it got dark, Luo Zhi’er got home—early for her today. She heard wailing at the door and didn’t know what was going on.
She quickened her pace home and sure enough, upon entering the yard, she saw Zhou Shi rolling on the ground wailing!
Old Li Tou was so angry his face was ashen, mouth agape and gasping hard!
He bellowed loudly,
“Explain clearly—what did Old Second say when he came back?”
“How should I know? He just asked if the wheat at home had been sold. I said not yet…”
Before she finished, she started wailing again!
“Speak up quick!”
“Then… then he talked about his cloth business, saying his father-in-law made so much silver from that cloth, and he wanted to pull us all in to get rich!”
“So you gave him all the family’s belongings?”
Old Li Tou trembled, as if dealt a heavy blow.
“Old man! I don’t want to live anymore—living’s pointless!”
What more was there to say? He took everything!
The savings from a lifetime, and probably the private savings too—all gone, which was why Zhou Shi didn’t want to live!
“Hmph! If you’re gonna die, go die far away. First, find that silver for me!”
Li Zhenzhu pouted nonchalantly; hadn’t Mom said Second Brother was capable and would lead them to get rich?
This family still depended on her, but if the silver was really gone, what about her dowry?
Xiao Zhou Shi stood by shivering, her legs trembling!
She had just come back from town, originally having bought shoes for the kids and planning to drop by Second Brother’s family’s shop to see if mentioning Muqing Yunliang studying might get them to chip in!
But she happened to see government officials arresting people and sealing up Chen Ji’s shop!
The whole Chen Shi family—including her parents, brothers and sisters-in-law—were all shackled along with Chen Shi and thrown in jail. Only Li Lei was nowhere to be seen!
Scared, she shrank into the crowd without daring to make a sound, and later inquired discreetly to learn it was because this “Chen Ji” was selling fake goods.
They were selling blue-based floral cloth under the name of Jiangnan’s “Hong Futai,” and got sued by Hong Futai’s young master.
The plaintiff had full human and material evidence!
According to the onlookers, they had long heard about Taoyuan Town selling fake versions of their cloth, damaging their cloth’s reputation.
They deliberately picked one shop to make an example of, for deterrence!
Now it was all over! Not only jail time, but probably massive compensation too!
Luo Zhi’er got the gist: This Li Lei had originally eyed the wheat too, but it was too late, so he just took his mom’s silver and ran away!
Who knows where he got the wind of it first and ran away himself!
A ruthless person, abandoning his own wife and kids, his parents, and the whole family’s savings!
Well, this was all for nothing again!
“Dad, I ran back as soon as I heard the news. If the officials can’t catch Old Second, they’ll come take people from our home!”
“What do we do?”
Xiao Zhou Shi wailed helplessly at Li Daqiang. With someone in the family in trouble and no silver left at home, would Muqing Yunliang not be able to study anymore?
“My poor children! Why were you born into the Old Li Family with such suffering!”
“Oldest Brother, Third Brother, hurry to town and bring back that unfilial son for me!”
Old Li Tou shook with rage!
