That morning, Li Yi, Jiang Xue, and his eldest sister’s family arrived at the Long residence to visit his third sister and his young nephew.
The Long household, which had previously been rather quiet, suddenly came alive with activity.
Third Sister had a natural birth, and thanks to years of farm work, she had a strong constitution, so she recovered quickly.
Although she had only been discharged from the hospital a few days ago, she was already free to move about without restriction.
The only issue was that she was feeling a bit run-down, as the little one woke up several times a night, leaving her unable to get a good night’s sleep.
Other than that, everything was fine.
They say three women make a drama; now, with five women and four children in the Long household, it was practically a bustling marketplace.
At noon, Li Yi and Third Sister’s husband, Long Zhanjun, went to the shop to help out for the entire afternoon, not returning to the Long household until 2:30 p.m.
Afterward, Li Yi took Jiang Xue and the children to the Jiang family’s old residence!
When Li Yi and Jiang Xue arrived, Old Master Jiang was playing chess with Old Master Ye by the stove in the inner room.
Seeing Li Yi walk in carrying a box, the two elders exchanged a smile, leaving Li Yi somewhat puzzled.
“You’re here! Pull up a chair!” Old Master Jiang called out.
“Sure thing!”
Li Yi then found a small stool in the living room and sat down next to the two elders.
“What’s that in your hand? You just came over—why bring anything with you?”
As he spoke, Old Man Jiang’s gaze remained fixed on Li Yi’s hands.
“Hehe, nothing much. A friend gave me some tea—it tastes pretty good—so I brought it over for you to try!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“Hahaha, that’s wonderful!”
Old Man Jiang immediately called out to the hallway, “Xiao Jiang, come in here for a moment!”
Secretary Jiang, who had been in the living room outside, immediately walked in and said respectfully to the old man, “Sir, you called for me?”
“Brew a pot of the tea this young man brought!”
“Yes, sir…”
While Secretary Jiang was away making tea, Old Ye chuckled and said, “Old Jiang just told me you’d definitely show up today. You really can’t resist a little nagging!”
Li Yi smiled and said, “You’re as good as a fortune-teller, Old Man…”
Before he could finish, Old Jiang cut him off: “What do you mean ‘unfailing’? It’s just that I know your character well—you’re not the reckless type.”
“Given your temperament, now that your plan is already underway, you’re bound to want to run it by us old-timers.”
Li Yi nodded and continued, “Grandfathers, I came here today precisely to discuss the Liu family matter with you both…”
Before Li Yi could finish, Old Master Jiang interjected, “We already know the gist of the situation. You may be a bit bold in your actions, but your tactics aren’t half bad—that’ll give that dimwit Liu a run for his money.”
Old Man Ye added, “Although you caught the Liu family off guard, it’s still unlikely you can bring them down with just a few news reports. What’s your plan from here on out?”
Li Yi replied immediately, “Yesterday’s reports were just the appetizer—merely to let the public know what’s going on. Next, I’ll gradually expose every single crime committed by that beast Liu Dongping, one by one. I’ll stoke the people’s anger toward the Liu family step by step, and then use public opinion to push the relevant authorities to take action against them.”
“Do you have solid evidence for the things you’re having reported? Without evidence, I’m afraid it won’t do any real harm to the Liu family!” Old Master Ye said.
“Haha, finding evidence is the police’s job. My only concern is getting the story out there!”
Li Yi continued, “As for whether it will harm the Liu family, you needn’t worry about that. Since ancient times, he who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. And since we are a government of the people, once public opinion is united, the Liu family will be doomed—no matter how great their merits may be!”
“What a clever move—using someone else’s hand to do your dirty work. It’s a real waste of your talent that you’re not working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs!” Old Master Jiang said with a laugh.
Li Yi said with a hint of resentment, “You’re just afraid I’ll get bored, so you’re always trying to keep me busy to make yourself feel better!”
“Hahaha, the main thing is that you’re a lazybones, with not a shred of a young person’s drive—you only move when you’re being pushed!” Old Master Jiang said.
Hearing this, Old Man Ye immediately joined in the laughter.
After a long pause, Old Master Jiang spoke again: “Stop looking so glum. I’ve got something to tell you—Liu Erleng came by the house around noon.”
“Did he come to plead his case or make amends?” Li Yi asked with a smile.
“Both. They hadn’t investigated Xiao Wang and Xiao Liu’s backgrounds before, so they didn’t know about your connection to him. It wasn’t until they saw those reports this morning that they realized the situation was serious. They started digging and quickly traced it back to you.”
Old Master Jiang continued, “Once they found out you’re part of the Jiang family, that old fool tried to use me to smooth things over and make a big deal into a small one!”
“You didn’t agree to it, did you?” Li Yi asked.
Old Master Jiang turned his head, glaring with eyes as round as copper bells. “How could I? That guy isn’t exactly the forgiving type. You can’t afford to cross someone like him—once you do, you have to take him down completely. Otherwise, he’ll be a thorn in our side forever!”
“Besides, that guy is more than a decade younger than me and Old Ye. The two of us definitely won’t outlive that bastard. If we two old geezers are gone, who knows—the Liu family might just take revenge for what happened today.”
Hearing this, Li Yi couldn’t help but secretly admire the old man. Though advanced in years, he remained remarkably clear-headed.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that the Jiang and Ye families currently hold a clear advantage over the Liu family—the Liu family isn’t without its own strengths.
The Liu family’s greatest advantage was that their current head was young—and youth was an asset.
Once he outlives the entire older generation, he’ll be one of the few remaining loyal and accomplished servants of the family. The Liu family’s status will rise accordingly, and it’s not impossible that they could even surpass the Jiang and Ye families.
By then, the tables might very well turn.
Clearly, the old patriarch would never allow such a thing to happen.
“So, you refused?” Li Yi asked.
“Not exactly. After all, this is primarily your decision; we both need to hear your opinion!” Old Master Jiang said.
Old Master Ye also spoke up: “This matter isn’t huge, but it’s not trivial either. Whether you want to give that Liu family brat a light punishment or eliminate the threat once and for all, both our families fully support you!”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Li Yi replied, “Grandfathers, my decision is to wipe out the Liu family completely.”
If this had been nothing more than a minor skirmish, Li Yi wouldn’t have sought to exterminate the Liu family.
But after reviewing the evidence gathered by State Security regarding Liu Dongping’s crimes, Li Yi had no intention of sparing Liu Dongping or the people behind him.
Although Li Yi had no desire to be some kind of savior, having been given a second chance at life, he wanted to live with clarity and freedom. If he encountered a bumpy road, he would smooth it out; if he encountered an injustice, he would step in.
“Then you’d better think this through. Once you’ve taken down the Liu family, there’s no way you’ll be able to keep a low profile anymore!” Old Master Jiang said with a serious expression.
Li Yi grinned and said, “Grandpa, do you really think I can keep a low profile now?”
“Heh, good to know!”
Then Old Master Jiang added, “Alright, you make your own decision on this. If that Liu fellow dares to bully people with his power, just let me know. I’ll take care of that scumbag for you!”
“Alright, if my plan doesn’t work out, I’ll let both of you know!” Li Yi said.
He wasn’t the type to cling to pride at the expense of his own well-being. If the Liu family’s influence was truly so deep-rooted that even he couldn’t shake it, Li Yi would ask the Jiang and Ye families to step in.
“Hahaha, I just love how flexible and sensible you are, kid…”
Just then, Secretary Jiang walked in from outside carrying a teapot, and the two elders and the young man immediately cut short their chatter…
……….