On the bright red mule cart, Li Mei stared blankly ahead, her mind filled with mixed emotions!
She had actually been very happy that her younger brother had come to see her today.
But she never could have imagined that things would turn out this way, much less that her brother would simply take her away from the Yang family.
Although she had so many questions she wanted to ask her brother, she didn’t know where to begin!
Li Yi, on the other hand, felt exactly the opposite. Not only was he not the least bit angry, but he was actually overjoyed!
In his previous life, those scum from the Yang family had run wild for many years before he finally put an end to them.
Most importantly, no matter what he did, his eldest sister was gone—a loss that would remain an irreparable wound in his heart forever.
Now that his eldest sister was safe and sound, and he could even beat the hell out of those scum from the Yang family ahead of time—one word: awesome!
However, he knew he couldn’t let that emotion show on his face just yet; otherwise, it would upset his older sister.
“Sis, is there something you want to say?” Li Yi asked.
“Hmm, do you really want me to divorce your brother-in-law?” Li Mei asked, looking melancholy.
Li Yi didn’t answer his older sister’s question; instead, he asked, “Sis, are you going to divorce my brother-in-law?”
Li Mei shook her head and said, “Probably not. Actually, your brother-in-law treats me pretty well…”
Before she could finish, Li Yi cut her off, saying, “Yes, he treats you well, but at the same time, he turns a blind eye to your situation and lets those scumbags bully you!”
“No, it’s just that he doesn’t know…”
“Not knowing is still his failure. A husband who doesn’t know his wife is being bullied at home is unfit to be a husband!”
Li Yi continued, “This time, I’m not just going to humiliate those bastards from the Yang family—I’m also going to teach Yang Wenguang a lesson. If he really loves you, he’ll obediently follow you to the sugar factory and work there peacefully. Otherwise, this marriage is over!”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Mei hurriedly interjected, “This really has nothing to do with your brother-in-law. He truly didn’t know…”
“Sis, you have to listen to me on this. Even if you don’t think of yourself, think of the child in your womb!” Li Yi said.
“The baby?”
“Yes. You’re already more than five months pregnant, and they’re still making you work like this. What if something happens to you?”
“No… that won’t happen…”
“How could it not happen? You know what happened to Zhou Laosan’s wife in our village, don’t you? She was carrying a bucket of water while she was heavily pregnant, and not only did she lose the baby, but she died too!” Li Yi said.
Hearing this, Li Mei fell silent.
Pregnant women are actually very fragile; they could harm the baby at any moment!
And since the baby and the mother are often one and the same, harming one can sometimes mean the loss of both lives!
Although the scenario her brother described was unlikely, it still made Li Mei feel a bit anxious.
She’d been married to Yang Wenguang for over three years, and they’d finally managed to conceive a child. If something were to happen, what on earth would they do?
“Xiao Yi, I know you’re looking out for me. You got so angry because you saw them bullying me, but I don’t want to divorce your brother-in-law!” Li Mei voiced her thoughts.
“Let’s put the divorce aside for now, but the Yang family must make amends to our Li family—and most importantly, they need to give you, my eldest sister, a proper explanation!”
“Well… let’s just drop it!”
However, Li Yi replied sternly, “We can’t just let this slide. I can’t put you and the baby in your belly in danger—not even if those people are the child’s grandparents!”
“But what if they really do pressure my husband into divorcing me?” Li Mei voiced her deepest concern.
Today, her brother had caused a huge scene at his in-laws’ house. Not only had he beaten his father-in-law, mother-in-law, younger brother-in-law, and younger sister-in-law, but he’d also returned the betrothal gifts in front of the whole village and demanded his husband come back to get a divorce.
That was a tremendous insult to anyone. Knowing her in-laws as she did, they certainly wouldn’t let it go.
They might actually try to persuade her husband to divorce her!
“Haha, that’s just perfect!”
Li Yi then added, “Big Sister, don’t worry about having no one to take care of you and the kids after the divorce. Our family is different now!”
“What’s different…”
At that moment, Li Mei suddenly froze.
She thought about how her younger brother had bought so many things when he went out today, and there were still several bags of snowflake powder in the car.
Plus, he’d just pulled out a thick stack of 100-yuan bills and tossed the money to Yang Zhong without batting an eye.
All these signs pointed to one thing: her brother was now well-off.
“Sis, you’ll see what’s different at home once you get back. Don’t ask any questions right now!” Li Yi said.
“Oh!”
Suddenly, Li Mei looked at the road ahead and said, “Little brother, this isn’t the right way. Where are you taking me?”
“To the county seat!” Li Yi replied.
“The county seat? What are we going there for?” Li Mei asked, puzzled.
“Third Sister and Xiao Xue are in the county seat. We have to pick them up first, then head back to the village!”
“What are they doing in the county seat?”
Li Yi smiled but didn’t answer the question. He knew that if he told his eldest sister they were running a small stall in town, she would surely start worrying and asking all sorts of questions.
And given his standing with his eldest sister, even if he explained it himself, she might not believe him.
It would be better to wait until they met up and let Third Sister Tang Xue and the others explain it to her!
Seeing that Li Yi wasn’t answering, Li Mei didn’t press the matter.
That was just her nature—gentle and kind, always thinking of others.
But precisely because of this, she was often taken advantage of.
If it had been her second sister, Li Lan, Li Yi would have been in for a world of trouble—she would have grabbed his ear the moment he dared to ignore her question.
Soon, the mule cart arrived at the county town!
When Li Mei saw her third sister, Li Na, and her future sister-in-law, Tang Xue, setting up a stall right at the entrance of the textile factory, she was completely stunned.
Although she lived in the village, she knew that this kind of activity constituted profiteering, and if caught, it would be announced throughout the entire commune.
If the amount of goods being resold was substantial or the nature of the offense was severe, they could even face criminal charges.
Yet here they were, not only openly setting up shop, but refusing to pack up even after selling out—how audacious!
When Li Na saw that Li Yi had actually brought their eldest sister back, she was both surprised and delighted.
Ever since her older sister got married, the sisters hadn’t seen each other for years, and she had missed her dearly.
As for Tang Xue, she felt a bit differently; suddenly meeting Li Yi’s older sister like this made her feel a little awkward.
While the women were chatting, Li Yi loaded the stall’s goods onto the cart, then cleaned up the trash and spilled liquids on the ground before motioning for them to leave.
Since the mule cart was fully loaded, Li Yi had his eldest and third sisters sit on either side of the cart, with Tang Xue taking the front seat.
Li Yi himself took the reins and walked briskly ahead!
Then, the four of them set off toward the village!
…….