Chapter 113: Li Yi’s Bottom Line

Nianzi Mountain Village. The Li Family!

No one knows a daughter better than her mother. After all, Zhang Yuehong was a woman herself and understood her daughter’s predicament all too well.

So she shot her husband a look and said, “You two shouldn’t jump to conclusions so easily. Marriage and divorce are matters for a lifetime—how can you just say ‘marry her off’ or ‘divorce her’ as if it were nothing?”

Li Shankui immediately retorted in a stern voice, “What do you mean? Are you going to just stand by and watch Mei Zi get bullied by them?”

“That’s not what I meant, but you really should ask Meizi what she thinks about this. After all, she’s the one who has to live with it!” Zhang Yuehong replied.

Instantly, everyone’s gaze in the room turned to Li Mei!

“Meizi, what do you think?” Li Shankui asked sternly.

Li Mei thought for a moment and said, “Dad, Xiao Yi, I don’t want a divorce. Wenguang really treats me very well!”

Perhaps fearing her family wouldn’t believe her, Li Mei quickly added, “He really doesn’t know about me being bullied at home. He’s currently assigned to help out at the forestry camp, and besides a fixed monthly salary of 15 yuan, he also receives a small allowance.”

“Most of his salary goes to his parents-in-law, but he secretly keeps the subsidies. He skimps on food and clothes himself, quietly saving it all up for me, thinking that once he’s saved enough, he’ll claim it’s the dowry you’re supplementing!”

Zhang Yuehong sighed and said, “Meizi, you’re bullied every day at the Yang household—why don’t you just tell him?”

“I don’t want to put him in a difficult position. My in-laws already favor my younger brother and sister, and on top of that, he was injured while serving in the military and can’t do particularly heavy work. They’ve always looked down on him…”

Before she could finish, Zhang Yuehong frowned and said, “That doesn’t make sense. If Yang Zhong and his wife really looked down on Wenguang, why would they have spent so much money on his wedding?”

A hundred yuan three years ago was no small sum—many families might not even get a hundred yuan in a whole year!

Not to mention that getting married isn’t just about the dowry—you have to buy other things and host a wedding banquet. All told, it easily comes to two or three hundred yuan!

Li Mei said with a bitter smile, “I asked around. That money was actually his disability compensation. The military gave him a total of 800 yuan. Aside from the 200 yuan we used for our wedding, my in-laws took the rest!”

Hearing this, Li Shankui grew even angrier and shouted, “That money was earned by Wen Guang risking his life! What right do those two old bastards have to complain?”

Seeing his father was getting quite worked up, Li Yi hurriedly said, “Dad, please calm down!”

“Hmph…”

His father’s anger hadn’t fully subsided, so Li Yi quickly added, “Big Sister, whether we get a divorce or not depends on Yang Wenguang’s attitude!”

“What… what attitude?” Li Mei asked.

“As long as he agrees to move out of the Yang household and live with you in the city, we won’t have to get a divorce, and I’ll give you both the job openings I promised.”

Li Yi continued, “But if he insists on staying entangled with the rest of the Yang family, then let him fend for himself. I absolutely will not let you go back!”

Li Mei looked at her younger brother in surprise and said, “Xiao Yi, are you telling Wenguang to split from his parents?”

“Yes! Only by separating can you be the head of the household, and no one will dare to take advantage of you! That’s the bottom line!” Li Yi said.

“Well…”

Li Mei knew this would be difficult. Her husband currently had to contribute 15 yuan to the family every month, and given her in-laws’ stingy nature, they would absolutely refuse to split the household.

And her husband was such a dutiful son—wasn’t this putting him in a difficult position?

Seeing his sister-in-law’s lingering hesitation, Li Yi said in a stern voice, “Sis, leave this to me. If Yang Wenguang doesn’t show some backbone this time, I’ll make him regret it for the rest of his life!”

Seeing the faint glint of murderous intent in her younger brother’s eyes, Li Mei suddenly felt a pang of anxiety.

She had raised her younger brother all by herself; she knew him better than even their mother did.

Clearly, her youngest brother was serious this time. Given his temperament, he wouldn’t rest until he’d turned the place upside down!

…….

While the Li family was discussing the matter, the Yang family in Juziwa was also talking about it.

However, unlike the Li family’s rage, the Yang family felt not only anger but also a deep sense of regret.

Yang Zhong looked at his family, beaten to a pulp, and felt a deep sense of injustice!

Seeing his daughter covering her swollen face as she cleared the table, he couldn’t help but explode: “You good-for-nothing! You went blabbing without seeing the whole picture—are you happy now?”

Seeing her daughter’s distress, Mrs. Yang hurriedly interjected, “You can’t blame Juanzi for this. Who could’ve known that the Li family, once so down-and-out, would end up making it big!”

“Hmph, you just spoil her. Now her reputation is ruined—I’ll see who dares to marry her!” Yang Zhongyu said, his anger still simmering.

Yang Wenjuan thought of how, in front of so many people, she had not only been slapped left and right by Li Yi, but also had the fact that she’d made her sister-in-law wash her underwear exposed—she had truly lost all face.

Now her reputation as a lazybones had spread throughout the entire Orange Hollow, and if things went as expected, it would reach every village within ten miles in just a few days.

By then, everyone would know she was a lazy girl who’d gone out of her way to bully her sister-in-law at home—how on earth was she ever going to get married?

In that moment, Yang Wenjuan felt her life was over!

A thousand grievances welled up inside her all at once, and she could no longer hold back. She crouched down on the ground and burst into tears!

Yang Zhong roared angrily, “Cry, cry, cry! All you know how to do is cry! I’ve told you all to behave yourselves, but you all think I’m out to get you!”

“Why don’t you go out and find out for yourselves what kind of good-for-nothing that Li family scoundrel is? He’s a hothead who’s not afraid to get violent. Now look what’s happened—they’ve come knocking on our door!”

Mrs. Yang Liu also said with a look of embarrassment, “Well… we just felt wronged, didn’t we? It’s not like the Li family gave us even a penny in dowry…”

“Enough. What good does it do to bring up these old, stale grievances? Let’s focus on how to resolve this situation!” Yang Zhong sighed.

Yang Wenxi said with a look of resentment, “Father, we can’t just let this slide. We have to make the Li family pay for this…”

“Now you’re all puffed up, but you didn’t say a word when you were getting beaten up?” Yang Zhong said angrily.

Yang Wenxi’s face instantly flushed crimson. He had wanted to speak up at the time, but Li Yi had completely overwhelmed him; a single shoulder throw had rendered him completely incapacitated.

But he refused to accept defeat. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Dad, we’ve been beaten like this—are we just going to back down?”

Yang Zhong looked at his younger son with a touch of disappointment. Compared to his eldest son’s composure, this lad—though in his twenties—still acted like a child who hadn’t grown up.

“Wenxi, go to the forestry camp tomorrow and bring your brother back!”

“Why bring my brother back? Is it to divorce that woman?” Yang Wenxi asked, his face lighting up with glee.

“What do you mean ‘that woman’? She’s your sister-in-law! And as for divorce—your sister-in-law is carrying the blood of our Yang family. How can you just walk away like that?” Yang Zhong snapped angrily.

“If we’re not getting a divorce, why bring my brother back?”

“What else? To clean up the mess you and your mother have made—to go apologize to them!” Yang Zhong shouted angrily.

“Why should we apologize? Our whole family was beaten up like this—it’s the Li family who should be apologizing…”

“Shut up! If I tell you to go, you go. If you don’t, get out of this house!” Yang Zhong said furiously.

He had finally realized that his two children had been completely spoiled by this short-sighted woman in the family.

With things having come to this, they still couldn’t tell who was in charge.

That afternoon, he had someone secretly go to Nianzishan Village to inquire about the Li family’s situation, and what they found out was truly astonishing.

The Li family had truly struck it rich. That good-for-nothing of theirs had somehow climbed his way up the social ladder; just by selling mushrooms and mountain produce, he’d made a fortune and become the village’s money god.

Now the Li family had not only built a new house and bought bicycles, but was also planning to marry off their son—their life was going so well it was almost too good to be true.

That alone would have been bad enough, but those who went there also brought back news that sent a chill down his spine: that good-for-nothing from the Li family had turned in all six remaining male educated youths in Nianzi Mountain Village to the Public Security Bureau!

The exact reason isn’t clear, but those male educated youths are almost certainly going to jail.

That good-for-nothing is still the same old good-for-nothing—ruthless in his actions and heedless of the consequences.

Those brainless fools at home have now thoroughly offended him, yet they’re still clamoring for him to pay the price—they’ve got absolutely no sense.

Now I can only hope my eldest son has what it takes to placate the Li family—otherwise, this situation is going to be impossible to resolve!