Chapter 227 - 224: Mr. Li’s Final Intention

Chapter 227: Chapter 224: Mr. Li’s Final Intention

Li Xiu saw everything Zhou Lian was doing, and his heart ached for her. He cherished and doted on his wife, who had been working almost without rest for the past three days. He knew she wouldn’t have exerted herself so much if not for how he had acted as his father was dying. She was doing it all to help him see his father off on his final journey, allowing their bond as father and son to come to a proper close.

Lowering his head, he gently kissed Zhou Lian’s forehead. Gazing at her tenderly, he whispered, "Bao’er, sweet dreams. I hope you dream of me."

Gazing adoringly at Zhou Lian, Li Xiu, who had also been without sleep for three days, finally succumbed to exhaustion and drifted into slumber. Before falling asleep, he was still thinking, ’Bao’er has worn herself out these past few days. I need to make her some good food to help her recover.’

Li Xiu didn’t open his eyes until noon. He saw Zhou Lian sleeping peacefully in his arms, and was reluctant to wake her. He carefully slid his arm out from under her head, quietly got up, and threw on some clothes. Out in the courtyard, he saw Grandma Li, Aunt Li, and Aunt Li, along with Sister Fang, playing with Yanyan under the grape trellis. They were even making an effort to be quiet so as not to wake the sleeping couple.

Li Xiu smiled, walked over, and greeted them. Sister Fang looked at Li Xiu and asked in a low voice, "Hasn’t Yanyan’s mother woken up yet? Why don’t you go eat something first? We saved some food for you in the pot!"

"No, that’s alright. I’ll wait for Bao’er to wake up so we can eat together. Have you all eaten?" Li Xiu shook his head. He had slept for a long time, so he wasn’t very hungry yet. Besides, he knew Zhou Lian wouldn’t eat properly when she woke up; she’d do better if he was with her.

Sister Fang had apparently thought of this as well, so she didn’t try to persuade him further, instead lowering her head to keep a close eye on Yanyan. The boy was curious about everything at the moment, especially the vegetables Grandma Li had planted in the courtyard. Although Yanyan had seen Mr. Zhou and Li Xiu gardening in the Capital City, boys his age are mischievous, and Sister Fang had always watched him too closely for him to get a good look. Back in their old home, however, Grandma Li doted on him fiercely. Sister Fang also felt sorry that he had to wear mourning clothes at such a young age, so she didn’t restrain him. She let him run wild all morning, though she still watched him like a hawk, afraid he would trip and hurt himself.

Looking at Li Xiu, Aunt Li said gently, "Your father has been laid to rest now. The ceremony you held was grand, and it must have cost a lot of money. We didn’t calculate it last night, but your Eldest Uncle has spoken with the funeral guests. Tonight, at the old house of the second branch, your Eldest Uncle and Third Uncle will be there. You five brothers need to sit down together and settle the accounts properly!"

Li Xiu laughed. "Aunt Li, you heard what my mother said. You also saw how Li Hua and the others behaved these past three days. Do you really think these accounts can be settled clearly? Father was just buried; he probably hasn’t gone far. Let’s just drop it. Don’t disturb his eternal rest!"

"It has to be settled, whether it’s clear or not!" Grandma Li declared forcefully. "Your father didn’t just have you as a son. If they don’t want to acknowledge him as their father, then they don’t have to be part of the accounting. But if they still want to call him ’father,’ then they’d better behave! I’m going back tonight, too. I’d like to see for myself whether this account can be settled or not!" Her second son was gone, and she had seen right through her grandsons from that family branch. Except for her eldest grandson, none of them were any good. No matter what, she wouldn’t let her eldest grandson suffer this silent loss. Even though her grandson didn’t care about the money, things simply couldn’t be done this way!

Taking his grandmother’s hand, Li Xiu smiled. "Whoa, Grandma, so fierce. Don’t be angry, it’s not worth it. I just can’t be bothered to argue with them. Besides, just consider it the last thing I do for my father. It completes the bond of father and son we had in this lifetime."

Seeing Li Xiu’s calm expression, the three Li family women—the matriarch and her daughters-in-law—knew that Li Xiu had understood the true meaning of Second Brother Li’s last words. They all sighed helplessly. No one was a fool, least of all Li Xiu, who was known to have a Seven-orifice Exquisite Heart. His emotions had been thrown into disarray by Second Brother Li’s sudden death, but after thinking it over, how could someone as clever as Li Xiu not see the truth of the matter?

"Grandma, Aunt Li, Aunt Li, you don’t need to be like this. It’s been over thirty years. What is there that I don’t understand, or can’t let go of? I’m not that fragile. Besides, I’ve now repaid the debt of life to him. It’s alright. The moment he closed his eyes, I understood what he meant. Giving him a grand send-off was my way of repaying that debt. Bao’er only arranged such a lavish affair because she was following my wishes!" Li Xiu said nonchalantly. To him, his father and mother were merely the givers of life. The debt to his father was now paid. Only his mother’s remained. Once that was paid, it would all be over!

"You knew? You knew right away?" Aunt Li asked in surprise. She had only understood Second Brother Li’s true intentions later, upon reflection. For her eldest nephew to have known on the spot and still arranged such a grand funeral... he was truly set on repaying the debt of life. Aunt Li shook her head. Second Brother Li had been muddle-headed in life, and muddle-headed even in death. He had completely and utterly chilled his eldest nephew’s heart.

Li Xiu looked at Aunt Li and said with a smile, "Aunt Li, I’m not that foolish. We were father and son for one lifetime, so I fulfilled his wish. Originally, Bao’er and I had agreed to just follow convention for the funeral. But I understood my father’s meaning, and how could Bao’er not understand it too? She’s a top student from Beijing University, after all. To hold a lavish, grand ceremony and repay the debt of life—for me, that brings things to a perfect close."

"You’ve been wronged!" Grandma Li said, looking at him with pity. ’That muddle-headed son of mine... Forget it. The dead should be respected. My eldest grandson isn’t holding a grudge, so I shouldn’t stir up trouble either. It’s over. Since my grandson already sees things clearly, why add to his troubles!’

Seeing the pitying looks from his grandmother and two aunts, Li Xiu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. If this had happened in his past life, he might have been sad for a while. But now? To put it bluntly, even when a stranger passes away before your eyes, you feel a sense of unease, let alone the father who gave you life. But after three days, once he was out of that atmosphere, he truly didn’t feel that sad or heartbroken.

"Even though the accounts can’t be settled clearly, the matter still needs to be addressed. The banquet tonight is unavoidable," Li Xiu said nonchalantly. "But I won’t let Bao’er go. It’ll save her from some unnecessary frustration."

Seeing Li Xiu’s expression and knowing he had made up his mind, the three Li family women nodded. So be it.

Li Xiu suddenly stood up and strode quickly toward the house. The others left behind looked at each other in confusion. What was going on?

"Don’t worry. Yanyan’s mother probably just woke up," Sister Fang said with a smile, glancing up at Li Xiu, who had already gone inside.

The three women who had been looking at each other were stunned. Yanyan’s mother woke up? How did Li Xiu know that from the courtyard?

"You get used to it. They have a really good relationship—maybe it’s telepathy!" Sister Fang kindly explained to the three stunned women. "When I first came to the family, I was often startled by this habit of Father Yan’s. He’d be in the middle of a conversation with you, and then he’d suddenly get up and leave. You slowly get used to it!"

The three women were too speechless to reply, staring blankly at the doorway. A moment later, Li Xiu emerged, holding Zhou Lian’s hand. The sight truly left them dumbfounded!