Chapter 229 - 226: Settling the Accounts

Chapter 229: Chapter 226: Settling the Accounts

Seeing that Li Xiu didn’t move, Li Hua and the others grabbed the ledgers and started flipping through them. Ge Er Ya opened her mouth as if to say something, but after a glance at the two sisters-in-law sitting on either side of her, she swallowed her words. Instead, she just glared fiercely at Li Xiu.

Ignoring his mother’s glare, Li Xiu took out his cigarettes, offering them to the funeral guests, Uncle Li, and Third Brother Li, before lighting one for himself. ’No matter how much I act like I don’t care, this is still the woman who gave birth to me, who gave me life. Right or wrong, she’s the one I have to call Mother. It would be a lie to say I feel nothing at all, but I already experienced too much sorrow and heartbreak in my past life. In this one, I left early on. Still, a sense of lingering resentment remains.’

A short while later, Li Hua and the others placed the ledgers back on the table. The funeral guests smiled and said, "You’ve all looked them over. Is there anything amiss?" Seeing them all shake their heads, he then looked at Li Xiu. "You should take a look too!" With that, he picked up the ledger from the table and handed it to Li Xiu.

Li Xiu took it, placed it on the table, and said, "There’s no need to look. Everyone trusts you to handle things. Since there are no issues, let’s just settle the accounts!"

Seeing that no one objected, the funeral guests picked up the ledger and said, "On that day, Li Xiu put five thousand yuan into the account. Before we calculate the final balance, let’s take this five thousand out first." As he spoke, he took out the bag he was carrying, emptied all the money onto the table, counted out five thousand yuan, and handed it to Li Xiu.

Li Xiu didn’t take the money. He smiled at Li Bao and said, "Li Bao, count this for your big brother!"

Li Bao glanced at Li Hua and the others, then took the money from the hands of the funeral guests and began to count it carefully. ’Big Brother is trying to avoid any suspicion,’ he thought. ’The way he’s making things so awkward right now, he must be getting ready to make a big move! After all these years with him, I’ve got his temper down pat. When it comes to shutting people down or making them squirm, he’s an absolute master.’

"That’s right, it’s exactly five thousand yuan!" Li Bao said after he finished counting. He had already started to hand the money to Li Xiu when a thought suddenly struck him. He pulled his hand back and turned to Li Hua and the others. "Second Brother, do you guys want to count it again?"

The faces of Li Hua and his brothers flushed red. They shot Li Bao an angry glare. Li Yong said sarcastically, "No need. If Eldest Brother trusts you that much, how could we not trust you!"

Li Bao handed the money to Li Xiu, then looked back at Li Yong. He sat down slowly and said, "Eldest Brother does trust me. As for whether you all trust me... I couldn’t care less!"

While putting the money away, Li Xiu hid the smile that was about to break out on his face. He coughed once to signal to Li Bao that he didn’t need to argue with them. ’In the years Li Bao spent in the Capital City, hanging out with Wang Dongfang and the others, he sure picked up a thing or two about being shrewd and putting people in their place. Even Wei Guo said the student has surpassed the master. That just shows how much Li Bao has learned!’

"Could I trouble you to clear up all three ledgers?" Uncle Li said to the funeral guests, ignoring the bickering. ’These little rascals. They can cause a scene after the outsiders leave. If they dare take it too far and disgrace the family, just see how I’ll deal with them!’

The accounts were clear and the calculations were quick. In no time, all three ledgers were settled. The funeral guests said, "The accounts are all calculated. There’s another five-thousand-yuan expense here. Yesterday morning, the account was short on funds. I didn’t have time to find Li Xiu, so his wife fronted the money. Eldest Li and Third Brother Li, you two were both present at the time, as were the three maternal uncles from your in-laws, the Ge Family!"

Everyone turned to look at Eldest Li and Third Brother Li. Seeing that his own elder brother wasn’t going to speak, Third Brother Li cleared his throat and said, "That’s right. It wasn’t just us. The fathers-in-law and several brothers-in-law of you two, Li Hua and Li Man, were also there. They also saw our eldest nephew’s wife take out the money!"

Seeing that Li Hua and the others had no objections, the funeral guests held up the ledger and said, "The total amount of gift money received was 1,780 yuan. The banquet, including cigarettes and alcohol, cost a total of 2,320 yuan. The grave-visiting ceremony and burial cost a total of 3,960 yuan. That’s a grand total of 6,280 yuan in expenses. Subtracting the gift money, the total cost comes to 4,500 yuan. Take a look. How do you all want to settle this amount?"

Everyone except Li Xiu and Li Bao was stunned. How could it have cost so much money? Li Xiu and Li Bao, however, already knew. ’A funeral of that scale is built on money. There’s nothing strange about it!’

"How did it cost so much money?!" Ge Er Ya shouted in shock. She knew it would be expensive, but she never expected it to be this much!

"With such a grand affair, did you think it would be cheap? This was spent on your father. The five of you brothers will split it evenly. That’s nine hundred per family. Your eldest brother already fronted the money, so you just need to pay him back!" Grandma Li said, looking at Ge Er Ya with a deadpan expression.

"Grandma, let’s talk about this later. It’s getting late. Let’s eat first," Li Xiu said softly to Grandma Li.

Grandma Li glanced at Li Xiu, then at the funeral guests. She understood her grandson’s meaning. It would look bad to air their dirty laundry in front of an outsider. So, she reined in her temper and said to the funeral guests, "You’ve worked hard. Let’s eat first!"

The funeral guests was also from the same village and knew the character of the Li family’s second branch. He had no desire to get involved in their messy affairs. ’From my point of view,’ he thought, ’this whole thing depends on what Li Xiu wants. If a fight breaks out, it’s because Li Xiu let it happen. If it doesn’t, it’s because Li Xiu suppressed it.’ He shook his head and said, "It’s nothing, all part of the job." ’Yesterday afternoon, Li Xiu’s wife had Li Bao give me a red envelope. When I got home and opened it, there was three hundred yuan inside! It looks like Li Xiu has really made it big. I’ve been overseeing funerals in this village for so many years, and these days I usually get twenty or thirty yuan. Fifty is the absolute most. These guys, Li Hua and his brothers, they must have no brains. Not only are they not latching onto such a powerful connection, but they’re also doing their best to offend him. I really don’t know what they’re thinking!’

After the meal and drinks, the funeral guests left, full and satisfied. With only the Li family members remaining, Grandma Li spoke bluntly, "Alright, there are no outsiders now, and the accounts are settled. Li Hua, you and your three brothers will each give nine hundred yuan to your eldest brother, and this matter will be settled!"

Li Hua and his brothers sat frozen, humming and hawing, refusing to address the topic. Seeing that Grandma Li was about to lose her temper, Ge Er Ya threw caution to the wind and said, "We already said that day to let the eldest son handle it for his father! Why should his brothers have to pay now?!"

"So only Li Xiu is my second son’s child, and these four aren’t? Second son’s wife, are you challenging me right now?!" Grandma Li’s face hardened as she stared at Ge Er Ya, her tone sharp.

Ge Er Ya shrank back a little at the sight of her mother-in-law’s stern face. But then she looked over at Li Xiu, who was sitting there with an air of complete detachment, and said fiercely, "So what if I am?! Li Xiu hasn’t been around to fulfill his filial duties for all these years, so what’s wrong with him making it up to his father now! Besides, on the day his father breathed his last, he and his wife promised with their own mouths!"

"Is that so? Are you sure you don’t want Li Hua and the other three to pay this money? That you don’t want to let them fulfill their duty to him?!" Grandma Li said, her voice grim as she stared at Ge Er Ya.