Chapter 349 - 346: Sister Fang’s Innermost Thoughts

Chapter 349: Chapter 346: Sister Fang’s Innermost Thoughts

Gently patting Sister Fang, Grandma Li said softly, "Fang, thank you for everything over all these years!"

"Grandma, there’s no need to thank me," Sister Fang said nonchalantly. "Setting aside all these years, Li Xiu and Zhou Lian gave me a home. They treat me like their own flesh-and-blood sister, so nothing I do for them could ever be too much! Grandma, they’re always thinking of you. When you go to the Capital City this time, please stay for a while and let them dote on you!"

’She didn’t need anyone’s thanks. The four of them in this family—every single one was precious to her. She would never let anyone hurt them. She had sensed Grandma Li’s coldness toward Zhou Lian since she got back. Having had a difficult life and seen the best and worst of people, how could she not understand the reason? It was a classic case of resentment not from scarcity, but from inequality. And since Li Xiu doted on Zhou Lian, Grandma Li had probably transferred all her unhappiness onto her!’

’But then Sister Fang saw Zhou Lian, completely oblivious, happily inviting Grandma Li to the Capital City. How could she let a Grandma Li in this state of mind go there? It was better to make the old woman understand as soon as possible. No one is simply obligated to do things for others. Sometimes, when you give so much, you need to make sure it’s seen!’

"Fang, every time they come back, they only share the good news and hide the bad. Tell me everything, in detail," Grandma Li said with a soft sigh. ’These past two years, I really have gotten muddled in my old age. My eldest grandson never had it easy growing up. How could I have forgotten that!’

Smiling, Sister Fang looked at the four of them playing wildly in the yard and said, "Grandma, as you know, they didn’t have a single relative in the Capital City. Everything they have now, the two of them earned through sheer hard work. They’re truly good-hearted people. For both the Li family and the Zhou family, they have given their absolute all. You see them now, successful in their careers, but Grandma, I’m the one who’s raised Nuonuo and Yanyan. Li Xiu and Zhou Lian are so busy, they rarely have time to be with their kids. Even now, it’s Uncle Zhou and Aunt Zhou from the Zhou family who take them to and from school. And their studies? That’s all handled by Xiao Lian’s old teacher and her husband!"

"Grandma, once you’re in the Capital City, you’ll gradually understand. There’s no such thing as easy success; it’s just that no one sees the blood, sweat, and tears behind it! It’s a good thing they have each other for support. Moments like this are rare, so let them have their fun! They hardly ever get a chance like this."

Sister Fang watched the four in the courtyard and smiled, gratified. ’As long as they’re happy, that’s what matters. I’ll take care of the unpleasant parts. Thankfully, it’s just some petty resentment, which is manageable. It’s just better if Zhou Lian doesn’t find out; her sincerity is being repaid with suspicion and discontent. Then again, someone as sharp as Li Xiu will probably notice soon enough. Zhou Lian is the one he holds dearest, and he pays attention to every little thing concerning her!’

"Oh, Fang, thank you so much!" Having grown shrewd with age, how could Grandma Li not grasp the meaning behind Sister Fang’s words? ’But it’s like choosing between the palm and the back of your hand—both are your own flesh. And it’s my poor grandson who’s been dealt a difficult hand!’

Sister Fang let out a small laugh but didn’t respond. ’I don’t dare accept her thanks,’ she thought. ’There’s a limit to how biased a person can be. I’d never deny being biased myself, but it all depends on who it’s for and why, doesn’t it? Li Xiu and Zhou Lian have already done more than enough. People shouldn’t be so greedy!’

Looking up at the snowflakes drifting down, Sister Fang yelled to the four who were playing wildly, "Alright, that’s enough! It’s getting late, time to eat! Nuonuo, Yanyan, get back here right now before you catch a cold!"

"Okay, Aunt Fang, coming!" Li Xianglin, having just pelted Li Xiu with a snowball, shouted her reply as she dodged a barrage of snowballs from her two shameless parents, quickly scrambling over to Sister Fang’s side.

Seeing his sister beat a retreat, Li Xiangrui, who had been having a blast, knew things were about to get ugly. Seizing the moment while his parents were bent over making more snowballs, he also dashed over to hide by Sister Fang. Tucked safely behind his Aunt Fang, Li Xiangrui watched his parents’ delayed reaction and burst out laughing. ’With Aunt Fang to protect him, he was the little young master of the Li family. No one could bully him—not even his own mom and dad!’

Zhou Lian and Li Xiu glanced back at Sister Fang’s blank expression and felt a pang of guilt. And how could they not? Li Xianglin and Li Xiangrui were just children; they were no match for two adults. They were covered in snow from head to toe. Sister Fang always protected those two like they were the most precious things in the world. She usually didn’t interfere when Zhou Lian and Li Xiu disciplined them, but that was only as long as they didn’t go too far!

Sister Fang had an excellent sense of boundaries, especially concerning the children. She was grateful to anyone who was good to them. But if anyone wasn’t, she was like a mother bear protecting her cubs. This protection extended to everyone, including the children’s own family and even their birth parents. Since Zhou Lian and Li Xiu had always respected her as an elder sister, it was no wonder they were feeling so guilty!

"You two are really something else," Sister Fang said irritably to the guilty-looking couple. "Go get changed. Get cleaned up and ready for dinner!" She’d only turned her back to speak with Grandma Li for a moment, and this is what passed for parenting.

Shooting Li Xiu and Zhou Lian a glare, Sister Fang led the two children back to their room to change clothes. They were sweaty from playing, and their clothes were damp. If they didn’t change, their weak immune systems wouldn’t stand a chance, and they’d surely catch a cold. ’Honestly, what a pair of unreliable parents!’

Li Xiu caught sight of Li Xiangrui making a face from behind Sister Fang and, dodging her line of sight, shot his son a glare. As he watched Sister Fang lead the two children away, Li Xiu turned back to Zhou Lian with a smile. He placed a hand on her cheek to feel it—not cold. He then took her hand; that, however, was quite chilly.

"Grandma, you head inside first. We’re going to go change. We’ll be right out!" With that, Li Xiu took Zhou Lian by the hand and headed to their room.

Grandma Li looked out at the suddenly quiet courtyard and sighed. ’Thinking back on Fang’s reaction and then on the dynamic between Li Xiu’s family of four, I have to admit, their bond is strong. Incredibly strong. That girl, Fang, must truly cherish all four of them in her heart, or she never would have spoken to me like that. It looks like I have some serious thinking to do.’

’No, that’s not right.’ A cold sweat broke out on Grandma Li’s back. ’I clearly remember advising Li Xiu myself, warning him about the old saying: a small favor earns gratitude, but a large one breeds resentment. How did *I* become the one unconsciously pushing him to do more, and more, and more?!’

She trembled as she made her way back to her room and sat on the heated bed. ’Greed,’ Grandma Li thought with deep remorse. ’It all comes down to greed. How could I make the very mistake of resenting unfairness more than scarcity? Even Fang saw it. So what about my grandson? My granddaughter-in-law? They’re so clever, how could they possibly not have noticed!’

Remembering that Zhou Lian still wanted her to come to the Capital City, Grandma Li clung to a sliver of hope. ’They probably haven’t figured it out yet. I can’t keep going on like this. It’s just as Fang said: no one succeeds by chance. It’s always built on hard work that others simply don’t see.’