Chapter 351 - 348: Grandma Li’s Thoughts

Chapter 351: Chapter 348: Grandma Li’s Thoughts

Sister Fang lowered her head to hide the anger in her eyes, then looked up at Grandma Li. "Grandma, Li Xiu is your very own grandson, and you’re the one who raised him. You should try to talk some sense into him. Even if Li Bao can’t shoulder much responsibility, he can at least manage on his own. Li Guo will have a good future once he graduates. As for the two girls, Li Cui and Li He, they’ll be fine in college with their brothers looking out for them. And haven’t Li Xiu and Xiao Lian already paved the way for the four younger sisters who are already married?"

"Grandma, that just leaves the three youngest ones at home. I hear they’re all doing very well in their studies. Once the two girls get into college, they’ll be set. As for Li Bo, he’s still young and in school; he just needs to focus on his studies for now. Grandma, you have to talk to Li Xiu. He can make arrangements for Li Bo after he’s grown and graduated from college. Just let him rest for now. It’s not good for him to be draining himself mentally like this. Grandma, you’ve heard the saying, ’Brilliance begets its own ruin,’ haven’t you?"

Sister Fang glanced at Grandma Li and lowered her head. She’d already had someone look into it. ’It’s just that they see Li Xiu doing better and better while those thoughtless wretches from the second branch of the family are doing worse and worse. Both sides are her family, so Grandma Li’s heart has softened. But being soft-hearted is one thing; she can’t drag Li Xiu down with them. Whoever dares to try and leech off Li Xiu again, I won’t let them have an easy time of it. The Li family may not cherish him, but I cherish my brother!’

The verbal sparring made Zhou Lian understand why Sister Fang was so furious today, and why she would so tactlessly jab at Grandma Li’s weak spot. It seemed someone was stirring up trouble again and had even managed to sway Grandma Li. Lowering her head to hide the sarcasm in her eyes, Zhou Lian thought, ’Why are some people so determined to court disaster? It’s like they enjoy poking the hornet’s nest.’

’Our family of four is Sister Fang’s one inviolable spot. Now that someone dares to go after Li Xiu, they’ve undoubtedly struck at the person she holds most dear. Just you wait. I won’t even have to lift a finger in this. Sister Fang alone will be enough to send them scattering like chickens and dogs!’

"Right, right, right, we have to let him rest!" Grandma Li said, wiping away a tear.

She looked up at Zhou Lian, whose head was bowed in thought, and said reproachfully, "Granddaughter-in-law, why haven’t you tried to persuade him?"

Sister Fang sneered inwardly. ’See? That’s just how people are. When faced with something uncomfortable, they look for an excuse to push the blame onto someone else to relieve their own stress.’

"Grandma, you know Jin Chen’s temperament better than anyone. Besides, you also know why he’s pushing himself so hard. How could you ask me to be the one to talk him out of it!" Zhou Lian said, deftly deflecting the accusation. ’Why is he doing it? For me and our two children, of course. Everything else is secondary. But so what? Li Xiu has already done what he was supposed to do, and even things he wasn’t. Forcing him to continue is just asking him to repeat the disastrous path of his past life.’

With a sigh, Grandma Li got a hold of herself and asked apprehensively, "If he rests now... will he be okay?"

"As long as he stops draining his mental energy, takes his medicine on time, and gets proper rest... I can’t promise anything about the future, but at the very least, his condition will stabilize. It won’t get any worse!" Seeing that Zhou Lian was about to speak, Sister Fang quickly cut in. She had already stepped in, and she wasn’t about to let Zhou Lian get dragged into this.

Gently patting her chest, Grandma Li said in relief, "That’s good, that’s good." She also put aside the selfish little idea she’d been entertaining. ’I can’t cause any more trouble for my eldest grandson. As for those from the second branch... let them fend for themselves. It’s not like they’re starving.’

"Grandma, I’m sure if you’re the one talking to Jin Chen, he’ll listen," Sister Fang said with a small, slightly flattering smile. ’It’s a relief she isn’t fixated on that idea anymore. It seems Li Xiu’s place in the old woman’s heart is still quite high, after all.’

Nodding earnestly, Grandma Li said with determination, "I’ll go with you to the Capital City this time. I’ll stay for a while. With me watching him, let’s see if he dares to act up. I will make sure he gets his health back!"

"Okay, we’ll be counting on you, Grandma," Zhou Lian said with a smile. ’People really do play favorites. See how she’s now siding with the one she raised from a young age.’

Sister Fang smiled. "Let Grandma rest for a bit. Xiao Lian, go check if we’re short on anything at home so we can restock. I’ll go cook. Li Xiu won’t make it back for lunch, so I’ll make something delicious for Grandma."

Watching Zhou Lian and Sister Fang walk out, Grandma Li sighed. ’I’m getting old, soft-hearted, and muddle-headed. Of course, I know Fang was exaggerating a bit. It just gave me a scare at first. It probably isn’t as serious as she made it sound, or Zhou Lian wouldn’t have been so calm. Still, it must be from too much worry.’

She gave a self-deprecating laugh. ’I must have said or done something last night, let something slip that Fang picked up on. That’s why she was warning me, both directly and indirectly, today.’

’But it’s true. Everyone thinks my eldest grandson is so capable. But here, living in the shadow of the Imperial City, how did this young couple with no one to rely on struggle to get where they are today? Everyone sees their success now, but who aches for the hardships they went through? Not even me, the grandmother who should have cared for them the most.’ ℯℓ.

’Wait a moment. Fang just said someone was "so exhausted they ran a fever of nearly 104 degrees, and so mentally drained they needed medication." The one who was mentally drained and needed medication was Li Xiu... so who was exhausted with a nearly 104-degree fever? Was it my grandson, or my granddaughter-in-law?’

"Fang, come in here a moment!"

Hearing Grandma Li’s voice from the kang bed, Sister Fang, who was busy in the outer kitchen, wiped her hands dry and walked into the inner room. She looked at Grandma Li with a smile and asked, "What is it, Grandma?"

"Just now, when you mentioned someone was so exhausted they ran a fever of nearly 104 degrees... who were you talking about?" Grandma Li asked, looking at Sister Fang with pleading eyes.

Sister Fang sighed softly. "Grandma, that was Xiao Lian. There are some things we’re not meant to know, so I’ll just tell you what I do. Li Xiu wasn’t in the Capital City at the time, so Xiao Lian was in charge of everything there. Grandma, you must understand that with great gains come great sacrifices. Things in the Capital City are complicated. Xiao Lian had to hold down the fort while Li Xiu was gone. You can imagine how difficult it was. She managed to hold everything together, but in the end, she collapsed."

Glancing at Grandma Li, Sister Fang continued, "She fell gravely ill, and it ruined her constitution. The doctor said Xiao Lian has to be extremely careful from now on because her health is much more fragile. He also said she must avoid great shock, anger, or grief. It was all very formally phrased, but it basically means she can’t have major emotional swings and must be careful not to get sick. Because now, even a common cold could be half the death of her." 𝖋𝙧ⅇ

Taking a ragged breath, her expression darkening, Grandma Li said, "What kind of life have they been leading? How could one after the other... both of them end up like this?"

"Grandma, there was no other way. Neither of them could rely on anyone. What else could they do but fight for everything themselves? But thankfully, things are better now. As long as they stop pushing themselves so hard and take time to slowly recover... they don’t lack for money now, so they can eat well to build up their strength and just live more peacefully. I’m sure they’ll gradually get better," Sister Fang said, gently consoling the distressed Grandma Li.