Chapter 354 - 351: The Third Branch

Chapter 354: Chapter 351: The Third Branch

Everyone looked at each other. Why had no one ever thought about this? It was as if they had always taken everything Li Xiu did for granted.

"I just remember Big Brother always being the smartest and most reliable," Li Miao said softly after a moment of thought. "It seemed like no matter what happened, as long as he was around, it could be solved. As long as he was there, we didn’t have to worry about a thing!"

Li He glanced at her parents and said thoughtfully, "Big Brother has always been like that in my memory. No, wait... Dad, Mom, did you never feel like something was off? We know now that he had a master, but back then, before he split off from Second Great-Uncle’s family, you didn’t know. Didn’t you feel that something didn’t add up?"

Third Brother Li and Aunt Li looked at each other. Aunt Li gave a wry smile and said, "We honestly never thought about it, and we never felt anything was out of the ordinary. Your big brother always gave us the impression of being smart and reliable, even as a child. He’s always been a man of few words, with barely any expression on his face. I guess everyone just got used to it!"

Seeing Third Brother Li’s family lost in thought, Sister Fang smiled and said, "It’s all in the past. There’s no point in dwelling on it now. Isn’t it wonderful that everyone is doing so well today? Third Uncle, Third Aunt, these younger siblings at home are all wonderful—smart, sensible, and they know how to conduct themselves. You’ve raised them very well!"

Why had no one felt something was amiss? To put it bluntly, it was simply a lack of concern. But they couldn’t be blamed for that. He wasn’t their biological son, so there was always going to be some distance. Besides, if he couldn’t even count on his own parents, who could Li Xiu possibly count on? Why else would it be that now, for everything he does, he consults no one but Zhou Lian? He had never relied on anyone else for the simple reason that there was no one to rely on.

"It wasn’t us who taught them," Aunt Li said with a sigh and a wry smile. "We didn’t have the mind for it back then. Honestly, with so many children in the house, it was a great achievement just to keep them fed and clothed. It was Li Xiu who raised them, one by one!"

Her children had made her prouder than she could have imagined, and honestly, it was all thanks to Li Xiu. The whole village was envious. In their family, besides the eldest daughter who married early and the eldest son who also married early, the remaining three younger children were thriving. Two were at prestigious universities, and the youngest daughter was also a promising candidate for university. The eldest son had followed his older cousin, Li Xiu, to the Capital City, bought a house, and settled down. Even the eldest daughter had been set on a smooth path by her cousin!

Sister Fang smiled and said, "You’re all one family, after all! Let’s not talk about this anymore. I’m going to take the two children back now. Li Xiu should be home soon, and there’s still a lot to do!"

"Sister Fang, we’ll come find Big Brother after dinner tonight and ask if there’s anything he needs help with!" Li Bao and Li Guo exchanged a look and said seriously to Sister Fang.

Sister Fang lifted the two children down from the heated platform and said with a smile, "That’s between you brothers. It has nothing to do with me! But I will tell Li Xiu you’re coming over tonight."

Knowing Sister Fang was teasing him, Li Bao just smiled without a word. He got up to walk Sister Fang and the two children out to the courtyard. Just as they stepped out of the room, two young bodyguards entered from the main gate. Each one picked up a child and started carrying them out. The ground was still covered in thick snow. Unlike the city, the village had no one specifically assigned to clean the paths, so all the snow on the road had turned to ice, making it very slippery.

Li Bao watched his nephew and niece being carried away, then smiled and waved to Sister Fang. She smiled back, nodding at the family members who had come to see her off in the courtyard. "It’s freezing out here. You should all go back inside. I’ll be on my way."

After watching Sister Fang and the others leave, Third Brother Li’s family went back inside. Once they had all settled down, Aunt Li looked at her children and asked, "That girl, Fang, has been here a few times, but I never paid much attention. I always thought she was a nanny your big brother’s family hired. But today... she didn’t seem like one, did she?"

Li Guo and Li He didn’t know much about it, so they both turned to look at their eldest brother and sister-in-law.

Wang Xiaojuan smiled at her astute mother-in-law and said, "Mom, Sister Fang really is more than just a nanny. She’s been with Big Brother’s family for about ten years now. When I went to the Capital City, she was already there. She’s very smart, knows her place, and is fiercely protective of Big Brother’s family, especially my little nephew and niece. I think it’s because she’s watched them grow up. She also dotes on my sister-in-law, treating her like her own sister. All these years, she’s practically been running half the household for Big Brother!"

"That still doesn’t seem right," Aunt Li said after a moment’s thought. "How can a hired person be the same as family? I feel like it’s not that simple."

Li Bao smiled. "Mom, don’t overthink it. Nuonuo and Yanyan are expected to care for Sister Fang in her old age and see to her passing. It’s actually not that complicated. Back then, Big Brother and Sister-in-Law had no one to rely on in the Capital City. Sister-in-Law had just started university, Big Brother had to earn money, Nuonuo was little, and Sister-in-Law was pregnant with Yanyan. It was Sister Fang who held everything together, both inside and outside the house. Sister Fang has no family of her own, so she’s incredibly protective of Big Brother’s family. Big Brother and Sister-in-Law also respect her immensely. After all these years, they’ve become just like family." ⅇℯ𝚕.

"No wonder," Aunt Li said softly. "She doesn’t speak like she’s addressing her employers."

Her gaze swept over her children and daughter-in-law, then shifted to her grandson and granddaughter sleeping on the heated platform. Aunt Li asked in a low voice, "How are you all doing in the Capital City? With your big brother and sister-in-law there, I’m not really worried, but I just want to ask how you’re all managing."

"Mom, everything is great for us in the Capital City," Li Bao said. He had been in the business world for a long time now; how could he not understand his own mother’s concerns? "I can hold my own in Big Brother’s company now. Xiao Juan stays home with the two kids. We have a house, a car, and a career in the Capital City. Don’t worry, Mom!"

Glancing at his older brother, Li Guo said softly, "I’m doing great too. I go over to Big Brother’s house every Saturday and Sunday. And because of my major and my personality, Big Brother and Sister-in-Law want me to continue my studies after graduation—a consecutive bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate program. Then I’ll go straight to work in a research institute. The general path has already been decided. Dad, Mom, you can rest assured. My path has been completely arranged for me by Big Brother and Sister-in-Law."

"Your second brother is right," Wang Xiaojuan said, glancing at her parents-in-law. "I mentioned this to Sister-in-Law once. She said that Second Brother’s coursework is solid and he has a simple, honest nature. But in the Capital City, with her and Big Brother protecting him, no one would dare bully a member of the Li family. So, Mom, Dad, you can relax!"

Li He, seeing her father and mother now staring at her, smiled and said, "I’m majoring in the same field as Sister-in-Law. She also wants me to do a consecutive bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate program. After I graduate, I’ll go directly to her company to help her. It just means I probably won’t be able to come home often during holidays. Sister-in-Law wants me to start an internship at the company!"

"Sister-in-Law is really letting you intern at her company now? What do you even know at this point? Won’t you just be holding them back!" Li Bao said, looking at his younger sister in confusion. "What can a university student who doesn’t know anything possibly do at a company!"

Li He glared at her brother and retorted confidently, "That’s exactly why I need to go—because I don’t know anything yet, I have to learn! Would you dare say that in front of Big Brother and Sister-in-Law?"