Chapter 355 - 352: The Eldest Branch

Chapter 355: Chapter 352: The Eldest Branch

Li Bao glanced at Li He but said nothing. ’He wouldn’t dare say something like that in front of Eldest Brother and his wife. The girls in the family were all precious, and the couple was extremely protective of them. He wasn’t stupid enough to go looking for trouble!’

"That’s good. Your Eldest Brother and his wife have helped you so much. You must never be ungrateful in the future!" Third Brother Li glanced at Aunt Li, then looked at his children and spoke softly. ’My eldest nephew values family and loyalty so much. We can’t have any ingrates in our own family!’

Glancing at her parents, Li Yuan said softly, "I’m going to test into a school in the Capital City too, so I can be with Eldest Brother and his wife. My grades are good enough!"

"Yes, if you get in, you should go," Aunt Li said with a smile, looking at Li Bao and the others. "Except for your eldest sister, all of you will probably settle down in the Capital City one day. You’re all smart and sensible, but you know as well as I do that you couldn’t have gotten this far on your own, not without your Eldest Brother and his wife. You’re all grown up now and know right from wrong. Don’t worry about things at home. Just focus on living your own lives well."

’Of course, Aunt Li was happy that her children were so promising. She knew it was all thanks to her eldest nephew. She was incredibly grateful to him, even if she couldn’t offer much in return. Still, it was best not to bother him with these trivial matters from home. It would only upset him to find out. As for the trouble the second branch had been stirring up lately... did they really think she was clueless? She just hadn’t expected her nephew and his wife to stay this long, or to arrive back so early. Otherwise, she would have dealt with them ages ago!’

Li Miao looked up at her mother, puzzled. "Mom, Eldest Brother and his wife are staying for a while this time. Grandma’s getting old and she’s bound to be soft-hearted. Aren’t you going to do something about it?"

"What is it?" Li He asked, looking at her younger sister curiously.

Li Bao, Li Guo, and Wang Xiaojuan exchanged glances, then looked worriedly at their mother. They had a feeling this wasn’t a simple matter. ’Please don’t let it be about Eldest Brother and his wife again!’

Aunt Li smiled and said gently, "You don’t need to worry about it. I just didn’t realize your Eldest Brother and his wife would be back so early. I was curious to see just how far they would take things. Otherwise, I would’ve dealt with them already. Anyway, it’s still early. I’m going to head over to your uncle’s place. I need to give your aunt a heads-up about this." 𝖋𝙧ⅇ

Watching their mother leave in a fiery rush, Li He cleared her throat and looked at her younger sister. "Alright, spill it. What’s really going on?"

"I don’t know the specifics myself," Li Miao began. "When Eldest Brother and his wife weren’t around, Li Yuan and I were the ones who kept Grandma company. We ran into some of our cousins and their wives from the second branch a few times. I’d occasionally overhear bits of gossip... you know, things about how hard their lives were, how ’blood is thicker than water,’ that kind of stuff. Grandma’s old now and a real softy. They always bring their kids with them, so Grandma... well, you know. I’m just afraid she’s going to bring it up with Eldest Brother and his wife and upset them."

After hearing what Li Miao said, Li Bao sneered. "The nerve of them! They’re using Grandma as a weapon to twist the knife in Eldest Brother’s heart. How can they be so rotten to the core and still have the gall to talk about being ’blood brothers’?"

"Li Bao! They’re your cousins too," Third Brother Li said softly, glancing at his furious eldest son.

"Cousins, my ass! I’m ashamed to even have the same last name as them. None of them can stand to see Eldest Brother succeed, can they? With relatives like that... I know what this is about. They see that I and Li Guo are doing well because we followed Eldest Brother, and they’re green with envy. But why don’t they ever stop and think about what they did back in the day?"

Li Bao shot his father a look, then stormed out with a flick of his sleeves. "I’m going to Eldest Brother’s!"

"I’ll go with him!" Li Guo glanced at Third Brother Li, who was sitting on the heated brick bed, then quickly got up and ran after Li Bao. ℯ

Wang Xiaojuan stared at the closed door, then glanced at her fuming father-in-law. She exchanged a look with her two sisters-in-law and said gently, "Dad, don’t be angry. Li Bao and Li Guo are just really close to Eldest Brother. They can’t stand seeing anyone try to scheme against him. They didn’t mean to take it out on you."

"That’s right, Dad. Just stay out of it. Pretend you don’t know anything," Li He said, looking at her father. "After all, they still have to call you Third Uncle. I know you don’t have the heart to discipline them!" Though her words sounded like an attempt to soothe him, she was secretly fanning the flames.

Third Brother Li glanced at his daughter-in-law and daughter, then climbed off the heated brick bed and put on his shoes. "I’m going to your uncle’s house." ’These kids are all as sharp as monkeys,’ he thought. ’Do they really think I’m too dumb to read between the lines? I’d better go discuss this with my big brother. If our nephew’s feelings get hurt again over this, neither of us will be able to live with ourselves!’

At Li’s house, both Aunt Li and the wife of Third Brother Li were worried. It wasn’t a major crisis, but it was incredibly difficult to handle. The people from the second branch were shamelessly accustomed to getting their way. Talking to them was useless, scolding them was useless, and even a beating would be useless. Besides, with Second Brother Li gone, even if Eldest Li and Third Brother Li tried to discipline them as their uncles, the nephews weren’t the type to just stand there and take it.

When Third Brother Li arrived, he saw his elder brother, sister-in-law, and his own wife all wearing long faces. He knew why, but he felt helpless too. The people from the second branch weren’t just shameless; they were complete scoundrels.

Li Bo, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke up, looking with exasperation at his parents and his aunt and uncle. "You’re all out of ideas over a little thing like this? They’re a lost cause, like a pile of mud. Why are you even bothering with them? All you have to do is make things clear with Grandma, and that’s it. If you trace the problem to its source, the key is Grandma. If she doesn’t budge, then what good will all of the second branch’s antics do?"

Aunt Li shot Li Bo an annoyed look. "You think we don’t know the key is your grandmother? But she’s old, after all. If we confront her directly, we’re afraid..."

"Afraid of what?" Li Bo interrupted his mother with a dismissive pout. "Grandma is as sharp as they come. You think she doesn’t know what the second branch is up to? She’s just gotten old and sentimental. Besides, Eldest Brother and his wife have been spoiling her rotten for years, always giving her whatever she wants. I think Grandma’s forgotten what they’re really like when they’re angry!"

Hearing this, Eldest Li, Aunt Li, Third Brother Li, and his wife were all stunned. They exchanged a look, all thinking the same thing. ’Is that really how it is?’

Li Bo looked at them seriously. "Mom, Dad, Uncle, Aunt. For years, Eldest Brother and his wife have done more than enough for the Li family. Even the deepest affection can be worn away if it’s all one-sided. All these years, Grandma has heard nothing but praise because of them, especially since they’ve always catered to her every whim. The first and third branches of our family are flourishing. All of us, our siblings and cousins, whether we’re married or still in school, are all doing great!"

"Have Grandma and the rest of you forgotten what kind of person Eldest Brother is? All these years, he and his wife have helped where they could, and even where they shouldn’t have. Are you trying to completely wear away all their goodwill? Have you and Grandma forgotten everything the second branch has done? Do you remember how he was ostracized and bullied back in the day? And now they want to just wipe the slate clean? They’re even pushing their luck, trying to leech off him. Do you all really think Eldest Brother is that much of a pushover?!"