Chapter 356 - 353: Li Bo

Chapter 356: Chapter 353: Li Bo

Watching her parents and her third aunt and uncle get silenced by her younger brother, Li Yuan could only whisper, "Li Bo, that’s enough!"

"Why should I stop? It seems to me you’ve all had it too good for too long. Everyone says Eldest Brother remembers favors but also holds grudges. But think about it—who doesn’t hold grudges? Who can truly let things go? Over all these years, Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law have done more than enough. Between the first and third branches of the family, there are eleven of us siblings and cousins. Is there a single one of us they haven’t looked after? For which one of us haven’t they paved a smooth road ahead!"

"And Grandma Li—his food, clothing, housing, and expenses—in what way have Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law ever fallen short? What more could you possibly want? As for Eldest Brother, how much help did we, the three branches of the Li family, really give him? Hasn’t he repaid that debt enough? Eldest Brother remembers the kindness he was shown, but you can’t use that as a license to demand anything and everything from him!"

"Have you all forgotten why Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law even came back this time? Eldest Brother is holding a Water-Land Dharma Assembly for his master. For them to be able to make a name for themselves in the Capital City, to stand firm Under the Imperial City, have you ever stopped to think how? On what grounds? Eldest Brother was just a farm boy, never went to a single day of school. On what basis did he establish himself Under the Imperial City?!"

Glancing at the four elders, Li Bo let out a breath. "That’s because Eldest Brother is ruthless and brilliant enough! You want to scheme against him? All three branches of our Li family combined couldn’t outsmart him. Eldest Brother just can’t be bothered with it; he still remembers every drop of kindness from all those years ago! Who in the Li family doesn’t know that once he’s made a decision, no one can talk him out of it? And then there’s Sister-in-law. You think she would just stand by and watch Eldest Brother suffer this injustice? She’s a woman who got into a prestigious university without a single day of formal schooling. How could she possibly be any less formidable than him?!"

"Sometimes, I truly don’t understand what you adults are thinking. Aside from Eldest Brother, the second branch is rotten from the roots up. And now you want to prop them up, even if it means ruining my Eldest Brother to do it? What is wrong with you! You want to trade the Li family’s ’orchid and jade tree’ for those people from the second branch? What on earth are you thinking?"

"Li Bo! That’s enough!" Li Yuan cried out, seeing her brother’s words grow increasingly harsh and noticing the four elders’ faces turning ashen. She tried to stop him, a sense of unease creeping over her.

Seeing his older sister’s deathly pale face, Li Bo sighed, rubbed his forehead, and spoke softly, "Mom, Dad, Third Uncle, Aunt Li, I’m not trying to say ugly things, but what are you really trying to accomplish? Will you only be satisfied after you’ve destroyed the Li family’s finest scion? Will you only stop once you’ve forced Eldest Brother to completely lose heart in this family? Eldest Brother is the inheriting grandson, but if you drive him away, then the next inheriting grandson for the Li family is me. And when that happens, I will personally strike the entire second branch from the family registry, including the deceased Second Uncle. You want to see if I’ll do it?"

"Grandma Li! You’ve watched me grow up all these years, so you should understand—I’m far more ruthless than Eldest Brother!" Turning to face Grandma Li, who was standing at the door, Li Bo spoke with a completely straight face. ’Everyone says Eldest Brother is the most passionate yet also the most heartless, but they’re all wrong. The one they’re describing, the most passionate and most heartless, is me, Li Bo. Eldest Brother might be ruthlessly decisive, but he can never bring himself to be cruel to his own family. He’s actually very soft-hearted!’

Trembling slightly, Grandma Li walked into the room. She looked at her youngest grandson and asked softly, "Those words were meant for me, weren’t they? When did you know I had arrived?"

"Grandma Li, my parents, my aunt and uncle, and my sister are all too upset to notice anything. They didn’t hear the tapping of the dragon-head cane Eldest Brother bought you. I knew you were here long ago. I’ve said what I needed to say; the rest is up to you. My Eldest Brother has his wife and two children now. How much can you all really hurt him? In fact, without these burdens, he would probably have an even better life!" Li Bo looked at them and gave a faint smile.

’How fickle people’s hearts are. Back then, they all wanted to seek justice for Eldest Brother, all pitied his situation. And now? Now that they see his success and glory, they just want to hitch a ride. They’re supposed to be his closest relatives, yet they’ve forgotten all the injustices he suffered. They have no interest in understanding the hardships he’s faced over the years!’

Glancing at Li Bo, then at her two sons and their wives, Grandma Li said with a choke in her voice, "I wasn’t thinking so deeply... I just thought, they’re his own brothers. Blood is thicker than water. Besides, what happened has already..."

"Grandma Li, stop," Li Bo gently interrupted her. He looked at her intently. "Grandma Li, have you forgotten how Second Uncle died?" ’Is Grandma Li really getting that senile?’ ℯⅇ𝙡.

Looking at the five speechless elders, Li Bo shook his head in resignation. ’What a ridiculous situation. It’s truly a waste for someone of Eldest Brother’s caliber to have been born into our Li family.’

Li Yuan timidly glanced up at the elders, then peeked at her younger brother. Lowering her head, she said softly, "Everything Eldest Brother has today, he earned it all himself. The Li family gave him no help whatsoever. Back when the family assets were split, weren’t the lines drawn clearly? Now, whether it’s for our first branch, the third branch, or even the second, if Eldest Brother helps, it’s a kindness. If he doesn’t, it’s perfectly just. Besides, regarding how Second Uncle died... all the Liu family members are well aware. How do they have the nerve to ask Eldest Brother for anything!"

Li Bo sneered. "Nerve? You think they still have any of that left? Sis, you’re giving them way too much credit."

After a long moment of stunned silence, Aunt Li looked at her young nephew, a wry expression on her face. "You little devil," she said. "No wonder your three older brothers always say you’re the one in the Li family who truly sees the big picture. We’re not as heartless as you think, you know. We were just agonizing over how to bring this up with your grandma, since she’s getting on in years. But you... you just went and gave every single elder, including your grandma, a piece of your mind. If your Eldest Brother finds out about this, you just wait. He’ll deal with you!"

"Aunt Li, was I wrong? They’re just bullying Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law because they’re too nice!" Li Bo mumbled, glancing at her. ’He knew, of course, that his parents and his third aunt and uncle weren’t part of this scheme, but they hadn’t done anything to stop Grandma Li, either!’

No matter how clever he was, Li Bo was still just a teenager. The elders knew exactly what was on his mind; they had just been too stunned by his verbal assault to react right away.

"Alright now, go on and play with your sister," Aunt Li said, shooting Li Bo a meaningful look. ’Her nephew was right about everything, but he had been far too blunt, especially with Grandma Li. She was afraid Eldest Li would be furious with him, so she quickly stepped in to shield the boy.’

Hearing Aunt Li, Li Yuan quickly pulled her brother to hide behind their aunt and uncle, sitting down obediently. ’Her brother’s rant had been immensely satisfying, and he had said everything that needed to be said, but sometimes elders don’t bother with reason. If they really decided to punish him, she wouldn’t be able to protect him. Now that their aunt was offering cover, she had to help him take it!’

Seeing the now-timid brother and sister, Aunt Li couldn’t help but smile. She turned to Grandma Li. "Mom, this is actually my fault, and my eldest sister-in-law’s too. We should have talked to you about this sooner, but we didn’t expect our nephew to come back so early this year. Mom, he’s had it rough. Let’s just abandon the second branch. Like Xiao Bo said, we can’t sacrifice the Li family’s finest scion for the sake of those people!"