Chapter 357 - 354: Li Cui

Chapter 357: Chapter 354: Li Cui

"I know," Grandma Li said, wiping away a tear and looking aggrieved. "This morning, Fang told me. Their family has had it so hard in the Capital City all these years. My eldest grandson is under too much mental strain. The doctor said if he doesn’t rest properly, it could shorten his life. And my granddaughter-in-law fell gravely ill from exhaustion and now has chronic health problems. They say she can’t handle any great shock, anger, or grief. My heart aches for them so much. I never planned on letting them know about this. I just came to tell you all not to let it slip!"

’I’d already figured it out this morning. Who knew my own grandson would start laying into me before I even got through the door! It was just a moment of weakness. I’m not senile yet, am I? Besides, my eldest grandson is the one I dote on the most!’

Watching his grandmother wipe away tears while crying foul, Li Bo rubbed his forehead. He had a splitting headache. ’What is all this? The way Grandma’s acting, she’s clearly trying to get my dad and Third Uncle to punish me! And for what? I wasn’t wrong. Fine, maybe I was a little *too* blunt!’

Eldest Li’s face darkened as he glared at Li Bo. Frowning, he snapped, "You brat! Get over here and apologize to your grandmother. Such disrespect..."

"Dad, what did my little brother do to upset you now?" Li Cui said, pushing the door open. She glanced at everyone in the room before her eyes landed on Eldest Li, a smile on her face. "Tell me about it. I’ll take care of him. You just need to calm down. Don’t work yourself up and get sick." 𝖋𝙧ⅇ

Seeing Li Cui, Eldest Li’s expression softened. He reined in his anger and said, "Cui, you’re back. Stay out of this. This kid has gotten completely..."

"Dad, wait a second," Li Cui said urgently, cutting her grim-faced father off without batting an eye. "It’s perfect that Grandma, Third Uncle, and Aunt Li are all here. I have something important to tell everyone!"

Looking at the elders gathered in the house, Li Cui knew what this was about. Her father wanting to punish her brother was likely over the same issue. ’My brother must have found something out and gotten angry. Dad told him to apologize to Grandma, which means he confronted her directly. Heh, the kid did a good job!’

Knowing her daughter was always level-headed, and seeing how anxious she was, Aunt Li figured it must be something important. She looked at Li Cui with a gentle expression and asked, "What is it that’s so urgent? Go on, tell us!"

"I went to see Third Sister and Sister Gui, and I heard the second branch of the family is stirring up trouble again. They’re planning to make Second Aunt go live with Eldest Brother in the Capital City for her retirement! How come none of you—Grandma, Dad, Third Uncle—are doing anything about this? Are you planning to let them torment my brother and sister-in-law to death? I’ve seen some shameless people in my life, but never anyone this shameless! Grandma, are you sure Second Uncle was your biological son? No, wait, he must have been. Otherwise, how could he have fathered someone as gentlemanly and outstanding as my eldest brother? It must be that the rest of them aren’t Second Uncle’s biological kids!"

Ignoring the shock that rippled through the room, Li Cui continued in a slow, deliberate voice, "To be honest, no one would believe they were his real kids anyway. My eldest brother is a true gentleman, as gentle as jade, but what are those people from the second branch? Scum. Grandma, are you sure they weren’t fished out of a cesspool? Tell me, Grandma, it’s normal for people to be selfish. ’Humans die for wealth as birds die for food,’ as they say. But to knowingly do something that hurts others without even benefiting yourself... Grandma, what in the world is going on inside their heads?"

Li Yuan and Li Bo stared, dumbfounded, at their fourth sister. Her words were sharp as daggers, yet her face held a smile and her voice was soft and pleasant. After a long moment, they both pressed their foreheads into the backs of their third uncle and aunt, trying to stifle their laughter. ’Wow, Fourth Sister really let them have it,’ Li Yuan thought. ’A whole speech full of insults without a single curse word. She’s incredible! No wonder she and Sister-in-law studied the same thing.’ Li Yuan’s eyes darted about. ’I’m a liberal arts major, too. Maybe I should switch to that field. It seems pretty awesome!’

"Cui, you... no, that’s... wait. Where did you hear this? That your second aunt is... is going to the Capital City with your brother to retire!" Aunt Li asked, stammering, having lost her usual composure for once. ’This could be a huge deal. Her nephew had sworn that he and his mother would never see each other again as long as they lived!’

Li Cui smiled and said calmly, "Half the village knows already. Don’t tell me you all are just finding out."

"Cui, we really didn’t know about this!" Aunt Li said, on the verge of tears. ’What a mess! I thought the second branch had just convinced my mother-in-law to ask her nephew for a little help. I can’t believe they’re pulling such a shameless stunt!’

The faces of Eldest Li and Third Brother Li instantly darkened. ’The second branch is digging their own graves,’ Eldest Li thought. ’It’ll be a miracle if Li Xiu lets them off easy this time. Forget it. Let them do as they please. A bunch of ungrateful fools!’

Grandma Li was stunned for a long moment. Finally, she heaved a long sigh and said softly, "No one get involved. Just let it be. Let them dig their own graves."

Seeing her elders’ reactions, Li Cui lowered her head, a satisfied smirk tugging at her lips. ’That’s the right reaction,’ she thought. She had always kept the second branch at arm’s length. They weren’t her kind of people; their values were completely different, and she couldn’t stand the sight of them. She had only restrained herself out of politeness. Now that a perfect opportunity had fallen into her lap, there was no way she was letting them off the hook.

Don’t forget, Li Xiu himself had once praised Li Cui. Of the nine sisters among the three branches of the Li family, he’d said Li Cui was the most "inwardly sharp." And the last person to be praised by her own sister for being "inwardly sharp" was none other than Zhou Lian!

"Grandma, don’t dwell on it," Li Cui said, her tone a mix of consolation and incitement. "After all, you can never truly know what’s in a person’s heart. Besides, they aren’t that close to you, so it’s easy for them to plot against you. And besides... heh, I can’t even be bothered to talk about them anymore. Grandma, you don’t have to worry. With Eldest Brother looking out for us, none of us kids will get out of line. If anyone dared to even try, forget our brother—our sister-in-law alone would put us in our place so fast we’d be questioning our own existence!"

Looking at the granddaughter beside her, Grandma Li asked in a hoarse voice, "So a lot of people know? What are the villagers saying?"

"I’m not sure exactly what the villagers are saying," Li Cui said nonchalantly, "but everyone around my third sister and Sister Gui has been denying the rumor. After all, it’s common knowledge that when Second Uncle died, our brother swore he and his mother would never see each other again as long as they lived. Besides, given how our brother and sister-in-law have behaved over the years, very few people would actually believe they’d take Second Aunt to the Capital City to retire."

’There are very few real fools in this world; most people just pretend to be,’ she thought. ’And as for those straw-brained idiots from the second branch, trying to scheme against my brother and sister-in-law in such a disgusting way... they really won’t learn until they feel the pain for themselves.’

At that moment, Aunt Li glanced up at Li Cui and gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head. ’A mother knows her daughter best,’ she thought. ’This fourth daughter of mine is really something else, completely flustering all the elders. It seems she’s learned quite a bit from her brother and sister-in-law in the Capital City. I certainly don’t believe they teach these kinds of skills in university!’

"Oh, that’s good, that’s good," Grandma Li said with a sigh. "If your brother and sister-in-law were to find out about this... well, just let things run their course." ’How could they possibly not find out?’ she thought. ’Forget it. I’m old. I’m not going to meddle anymore. I’m not getting involved in anything. People must bear the consequences of their own actions. The old saying is right: your children will make their own way in life, so don’t wear yourself out for their sake.’