Chapter 1684 - 306:

Li Sanjiang also went to help; by then Liu Jinxia had already entered the trade, and he just accompanied her to sit in abstinence, Shan Pao was there too.

As a result, Li Sanjiang had three more nights of nightmares.

Shan Pao was even more unlucky—on the way back to West Pavilion he was hit by a car, and the driver fled the scene.

Luckily, that time Shan Pao was leading Run Sheng back and forth; little Run Sheng first begged nearby villagers to use an ox cart to send his grandpa to the clinic, then ran home in one breath to borrow money from himself to pay the hospitalization fee.

Over this matter, Shan Pao always blamed it on himself, thinking it was because of him that it happened, since whenever anyone shared a shift with him, nothing good ever came of it.

In the past, Li Sanjiang would always curse back, but that one time he let Shan Pao blame him as he pleased, just kept his head down smoking, offering no explanation.

Actually, Liu Xiazi herself understood this matter in her own heart.

Otherwise, after all these years, how could she have never found another husband for her daughter?

Though her family had a bad reputation, their household conditions were good; more importantly, Xiang Hou was young and pretty— even now, since she didn't have to work in the fields, Xiang Hou was still one of the best-looking women in the village.

If they really wanted to bring in a husband, even if he didn't care about money and only cared about looks, there would still be a bunch of men willing to jump in.

Back when it was about herself, Liu Xiazi still refused to accept her fate, but when the same thing happened to her daughter, she understood too.

Downing another cup of liquor, Old Tian let out a sigh and said, "Can't blame her, she didn't want this either, we're all just bitter-fated folks, real pitiful."

Li Sanjiang's neck shrank back a bit: "If you say she's pitiful to her face, she'll splash manure on you."

Old Tian: "Huh?"

"These years, Liu Xiazi's temper has mellowed some; if it was back when she was raising her girl alone, the stock in her earthenware tank—let alone fertilizing the fields—wouldn't even be enough for all the people she wanted to splash.

I remember once there was some bastard in the village who, after drinking, said she was just a widow with a girl and might as well move into his room to live, serve him together with his wife.

That very night, Liu Xiazi pushed a manure cart over to his place and from the yard to the walls gave his house a brand-new 'plaster job.'"

Old Tian: "Hehehehe."

Li Sanjiang: "What are you laughing at?"

Old Tian: "Without that kind of temper, she really wouldn't have made it through these bitter days."

"You're really drunk."

"I'm not drunk, don't believe it? Come on, keep drinking!"

"Who's afraid of who, drink!"

...

After dinner, a tipsy Li Sanjiang was carried back to his room by Run Sheng, while Zhao Yi carried the equally drunk Old Tian over to Big Beard's house to rest.

When the two old men parted, Li Sanjiang was still muttering drunkenly:

"Don't get worked up, don't be impulsive..."

Old Tian was also waving his hand as he slurred:

"Nobody's got it easy, nobody's got it easy..."

Li Juxiang helped Aunt Liu tidy up, while Cui Cui went up to the second-floor terrace and watched Brother Xiao Yuan and Sister A Li playing chess under the starry sky.

Liu Yumei held a cup of tea in her hands, leaning there, while Liu Jinxia fanned away mosquitoes for the two with a palm-leaf fan as she recounted her experiences from the day.

Her storytelling came with an emotional buildup, and by the end, Liu Jinxia was almost crying as she said:

"Sister Liu, tell me, how is my life this hard? Lived muddle-headed all these years, and only at this age did I find out about my own background, that my old home is in Anhui."

Liu Yumei took a sip of tea and said calmly, "Jiujiang is in Jiangxi."

Liu Jinxia's old face flushed red: "Oh, my old home is in Jiangxi."

At her age, she only remembered Nantong and two or three nearby cities; she hadn't even figured out all the place names within the province, let alone anything outside—the rest was just a complete blank.

"So you planning to look for your family or not?"

"Look for what family? I'll just treat it as that old bastard making up nonsense to disgust me before he died."

"Then just pretend it never happened and keep living your own life."

"That's what I was thinking too."

"Then head back to sleep early; tomorrow you've got mahjong to play. When you're with those two, you can introduce your hometown to them again."

That line amused Liu Jinxia, but she was too embarrassed to laugh outright, her face scrunched up like a chrysanthemum.

"Hehehe."

Liu Yumei did laugh as she stood up, pushed open the door, and walked into the East Room.

Aunt Liu came in after her with hot water, getting ready to draw a bath for the old lady.

"You're not going to chat with her a bit more? I think Aunt Liu really wants to keep talking; chances are she won't be able to sleep well tonight either."

Liu Yumei shook her head and said:

"I don't dare talk anymore."

Aunt Liu immediately sensed there was more to it: "What's wrong?"

"I just had a warning sign in my heart… cough, cough!"

Liu Yumei was seized by a fit of coughing; she covered her mouth with a handkerchief, and when she finished coughing, she saw blood on the cloth.

Aunt Liu said anxiously, "Y-you just adjusted your body with medicine, how are you coughing blood again? Did you secretly go look at Alii's artbook again?"

Liu Yumei frowned slightly; she didn't quite understand either:

"Didn't our Xiao Yuan just get back home?"

...

Liu Jinxia walked over to Li Juxiang and asked, "All cleaned up?"

"Mom, all done."

"Then call Cui Cui home."

"Cui Cui, come down, time to go home!"

"Okay, coming!"

Cui Cui came downstairs and went home with her mother and grandmother.

On the second-floor terrace, Li Zhiyuan's eyes were filled with contemplation.

Youngsters have good hearing; he naturally heard the chatter downstairs loud and clear, and once the place name "Jiujiang" appeared, it meant the nature of the matter had completely changed.

The third water channel had appeared in front of him just like that.

How much does the Heavenly Dao dislike the Zhao family, really?

He had just decided to make a move against the Zhao family, and the river water immediately rose to cooperate.

But the more it was like this, the more it meant that the Secret deep within the Zhao family was no simple thing.

Li Zhiyuan stood up and looked down at Lin Shuyou reading under the light bulb.