“Old woman, from now on, we will search the rooms regularly. No one is allowed to keep any private money. All things and money must be handed over. For meals, you will eat cornbread and drink wild vegetable soup. This will end when you hand over the gold.”
Since they don't want to hand over the gold, then we'll all suffer together. He can't guess who took it, so we'll all be punished. It's possible it was Li Lao Er, Li Lao San, and Li Lao Si who did it together.
He wouldn't stop until he saved up the money for the gold. Glancing at Li Yi and the others out of the corner of his eye, Old Man Li sighed.
"The eldest son's family doesn't need it; the matter of gold is none of their concern."
Thinking back to his three troublesome sons, and then looking at the eldest son, Li, in front of him...
Old Li felt a pang of regret. Perhaps he and his wife had done something wrong. How could his eldest son be so heartless? The problems of the older generation shouldn't be blamed on him.
"Boss, Dad will..."
Old Li couldn't bring himself to say anything sentimental. Looking at Old Li's face, he patted his shoulder, convinced he had made himself clear.
Boss Li: ? ? ?
[Dad, what's going on? Has Old Man Li had a change of heart?]
Knowing his three sons are unreliable, he's starting to court you.
[Father, you mustn't be fooled. You must know that a person's nature is hard to change. There's a saying, "It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature."]
[Old Li is nice to you now, but once his anger subsides and he reconciles with Li Laosan and the others, you'll be just a roadside weed again.]
"Father, Old Man Li has a family."
Domestic grass, wild grass
Homegrown flowers, wildflowers
My daughter's analogy is brilliant. What does she take him for? Someone she can summon and dismiss at will? Don't worry, he's already realized it and won't fall for it.
Looking down at Li Yiyi, Old Man Li gave her a reassuring look, which Li Yiyi didn't receive. Old Man Li misunderstood, thinking that Old Man Li was moved and lowered his head in embarrassment.
Over the years, he had wronged Li Laoda. Turning his back, Old Man Li decided to give Li Laoda some time to process his mistakes.
"Second brother, third brother, fourth brother, do you have any objections? If you do, hand over the gold. If you don't, keep it to yourselves."
He scanned each face, but remained unmoved. Old Man Li was truly disappointed.
Are they really willing to throw away their years-long father-son relationship for a little gold?
How could Li Lao Er, Li Lao San, and Li Lao Si not have objections? But the gold really wasn't on them.
"Third and fourth sons, just take out the gold. Don't break your father's heart."
"Hmph," Li Laosan said, displeased with what Li Laoer had said.
"Second brother, I haven't said yet, but you were the first to know about the gold, so you're the most likely one to have taken it. You'd better be sensible."
He turned around and pointed directly at Li Laosi.
"Fourth brother and you, don't think you can get rid of suspicion just because you're good at pretending."
Facing two opponents alone, neither Li Lao Er nor Li Lao Si could be trusted by Li Lao San.
"Second Brother, Third Brother, don't be so absolute. If you two didn't take the gold, I'll go and eat shit upside down right now. Don't try to pin this on me. I, Li Laosi, will not accept this injustice."
[Eating poop upside down? Does anyone actually know how to do that? Is it like a cat doing a backflip?]
Indeed, to be loved, one must possess a skill; even cats are no exception.
Perhaps Li Laosi's reaction was too intense, earning a glance from Li Laotou, and Li Laoer and Li Laosan felt a chill run down their spines.
"Fourth brother, why are you in such a hurry? Did someone see through your thoughts?"
"Fourth brother, it would have been better if you hadn't said anything. The moment you did, I started to think you were very suspicious. You almost fell into the cesspool, and then you immediately used it as an example. It's really hard not to suspect you."
The two of them, working together, actually made a lot of sense, so Old Man Li immediately shifted his gaze.
"That's enough, stop talking. No matter who took it, I just want to see the results, I don't want to hear what you have to say."
He left in a huff, his head buzzing. Those three grown men, their voices more infuriating than mosquitoes.
Li Laoda and Li Yi looked at each other and saw the word "satisfaction" in each other's eyes.
They achieved the desired effect, so how could they not be satisfied!
[Excellent, excellent! The simpler the plan, the better the results.]
To summarize this operation, I am very satisfied, and I will continue to strive for excellence next time.
We'll take the gold, but you can take the blame!
[Having plenty of strength is pointless; it's better to keep it.]
The daughter is right, and Li Laoda agrees.
Unexpectedly, the fire didn't reach him; he had thought Li Lao Er would bite him to death in turn.
Not bad, not bad at all, really very good.
She leisurely carried her daughter into the main room. Old Mrs. Li had already cooked breakfast. Just as Old Mr. Li had said, the second and third wives' bowls and Li Lao Si's bowls only contained cornbread and wild vegetable porridge.
Their bowls, and Old Li's bowl, contained the rare sight of white rice; the contrast between white, black, and green was striking.
Let's eat!
As Li Yi ate her white rice, she thought to herself that she wouldn't need an extra meal this morning.
Everyone finished breakfast without saying a word.
Old Li had a plan in mind. He would do it for one meal, two meals, and every meal. He didn't believe that the second and third wives would be able to endure it. He would just wait for the right opportunity to reap the benefits.
Old Man Li couldn't say who he suspected most; it could be Li Lao Er, Li Lao San, or Li Lao Si.
After dinner, it was time to go to work. As usual, Boss Li was about to say goodbye to Li Yiyi and Jiang Yuting before leaving.
Before he could even take a step, Yang Guowei stopped him.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
