"Fourth brother, your sister-in-law and I appreciate your kindness, but as for the gifts, Yi Yi is too weak to handle those things."
Whether it was because he couldn't handle those things, or because he found them dirty, Li Laosi knew the answer in his heart.
He had lost face and was broke. After buying gifts for Fuqiang Minzhu and Li Fuyi, he had no money left. He even went to the scrap yard to look for some, but to his surprise, Li Yiyi refused to give him any.
What if it affects Li Laoda and Jiang Yuting's perception of him? We should have bought Li Fuyi cheaper things earlier.
Frustrated for a moment, Li Laosi immediately went back into the house.
There were two beds in the room. He couldn't stand sleeping with his four nephews, Fuqiang and Minzhu, so he asked Old Man Li to have Li Laosan set them up for him.
Thinking of the empty room next to Li Laoda's and his own current situation, Li Laosi lowered his eyes.
Finding a job was even harder than he had imagined. He asked many classmates to inquire, but he had neither money nor influence, and his only advantage was his good grades. Even if he had information about jobs, he might not be able to get them.
His family background became particularly prominent as graduation approached. No matter how outstanding he was, he couldn't compare to those with connections in the city. Unwilling to accept this, he could only slowly make plans.
The previous accountant of the brigade was retiring, and he needed to think it over carefully. Even if he did come back, he would never work in the fields. A hint of gloom mixed with resentment made Li Laosi's whole personality exceptionally gloomy, unlike his usual cheerful self.
After tidying up, Li Laosi went out to Li Laotou's house.
He couldn't afford to lose his only hope.
After saying something, Li Laosi emerged with a solemn yet slightly relieved expression, followed by Li Laotou and Li Laotai.
Then came the family meeting that evening. To be precise, Li Yiyi, Li Laoda, and Li Yi were called over by Old Man Li, who hoped for family harmony.
No matter how things escalated, Old Man Li always liked to deceive himself by trying to appease everyone and maintain a facade of harmony.
Sigh, my grandfather just loves to deceive himself; he can never wake someone who's truly awake.
[Go to my dad if you need anything, bully my dad if you don't. My dad is the workaholic of the year.]
Having experienced the family meeting for the second time, Li Yiyi was already familiar with the process. Nestled in Jiang Yuting's soft, fragrant embrace, she waited for Old Man Li to speak.
"Cough cough"
This familiar first step.
Li Laoda and Jiang Yuting's smiles widened, but they quickly suppressed them due to the serious expressions on Li Laotou and Li Laotai's faces.
"I've called you all together today to discuss Lao Si's job."
As he spoke, Old Man Li sized up his sons. A family needs harmony to go far; having their own selfish motives is unacceptable.
"Work? Has Dad found a job yet?"
Li Lao Er and Li Lao San have the same face that attracts attention, and Li Lao Si found a job; their family is the only one in the production team to have this.
"Not yet. I called you here to discuss this matter."
Li Lao Er and Li Lao San were slightly disappointed. Li Lao Da, seemingly casually playing with Li Yi Yi's little hand, was actually lost in thought.
His father is trying to buy Li Laosi a job.
His grandfather wanted to buy Li Laosi a job.
Li Yiyi and Li Laoda thought of the same thing at the same time. Li Laoda looked down at Li Yiyi, gazing at her with a tender and doting look.
As expected of his daughter, she's just as smart as him.
[Case solved. Li Laosi had a job before, it must have been because my father, that unjust son, adopted Yang Guowei for free, and Li Laotou had money, which is why he bought it for Li Laosi.]
[My father told him about the money, and Old Man Li couldn't keep it for himself. Even though they wanted to buy Li Laosi's job, the whole family had to agree. That's why Old Man Li called them over tonight.]
That's right, my daughter is so smart.
But let's not use the term "victim's offspring" anymore; he hasn't been one for many years. Besides, he's just withdrawing one of his fathers.
"Father, what do you want to discuss?"
Li Laosan looked somewhat unwilling. He wasn't stupid; he could vaguely guess what Li Laotou was thinking.
Getting to the point, Li Yiyi listened quietly, her noisy baby voice gone. Looking down, Li Laoda only saw Li Yiyi's focused little face.
I don't know who said his daughter was stupid and couldn't be raised.
No one is smarter than his daughter; she just likes to pretend and maintain her persona.
"Third brother, the fourth brother is the only hope of the family. Your father and mother discussed it and are seeing if they can buy a job for the fourth brother."
Li Laosan fell silent, consumed by jealousy. The family's only hope—and what was he? What was he?
Li Laosan's mind went astray; he felt that Li Laotou and Li Laotai were severely biased.
“I disagree. Dad, do you know how much it will cost to buy a job for the fourth son? Don’t you know how hard it is to find a job in the city? There’s no job available, let alone buying one.”
Li Laosan pinned his hopes on Li Laosi not finding a job, so that even if Old Man Li had his complaints, there would be nothing he could do.
Sigh, this family really can't live without my dad. Without him shouldering the burden, how could they have peace? I remember when Li Laosan found out Li Laosi had a job, he wasn't like this at all. He was overjoyed then, but when it came to paying for it, he was so reluctant.
Humans are naturally inclined to seek advantage and avoid harm.
Li Laoda ruffled Li Yiyi's hair, saying, "You're so young, thinking so much. Be careful you don't go bald."
Yang Guowei remained silent. In just a few months, he had learned to read people's expressions.
Watching Li Laosan and Li Laotou argue their case, I couldn't help but sneer inwardly. It's just a job, is it really worth arguing about?
"Third brother and fourth brother have news of job offers."
Old Li felt a surge of pride. Finding job information was incredibly difficult, yet his fourth son had managed to do it, which further solidified his resolve to buy a job for him.
"Dad, how much will that cost?"
News had arrived. Glancing out of the corner of his eye at Li Laosi, who remained silent beside Old Lady Li, Li Laosan felt he needed to reassess Li Laosi—was he truly as harmless as he appeared?
"Around six hundred."
"Six hundred!"
Not only was Li Laosan surprised, but Li Laoer was also restless, while Li Laoda remained expressionless.
Six hundred! I've saved up for so long and only have sixty yuan left. And this job costs six hundred!
Li Yiyi was shocked. Had she underestimated the value of money?
When Li Laoda and Jiang Yuting learned that their daughter had a secret stash of sixty yuan...
"Dad, I disagree. It's not that I don't want to help the fourth son, but if we take this money away, what will our family eat, drink, and use? Will the children still be able to go to school?"
Li Laosan firmly opposed it, saying that a smaller amount would allow him to do someone a favor and gain favor with Li Laotou.
Six hundred? Absolutely not.
Based on his understanding of Old Man Li and Old Woman Li, he knew they definitely didn't have six hundred yuan at home; at most, they had a little over four hundred, even including the money they took from Yang Guowei's house.
“Dad, we can help if it’s a little less. After all, we’re brothers. It’s a good thing for us if our fourth brother has a job. If he becomes successful, he can also help Jiafu and Jiaqiang. But six hundred is really too much.”
Li Lao Er is no longer pretending to be an honest man; with so much money involved, he can't keep up the act anymore.
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