Chapter 60 Li Yi
Chen Yun dismissed the children's thoughts with a smile.
Although they were only separated by a wall, the Li family, who were arrogant and looked down on others, ignored Li Shuaishuai and might not even recognize him if they bumped into him.
Besides, what a coincidence! Chen Yun hadn't even seen what Li Zhong looked like in the past two weeks.
"..."
"Old Li, where are you going?!"
As luck would have it, someone called out Li Zhong's name as soon as he stepped out the door.
Li Zhong, carrying groceries in one hand and a birdcage in the other, whistled loudly at the man: "Going out for a bird walk and buying some groceries on the way, Lao Liu, what are you up to?"
The old man, known as Lao Liu, had eaten at the Gao family's house. He glanced at a few brightly colored things that were getting closer and closer, and subconsciously turned his head to look into the alley.
Upon seeing this, his expression immediately became quite interesting, and he even deliberately raised his voice: "Xiao Chen, where are you taking these kids?"
"Let's go to the noodle shop near the entrance. I heard that the fried sauce noodles in the north of the city are very famous. Let's take the kids to check it out," Chen Yun replied loudly.
"Li Huguo's wife didn't come today, so why are you with Shuai Shuai?"
Uncle Liu loved to join in the fun, and within a few sentences he would start mentioning Li Huguo, and even patted Shuai Shuai's head.
Everyone in the alley said that Li Zhong was a "fool". His own son had been living with his old neighbor for so long and he didn't care about him at all. He was really heartless!
"Shuai Shuai's mom isn't home." Chen Yun patted Gao Nian'an's braid: "Aren't you going to greet her?"
"Hello, Grandpa Liu." Gao Nian'an greeted him obediently, not forgetting to set an example for his two younger brothers.
The two chubby little boys also shook their heads and called out to people.
Her eyes curved into crescent shapes, and her chubby cheeks were soft, pink, and tender. No elder could dislike a few little babies.
Grandpa Liu was no exception. He gently patted Gao Nianping's head with his big hand and said, "I hope my son can give me a few adorable grandsons like these in the future..." As he spoke, he glanced at Li Zhong out of the corner of his eye.
Li Zhong's face was square with a rounded shape, and most of his hair had turned white. The corners of his mouth were slightly downturned, as if being serious and unsmiling for a long time had become a habit.
My most cherished birdcage was somehow placed on the ground.
With a snap.
The vegetable basket fell to the ground at her feet, and several potatoes rolled out, tumbling towards the low-lying corner of the wall.
"Potato!"
Several figures chased after it, clumsily trying to make the potato stop by shouting for it to stop.
Unfortunately, the potato rolled further and further away and was not caught by the three siblings. It finally came to a stop when it crashed into a pile of firewood by the roadside.
Panting, Li Shuai squatted down, his chubby little hands struggling to lift what he considered the world's largest potato. He huffed and puffed as he followed Gao Nian'an toward Li Zhong.
His snow-white clothes were stained with large mud stains. He had long forgotten his plans before leaving home. At this moment, all Sanwa could think about was helping others.
Little did they know... the person they were helping was none other than their most hated grandfather, Li Shuaishuai.
They didn't know what Li Shuaishuai's grandfather's name was, nor did they see what he looked like.
They dislike Grandpa Li Shuaishuai, not the Grandpa Li carrying the birdcage in front of them.
Gao Nian'an put the potatoes back in the basket: "Grandpa, we've brought back the potatoes!"
Li Shuaishuai and Gao Nianping were also very happy to have done a good deed as soon as they left home. After putting down the potatoes, the two of them shyly rushed to Chen Yun's side.
"Uncle Liu, which uncle in the alley is this?" Chen Yun caught the two children and looked at Li Zhong as if he didn't recognize him: "My eyesight isn't good. I can't remember who someone looks like."
Gao Nianping raised his hand: "Mom, you have to wash your hands before you can eat."
Li Shuaishuai quickly followed suit: "Aunt Chen can only eat after washing her hands."
"Then let my sister take you to wash your hands in the yard first, and I'll talk to Grandpa Liu for a while."
"Let's go!" Gao Nian'an gave the order, and the three of them flew back to the courtyard like birds.
Once the children left, Uncle Liu's smile faded: "It's normal that you don't recognize Li Huguo's father."
Chen Yun: "..."
She didn't speak, but looked at Li Zhong with an indescribable expression before quickly looking away.
"I'm not trying to be mean!" Uncle Liu immediately turned his attention to Li Zhong: "What a wonderful girl Huguo's wife is! Look how well she's raised Shuai Shuai... How can your thinking be stuck in the past?"
A hundred years ago, marriage required matching social status; ten years ago, it required being of the same social class; but nowadays, young people are free to choose their partners, and the older generation's ideas are outdated!
"Li Huguo is a junior! Does he really need to be invited home by his father?"
After a long pause, Li Zhong finally managed to squeeze out a dry, uninspired remark.
"Weren't you kicked out by Aunt Fang ten days ago?" Chen Yun replied with a smile, "She even said she didn't recognize Ruanqiu and Li Shuaishuai as members of the Li family."
Li Zhong: "..."
Li Zhong and his wife disliked Ruanqiu, especially Li Huguo's mother, Aunt Fang. Chen Yun sometimes wondered how someone could be so stubborn as to refuse to bow down even for more than ten years.
"His mother was just saying that out of anger!" Li Zhong awkwardly looked away.
If the couple had brought Li Shuaishuai back that day, how could the old man have kicked him out of the house in a fit of anger just because Ruanqiu called her "Mom" or "Auntie"?
And so... today, the moment he saw his grandson, he couldn't take his eyes off him. He even followed his grandson's back as he ran into the house.
What a beautiful child!
He has a robust and muscular appearance, and his small arms and legs look strong; he's definitely Old Li's son!
"I didn't see if it was just angry talk, but Li Huguo was furious when he came back." Chen Yun gestured towards his own courtyard gate, his eyes narrowing slightly with disdain: "Even Li Shuaishuai knows that his grandparents don't like him."
"Mom, we've washed our hands!"
"Aunt Chen, let's go eat noodles! Shuai Shuai is hungry..."
Chen Yun withdrew her gaze: "Then let's go eat noodles first, the children haven't had breakfast yet."
"Shuai Shuai." Li Zhong unconsciously called out his grandson's name. When Li Shuai Shuai turned around, he quickly said, "Grandpa's house has big dumplings. Let's go to Grandpa's house to eat?"
"..."
Instead of the expected happy agreement, Li Shuaishuai stared wide-eyed in horror.
Gao Nian'an spread his arms and pulled Li Shuaishuai behind him, looking at Li Zhong with suspicion in his eyes: "We don't know you well, why did you invite Shuaishuai to your house for dinner!"
"They only call Li Shuaishuai and not us!" Gao Nianping questioned, "They must think Li Shuaishuai is the easiest to fool."
The experience on the train made the three children extremely surprised by the stranger's sudden enthusiasm. At that moment, Li Zhong seemed as suspicious to them as a human trafficker in disguise.
The three of them held hands and immediately retreated behind Chen Yun.
Li Zhong patted his chest as he went to the market: "Shuai Shuai, I'm your own grandfather! Your father, Li Huguo, is my son."
They were only suspicious until they heard that he was Li Shuaishuai's grandfather, and the three children's expressions instantly became even more resistant.
Li Shuaishuai wrinkled his nose and tugged at Chen Yun's sleeve: "Aunt Chen, let's go quickly."
Chen Yun smiled and said, "Then we'll be going now. See you later, Uncle Liu!"
"Slow down! Slow down!" Uncle Liu smiled and waved at the backs of the children who had run ahead, while also sarcastically remarking to his old neighbor, "Don't underestimate these kids, they can tell right from wrong."
After saying that, he walked slowly toward his own yard with his hands behind his back.
Li Zhong stood there in a daze for a long time, until Li Shuaishuai's figure was completely out of sight before bitterly picking up his things and walking into the yard.
The Li family lived in a courtyard with three households, all of whom were related by blood.
"Brother!" Li Zhong's younger brother, Li Yi, asked curiously when he saw his older brother come home with a long face, "Did you get ripped off at the grocery store?"
"No."
Li Zhong returned listlessly, casually hung the birdcage on the jujube tree, and then lazily lay down on the rocking chair under the eaves.
"Then why are you sighing!" Li Yi wiped the cricket jar, his expression quite focused: "The only things that could make you unhappy are that broken bird and buying groceries at too high a price."
Li Zhong came from a well-off family when he was young, and he and his brother developed their own hobbies from childhood.
Li Zhong likes birds, and Li Yi loves raising crickets.
"I ran into Gao Tiejun's second daughter-in-law at the gate." Li Zhong looked up at the sky and couldn't help but think of the chubby Li Shuaishuai: "She took three children out to eat noodles with soybean paste."
"So what if we run into each other? Why are you sighing?" Li Yi said, puzzled.
Gao Ming and his wife are celebrities in Guanming Hutong. I heard they are also doctors who specialize in treating children. Li Yi has seen them twice... They do raise children very well.
“Shuai Shuai is here too,” Li Zhong said.
"Who is Shuai Shuai?" Li Yi clicked his tongue twice and asked teasingly as the cricket grass between his fingers fell into the jar. "Could he be the son of Huguo?"
Li Zhong remained silent, only sighing repeatedly.
Li Yi was delighted. Unlike his conservative older brother and sister-in-law, he had supported Li Huguo bringing his girlfriend home more than a decade ago.
"You must be regretting driving Huguo and his wife away now that you've seen your grandson."
To everyone's surprise, Li Zhong nodded.
"You didn't see how much Shuai Shuai looks like Huguo, and the kid is so polite..."
Li Yi was gloating, listening to Li Zhong ramble on for a long time without saying a word.
The Li family has dwindled in number with each generation, and by the time it came to the two brothers, there were only three children.
Li Zhong has two sons and only one child. His sons have long since moved abroad with their families, leaving the old man alone in Beicheng.
As a result, the number of descendants dwindled even further by the time the grandchildren reached their generation.
Li Zhong's eldest son, Li Humin, had a daughter. The girl usually lived with her parents in an apartment building in the city and only returned to Guanming Hutong on weekends.
My cousin across the street has two grandsons, but the children live with their parents thousands of miles away, so I never see their faces.
On weekdays, only a few old folks come and go in the courtyard, and it's been years since we've heard children laugh.
“It’s all your sister-in-law’s fault,” Li Zhong said.
"If you're so capable, say it to your sister-in-law's face." Li Yi tilted his head towards the kitchen: "My sister-in-law is home."
"The thought of my grandson calling Gao Tiejun 'Grandpa' every day makes me feel sad."
"We need to find a way to get Huguo to move back home."
"Give me some advice!" Li Zhong wanted to throw away Li Yi's cricket jar. "How can I get your sister-in-law to admit her mistake? I won't be able to sleep tonight if this isn't resolved."
"Ouch!"
Li Yi hurriedly protected the cricket jar that was about to slip off the table, and carefully placed the jar a little further away before sitting down and speaking.
"It's my birthday next week, and I've invited Lao Gao's whole family."
“I know you have a good relationship with Lao Gao, but what does that have to do with Huguo and his family of three?”
"Do you think... the Protectorate will come to Uncle's birthday party?"
Li Zhong: "..."
Li Huguo and Li Yi have been close since childhood. Li Huguo would definitely come to his second uncle's birthday banquet, and he would bring his whole family with him.
"Let's not say anything, just let your sister-in-law see for herself."
No matter how much you say, it will go in one ear and out the other. Only seeing it with your own eyes will have a real impact. Li Yi didn't believe that his sister-in-law would still have that mean face after seeing her grandson.
"It'll have to be next week!" Li Zhong complained.
Li Yicai ignored him, picked up his beloved cricket jar, and quickly moved to another spot.
This week, Li Zhong felt that time was passing exceptionally long.
He heard that Gao Nian'an had become familiar with the children in the alley and often took his two younger brothers to play at the local temple. Whenever he heard someone from next door say they were going out to play, he would immediately follow them.
Unfortunately, every time I greeted the children, all I saw were their backs as they ran away.
Despite being criticized every day, Li Zhong remained enthusiastic.
It wasn't until Gao Tiejun saw Li Zhong sneaking around and peeking at their house after get off work that Li Huguo and his wife found out about it.
A bird that's gone three days without eating nine meals...
Finally, the day Li Yi was to hold his birthday banquet arrived.
The Li family ancestors were from the south, and there is a custom of celebrating male birthdays on the ninth day of the lunar month, but not on the tenth.
Therefore, when Li Yi was fifty-nine, he held a grand banquet, but when he was sixty, he only had a meal with a few close families, and he hired a chef from the alley who specialized in weddings and funerals to cook the dishes.
The chef is only responsible for cooking; the rest, such as washing and chopping, must be done by finding someone else.
Li Yi's wife died early, and his son was not around, so the chores that should have been done by the family members all fell on his sister-in-law, Aunt Fang.
The day before, she went door to door with peanut candy, asking for help. When she arrived at the Gao family's house, she hesitated for a moment but still went in.
However, only Gao Tiejun and Dong Qiaoying, the two elders, were at home; the younger generation were all busy with their own things and not at home.
While feeling relieved, Aunt Fang also felt a little disappointed.
No matter how well Li Zhong pretended, she, his wife of several decades, could still tell, let alone the fact that he wasn't hiding anything at all.
He would sneak off to peek, then come back feeling upset and sighing.
After a while, Aunt Fang's curiosity was piqued, and she would subconsciously glance into the alley whenever she went out.
On the morning of Li Yi's birthday, Dong Qiaoying took Chen Yun to help out next door, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were responsible for picking vegetables.
"Your father's relationship with Li Zhong is so-so, but he's close to Li Yi..."
Before leaving, Dong Qiaoying specifically told Chen Yun and Ruan Qiu the reason for going to help.
In the early years, when life was really tough, Gao Tiejun and Li Yi would go out into the mountains overnight to secretly hunt and pick wild fruits. The two of them went every week, and it was thanks to those things that the two families managed to get through the difficult times.
Gao Tiejun couldn't go to the black market because of his status, so Li Yi helped him run errands to exchange rice and flour. Anyway, the two were closer than brothers.
"Then why didn't we see Uncle Li Yi on the day we hosted a dinner party?" Chen Yun asked.
“He went to Shanghai to see his son and only came back last week,” Dong Qiaoying said.
Mentioning Li Yi's son, Dong Qiaoying, he shook his head. It's a good thing that the child is successful, but if he has no conscience, all his success is in vain.
Fifteen years ago, it was big news in the alley when Li Yi's son was sent abroad to study on official business. Everyone who heard about it envied Li Yi for raising such a good son.
Before they could even enjoy their happiness for two years, news came that their son refused to return to China and chose to stay abroad.
Because of their son's actions, the Li family members were frequently paraded through the streets and subjected to public criticism. If it weren't for Li Yi's public announcement of severing ties with his son, and the help of Li's relatives, Li Zhong and his wife would have lost their jobs.
Because of this incident, Li Yi's wife fell ill and died prematurely, leaving Li Yi to live with his elder brother and sister-in-law.
"Li Zhong and his wife were just muddle-headed when it came to protecting the country. If they were really bad, they would have distanced themselves from Li Yi long ago when he got into trouble... Before Li Yi's wife died, it was Lao Fang who took care of her every need. We outsiders couldn't say a bad word about her!"
Dong Qiaoying and Li Zhong had known each other for decades, so she certainly knew their character much better than Chen Yun and Ruan Qiu did.
Ruanqiu felt as if she were hearing a completely different person. She couldn't reconcile the cursing mother-in-law with the kind sister-in-law who took care of her brother's wife.
"The reason why Lao Fang opposed Ruanqiu's marriage to Li Huguo was actually because he was afraid that he would follow in Li Yi's footsteps... But Lao Fang's stubbornness is also true."
If we were less stubborn, we would have long ago enjoyed the happiness of being surrounded by our children and grandchildren.
As she spoke, Dong Qiaoying secretly glanced at Chen Yun.
When Gao Ming wanted to marry Chen Yun, she was actually somewhat unwilling. She often dreamed about the scene of Li Yi being hit on the head by a stone and bleeding profusely in his early years.
Later, it was Gao Tiejun who persuaded her to finally understand that as long as her son was willing, their blessings as parents were enough.
Moreover, the eldest daughter-in-law's condition was much more serious than Chen Yun's.
Chen Yun never expected that her seemingly open-minded in-laws had actually gone through a lot of emotional ups and downs, and she was secretly amazed as she listened.
Human nature is truly complex; kindness and meanness can coexist in the same person.
There were already quite a few people helping out in the yard, scattered in twos and threes.
"Old Dong, you've finally decided to take your second daughter-in-law out!"
As soon as she entered the courtyard, Chen Yun, who was still considered a new bride by the aunties, inevitably received a barrage of teasing.
"It seems my son Chen calls her 'Auntie' all the time, but she's just calling her a roadside yellow dog. She calls her 'Auntie' this and 'Auntie' that all the time, but in the end, she doesn't even acknowledge it!"
Chen Yun and Ruan Qiu nodded and sat down honestly with smiles; they couldn't very well join in the joking around.
It's all just jokes among peers; the younger generation can just laugh it off.
"screw you."
The aunt laughed heartily, not taking the joke to heart at all.
"When is Xiao Chen going to work?"
"the day after tomorrow."
A month is neither long nor short.
It seems like a month has passed without even exploring Guanming Hutong. During this time, many major events have occurred, and he personally sent a whole bunch of beasts to prison.
Chen Yun will officially report to the hospital next Monday, which is also the time for Gao Nian'an's entrance exam.
"Is this Li Huguo's wife?"
Chen Yun likes to take the children out for a stroll whenever she has free time, while Ruanqiu likes to stay at home doing knitting or listening to the radio.
So most of the aunties in the alley knew Chen Yun, but not many had seen Ruan Qiu's face.
"I am Li Huguo's wife," Ruanqiu said with a shy smile.
"And what about your handsome son?"
Speaking of Shuai Shuai, a group of chattering children rushed into the courtyard, among them were Li Shuai Shuai and the Gao siblings.
Chen Yun: "..."
The tulle skirt I put on right after getting up had several visible holes in it after only an hour, and the shimmering sequins on the hem were all over other people's heads.
The paper windmill in Gao Nianping's hand was already tattered and torn; it must have rolled around a few times in some nook or cranny.
Li Shuaishuai was covered in sweat and panting heavily, but he still managed to keep up with the group.
Chen Yun made a decision! She would never buy her daughter expensive dresses again, lest even the best ones be wasted.
Gao Nianping pointed to a corner of the Li family's courtyard: "Sister, Shuai Shuai is tired, why don't we go and rest for a while!"
The children all looked to be around four or five years old, and Gao Nian'an, who was almost seven, was the eldest among them.
She swung her arm forward, and a dozen or so dolls rushed to the backyard.
"Shuai Shuai, let's walk over there."
The youngest child had the shortest legs and couldn't keep up with the older kids who were as fast as the wind.
Gao Nianping led Li Shuaishuai to get some water first. Chen Yun simply gave him the water bottle and specifically instructed, "Take the water bottle home after you finish drinking, and tell your sister not to go into other people's houses."
A gleaming eight-immortal table was placed by the courtyard wall. Gao Nian'an had only sat on the chair for a short while when he couldn't wait to lead everyone into the backyard.
"Sister, Mom told you not to go into other people's houses."
"Okay!"
Gao Nianping had no intention of following them any further, and after saying that, he led Li Shuaishuai to sit down at the octagonal table.
He turned on the water bottle and handed it to Li Shuaishuai first: "Shuaishuai, have some water."
"Brother Nianping, do you know who my grandma is?" Li Shuaishuai asked curiously, holding the water bottle in both hands and peering intently into the yard. "She won't kick us out, will she?"
“I know who your grandma is.” Gao Nianping hugged Li Shuaishuai’s head and whispered, “The one sitting under the tree chopping vegetables is your grandma.”
"Huh?" Li Shuaishuai was a little surprised: "I thought Grandma was as fierce as Grandma Liu, but she doesn't look fierce at all!"
Aunt Fang was not mean at all; on the contrary, she had a kind face and deep smile lines at the corners of her mouth.
No wonder Li Shuaishuai was surprised.
Gao Nianping patted Li Shuaishuai's head seriously: "My dad said you can't judge a book by its cover. You can't just judge a person by their face. Have you forgotten the human traffickers who gave us candy on the train?"
"Sigh!" Li Shuaishuai sighed, his chubby face scrunched up. "Brother is still the best. When I grow up to be as big as you, I'll be just as good."
"I'll be even more amazing then."
"When will I be able to catch up with you...?"
The two children were chatting enthusiastically, unaware that their innocent words were attracting a lot of attention.
Fang Fang, standing under the tree, looked up at Li Shuaishuai, whose face was chubby. She had only intended to glance at him once, but she couldn't look away for a long time.
She noticed Ruanqiu the moment she stepped into the courtyard.
When she saw her daughter-in-law again, she couldn't even remember why she had argued with Ruanqiu... Perhaps it was just a single wrong word that ignited her anger.
But the little grandson is really well raised. His round eyes are like black grapes. If you look at him a few times, even the hardest heart will melt.
I was so engrossed in looking at the vegetables that I forgot to chop them.
Another line of sight came from under the eaves next to the octagonal table, where Li Yi had been sleeping for half a day without any of the children noticing.
He was looking at Gao Nianping.
After a long silence, he slowly spoke: "Nianping, Shuai Shuai."
"Grandpa Li." Gao Nianping turned around and saw Grandpa Li, who had gone fishing with his grandfather. He happily slid off the stool and said, "Hello, Grandpa Li."
"Two little darlings." Li Yi smiled and took the two babies, placing them on his lap. "Let Grandpa see if you've been eating well lately."
Rough fingers scratched the two kids' double chins, making them laugh so hard they bent over, before he was satisfied and leaned back in his chair.
"Grandpa Li," Gao Nianping suddenly tilted his head, a strange expression on his face that he couldn't hide, "Today is your birthday, why aren't you happy?"
All the adults were immersed in the joy, but only a tiny child could tell that he was unhappy.
Li Yi had mixed feelings and softly hummed in agreement.
It's just that I'm thinking about a lot of things from the past...
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