quarrel
Several coffin bearers tied one end of a rope tightly to a large tree and the other end to their own bodies, securing the coffin as well. They then nimbly descended along the rope, inserting wooden stakes into a hole in the rock wall when they reached their destination. Finally, they lowered the coffin vertically into the rock hole, and the coffin was properly placed.
A ray of sunlight pierced through the thick clouds and shone on Li Qiangguo's coffin, dispelling the gloom.
Relatives and friends cheered, "He's ascended to heaven! He's ascended to heaven!"
Sunlight shone on Li Guorong's face. She looked up, somewhat bewildered. What should she do? Even being reborn couldn't change her father's death, and now none of her brothers and sisters liked her.
"Let's go!" Qian Mancang called out.
Li Guorong's eyes lit up. Yes, in her past life, she wanted to be a housewife, a virtuous wife and loving mother. As long as she married Qian Mancang, he would go to join the army, and she would wait for him at home. When he came back, the two of them would go out together, and she would manage the money and take care of the house. When they earned enough money to go home, their life would definitely be prosperous and happy.
It was late at night, and there were meat dishes on the table that were rarely seen before. They were leftovers from the lunch banquet. The candlelight flickered. Perhaps because there was one less person at the table, Li Guorong found it hard to swallow. Only Li Guoliang ate without a care in the world.
Li Guojian looked displeased and frequently glanced at Li Guorong and Wu Cuihua.
Li Guolan lowered her head and ate her rice, refusing to eat any vegetables. Li Guoqiang, on the other hand, kept turning his head away, not wanting to look at his younger sister.
Wu Cuihua silently lowered her head and ate her food, seemingly unaware of the strange atmosphere.
Li Guorong was angry when she saw that her older brother and sister didn't want to talk to her. They used to dote on her the most, but now they were ignoring her for this little bit of money. It was all fake affection.
Li Guojian was secretly pleased and felt like eating a few bites of fatty meat.
After finishing her meal, Wu Cuihua said, "Guorong, come with me to the inner room."
Li Guorong's heart skipped a beat. In the past, his mother always called him "Little Sister" or "Little Girl," and she only did so when he made a mistake.
The two entered the room. Wu Cuihua sat on the low bed, and Li Guorong stood beside it. Wu Cuihua looked up at her youngest daughter and sighed, "You've grown up. You're as tall as your mother now, and you have your own thoughts. I can't control you anymore."
Li Guorong felt wronged after being told that. She was so obedient and almost died trying to earn money for her father's medical expenses. You have no idea what happened.
Wu Cuihua continued, "You've always felt uncomfortable staying at home, so I talked to your aunt and suggested you stay at her place for a few days. Your cousin is studying in the county, so you can stay in his room. Haven't you always wanted to live in an apartment building?"
Li Guorong's eyes stung with tears, and he cried out in grievance, "Mom, you're kicking me out."
Wu Cuihua wiped away her little girl's tears, saying wearily, "I've already talked to your aunt. She'll tutor you in elementary and middle school. She said if you can keep up, you can go straight to junior high and take the entrance exam for a vocational high school. Keep the money you have for your schooling; don't give it to me. If anyone asks, just say it was spent on your father's medical treatment and funeral, and give me the rest." Li Guorong threw herself into her mother's arms, crying loudly. "Mom, I'm sorry, it's all my fault." She hadn't expected her mother to think so carefully about her future. She took out 200 yuan from her pocket. "Mom, let's pay off the debts and buy the pig. I'm part of the family too; I should contribute."
Wu Cuihua took the money, stroked her daughter's head, and said, "Consider it a loan from Mom. I'll definitely pay you back later." It's indeed quite difficult for her to support the family on her own right now.
Li Guorong shook her head. In her past life, she would have been willing to spend any amount of money to bring her parents back. Why was she unwilling to pay even a little bit now? It must be that cowardly man Ye Fan who made her care so much about money and not about family. "Mom, this is my way of showing my filial piety. It's not a loan. It's not a loan."
Li Guojian rolled his eyes. Li Guorong got all the benefits and was still acting innocent. Li Guojian stepped back, almost stepping on Li Guolan, and whispered, "Big sister, you were eavesdropping too."
Li Guolan didn't speak, biting her lip tightly, tears welling up in her eyes, trying hard not to fall.
Li Guojian quickly pulled his eldest sister, Li Guolan, aside and said, "We're all daughters, why is Mom so biased? She lets your younger sister go but not you. And we always hand over the money, but she doesn't have to."
Li Guolan shook off her second brother's hand and went into her and her younger sister's room. Today, her mother was home, so she didn't need to sleep with her younger brother. Seeing the messy bedroom, she couldn't help but shed tears, but she forced herself to cheer up and tidied the bed. She lay on the bed, lost in thought. She was already 22, of marriageable age, but she hadn't found anyone yet. Her older brother was 25 and still unmarried. If they had money, all of this could be solved.
The door was pushed open, and Li Guorong looked at her eldest sister, who seemed to be asleep. For the sake of this family, she had to study hard, just like her cousin Ye Fan in her previous life, to get into university, become a bank employee, become a big leader, and finally retire. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Li Guolan said coldly, "You're so happy living at your aunt's house."
At this moment, Li Guorong was filled with beautiful dreams for the future and couldn't hear what her older sister was saying. It was as if she had become a bank leader and was traveling everywhere after retirement. Then she started to struggle with her thoughts. She wanted to be a good wife and mother, playing cards, getting her hair done, tidying up the house, and counting money every day. But it seemed like being a leader was not bad either. "President Li, President Li," she thought, which made her happy. But in her previous life, Mancang hadn't earned much money. How could he buy her new clothes and shoes every day?
Li Guolan glared at Li Guorong with hatred. From childhood to adulthood, she always gave half of the good things to her younger sister. When her second brother bullied her, she would protect him. She had no regard for this family at all.
Li Guorong, biting a corner of the blanket, rolled around excitedly on the bed, the old wooden bed creaking.
The sounds, like cats scratching at glass, turned Li Guolan's initial annoyance with her younger sister into rage. Everything Li Guorong had done today was outrageous. She sat up, her eyes bloodshot, and roared, "Li Guorong, what are you so smug about? Just because Dad's dead, you think you're above the law? Is that it?"
Li Guorong stood up in confusion and asked, "Big sister, what's wrong with you? You want to go to Aunt's house too?"
Li Guolan got up and stood in front of Li Guorong's window. "Don't you have a heart? Your father just passed away and you went to your aunt's house. Can't your family support you? You still need to go to school. Everyone in the family has to contribute. And what were you doing with that Qian boy at the funeral today? Laughing so loudly."
Li Guorong felt a little embarrassed after her older sister said that. Her father had been gone for many years, and her grief was no longer so deep. But she had done her best to save him. Thinking of this, she became more self-righteous and shouted, "What did I do? I went up the mountain to collect herbs to save Dad. I paid for Dad's medicine and funeral expenses. What more do you want from me?"
Li Guolan felt her blood rush to her head and shouted, "If I could gather herbs, I would too. Any one of my older brothers or family members would go. You think you're so capable?"
Li Guorong had died once for these herbs. Gathering herbs was no easy task. With Li Guolan's cowardice, she wouldn't dare to go. She raised an eyebrow and said sarcastically, "You? I wouldn't dare to do this, but I'll listen to my mother about that. You're just a coward!"
Li Guolan reached out and pulled Li Guorong's hair hard. Li Guorong winced in pain and leaned back. But Li Guorong was not one to be trifled with. He twisted Li Guolan's arm hard on the inside.
Li Guolan's face turned even redder, and she scratched Li Guorong's face hard with her other hand. Li Guorong dodged backward and slapped Li Guolan's left cheek hard with his right hand.
Li Guolan's left cheek quickly swelled up and turned red. She opened her mouth and bit Li Guorong's hand, tearing at it forcefully. Li Guorong tried to shake her hand off but couldn't, and couldn't help but shout, "Mom, big brother, big sister hit me, help me!"
Inside the house, Wu Cuihua was disciplining her sons. Upon hearing the noise, they quickly ran to the west room.
In no time, Li Guolan's face was swollen like a pig's head, and Li Guorong had several scratches on his neck and hands.
Wu Cuihua quickly separated the two and asked, "What happened? What's going on? Why are you fighting?"
Second brother Li Guojian said to Li Guorong, "How can you be so lawless? You even dare to hit your eldest sister."
Li Guoqiang nodded and advised his younger sister, "No matter what happened, you shouldn't fight with your older sister."
The little brother ran into his older sister's arms, wiped away her tears, and whispered to comfort her, "Don't cry, big sister. When I grow up, I'll beat her up for you. Second sister is bad, second sister is bad."
Li Guorong felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave. No one was on her side. Her brothers' faces were full of concern for their eldest sister, but no one cared about her. She threw herself into Wu Cuihua's arms and cried out, "Mom, they are all bullying me."
The noise was so loud that the dogs of several neighboring houses started barking wildly, and soon the dogs in the village began howling in unison. The villagers cursed, "Why aren't you sleeping at night? Are you wailing at a funeral?" The sound coming from Old Li's house was indeed wailing at a funeral, and a few of the more sarcastic people laughed at it.
Wu Cuihua whispered, "It's late now, everyone keep your voices down, what happened?"
Before Li Guolan could speak, Li Guorong interrupted, "My older sister hit me without saying a word and didn't want me to study." Li Guolan shook her head frantically, "No, no." She was sweating profusely with anxiety.
Li Guorong chuckled to herself, hiding in her arms. She had been dealing with her ex-husband Ye Fan for so many years and she was already experienced. Li Guolan was so stupid and still wanted to bully her.
Wu Cuihua did not believe her younger sister's side of the story. She gently took Li Guolan's hand and said, "Lan'er, don't rush, tell your mother slowly."
Li Guorong's smile froze, and he complained in a low voice, "It's all my older sister's fault. She came up here and scolded me for being unfilial and pulled my hair. I didn't study for the sake of the family's future."
Wu Cuihua lightly tapped Li Guorong on the back, warning her not to interrupt.
Li Guolan first burst into tears, crying until she hiccuped, before slowly speaking, "My little sister was laughing happily in bed just now. Dad just passed away, and I was so sad that I wanted to tell her to stop laughing. It was my fault."
Li Guorong stood up abruptly, "Where did I laugh? What's it to you whether I laugh or not?"
Wu Cuihua's lips curled down as she scolded, "Let your older sister finish what she has to say."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
