With a flick of her braid, Li Yumei went straight to the kitchen.
Ever since that day I returned from the hospital and moved into their little courtyard, Li Yumei's attitude towards me has been completely different.
A couple of days ago, to please Li Yumei, Xiao Yujie had mentioned wanting her mother to find Li Yumei a temporary job. Leaving aside her mother's situation—she'd have to go back and make a scene to get her mother's approval—Li Yumei immediately objected when she heard it was factory work.
She teased Xiao Yujie, saying that if she really had any skills, she should find her a job selling things. Don't just introduce her to any lousy job; it's like trying to feed a beggar.
To be honest, Xiao Yujie really didn't have that ability. Even though her brother used to be a store manager, now he's just a gofer at head office. Her stepfather is a man who won't do anything without a profit; if you want him to do something, don't even open your mouth if you don't have enough money.
But that day, things got complicated, and the conversation had led to this point. She had no choice but to agree, albeit reluctantly. However, she knew in her heart that finding work wasn't easy. Li Yumei was barely literate, having not even finished elementary school. A job selling things in a shop was a highly coveted position, requiring connections and fierce competition. Where was she supposed to find one for her?
Later, Xiao Yujie repeatedly said that her brother was away on a business trip and that they would talk when he returned. After hearing her say this twice, Li Yumei stopped believing her. Every time she saw her, she would speak sarcastically and unkindly.
Seeing Xiao Yujie enter the house with a sullen face, Li Shaojie wasn't particularly enthusiastic. He was somewhat annoyed that Xiao Yujie was meddling. She had taken on so much responsibility by leaving his parents in the city, and even said she would find a job for Yumei, which made his family even less willing to return to the village.
Even with her entire monthly salary, it wasn't enough to cover her expenses. Xiao Yujie didn't have much money either, and giving her money each time was like squeezing toothpaste – a struggle to even look at.
"Shaojie, what did you mean by that? You don't want to marry me, do you?"
"How could that be? I didn't want to marry you, and that's why I've been going through all this trouble. What I told my dad was that we should wait and see. My dad doesn't understand, and neither do you."
"I..." Xiao Yujie really wanted to say that she didn't know either.
Xiao Yujie glanced at Li Guodong and Lu Cuihua, hesitating before speaking, "Um..."
Li Shaojie asked her impatiently, "What's wrong?"
Li Guodong kicked him, "Go, you and Yujie go inside and talk."
"I haven't eaten yet..." Seeing his father's unfriendly look and having nothing to eat anyway, Li Shaojie resignedly said, "Alright, go in."
Once inside, Xiao Yujie told Li Shaojie that she had received a disciplinary action from the department that day. She didn't dare say it in front of the Li family, fearing they would think she was incompetent again.
What upset her the most was that a nurse told her in front of her today that Fang Minghui had started dating someone else, who was Nurse Liu's sister and a kindergarten teacher.
When she got off work that evening, she actually saw a pretty girl in her early twenties at the hospital entrance, arm in arm with Fang Minghui.
But she couldn't tell Li Shaojie these things. She was feeling so bad today, and her mother was still nagging her at home, so she ran away without even eating.
Xiao Yujie threw herself into Li Shaojie's arms and burst into tears.
Li Shaojie was also in a bad mood, and seeing Xiao Yujie like this annoyed him. He had kept her hanging on for a while, partly because he had a woman who was devoted to him, and especially since she was Fang Minghui's girlfriend, which made him feel very proud.
Another reason was that her family was wealthy and seemed to have some connections. Who knows, maybe she could help me sometime. But now she's completely useless.
For some reason, Li Shaojie remembered what his father had said that day, telling him to sleep with Xiao Yujie as soon as possible.
Li Shaojie, who was already venting his anger, started to grope Xiao Yujie. At first, Xiao Yujie was so frightened that she didn't even dare to cry. She grabbed Li Shaojie's hand to stop him from moving around.
She resisted rather fiercely, and Li Shaojie also felt it was pointless. Just as he was about to let go, Xiao Yujie clung to him.
Xiao Yujie had noticed these past few days that Li Shaojie was becoming increasingly impatient with her. She was vaguely afraid; she felt that Li Shaojie really would break up with her, just like last time. But she was no longer the same person she had been then. She couldn't break up with him, absolutely not.
Seeing the annoyance in Li Shaojie's eyes, Xiao Yujie quickly let go of his hand and took the initiative to greet him.
The Li family members were still sitting outside. Xiao Yujie kept her eyes tightly closed and covered her mouth tightly. In her panic, she allowed Li Shaojie to succeed in his actions.
After venting his anger, Li Shaojie grabbed the blanket from the head of the bed and covered her with it. He then got dressed and went to the outer room.
Xiao Yujie stared blankly at the ceiling, her mind completely blank.
It wasn't like there was no news at all; the Li family had known about it for a long time.
Li Yumei was glared at fiercely by Li Guodong, then wiped away her tears and went to the kitchen.
A heavy rumble of thunder sounded outside. The sky darkened instantly.
“It looks like it’s going to rain today, and it won’t be easy to travel at night. Let Yujie stay at home. Go and keep her company after you finish eating.” Li Guodong looked at his son meaningfully.
Li Shaojie gave a nonchalant "hmm," picked up the fried egg that Li Yumei had made for him, and stuffed it into his mouth in one bite.
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