Chapter 45 No matter her age, home is always her safe haven.
No rush, I'll ask around later.
Li's father and his two brothers also said they would keep an eye out for her.
After the family finished discussing their business, Li Erge and Li Sange went to the medicinal herb field together, while Li's father took the things and went out.
Li Banxia sleeps with her mother.
The long fan blades whirred overhead. Unable to sleep and afraid of disturbing her mother, Li Banxia quietly turned over, back to back with her mother.
How could Li's mother sleep if her child wasn't asleep?
She watched her daughter's retreating figure, her eyes welling up with tears. "Xiaxia, Mom knows you like Su Youfu very much, and Mom also knows you have the ability to make a good life for yourself, but..."
Li's mother sighed softly, "It really breaks my heart to see you like this."
“You can’t live your life with just anyone. If you find it difficult, then leave in time. Your children are all grown up, and only Xiao Si and Hong Mei are left. Bring them back, and your parents will help you raise them.”
"...This home will always be your safety net, and your parents will always be your strongest support."
Li Banxia's nose tingled, and tears instantly streamed down her face.
With her back to Li's mother, she didn't dare turn around, only suppressing her sobs and forcing a smile, saying, "No matter how old I am?"
"Yes, no matter how old you are." Li's mother patted her back gently, her voice soft.
Li Banxia smiled and said, "I understand, thank you, Mom."
How could Li's mother not hear the forced smile in her daughter's voice?
She didn't dare move all night for fear of disturbing her daughter's sleep, and she also felt sorry for her daughter and couldn't sleep all night.
As dawn broke, there was a rustling sound at the courtyard gate. Li's mother got up and covered her daughter with a thin sheet. When she saw the tear stains on her daughter's pillow, her heart ached again.
He mentally cursed Su Youfu severely.
Once outside the house, he muttered to Li's father, who had just returned, "Let's just poison him!"
Mr. Li: "...Murder is a crime! Do you want to kill our daughter?!"
"I just can't swallow this!"
Li's mother gritted her teeth, rolled up her sleeves, and said, "Men are all the same!"
Mr. Li, "..."
"They've never tasted the shit outside, but those scoundrels all want to try it out, don't you think?!" Mother Li was furious, wanting to smash everything in sight.
Mr. Li: "...No, I don't want to."
Li's mother glared at Li's father, her eyes red with anger. "Our daughter cried all night last night, her pillowcase was soaked! She's never cried like this before. From childhood to adulthood, who but me would dare to make her cry like this?! That bastard Su Youfu, how dare he treat our daughter like this, doesn't he deserve to die!"
"Should!"
When Li's father saw that Li's mother's eyes had reddened, his expression turned serious. "I'll go and get the medicine in a bit. I'll poison him until his intestines burst open and he bleeds from all seven orifices. He'll die a horrible death!"
"good!"
The couple seemed to have reached a consensus. Li's father glanced at the sky and then at the room, and whispered to Li's mother, "There's still time. Let's make the steamed buns that Xiaxia likes. I'll go pound the beef, and you can go get some pickled cabbage from the jar."
"good."
Li's mother nodded, "She should have finished that jar a long time ago. I'll bring her some more back later. She also loves pickled cucumbers, pickled garlic sprouts that are sour, spicy, and sweet, and shepherd's purse potstickers. The shepherd's purse was blanched and frozen in early spring; I wonder if that will affect the taste..."
The couple looked at each other and quickly got to work.
When Li Banxia got up, she saw her parents busy in the kitchen. One was tending the fire and the other was cooking. They were chatting and laughing, and it looked warm and cozy.
She had always longed for the life of ordinary people like her parents, who helped each other and loved one another. But in the end, she realized how difficult it was to live that kind of life.
"Xiaxia is awake?"
Li's mother looked up and saw Li Banxia standing at the door watching them. She smiled and called out to her, "Go wash your face and brush your teeth. Breakfast will be ready soon."
Li Banxia quickly composed herself and smiled, agreeing.
Breakfast consisted of her favorite sauerkraut and beef buns, shepherd's purse and egg potstickers, and corn porridge. The food was fragrant, soft, and delicious, and Li Banxia's eyes welled up with tears.
She pretended to drink from the bowl, letting her tears fall into it. When she put it down again, she had returned to normal.
Mr. Li was telling her about the gold nuggets, "There were 307 grams in total. Your Uncle Xie wanted to buy the remainder to make a set of gold jewelry for his future daughter-in-law as a betrothal gift. I decided to sell them to him at the market price, giving him a discount of two yuan per gram, so it was ninety yuan per gram. The little gold nuggets are all in that box in the living room..."
"Mmm." Li Banxia nodded indistinctly, her mouth full of steamed bun.
Three hundred grams was already beyond her expectations.
"...Well, the gold nuggets aren't very big or very regular in shape, which will make them easy for you to sell. Go back and try to sell them in a few different places for cash," Li's father instructed her.
Li Banxia nodded and said, "Thank you, Dad."
After the meal, Li Erge and Li Sange arrived with Li Ersao and Li Sansao.
Each of the four people was carrying something in their hands.
Half a basket of tomatoes, half a basket of cucumbers, a small bag of green peppers, a small bag of eggplants, a pile of green beans and other fresh vegetables, as well as some cured wild boar and rabbit jerky.
Li's mother also brought out several small jars that she had prepared in advance.
He pointed out to Li Banxia one by one which were her favorite pickled cucumbers, which were pickled cowpeas, and which were sweet and sour pickled garlic sprouts. Li Banxia's scalp tingled as she looked at the dozen or so small jars.
She had forgotten that her mother and brothers and sisters-in-law were worried that she wouldn't have enough to eat, and every time she came home, they wished she would move her whole family there.
It was the same in her past life. Later, her husbands Cui Yuxia and He Taohua would always tell her that it was shameful for her to rely on her family's wealth, and that her sons would be embarrassed as well.
She gradually stopped taking things back from her parents' home.
She still can't understand what she was thinking back then.
Two outsiders actually managed to influence her thoughts!
And she was foolish enough to listen to outsiders and betray her family who had been so good to her?!
That's incredibly stupid!
Fortunately, fate gave her another chance.
The whole family saw Li Banxia off to the bus station. When the bus driver saw how much stuff she was carrying, his face turned green. "Comrade, you have too much stuff..."
"I'll buy another ticket," Li Banxia said immediately.
The bus driver looked much better.
Li Banxia sat by the window, carrying bags at her feet. Outside, her mother waved with a smile, and her two sisters-in-law smiled back, "Little sister, come back again when you have time. The fish we've circled by the river are almost ready to be caught. We'll make sweet fermented fish."
"Okay, thank you, Second Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law."
Looking at the two women, Li Banxia didn't know how to thank them. She thought of setting aside fifty grams of gold to have a gold bracelet made for her mother, second sister-in-law, and third sister-in-law.
It's wrapped in a layer of silver, so it doesn't look conspicuous.
Back in the auto parts factory's residential area, still some distance from home, I heard Su Laoda's furious roar coming from their courtyard, "Second brother, have you gone mad!"
Li Banxia frowned and pushed off even faster.
Upon arriving at the courtyard gate, one could immediately see Su Lao Da protecting his wife and arguing with Su Lao Er.
The eldest daughter-in-law's eyes were red, and tears were about to fall. When she saw Li Banxia, her grievances welled up instantly, and she burst into tears, with large tears falling down her face.
"Mom, sob sob...Mom..." The voice choked with sobs, like a child pleading for help.
Li Banxia was heartbroken. She quickly parked the car at the door, strode inside, and asked Boss Su, "What happened?"
Before Su Lao Da could even open his mouth, Su Lao Er's expression changed drastically upon seeing Li Banxia. He clutched the things in his arms and tried to run away.
"Mom!" The eldest daughter-in-law's voice suddenly rose, tinged with despair.
Li Banxia's heart skipped a beat when she called out.
Realizing what was happening, Li Banxia shouted, "Su Min'an, you stop right there!"
Su Lao Er ran even faster.
Li Banxia glanced around, took two quick steps, grabbed the rocking chair, and smashed it down on Su Lao Er's leg!
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