"Brother Tingshen, Fu Tingshen..." Li Xi struggled to follow behind Fu Tingshen with her suitcase.
She watched as he got into the car smoothly and let the soldier who came to pick him up drive without the slightest hesitation, while she inhaled a mouthful of exhaust fumes. She shouted angrily, attracting the pointing and whispering of passersby.
Turning around, he saw that Ye Zhiyu and Lu Chen had been picked up by Su Jiarui, and the group was chatting and laughing.
Li Xi stared intently at them.
"Xiao Xi, Xiao Xi." A middle-aged couple ran towards her with a boy who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old.
Li Xi frowned. "Dad, Mom."
She completely ignored the boy who was staring at her expectantly.
The middle-aged couple are Li Xi's parents, Li Jianshe and Wang Lili, and the older boy is her younger brother, Li Yuan, whom she said her parents doted on.
"Xiaoxi, your mom and dad just got off the bus. We've been on the bus for two days. We must be tired. Hurry home and Mom will cook you something delicious."
Wang Lili challenged Li Jianshe to say a few words.
"Ah, right, Xiaoxi, your parents were so happy to hear you were coming back that they haven't slept well for days. Your mom went to buy some meat early this morning. You like braised pork, so you can eat your fill today."
The couple were all smiles; they were genuinely happy that Li Xi was back, including Li Yuan.
However, knowing that his older sister Li Xi had never liked him, he timidly called out, "Sister."
Upon hearing that they had arrived by bus, Li Xi felt annoyed, tossed her suitcase to Li Jianshe, and walked ahead without saying a word.
The smiles on Li Jianshe and Wang Lili's faces slowly faded as they looked at their daughter's silent back, feeling a pang of sadness.
When my daughter was little, she was such a sweet and caring girl. But I don't know when she started to change. She started liking things that our family simply couldn't afford.
When their daughter looked at them with disappointment, they sometimes secretly reflected on whether they were too incompetent. But in this era when people couldn't get enough to eat or wear, their family was really doing well.
When they were about to go to the countryside, they were torn between their daughter and son. If they chose their son, he was only fifteen years old. If they chose their daughter, the countryside was hard, tiring, and unsafe.
Both sides are their precious children; cutting off either side would cause them unbearable pain.
Originally, Li Xi insisted that she would never go to the countryside, so they were prepared to send their son instead, since he was a boy and had some strength.
I knew she went out that day and came back saying she was going to the countryside.
The family of four waited silently for the bus, and Wang Lili couldn't bear it any longer.
She smiled again: "Xiaoxi, your room is cleaned by Mom every day, it's spotless. Don't worry, no one will touch your things. After we eat, Mom will take you to buy a new outfit."
Her incessant chatter did not make Li Xi feel maternal love; instead, it made her even more annoyed.
"Alright, stop talking, it's so noisy."
Wang Lili nodded hesitantly: "Okay, you're tired, Mom won't say anymore, I won't say anymore."
Li Jianshe was furious. Going to the countryside was her own choice, so who was she giving him this attitude? He had sent so many letters, but she hadn't replied to a single one.
"Li Xi, how dare you talk to your mother like that?"
Li Yuan was also unhappy. "Sister, apologize to Mom."
Li Xi remained silent. Li Jianshe tried to reach out and make her look at him, but Wang Lili stopped him.
"It's okay, it's okay. The child just came back and may not be used to it yet. Please don't say too much."
He patted Li Yuan again: "Shut up."
Li Xi's eyes flashed with mockery, and a contemptuous smile curled at the corner of her lips.
What's with this whole "mother-daughter" act? It's all just to protect her son. And her claim of never asking anyone to touch her things is just a guilty conscience.
They came happily, and left in silence.
Li Xi went straight into her room, leaving the three of them outside.
Wang Lili called out, "Xiaoxi, you go to sleep first. Dinner is ready, Mom will call you, okay?"
Li Xi looked around her cramped room with frustration, while Li Jianshe's displeased voice could be heard from outside.
"We're being treated coldly, like we owe her something. The older she gets, the more disobedient she becomes, and the weirder her temper gets."
"What nonsense are you talking about? Your daughter must have suffered. Instead of making it up to her, you, as her father, are blaming her."
“I would like to make it up to her, but look at her face, it’s so long it’s practically touching the ground.”
"Go! Go! Go."
Li Xi listened indifferently, without the slightest ripple.
The Li family's house was a two-bedroom apartment in a tenement building. They had converted it into a small kitchen. One bedroom was for the couple, and the other was for Li Xi. Li Yuan simply added a partition to the living room to make his own room.
At the dinner table.
Wang Lili was busy serving food to Li Xi: "Here, Xiao Xi, this is your favorite braised pork. Mom specially picked out the perfect cut of fat and lean meat."
Seeing that Li Xi was still not in a good mood, he opened a few bottles of soda.
"Come on, let's all four of us have one to celebrate Xiaoxi's return."
The other three raised their bottles, but Li Xi kept her head down and ate.
Li Jianshe wanted to speak again, but Wang Lili stopped him with a look.
"Eat, eat."
Soon, Li Xi finished eating, put down her chopsticks, and started eating on her own, regardless of whether others had finished.
"I was pregnant, but I miscarried. Go find that man tomorrow and make him marry me."
silence.
"Snap!"
Li Jianshe's chopsticks slipped from his hands.
Li Yuan stared at his sister in shock.
The family realized what had happened, and Wang Lili cried as she hugged Li Xi tightly, saying, "My daughter!"
Li Jianshe and Li Yuanqi's eyes turned red with anger.
"Sis, tell me, which bastard bullied you? I'm going to beat him to death."
Li Jianshe remained silent, but he didn't stop Li Yuan either; that was his true thought.
Li Xi gently pushed Wang Lili away, "I didn't bully him, I just got carried away and did it. You two come with me to visit him tomorrow, be firm, and make sure he marries me."
The family was incredulous, as if they were looking at a complete stranger.
Wang Lili's hands trembled as she forced an ugly smile. "Xiaoxi, tell Mom, are you trying to scare me? Are you being threatened? Don't be afraid, this is the capital, we'll go and sue them."
Hope was also evident in the eyes of Li Jianshe and Li Yuan.
Being raped and actively seducing someone are two different things. Although policies have loosened somewhat in the past year, a woman's reputation is still very important; it could even lead to death.
However, Li Xi did not give them the answer they wanted.
"No, I just want to marry him, and I'm doing it willingly."
*Smack!!!*
"You bastard!!!"
The sound of a slap echoed throughout the room.
After Wang Lili finished, she looked at her hands.
She covered her face and wept uncontrollably, afraid the neighbors would hear: "How could I have given birth to such a shameless thing like you?"
Li Jianshe wanted to hit her, but when he met Li Xi's indifferent gaze, he realized it was useless; his daughter was beyond saving at some point.
There was indifference, there was determination, but there was no retreat.
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