Chapter 83: The second and eldest sons are all sweet, the youngest is pampered, and a scapegoat is sandwiched in the middle. ...
“Your third uncle wants you to be adopted into his family.” As soon as Li Ming said this, not only did Li Rongshi “explode,” but Liu Hongyan was also furious.
Even Yingni knew that "stealing" someone else's son was like tearing out a mother's heart, so she tried her best to refuse. Liu Hongyan was so angry that her chest heaved. She glared at her husband. How could this old man not see things as clearly as a girl in her twenties!
Li Rongshi was initially overjoyed, as the long-standing dark cloud over him had finally dissipated and his son would no longer need to be adopted. However, this "sunny day" lasted only a few days before a bolt from the blue struck: instead of his youngest son being adopted out, it was Li Rongshi who would be adopted out.
"Father, did you agree to Third Uncle's request?" Li Rongshi's eyes reddened with anger.
Li Ming's face was also clouded with worry. His younger brother and sister-in-law, who looked even older than him, had come to him for help, and he was in a difficult position. "Your third uncle and aunt only had one child, Changgui, but he's gone now. They're worried that they won't have anyone to mourn him with..."
Li Rongshi instantly recalled what Zhong Ying had said, and raised his voice to question, "If it really comes to that, wouldn't I, as his own nephew, lend a hand? Why do you have to give me up for adoption to your third uncle?!"
Zhong Ying helped the women who had prepared the meal to serve the bowls and chopsticks. Li Gangshi called the children who had been playing wildly in the yard since early morning to come inside for breakfast. Everyone looked surprised when they heard Li Rongshi's question.
Another adoption? And this time it's not the younger one being adopted, but the older one?
At this moment, Liu Hongyan truly regretted not having Deng Xia's sharp and fierce tongue, but protecting her child was every mother's instinct, and she still showed unprecedented aggression, glaring hatefully at Li Ming, "I only have two sons left! Just two! And you want to give one away to someone else! Yes, his third uncle, Changgui, is gone, but my fourth son is gone too!"
After Liu Hongyan finished speaking, she collapsed to the ground and burst into tears.
Tian Mei quickly put the food she was holding on the table and went to help her mother-in-law up. "Mom, please get up. The floor is cold. Let's talk things out..."
Zhong Ying quickly went to the other side to help the person.
Both of her daughters-in-law were supporting her arms, but Liu Hongyan felt two gentle pats on her shoulder to comfort her, which made her even more grief-stricken.
Even though her youngest son was still alive, Liu Hongyan could no longer see his face or hear his voice. She could no longer ask Li Linshi a simple "Have you eaten enough?", nor could she witness him getting married and having children and grandchildren around him. The joyous wedding she had hoped for turned into handing her son's memorial tablet to her new daughter-in-law.
Liu Hongyan cried her heart out, mourning the untimely death of her youngest son and the fact that she only had two sons left, and that Li Ming was "generously" giving one of them away to someone else.
The mother is filled with grief, while the son is filled with indignation.
“I know I’m not as good at handling things as my eldest brother, nor as clever as my younger brother, and I’m not even as good as Rou Ni’er. I’m not as sensible as her,” Li Rongshi said, heartbroken and angry. “Father, you’ve always thought I was the least promising one, but you can’t just give me away like this! Yes, a son like me is a nuisance if you keep me around, and you wouldn’t regret throwing me away!”
Li Ming was shocked. "Second brother, I've never—"
Li Rongshi quickly wiped his eyes, his face flushed and his neck thick with anger, and threw out a sentence, "If you don't want to be my father, then don't be! I won't be your son anymore! From now on, I'm no one's son!"
After he finished speaking, he grabbed his son from among the children, picked up Li Guangfu, and strode out without even eating.
Li Rou hurriedly chased after him, "Second Brother, why are you saying these things in such a hurry? I've already cooked for Second Sister-in-law, if you're not going to eat it, take it back to her..."
Zhong Ying looked at her mother-in-law, who was still crying, then at her father-in-law, whose face had turned pale, and then at the people who had already disappeared. She never expected that the usually harmonious Li family would break out into such a fierce family dispute.
"Hoo..." Li Gangshi seemed to have finally found his breath again. The children hid behind him in fear, making him look like a mother hen protecting her chicks. However, the "mother hen" was also a little frightened. The aura that his second brother had unleashed even overwhelmed their father!
No one ate a good breakfast that day, but everyone still went to work as usual, and their personal emotions did not affect their work, even though Liu Hongyan had red eyes and Li Ming had a lot on his mind.
Li Ming was painting the factory walls with white lime plaster with a heavy heart. The scenes that happened that morning were replaying in his mind. His second son's accusations made him ask himself: Did I do something wrong?
It wasn't just about agreeing to his third brother's adoption; Li Ming recalled even earlier memories and realized he shouldn't have treated his second brother that way in the past.
Li Rongshi was indeed neither the best nor the worst. Although Li Ming always complained about his second son, he was actually disappointed in him. This was his own son, and what father would complain about his own son?
From Li Rongshi's perspective, all he felt was his biological father's long-standing disdain, and now he was being given away to someone else as if it were no big deal.
Li Ming sighed deeply, a rare look of dejection appearing in his eyes. First, there was his daughter's failed marriage, and then his second son's indignant questioning. Ultimately, it was all because he, as a father, had failed in his duty.
As soon as he finished work, Li Ming went to find his third brother.
Although Li Yang was disappointed, he still forced himself to cheer up and said, "That's true. The children are all grown up now, they've started their own families and have their own children. It's not really appropriate to adopt them again. Brother, let's just let this matter go."
“I’m sorry,” Li Ming said heavily. “Don’t worry, those two children are your own nephews. They can’t possibly abandon their own uncle.”
The adoption issue has finally come to an end, but the effects of the storm still linger.
Li Rongshi truly lived up to his words; he genuinely didn't want to be anyone's son anymore.
While Nie Jinfeng was still in her postpartum period, Li Rongshi cooked, did laundry, and took care of the child all by himself in his own home. He no longer needed help from his mother, sister-in-law, or younger sister, and never stepped into the Li family's gate at the village entrance again.
Over time, everyone else in the production team noticed this. This wasn't the first time this had happened. When Zhong Laoda and Zhong Laoer had a falling out and their families broke off, they lived in the same production team, keeping to themselves and ignoring each other.
But how could such a thing happen to the team leader's house one day?
Everyone found it hard to believe. The Li family had always been harmonious. Although Li Gangshi and Li Rongshi would occasionally quarrel and bicker, it was normal for brothers to have some friction. But it was rather abnormal for Li Rongshi to be so distant from his own parents.
Li Rou comes to her second brother's house every day to mediate, and Liu Hongyan also occasionally comes to her son's house to help with some chores.
Li Gangshi came over and talked about those grand principles. Although Li Rongshi was impatient, he still listened, even though it went in one ear and out the other.
When Li Rongshi met his sister-in-law and Zhong Ying on the road, he greeted them as usual; his son Guangfu still played with Qianqian and Xiuqing every day, and Li Rongshi did not stop him at all;
Even when his third uncle and aunt came to apologize, Li Rongshi didn't blame them too much.
Li Rongshi would turn and leave whenever Li Ming tried to talk to his son.
The deep-seated resentment of the Li family was not formed overnight. The adoption was merely the trigger, which completely ignited the accumulated heartbreak from childhood to adulthood. The inherent persistence of the Li family was now manifested in Li Rongshi. He said he didn't want this father, and he meant it.
Li Rongshi became estranged from the "big family" but paid more and more attention to his own "small family." Nie Jinfeng was the most steadfast in standing by Li Rongshi's side in this matter, never saying a word like "Father also has his difficulties, please be understanding," "You are the son, apologize to your father," or "Even if Father is wrong, as a son, you should be tolerant."
Li Rongshi finally understood: only his wife and children were truly loyal to him. He wouldn't be like his father, causing his wife to shed tears and his children to be heartbroken. Li Rongshi channeled his grief and anger into strength; he would become the best husband and the best father in the Tonggan Production Team!
However, as the stalemate continued, the tone of the whispers in the production team began to shift. People no longer said that the problem lay with the father; they only thought that the son was unfilial. Even though Li Ming stood up to speak for his son, others only thought that this was a cover-up for family scandals.
“This can’t go on,” Li Linshi said anxiously. “I didn’t expect my second brother to have such a temper.”
Zhong Ying had a different opinion: "How could someone be angry for so long? I think it's more like they're being wronged."
However, Li Linshi was right in what he said earlier. This can't go on. Zhong Ying fastened the buttons on her padded jacket, opened the door, and said to Li Rou, who was feeding the chickens in the yard, "Sister, I'll go with you to find Second Brother today."
Li Rou was immediately delighted. "Okay, Yingni'er, you should help persuade Second Brother. He will definitely listen to you. It's not good for him to always argue with Father."
Zhong Ying nodded; she was determined to exert her efforts, both for personal and professional reasons.
Privately, she is now also a member of the Li family, and living under "sunny days" and "cloudy days" are two different feelings; publicly, advocating the construction of a hydroelectric power station is actually "not doing her job properly" for Zhong Ying. Helping Li Rou get a divorce and mediating family disputes now are her "real jobs" as the women's team leader.
These days of "independence" have also honed Li Rongshi's skills. He skillfully sets up the pot, boils water, cooks rice, puts the lid on the pot, and sits back down in front of the stove to tend the fire.
Li Rou and Zhong Ying each pulled up a small stool and sat on either side of him.
“Second brother, isn’t the matter of adoption over? Dad also refused Third Uncle later,” Li Rou handed over the dried corn stalks. “Let’s go home for lunch after work, and let’s not bring it up again. Let’s let this matter pass.”
Li Rongshi took the straw and threw it into the fire without saying a word. The leaping flames illuminated his taut profile in the dimly lit hut. Zhong Ying watched this scene, but what came to mind was Li Linshi.
Li Linshi stayed in the courtyard and didn't come in. He was so close to water that he naturally disliked fire.
Zhong Ying snapped out of her momentary daze and began her "performance".
She first sighed, "Second brother, I know that although the matter of adoption is over, you haven't gotten over that hurdle in your heart."
"Most families with many children are like this: 'The eldest is the most beloved, the youngest is the most pampered, and the middle one is the one who gets bullied.' The second child, who is sandwiched in the middle, is always the one who is compared and ignored."
Li Rongshi, who had been silent all along, was moved to tears by Zhong Ying's words. What bothered him was not the matter of being adopted, but the fact that no matter what the circumstances, he would be the one being adopted out.
Now only his eldest brother and he are in the family. The eldest son cannot be adopted, so he is the one who will be adopted. Even if the fourth brother is still alive, there are three sons in the family, and he will still be the one adopted.
Li Rongshi became increasingly distressed. He would always be the abandoned son, superfluous, someone who could be handed over to someone else at any time.
Zhong Ying saw him quickly raise his arm to wipe his eyes, and patted her second brother's back comfortingly, "Sigh, I'm also the second oldest in the family, I understand. Our grievances and sadness have been accumulating, and it's actually a good thing to vent them now."
At this moment, Li Rongshi felt as if he could regard this younger sister-in-law as a confidante; she understood him!
Seeing this, Zhong Ying continued to persuade him, "They say the squeaky wheel gets the grease. If you keep your grievances and sadness inside, no one will know. Now that you've spoken up, I think Dad has realized that he made mistakes in the past. Doesn't that mean we still need to communicate? We're father and son, what can't we say to each other directly..."
Seeing her second brother stunned when Zhong Ying "made him cry," Li Rou quickly seized the opportunity to help him out, "That's right, second brother, you and Dad should sit down and have a good talk. I've seen Dad try to talk to you several times, but you ignored him."
Li Rongshi sniffed, then relented, "Then I'll go home for lunch."
When Zhong Ying and Li Rou walked out of Li Rongshi's house, they looked at each other happily.
Li Rou breathed a sigh of relief, "Finally, I've convinced him. I was afraid that my second brother would have been stubborn until my second sister-in-law finished her postpartum confinement."
“Not only that,” Li Linshi also knew his brother well. “If Second Brother’s heart continues to grow cold, he’ll probably just treat the family like ordinary relatives and visit once a year during the New Year.”
Zhong Ying nodded in agreement.
Inside the house, after Li Rongshi had taken care of his wife and children and fed them, he belatedly realized something was wrong while washing the dishes! Although they were both the second child in their families, how could Yingnier possibly empathize with him? Uncle Zhong and Aunt Zhong doted on her, the second child, the most!
Although he realized he had been fooled by Zhong Ying, Li Rongshi was genuinely persuaded and still wanted to sit down and have a proper talk with his father.
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Author's Note: Li Rongshi: Your penis and mine seem to be different...
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