bookrandom Chapter 229 Each with their own thoughts
Chapter 229 Each with their own thoughts
The people of Lijia Village were immediately at a disadvantage in terms of morale.
Several families who were on good terms with Li's mother began to have doubts. Li San Niang had really hit the jackpot, so why was Li Da Niang thinking of severing ties?
With this daughter around, what can't we have?
Won't you be set for a life of comfort in your later years? Cutting ties with family is something only a fool would do, right?
As they thought this, they exchanged knowing glances. One of the women who usually spoke with Li's mother asked in a low voice, "Sister, Third Sister's family has become quite wealthy. Why are you still thinking about severing ties?"
Another woman in the group chimed in, "Yes, sister, look at all these snacks on the table! They're the most popular in town! And those pieces of fruit, I've never seen them before! They must have cost a fortune. You're having a good time, why are you breaking off your engagements?"
The floodwaters have just receded, and not many families can afford to bring out these things.
Li San Niang wanted to sever ties with the Li family, so naturally, her brother and sister-in-law, who were her maternal uncles, also came.
Uncle Li was also puzzled, especially seeing how much the Gu family cared for Li San Niang.
Li San Niang's seat was a medium-sized bamboo chair with a backrest, covered with a thick cotton cushion. A small table was set up next to her, with a separate serving of various fruits and snacks, along with a small teapot, a celadon cup, and an empty plate, presumably for temporarily placing any uneaten fruits and snacks.
On the other side was a small cradle, on which lay his baby nephew, who was not yet a month old.
A middle-aged woman and a teenage girl accompanied him.
This is exactly the setup of a rich man's young mistress!
When he first heard that the Li family was going to sever ties with the Gu family, he thought the previous rumors were wrong and that the Gu family was still the same impoverished Gu family as before.
He even thought that his younger sister and two nephews would be entangled with the Gu family today, which is why he wanted to sever ties with them.
I thought that if we hadn't been in touch for a few years, I could just pretend not to hear and not help them. But now that we've reconnected, I can't escape being taken advantage of.
Even if his youngest son, Li Xun, becomes successful in the future, he will still be unable to shake off this poor relative. Cutting off the relationship would be a clean break.
But this is not what he expected.
The Gu family has indeed prospered, and is even wealthier than they had heard. This uninhabited brown sugar workshop is currently the best house in Linshui Village.
The new residence that the Gu family is building will naturally be even more respectable and grand than this workshop.
Having such a wealthy cousin would only be a help in finding her son! How could she sever ties with her family?
Uncle Li frowned, leaned close to his sister, and whispered, "What exactly happened? Why did you suddenly want to sever ties?"
The eldest aunt of the Li family had the same idea as the eldest uncle. Over the years, the family had been struggling financially because of Xun'er's schooling. If Xun'er had her cousin, the third aunt, to help with her studies, the family would be much better off.
Xun'er no longer needs to copy books in the middle of the night to supplement the family income, and can concentrate on studying from now on, thus naturally having a better chance of passing the exam.
It's not that the Gu family should take out additional money to help with the search for their son.
The Gu family is currently in the brown sugar business and owns a lot of land for growing sugarcane. Xun'er passed the imperial examination last year and became a scholar. If these lands were registered under Xun'er's name, the tax savings would be more than enough.
This is a win-win situation! What a great opportunity, why the sudden need to sever ties?
There are reasons why she thinks that way.
When San Niang was a young girl, she and Xun'er had a good relationship.
Her sister-in-law mistreated her daughter, often not giving her anything to eat. As the eldest sister-in-law, she couldn't directly intervene in her sister-in-law's affairs, so Xun'er often secretly saved food from her own mouth to give to her third sister-in-law.
She saw everything, but just didn't say anything.
Besides, back then, when the younger sister-in-law wanted to sell the third sister-in-law to an old widower, it was Xun'er who went to his father and said it wouldn't work, and only then did his father step in.
The fact that San Niang was able to marry into the Gu family is thanks to Xun'er, not to mention Xun'er's father.
Otherwise, if Third Sister had really been sold to that old widower, the grass on her grave would be taller than her son's now.
Therefore, Third Sister owes Xun'er a huge favor. They don't ask for much, they only ask that she repay Xun'er for the kindness she showed to her cousin back then. That shouldn't be too much to ask, right?
Of course, this is on the premise that Third Sister is still a member of the Li family. If the kinship is severed, then Third Sister will have no relation to the Li family.
Therefore, we cannot sever ties with our relatives.
Li's eldest aunt followed her husband's words, "Little sister, don't be confused. Nowadays, the Gu family is not the Gu family of the past. I'm afraid that families who want to marry into their family could line up from here to the village entrance."
"Our Third Sister only got the job because of a lucky break during a relatively insignificant time. Otherwise, would the Gu family even look at us now?"
Uncle Li added, “Yes, sister, Third Aunt has always listened to you the most since she was little. She has taken care of almost all the housework. Who in our Li Family Village says she is unfilial? Don’t do anything rash in the heat of the moment, or you’ll regret it later.”
The people of Lijia Village each had their own ulterior motives. Lijia's eldest uncle took the lead, and other relatives and even neighbors chimed in with their own opinions to persuade Lijia's mother.
The only family that didn't join the fun was an elderly woman sitting in the corner with her son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson.
The old woman looked at Li San Niang sitting in front from afar, a smile on her lips, and a hint of tears in her eyes.
At first, the Li family kept quiet, but as more people spoke up, it inevitably became noisy.
The villagers in Linshui Village remained calm, simply doing whatever Chang'er told them to do.
It would be best to sever ties smoothly, but they are not afraid of resorting to force.
At this moment, Li San Niang and Gu Xiaoman recounted the events to the elders who had come to witness the story, with Lin Chang'er and the Gu family members adding their own details.
Several clan elders were outraged when they heard that the Li family had actually set their sights on the Gu family's property.
"While it is a matter of course for children to be filial to their parents, it also depends on the children's intentions. How can there be children who are eyeing their husband's family's property? They are simply greedy for money."
"Old Zhou is wrong. A married daughter is like water spilled from a bowl. If a daughter is willing to come home, it is her own good intention to help the family. Coming here to beg for money is already considered begging."
"Old Niu, what you're saying is true. It's normal for in-laws to exchange gifts, but secretly taking advantage of each other is definitely not acceptable."
Chief Niu agreed and nodded.
The reason why life in Linshui Village has improved is because of the Gu family's workshop and other businesses. If others were to take over these businesses, wouldn't that bring them back to square one?
That's absolutely unacceptable.
To covet someone's money is no different from murder.
The elders of Linshui Village had already made a decision in a few words: the kinship must be severed.
At this moment, Zhou Hai spoke up.
"The Gu family is a separate branch in our Linshui Village, so I, as the village head, will act as the mediator. I'm sure everyone knows what's going on."
"Li Qiulan and her son Li Da used the pretext of visiting to coerce Li San Niang into giving them benefits from the Gu family. When Li San Niang refused, they beat her and even tried to kill Gu Yunji, the second son of the second branch of the Li family."
“We originally intended to report this to the authorities, but Third Sister, out of consideration for Li Qiulan’s upbringing, relented. We won’t report it to the authorities, but we will sever this marriage…”