“Fine! How could it not be fine? We’re talking about it right now!
Eldest son, you say you love Zhan Hongmei and don’t want to make things hard for her.
But how has Mom survived all these years? How could you dare make things hard for Mom?”
Liu Meiling truly couldn’t understand. All her life, she had loved her eldest son the most.
In their hometown, the eldest son was always the head of the family. As the oldest, he would be responsible for caring for his parents in the future.
In her previous life, she had always favored the eldest, working tirelessly for them all her life. For what? Just so that when she grew old and bedridden, the eldest son would be there to care for her.
But could the eldest really take care of her?
And yet, they had abandoned her on that wooden bed to die.
She couldn’t comprehend it, no matter that the eldest wasn’t even her biological child. She had worked and labored her whole life—how could he bear to see her die?
Li Baoguo was momentarily stunned, replying matter-of-factly: “Because you’re my mother! How could I make things difficult for you? All these years, haven’t you just worked, washed clothes, gone to work? Who doesn’t live like this? Mom, stop making a fuss. Just step back a bit for your sons, can’t you?”
Liu Meiling’s heart sank. She finally understood that some people are crooked to the core; no matter how you twist them, they won’t straighten out.
She hunches her back and smiles bitterly: “You say you love Hongmei and don’t want to trouble her. I understand. But Hongmei… does she love you?”
Zhan Hongmei hurriedly promised, “Auntie, I truly love Baoguo. I will respect and care for you in the future.”
True love?
Liu Meiling laughed bitterly: “If you love him so much, why are you still making things difficult for him?”
“I…”
Zhan Hongmei opened her mouth, but when she met Li Baoguo’s skeptical gaze, she hated Liu Meiling even more. Tears dropped relentlessly, and Li Baoguo quickly wiped them away: “Don’t cry, don’t cry! I know you love me!”
He turned and yelled at Liu Meiling: “Mom, why are you making things hard for Hongmei?”
Liu Meiling dropped the pretense and revealed her true feelings. She had long been annoyed with this worthless boy. Grabbing the family’s feather duster, she started beating Li Baoguo.
“You little brat! I knew this day would come. If I had known when you were born, I would have drowned you in the chamber pot. Filthy little thing. And now you follow someone else to threaten your mother? Watch me beat you to death!”
Whap! Whap!
The feather duster’s stick bounced with each hit, making Li Baoguo grimace and run around the yard.
Eldest aunt had a clever idea and grabbed Liu Meiling’s arm: “Ah, ah, little sister, stop! Children are debts!”
Seeing Liu Meiling pause, Li Baoguo got excited and shouted: “Are you really my mother? I just want to get married, and you won’t let me!”
“I’m not! Damn it! My surname is Liu, yours is Li. How could I possibly be your biological mother!”
Liu Meiling let out a burst of air from her backside toward eldest aunt, choking her so she had to tilt her head. As soon as she loosened her grip, Liu Meiling chased Li Baoguo again.
Eldest aunt gritted her teeth. This woman must have eaten a lot of chive buns—so foul!
Everyone else was just watching the spectacle. Li Baoguo, realizing a chance, ran home.
Zhan’s father’s eyes lit up. He closed the door to negotiate: “Little sister, stop hitting!”
He followed into the Li household.
Liu Meiling had a plan—leading them toward where Li Mingliang had passed out—but she hadn’t expected eldest aunt to miss the threshold. She fell onto the half-broken door, pressing Li Mingliang down, making him scream.
He vomited blood and fainted…
Liu Meiling stopped hitting and shouted: “What are you doing, master? Master! How did Zhan fatso end up vomiting blood?! Oh, master, wuu wuu!”
Neighbors in the courtyard, hearing the commotion, rushed over. Wu Chunhua, Zhao Chunmei, and others saw Liu Meiling crying over Li Mingliang while eldest aunt waved her hands: “I didn’t know anyone was here… I didn’t see!”
Zhan’s father was stunned.
Seeing the blood on Li Mingliang’s chest, he backed down.
“So much blood! Take him to the hospital quickly!”
Li Mingliang was carried out by neighbors using the main door. Liu Meiling clutched eldest aunt, refusing to let go: “You murderer, don’t leave, don’t leave! I’m calling the police!”
Eldest aunt trembled: “I won’t go, I won’t go! Brother, save me!”
Zhan’s father scolded: “You wouldn’t listen to eat less before, and now this! You’ve sat someone to death!”
Li Baoguo was dumbfounded. There was no time to worry about romance now; he chased Li Mingliang to the hospital.
At the hospital, he checked his pockets—empty. His face went pale.
“Hongmei, did you bring money?”
Seeing him panicked, Zhan Hongmei gritted her teeth and took out a large bill.
Li Baoguo was moved even more.
Liu Meiling extorted 350 yuan from the Zhan family before calmly going to the hospital.
As for Li Mingliang’s condition, she wasn’t worried; that old man would outlive her.
By the time she arrived at night, Li Baoguo complained: “Mom, why did you come so late! Hongmei paid my father’s medical bills, give me ten yuan, I’ll return it to her!”
Liu Meiling spat in his face, her expression as venomous as a wicked old woman from another life: “Your father is only in this state because your eldest aunt sat on him! I didn’t ask her for money, and you want me to give her money too?!”
Li Baoguo wiped off the spit with a blank face, trying to reason: “Hongmei is Hongmei, her eldest aunt is her aunt. Hongmei just helped in an emergency. I’m a grown man; I can’t take money from a woman.”
Liu Meiling jumped up and smacked him hard, eyes spinning: “Am I not a woman? You’ve been eating my food and drinking my water all these years—are you using less of it now? Get out! Keep talking and I’ll keep hitting you!”
After chasing them away, Liu Meiling twisted on her toes and went to another ward.
The buns and porridge she carried went into Qian Feng and Qian Mianmian’s mouths.
She had only seen these two children once before; afterward, she only saw them at night, paying little attention to their appearances.
The hospital lights illuminated them, and Liu Meiling paused.
Qian Feng was one thing, but Qian Mianmian looked so much like her! Those eyes reminded her of her eldest sister.
Years ago, during a drought, their Liu family had barely enough food. The five siblings ate tree bark; at best, they had three or four stalks of flour mixed with bark for buns. Within two months, the eldest sister had grown thin—looking much like Mianmian now.
Liu Meiling’s suspicion grew. The eldest son had been swapped with Qian Feng, but who was Mianmian swapped with?
“Thank you, I’ll earn money to repay you.”
The thin, paper-like youth lowered his head, showing no desire for life.
He suddenly loosened his grip on the blanket, revealing a pair of hands roughened by hard work resting on top of his.
Qian Feng was slightly surprised; they felt warm.
“Stay at ease. Auntie isn’t short of a few coins!”
Liu Meiling patted his hand and turned away. She had to find Qin Xiangru—she couldn’t wait a moment longer.