18
Baseless Accusations
The siblings sat nearby playing, while Li Xiuran leaned back in his chair, recalling the words Gu Wenshu had spoken in the car earlier that day. The sorrow that had emanated from her at that moment remained vivid in his mind, and his heart felt as if it were being tightly gripped, leaving him deeply unsettled.
The more he thought about it, the more something felt off. High school was notoriously difficult to get into—a Production Team might not produce a single high school student in two or three years. Could the Gu Family really have so easily torn up the admission notice?
No, they wouldn’t have.
Given the Gu Family’s nature of never acting without personal gain, it was unlikely they would tear up the notice without reason. There must be some hidden secret behind it.
He had asked someone to investigate the events involving the Gu and Li Families over the past few years. Due to the tight timeframe, some crucial details might have been missed. It seemed he needed to have someone dig deeper into what had happened back then.
Although the situation was irreversible, justice still needed to be served for the mother of his children.
After resting for half an hour, Gu Wenshu got up. Once she had freshened up, the family left the inn. The two children, holding their parents’ hands as they walked along the street, were overjoyed, chattering nonstop along the way.
Seeing this, she felt happy.
Despite the frequent beatings and scoldings the children had endured, they had not grown up timid or fearful—a small blessing in the midst of misfortune.
And this was likely due in no small part to Gousheng’s care and protection.
Without Gousheng, the siblings might indeed have been beaten and scolded into timidity.
The children were full of questions, and no matter what they asked along the way, Li Xiuran patiently answered. Watching this man and comparing him to the other brothers in the Li Family, she couldn’t help but wonder: they were all from the same parents, the same brood—so how had Li Xiuran turned out to be the exception?
The walk from Zhanqian Inn to the Department Store took twenty minutes. Listening to the children’s laughter and chatter along the way made the time pass pleasantly.
The Department Store in Luo County was two stories high. Stepping inside, one was immediately struck by the era’s atmosphere—rows of shelves stood against the walls, displaying a variety of goods, with counters in front and salesclerks standing behind them, ready to assist.
Li Xiuran said to Gu Wenshu, “I brought plenty of ration tickets. Feel free to pick out whatever you’d like to buy.”
Gu Wenshu glanced at the children and noticed them staring intently at the White Rabbit Creamy Candy and Canned Fruit on the shelves ahead. Their eyes were filled with longing, but they didn’t clamor to buy anything.
Exchanging a look, Li Xiuran lifted both children into his arms and said with a smile, “Mom says she’s going to buy White Rabbit Creamy Candy and Canned Fruit for Sanbao and Xiao Ni’er. Are you happy?”
Sanbao and Xiao Ni’er were overjoyed. After a moment’s thought, Sanbao said, “Dad, we only want one piece of White Rabbit Creamy Candy.”
Though he longed to try the Canned Fruit, he knew his mother had little money. He and his sister could share just one piece of candy.
Gu Wenshu reached out and ruffled Sanbao’s hair, smiling as she asked, “Why only one piece of White Rabbit Creamy Candy, Sanbao? Are you not going to share with your sister?”
Hearing that she might not get any, Xiao Ni’er’s eyes instantly welled up, on the verge of tears.
Seeing this, her brother panicked. He quickly took his sister’s hand and said, “I’ll share with her! My sister and I will eat it together.”
Then, looking at his mother, who had misunderstood him, he pressed his lips together and said, “Grandma, Grandpa, and Grandma took all of Mom’s money. Mom doesn’t have much left. My sister and I only need one piece of candy to share.”
Instantly, Gu Wenshu felt a profound warmth in her heart. Seeing such an obedient child, she truly wished she could give him the whole world.
She said with a smile, “The money Grandma took has already been brought back by Dad. Dad is very capable, so we can buy lots of White Rabbit Creamy Candy.”
“And also Canned Fruit.”
Though her voice wasn’t loud, some passersby could still hear her. People turned to look at Li Xiuran. An elderly woman, shaking off the middle-aged woman supporting her, angrily stepped in front of them. She cast a disdainful glance at Gu Wenshu before saying to Li Xiuran, “Taking money back from your own mother—what an unfilial son.”
Hearing this, Gu Wenshu looked at the elderly woman speaking. She appeared to be around sixty years old, fair-skinned and plump, dressed neatly and appropriately, with a pair of black leather shoes for the elderly on her feet. From this, it was clear she was someone well-off.
Gu Wenshu sneered at the old woman and said, “Do you know anything about our family’s affairs? If not, why are you shouting here, calling my child’s father unfilial?”
The old woman snorted coldly, “I don’t need to know. The fact that your husband took back the money he gave his mother is proof enough that he’s no good.”
Li Xiuran raised an eyebrow and glanced at Gu Wenshu. “Let’s go, we have our own shopping to do.”
Why waste time with someone like this?
But Gu Wenshu refused to let it go. She sneered, “Why should we leave? I won’t stand for them talking about you like that.” Moreover, the old woman’s look—the way she glanced at Gu Wenshu was clearly contemptuous. She probably thought, like Granny Li, that someone with such striking looks was nothing but trouble.
If someone was bullying them right in front of her, and she could tolerate it, then she wouldn’t be Gu Wenshu.
“You say my child’s father is unfilial, but do you know that the houses his parents, brothers, and siblings live in were built with his money? His younger siblings’ education was paid for by him, and the bride prices for his two older brothers were also covered by him. He regularly gave over two hundred yuan to his family every year, and sometimes his parents still felt it wasn’t enough and demanded more.”
Hearing this, the old woman’s expression changed, and the onlookers began whispering among themselves.
Gu Wenshu felt it wasn’t enough and continued, “He risked his life in the military, sending his allowance home to his parents and brothers, while I stayed home with the children, often beaten and scolded. He was thousands of miles away, completely unaware of what was happening at home. Only when he returned for a few days would his parents and sisters-in-law pretend to treat the three of us well and let us eat our fill.”
“The money he left for me was taken by his mother and sisters-in-law.”
She fixed her gaze on the flustered old woman and asked sternly, “Do you still think someone like that isn’t filial enough?”
“He gave so much money to his family, yet in the end, his wife and children nearly starved to death. After he was discharged from the military, his health deteriorated, and he needed frequent hospital check-ups, which cost a lot of money. His family saw him as a burden and wanted to separate from him. When dividing the family assets, his parents tried to dismiss us with just five yuan.” Her eyes sharp, her words cutting, she pointed directly at the old woman, “You’re defending his parents—does that mean you’re the same kind of person, wanting to suck the lifeblood of your sons and daughters-in-law?”
The old woman’s face shifted through a range of emotions. “I—I’m not like that. I didn’t know any of this.”
“You don’t know the situation, so you can stand here without any scruples blocking us and scolding the child’s father for being an unfilial son?” Gu Wenshu sneered, “Do you realize that with just one remark from your mouth, you could label the child’s father with the accusation of unfilial piety?”
What era is this now? The slightest misstep could cost someone their life, yet this person speaks so carelessly. Does she think Li Xiuran didn’t die thoroughly last time and wants to crush him completely?
Another middle-aged woman who had accompanied the elderly lady tugged at her clothes and said, “Mom, you’re making baseless accusations and wronging people without understanding the situation. Hurry up and apologize to them.”
Li Xiuran’s expression was cold as he glanced at the two and said indifferently, “No need. I won’t accept your apology. You should understand that unfounded accusations can sometimes get people killed.”