Chapter 77.1

Wang Tao was buried in the morning. After coming down from the mountain, the Wang family prepared several tables of food to entertain the guests.

By the time they finished eating, it was already past three in the afternoon. After cleaning up, Li Xiao prepared to leave with Jiang Rou and the others, but they first needed to make sure Wang Dazhi was taken care of.

Zhou Jian, who had returned yesterday, had been delayed by a sudden issue at the company and arrived quite late. Once he arrived, Li Xiao asked him to drive to Wang Tao’s wife’s family home to check-in. Zhou Jian, who was experienced in dealing with people, found that Wang Tao’s wife’s family was uncooperative. They firmly denied having seen her and insisted that a married daughter was like spilled water, no longer their concern.

Meanwhile, Han Xiaoyuan had disappeared without a trace, and no one knew where she was hiding.

Li Xiao couldn’t afford to stay here indefinitely over this matter. After discussing with Zhou Jian and Zhu Qiang, they decided that the three of them would each contribute money annually to support Wang Dazhi’s continued education.

The money was not given to Wang Tao’s mother, as she was considered unreliable and might give it directly to the younger son. They were not doing charity; the money was given out of respect for the fact that Wang Tao had grown up with them.

Although relationships had become more distant over time, with Wang Tao’s death, those small conflicts no longer mattered. Li Xiao and Zhou Jian had come back to see him one last time.

People often become nostalgic for their childhood as they grow older, and Li Xiao and Zhou Jian were no exception.

Wang Dazhi received the money from the three uncles and listened to their advice, nodding constantly.

Li Xiao spoke calmly, “Your parents are no longer here, so you need to grow up on your own. Keep this money safe. If necessary, let Uncle Zhu Qiang deposit it in the bank for you and plan how much to use each week.”

“Don’t dwell in sorrow. There’s no hurdle you can’t overcome. My childhood wasn’t better than yours. My father passed away when I was younger than you, but I’ve managed just fine. Stay sharp and don’t let anyone trick you into losing the money. Also, even though we’re not with you, you can call us anytime if you need help. We’ll find a way to assist you. Uncle Zhu Qiang is in the county, so you can also go to him directly.”

“Your father grew up with us. As long as you stay on the right path and don’t learn bad habits, we’ll support you no matter what.”

“Remember, you have to walk your own path from now on. Others may have the safety net of their parents to guide them back if they stray, but you don’t. If you go off course, no one will be there to correct you, so you must control yourself and follow the example of good children.”

Zhou Jian, standing nearby, felt the words were too harsh and gently tugged at Li Xiao’s sleeve, saying softly, “Brother.”

It was too painful to say such things to a child who had just lost his parents.

Wang Dazhi was no longer the same boy he once was. After his mother ran off with all the money, he had grown up quickly, realizing he had nothing and had to rely on himself.

He nodded vigorously, wiped away his tears with his arm, and said, “Uncle, I understand. Thank you all.”

Wang Dazhi bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle to the three men.

Zhou Jian sighed, remembering how the boy had been fierce and unruly under his mother’s influence. It was surprising to see that after Wang Tao’s death, he had become much more sensible.

Zhu Qiang helped the boy up and said, “Alright, if you need anything, come find me. Your Uncle Li Xiao had a much harder time when he was young. Look at him now, doing well. Don’t follow others, follow his example. Study hard. Even though he didn’t go to college, he was always among the top three in every exam, very impressive.”

Wang Dazhi nodded while wiping away his tears with his arm.

He then watched as the three uncles left.

Jiang Rou waited at the courtyard gate with the child in her arms. When she saw Li Xiao coming out, she didn’t ask any questions.

Li Xiao said goodbye to Zhu Qiang and Zhou Jian. Zhou Jian was heading back to G Province directly, Zhu Qiang was going to his store, and Li Xiao would stay here for the night and take Jiang Rou and the others to the capital city the next day.

Zhou Jian hurriedly called a car and left, reminding Li Xiao to come back early.

Zhu Qiang also said his farewell and quickly left.

Although they were deeply saddened by the loss of a childhood friend, life had to go on. They were adults and couldn’t dwell on the past forever.

Li Xiao approached Jiang Rou and took the sleeping An An from her arms. Li Xin followed behind and said quietly, “I can go back to the capital by myself.”

She was worried about causing trouble for her sister and brother-in-law.

Li Xiao replied, “There’s no need. It won’t delay us by much.”

Jiang Rou asked about Wang Dazhi, “Isn’t it a bit concerning to leave him here alone? He’s still so young. Should we find him a guardian?”

Li Xiao responded without hesitation, “He’s ten years old; he’s not that young. If he can’t take care of himself, he might as well not live. I survived when I had no money, so why can’t he?”

Jiang Rou said, “…It’s not quite right to say it that way.”

In her view, a ten-year-old child’s values were still being formed, and she was worried that without proper guidance, he might go astray during his rebellious teenage years.

Li Xiao was quite insistent on this matter. “I’m not his real father, so why should I manage everything? If I manage too much, he might complain that I’ve given him too little in the future. This way is better. If he’s ambitious, I’ll help him when I can in the future. If he’s not and ends up learning bad habits from others, then let him be.”

In his view, even though he had nothing when he was young, he still managed to live well. Wang Dazhi, despite losing his parents, was not lacking in money and was already very fortunate.

Seeing his determination, Jiang Rou decided not to say anything more.

She thought of asking Li Xiao to call and check on the child’s grades regularly, so the child would know that someone still cared about him.

The family of four walked home, and when they reached the door, they saw Aunt Wang rushing back home in a hurry. She was carrying a lot of things and quickly ran into the yard, putting the items down before running out again.

An An had already woken up and, upon seeing her, called out cheerfully, “Grandma Wang—”

Aunt Wang was closing the door when she heard the voice and looked back. “Oh, you’re back already?”

Jiang Rou, noticing her eager and excited expression, couldn’t help but ask, “Aunt Wang, where are you going?”

Aunt Wang’s eyes brightened. “You don’t know yet? Your mother-in-law’s family is causing a scene.”

Seeing that Li Xiao was also present, her smile slightly faded, but the excitement in her eyes couldn’t be hidden. “Oh, you won’t believe what’s going on. I just heard that He Wenhua found out his wife had been cheating on him. The child isn’t his. The couple is currently fighting at home.”

“Just now, He Wenhua came back from out of town and dragged his wife home in public. I couldn’t keep up with all the things I was carrying, so I decided to come home first. But Aunt Wu saw it with her own eyes and said that He Wenhua was cursing terribly all the way. He even said that he could have stayed in the provincial capital as a teacher at a key high school, but because of the trouble caused by his wife’s family, he lost everything. This time, he discovered it because, when he returned home last time, he increasingly felt that the child didn’t look like him. He secretly took some hair to do a paternity test or something, and well, I don’t really know how to explain it, but he got the results a few days ago, and the child is indeed not his.”

“Now it’s all good. He Wenhua must be going mad. If he hadn’t married, he might have been living a good life in the provincial capital by now… I won’t talk to you anymore; I need to go see it for myself.”

With that, Aunt Wang hurriedly turned and ran, fearing she might miss the spectacle.

Jiang Rou, not bothering with Li Xiao, grabbed Li Xin’s hand and said, “Let’s go see for ourselves.”

Seeing that his mother had forgotten him, An An anxiously called out, “Mommy—” and tugged at his father’s clothes, urging him to hurry.

Li Xiao was reluctant to go, but with his daughter’s urgent pulling, he had no choice but to follow.

They ran all the way to the He family’s house, where a large crowd had already gathered outside. By the time Jiang Rou and the others arrived, they couldn’t get through; everyone was there just to watch the commotion.

Though Jiang Rou and Li Xin stood on the periphery and couldn’t see inside, they could hear the sounds. Inside the yard, He Wenhua’s frantic, angry shouts mixed with the woman’s screaming and cursing, as well as the child’s crying.

The couple’s shouting was unbearably harsh. After Li Xiao arrived, he quickly covered his daughter’s ears, fearing she might pick up bad habits.

Jiang Rou, however, eagerly stood on tiptoe to watch. The dramatic confrontation between the couple continued until evening. Initially, He Wenhua had the upper hand, but later, relatives from the woman’s side arrived—several cousins came over and ended up pinning He Wenhua down and beating him.

He Wenhua cried and cursed, “I won’t let you all off, I won’t let you all off—”

His wife, now resigned to the situation, declared, “Don’t even think about divorce. I’m going to stay in your house for the rest of my life.”

The scene did not settle until it was dark, but as people had to go home for dinner, the crowd gradually dispersed. Jiang Rou, fearing that He Wenhua might notice them and think badly of them, quickly pulled Li Xiao away.

Though she left, she felt quite satisfied. She remembered how He Wenhua had bullied Li Xiao in the past. He probably never imagined he would end up like this.

Early the next morning, before dawn, Li Xiao and Jiang Rou, along with An An and Li Xin, left the county. They first took a bus to the city, then transferred to a train to the neighboring provincial capital, and finally boarded a plane to the capital.

When Li Xiao boarded the bus leaving the county, he kept looking out the window. Only when he could no longer see the bus station behind them did he finally look away.

Jiang Rou turned her head to look at him.

Li Xiao pressed his lips together and couldn’t help but say, “At the beginning of the year when we left the county, I saw Wang Tao over there. Since we were once brothers, I felt it wasn’t worth holding a grudge. I was thinking of coming back at the end of this year to have a meal with them.”

Perhaps as people get older, their hearts soften. Li Xiao found himself feeling the same way. He reminisced about the old days with his brothers and regretted that they had drifted apart. He thought if they could get along well, they should cherish it because opportunities to meet would only become rarer. It was like when they were kids—arguing and making up over a meal.

But he never expected that someone would suddenly be gone.

Jiang Rou reached out and took his hand.

Li Xiao clasped her hand in return. “It’s not that I’m too sad. I was a bit upset when I saw him lying there a few days ago, but I’m okay now. It’s just that the world changes too quickly, and I worry that I haven’t done enough.”

He tightened his grip on her hand as if trying to hold on to something.

Jiang Rou smiled at him and comforted him earnestly, “You’ve done very well.”

She truly believed that Li Xiao was better than many people. On the surface, he might seem indifferent, but he had a kind heart. Zhu Qiang had treated him badly in the past, but when Zhu Qiang invited him to a meal, he went. When Wang Tao had an accident, Zhu Qiang called him, and he immediately went to help. Even though Chang Yong had not been particularly kind to him, Li Xiao still kept in touch and occasionally offered assistance when Chang Yong faced difficulties…

He was actually a good person. Jiang Rou remembered the information from her past life about Li Xiao. His former friends spoke of him with nothing but respect.

Jiang Rou suddenly realized how difficult it was not to like him. When she first arrived, she liked his appearance. Later, she appreciated his dedication to his family and love for his children, then his abilities and his consideration for her. Now, she thought she should add one more thing: his character.

He came from humble beginnings and naturally had some quirks and habits of a small-time person, but those flaws didn’t overshadow his virtues. He had a sincere and tolerant heart.

Li Xiao didn’t say anything more, only holding Jiang Rou’s hand tightly.

—o—o—o—