Chapter 112: The Rules of the Li Family

Naturally, Li Xiuzhi had no idea about Xie Yunshu’s divorce—otherwise, she wouldn’t have had such a warm, doting smile on her face.

Li Taohong, who was trailing behind, set down the eggs and meat she had brought and muttered a soft “Mom.” Her eyes fell on the pile of dirty laundry in the yard. “I’ll go do the washing…”

“Coming this late, weren’t you just trying to dodge some chores? Raising you was a waste. You barely come home once or twice a year, and even during the New Year you can’t be bothered to help out around the house!” Li Xiuzhi gave her a scathing look. “Still standing around? There’s a whole pile of laundry—you waiting for me to wash it?”

Chores like washing clothes, cooking, cutting grass, and feeding chickens had always fallen on the daughters. Li Taohong was used to it.

Li Fenlan, about to enter the house, paused hesitantly and glanced at Xie Yunshu. “Should I help with the washing too?”

Standing at the door of the main room, Xie Yunshu frowned. “Mom, Auntie, all those clothes belong to Uncle and Wengang, right? Don’t they always hate people touching their stuff? We shouldn’t wash those.”

She still remembered the old days. Every time they came here, her mom and aunt were made to wash mountains of clothes, including all the bedding for the grandparents. While the men sat inside and ate, they were outside doing laundry. By the time they finished and got to eat, only leftovers remained—and then they had to clean up, too.

To put it nicely, they were daughters. To put it plainly, they were treated no better than maids.

Li Xiuzhi had something she needed her eldest daughter’s help with and didn’t want to upset the powerful Lu family, so she forced a smile. “No rush on the laundry. Your uncle and Wengang are out in town and will be back soon.”

She then shouted toward the kitchen, “Yingzi, come out and help carry things! Your big sisters are here, and you don’t even know to greet them!”

A thin woman wiped her hands and came out of the kitchen, smiling sheepishly. “Big Sis, Second Sis—Yunshu, Mingcheng, you’re here too?”

“Hi, Aunt,” Yunshu greeted her politely, then looked around. “Where’s Xiaoshuang? I don’t see her.”

“She’s out in the backyard,” Yingzi replied. “Been there all morning—said she was feeding the chickens.”

Li Xiuqin scoffed, “Feeding chickens? More like sulking because we didn’t let her go to the city. A little girl obsessed with spending money—what’ll she be like when she grows up?”

Yingzi muttered defensively, “She just wanted a hair tie. It doesn’t even cost much.”

“A hair tie costs ten cents. What does she even need that for?” Li Xiuqin snapped, her shrill voice matching the sharp lines on her face. She flung her sleeve and barked, “Go call her in to help with the cooking. Always freeloading off others!”

Xie Yunshu’s eyes turned cold. She grabbed her mother and brother and led them straight inside.

Li Xiuqin finally noticed the new down jackets Li Fenlan and Xie Mingcheng were wearing. She called into the house, “Old man, look—our eldest daughter is really living well now. That jacket must’ve cost at least a few dozen yuan!”

An elderly man in a worn blue cotton coat came out of the back room, holding a tobacco pipe. He knocked the pipe on the table and said, “Your mother’s hands have been frozen all winter. Give her that jacket to wear.”

Before Li Fenlan could speak, he glanced at Xie Mingcheng. “That jacket’s way too big for him. Let Wengang wear it—it’ll do.”

Xie Yunshu nearly laughed from anger. They spoke as if she and her brother existed solely to serve her uncle and cousin.

Li Fenlan instantly regretted wearing new clothes as Yunshu had suggested. She bit her lip and said, “Mom, Yunshu bought the clothes. Mingcheng’s grown—his old ones are too small. We can’t give them to Wengang.”

The old man slammed the table. “While I’m still alive, what I say goes in this house! Your man’s dead—you’ll still have to rely on your maiden family eventually. Yunshu married into a big household. If she’s bullied, won’t she need her uncle’s support?”

Support her?

In all the years she was married to Lu Zhixing, had her Uncle Li Dayong ever once checked on her well-being? All he ever did was ask her to bring back free cold medicine from the hospital. If she hadn’t had a strong personality and refused him each time, she’d have been walked all over. With family like this, no wonder Cheng Yuxiang looked down on her.

Xie Yunshu’s voice turned cold: “Grandpa, I don’t need Uncle’s support. My mom has her own children—we don’t need to rely on her family.”

This family was full of leeches. Having them around was worse than not having anyone at all.

Li Xiuqin was stunned. She hadn’t seen her niece in a while and remembered Yunshu as a stubborn, sharp-tongued child. But back then she’d still held back in front of her elders. Now she dared to talk back? Even if her tone was calm, it was infuriating. If not for the Lu family’s status, she’d have slapped her already.

No wonder her father died early—this girl had no respect and no upbringing!

The old man, Li Shenggen, always had the final say in the Li family. His expression turned cold, and the atmosphere grew tense.

Just then, Yingzi walked in with Xiaoshuang, placing a large bowl of chicken in the center of the table. She smiled awkwardly, “Big Sis, Second Sis, Mom slaughtered a chicken today just for you—please sit down…”

Li Shenggen slammed the table again. “Sit down? Have all the family rules been thrown down the dog’s stomach?”

Yingzi and Xiaoshuang flinched and immediately bent down to grab stools. “We’ll eat in the kitchen—there’s still some broth in the pot. We’ll soak flatbread in it…”

The rules of the Li family: women do not eat at the table.

Yingzi had thought they would make an exception today, since the older sisters were here and they were asking for help. Otherwise, why bother killing a chicken?

Li Xiuqin laughed and grabbed a bowl. “You old coot, always yelling. Wengang isn’t back yet—who else is going to eat at the table? These are our daughters and grandkids, not outsiders.”

As she spoke, the youngest son of the Li family returned, followed by a chubby boy—Li Wengang, the eldest grandson.

Wengang was a junior in high school, one year younger than Xie Mingcheng. He wasn’t as tall, but much more overweight. The Li family had decent genes, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at him.

Seeing Yunshu and Mingcheng, Wengang’s chubby face showed obvious disdain. He muttered, “Deadbeat family,” and reluctantly called out, “Auntie, Second Auntie.”

Li Xiuqin adored this grandson. Her smile turned genuinely warm: “Wengang, come sit down. Grandpa killed a chicken today just for you—both drumsticks are yours!”

Wengang had already eaten in town. He was still holding half a stick of candied hawthorn and casually handed the rest to Xiaoshuang. “Here—two left. You can have them.”

Li Xiuqin looked at Xiaoshuang and said, “What do you say? Thank your cousin! He’s the only one who thinks of you. You still want to go to school like your cousin? Once you’re married, you’d better remember to help your cousin whenever you can!”