Chapter 25: Li Changqing

The couple no longer wanted to have too much interaction with the old house. After all, the area near their second uncle’s house was peaceful, making it a perfect place to build a new home.

Meanwhile, the second branch of the Li family had no idea what was happening at the old house and was enjoying a hearty meal together. For many years, they had heard about how delicious the venison was. Today, they were finally able to taste it for themselves, and as expected, it was as delicious as people had said.

Watching his future father-in-law enjoy the food, Jia Qingshan quickly refilled his glass, saying, “If you like it, I can go hunt in the deep mountains for you in the future.”

Hearing this from his future son-in-law, Li Fu was pleased, thinking that he and his wife had made a good choice.

Li Guo’er and Jia Qingshan were walking on the same back mountain path where they had first met, and thinking about that moment, Li Guo’er couldn’t help but blush. Jia Qingshan, too, wasn’t much better off. He recalled how delicate Li Guo’er’s small hand had felt in his own, and he couldn’t help but look up at her.

Li Guo’er felt as if Jia Qingshan’s scorching gaze could burn a hole through her, and she couldn’t help but lower her head.

Jia Qingshan found Li Guo’er’s shy demeanor incredibly endearing.

Just as the awkwardness between them was thickening, a childish voice interrupted. “Big sister, are you sick? Why is your face so red?”

Looking at her approaching younger brother, Li Guo’er didn’t know how to answer. It was Jia Qingshan who quickly came to her rescue, saying, “Your sister just got tired from climbing the mountain, that’s why her face is red.”

“Oh! Then Big sister, Big brother-in-law, let’s go catch some wild chickens! I just heard their calls!”

To ease the awkward atmosphere, Li Guo’er nodded.

The three of them climbed the mountain, and in less than a quarter of an hour, they caught a large, fat wild chicken. Li Wen excitedly shouted, “Big brother-in-law, you’re amazing!”

The man had killed the wild chicken with just a small stone. Li Guo’er couldn’t help but look at Jia Qingshan with newfound admiration.

Seeing the shock and admiration in Li Guo’er’s eyes, Jia Qingshan happily asked, “Want to learn?”

Li Guo’er quickly nodded.

He mischievously said, “Good. I’ll teach you when no one else is around…”

“Your younger brother is still here!”

Li Guo’er was taken aback. She never expected this seemingly honest and simple man to have such a cheeky side.

Seeing the mischievous smile on Jia Qingshan’s face, she shot him a glare.

When the family heard that Li Changqing and his wife had separated from the old house, no one was surprised. Everyone in the village knew that the old house valued the eldest son, and Li Changqing and his wife were not favored by his parents.

Li Fu felt some sympathy for his nephew, who had faced similar treatment to his own.

But when he learned that the reason for the separation was because Li Mei had been jealous of her daughter’s marriage and had caused the miscarriage by arguing with Meng Shi, it deeply saddened him. The old house’s actions had thoroughly hurt Li Changqing’s heart. He no longer wanted to live with them and didn’t want his wife to suffer because of him, so he had proposed the separation.

When the family learned of the details, they were furious. They had never expected that Li Mei could be so overbearing, and her behavior was exactly like that of her mother-in-law.

At the same time, they felt guilty about their nephew’s situation. Although they didn’t interact much with the old house, they had heard from the villagers that after Li Changqing and Meng Shi had been married for over a year, Meng Shi still hadn’t become pregnant.

Meng Shi had taken many herbal remedies before finally conceiving this hard-earned child, only to suffer a miscarriage because of the turmoil in her own family. Li Fu felt increasingly guilty.

Li Guo’er also felt that the situation stemmed from her own actions and, out of both empathy and reason, felt she should visit her second sister-in-law. However, since her second brother-in-law was still living at the old house, she didn’t want to face Zhao Shi or that venomous old grandmother. It seemed the only option would be to wait until they had settled in their new home before paying a visit to the second sister-in-law.

Li Changqing went to the village chief’s house to explain his intentions, and the village chief agreed readily. He allocated a plot of land not far from Li Fu’s house, charging one tael of silver as a fee.

The couple didn’t have much money saved up. After paying for the land, they only had fifteen taels of silver left. This amount was not enough to build a house with brick and tiles, so after some consideration, they decided to build three simple adobe houses for now. They would rebuild with better materials once they were more financially stable.

Building the adobe houses was much simpler than constructing brick houses, and with the help of ten or so villagers, the houses were completed in just ten days.

On the day Li Changqing moved into the new house, no one from the old house came to help. Li Fu and his wife had never cared much for this grandson.

Li Youjin and Zhao Shi had no desire to see their youngest son’s face again. They felt that as long as their eldest son was around, that would suffice.

Watching his younger brother move his things in and out, Li Changqing noticed that neither his parents nor his paternal grandparents made any effort to help or even offer a glance.

Li Changqing’s older brother, Li Changsong, felt that this behavior was inappropriate. Even if his younger brother had separated, they were still family. Just as he was about to step forward and offer help, Yuan Shi pulled him back, her expression clearly irritated.

Li Changsong, who had been about to step forward to help, hesitated when Yuan Shi, with an unhappy expression, stopped him. She said, “They’ve been ignored by our parents, and you, as the older brother, are just going to stir things up?”

Li Changsong, who usually listened to Yuan Shi, saw her displeasure and decided not to intervene further.

Li Changqing glanced at his older brother, shook his head, and then, together with his wife, carried their belongings out of the old house.

The couple stood in front of their newly built home, their eyes welling up with tears. They finally had a place of their own, no longer needing to face the scheming of their sister-in-law, Yuan Shi, or the cold indifference from their parents and grandparents.

Recalling the hardships of the past, they couldn’t hold back their tears of joy in front of the villagers.

Li Fu and Li Mu, seeing their nephew and niece-in-law crying, walked over and said, “Today is a happy day. Let the past stay in the past. Look ahead—your lives will only get better.”

Li Guo’er and her sister-in-law, Xing’er, approached carrying a rabbit. “We heard you moved into your new home today, so we brought a rabbit for dinner,” Li Guo’er said.

The couple smiled and responded, “Thank you, Guo’er and Xing’er! We were just wondering what to have for dinner, and now you’ve brought a rabbit—let’s have spicy rabbit pieces for dinner!”

Jia Qingshan, who was eager to marry his little wife, frequently went to his future in-laws to win their favor, making them laugh heartily.

Li Guo’er, watching Jia Qingshan, couldn’t help but wonder if he had changed. Was this still the same man who would blush at just touching her finger?

Li Fu and Li Mu, both having been young themselves, understood what Jia Qingshan was thinking. The reason they had planned the wedding for the coming spring was to allow their daughter to stay at home longer. Their eldest daughter had endured the most hardship growing up, and now that the family was doing better, they wanted to make up for the lost years by giving her the care and attention she deserved.

In the end, Li Mu softened and agreed to set the wedding