Chapter 87: Li Guo Complains
The three brothers wolfed down their food. Wiping his mouth, Li Guo let out a long sigh of relief. "So full. I was starving today." He’d almost said he was starving to *death*, but he swallowed the word back down. His mother was still watching him like a hawk!
"What happened? Where are Grandma and Eldest Aunt?" Li Xiu’s brow furrowed. ’These two are growing boys. Why would Grandma and Eldest Aunt let them go hungry?’
"Don’t even start, Big Brother. Are you sure you’re Second Uncle and Second Aunt’s biological son? That whole second branch of the family is just..."
"Shut your mouth. Show some respect," Li Bao said irritably. "No matter how unreliable they are, they’re still our elders. It’s not your place to criticize them. Besides, that’s Big Brother’s real father, and our own father’s brother."
"Alright, Li Bao. It’s the New Year, don’t keep picking on him. He knows what he’s doing," Li Xiu said, defending Li Guo. ’If an elder doesn’t act their age, how can they expect the younger generation to respect them?’
"Li Guo, tell us exactly what happened. How did you end up not eating until now?" Li Gui asked him directly, seeing her sister-in-law’s curious expression.
"Big Sister, you have no idea. The Lao family is now infamous in all the surrounding villages. All for the sake of splitting the family property, for money... Real brothers came to blows, and their parents just stood by, trying to smooth things over without solving anything. Second Uncle’s house was surrounded by a huge crowd, three layers deep."
Li Guo’s anger was palpable. "You didn’t see it. The scene... it’s hard to even describe. Eldest Uncle had to give them a good thrashing just to get them to quiet down. Even then, they bickered for a whole morning. It wasn’t until Grandma and Eldest Uncle got furious and gave Second Uncle and Second Aunt a harsh scolding that things settled. Grandma said flat-out that if they kept it up, the other two branches of the Li family would sever all ties with the second branch. That’s the only thing that shut them up."
Seeing the ’I-knew-it’ look on his big brother and sister-in-law’s faces, Li Guo continued, "Big Brother, Sister-in-law, you have no idea. Second Aunt was crying her eyes out, and it was only because Grandma and Eldest Uncle forced them that they finally wrote everything down clearly in the family division agreement. The looks on the faces of the village chief, the team leader, and all our clan’s grand-uncles and uncles... it’s impossible to describe. Great-Uncle even started laying into Eldest Uncle, blaming him for not teaching Second Uncle better. He said, ’The eldest brother is like a father, the eldest sister-in-law like a mother.’ The look on Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt’s faces then was really something else..."
"—like they’d swallowed a fly they couldn’t spit out. My dad’s pretty unlucky, getting stuck with a younger brother like Second Uncle. But I think when it comes to bad luck, no one beats Big Brother. He has a pair of unreliable and totally biased parents, plus a pack of good-for-nothing brothers. Luckily, he still has the three of us reliable ones. Otherwise, I’d honestly be worried he’d be crying in secret!"
Seeing that his Brother Guo didn’t quite dare to criticize their father, Li Bo launched into his tirade without a shred of hesitation. He was young, and as the eldest grandson of the main branch, Li Xiu had taught him differently than he’d taught Li Bao. Only he could get away with saying such things. For anyone else, their status or age would have made it inappropriate. This was a speech only Li Bo could make.
"Little brother, you can’t say things like that outside, you hear? It’s one thing to talk like this at home, but you can’t be so loose-tongued in public," Li Bao scolded him sternly. According to the Lao family’s rules, the elder was responsible for disciplining the younger, so it was perfectly within Li Bao’s rights to lecture Li Bo.
"I know, Brother Bao. I only say this stuff at home. If I dared to say it outside, Big Brother and you wouldn’t even have to lift a finger. Brother Guo would beat the tar out of me," Li Bo said with a pout. ’Who’s to blame for me being the youngest? With so many older brothers pressing down on me, any one of them has the right to give me a beating.’
Li Guo just chuckled slyly to himself without saying a word. ’His little brother is a clever and mischievous imp; it’s not easy to catch him making a mistake. I grew up getting disciplined by Big Brother and my own older brother. Now that I have a younger brother of my own, you can’t blame me for wanting to flex my authority as a big brother too!’
"Big Brother," Li Bao began, turning to Li Xiu and Zhou Lian, "it’s all settled with Second Uncle’s family now. The agreement is written out very clearly. Li Hua, Li Man, and Li Yi will each get 200 yuan. Second Uncle is responsible for building their houses and helping them find wives. They won’t get the money until after they’re married. Once their houses are built, they’ll move out. Since Li Yi is still young, he’ll contribute grain rations and eat with the family until he’s seventeen, then he’ll start cooking for himself. As for the old house and the rest of the money, 200 yuan will be set aside for Li Xin’s dowry, and everything else goes to Li Yong. From now on, Second Uncle and Second Aunt will live with Li Yong. When the time comes for them to be cared for in their old age, the five brothers will share the cost equally." He looked at his brother and sister-in-law. ’With parents and in-laws like that, they’ve really got their work cut out for them.’
Zhou Lian just smiled, unconcerned. "You can’t choose your parents. When all is said and done, they gave you life, so you have a duty to ensure they’re cared for in their old age. It’s not just about being filial. It’s about setting an example for the next generation, so they understand what must not be done, and what must be done, no matter how difficult. That’s the most fundamental part of being a good person."
’Looking at his sister-in-law’s calm expression, Li Bao finally understood completely why his big brother was so devoted to her. No wonder Big Brother always taught them to marry a virtuous woman. It was true what they said: ’A virtuous wife brings her husband few troubles.’ No wonder the elders always said, ’A good wife brings prosperity for three generations, while a foolish one brings ruin for three generations’!’
’The clearest contrast was between his sister-in-law and Second Aunt. The things his sister-in-law had said when Eldest Sister got married were so heartwarming. And what she said today just proved again how reasonable and broad-minded she was. Then look at Second Aunt. Except for Big Brother, every single one of her children was a wreck. As for Big Brother, she gave birth to him but never raised him. It was a good thing he was naturally intelligent and had an upright character. Otherwise, it’s hard to say how he would have turned out.’
"Sister-in-law, you’re amazing," Li Guo said, then turned to his brother. "Big Brother, things can’t just be left like this, right? What happens later if things don’t go their way and they start acting up again? Our entire fourth branch will lose face! Besides, Grandma and Eldest Uncle were just bluffing to scare them. They can’t *really* sever ties with the second branch, can they? No matter what, they’re still part of the fourth branch. We can’t let ourselves become a total laughingstock!" he said dejectedly. ’We’re all connected by blood, after all. We can’t have people pointing and whispering about us forever!’
"You’re just a kid. Why are you worrying about all this?" Li Xiu smiled and patted the anxious Li Guo’s shoulder. "We’re here to handle it. It’s not your place to be worrying about these things yet."
"I can help too, Big Brother! I’m already grown up," Li Guo said, dissatisfied. ’Why does Big Brother always treat me like I’m a little kid, just like Li Bo!’
"Still wet behind the ears and you’re calling yourself grown up!" Uncle Li, who had just stepped into the room and heard his youngest son’s outburst, shot back immediately.
"Uncle Li, Grandma, Eldest Uncle, Eldest Aunt. You’re here. Please, come in and sit," Li Xiu said, looking up as the four elders filed into the room. He quickly stood to greet them. ’Looks like they’ve finally finished handling things.’
He shot a look at Li Gui and Li Yun, who were on the *kang*. ’They probably haven’t eaten yet,’ he thought, signaling for Li Gui and her sisters to hurry and make some food. He didn’t want them to go hungry. ’What a chaotic New Year this is turning out to be!’
Li Gui quickly ushered her younger sisters into the kitchen. The three brothers had just polished off all the leftovers from lunch. She saw that there were still plenty of uncooked dumplings, which would be the fastest thing to make. They must all be starving.