Chapter 80: The True Face
"Just ’helping out your sons’? Ma, you’re really something else," Li Man said mockingly, having finally seen his mother’s true intentions. "When we split the family assets, Big Brother did the math. There was enough money for all of us brothers to build houses and get married. But you kicked him out, fobbing him off with 250 yuan. It’s not that he was being generous by not fighting you on it. He wanted to use that money to cut all ties with the old house."
"In other words, Big Brother is sick to death of us. He built his new house far, far away. Don’t you get it? Last year, before he was even married, he didn’t even come to the old house for New Year’s Eve dinner. He’d rather eat alone than be with us. How can you still not understand? There’s a limit to playing dumb, Ma. I don’t know why you hate Big Brother so much, but when Second Brother was about to hit our pregnant sister-in-law, I didn’t see you try to stop him. If anything had happened to her that day, do you really think our family could have withstood Big Brother’s retaliation?"
"You’re just using us as an excuse to bleed my big brother dry. ’For our sake’? Our reputation is mud now! What decent family would dare marry their daughter into our home? None of us brothers can even find a wife now. Is this what you call ’looking out for us’?"
Li Man turned to his brothers and said with a bitter smile, "All we saw was the money. We forgot how Big Brother protected us since we were little. Are you all satisfied now? Ma, are you satisfied? Brothers turned against each other, the bond between father and son broken. Ma, you must really hate our branch of the Li family, don’t you!"
Seeing their mother’s evasive gaze, the Li family members were all stunned. ’Is it true? Did Mother do it on purpose?’
"Wife? Is what our third son said true? Do you hate me? Was it all on purpose?" Second Brother Li asked, his voice trembling.
"No. I hate Li Xiu. I wish I had never given birth to him. But for the rest of you, haven’t I done my absolute best? I just never expected things to turn out like this!" At this point, Ge Er Ya spoke calmly. There was no longer anything to hide.
"Why? You gave birth to our eldest. How has he ever wronged you?" Second Brother Li asked in disbelief.
"I gave birth to him, yes. But what about him? He was always defending his grandmother and his aunt. Did he ever show me, his own mother, any respect? From the time he was a child, he was craftier than anyone. He knew his grandmother and his aunt treated me poorly, that they were always trying to control me. Not only did he not protect me, but he looked down on me all the time. What use do I have for a son like that?"
Wiping her tears, Ge Er Ya looked at her husband and the children she had always defended. "I brought him into this world, so what’s wrong with him helping his younger siblings? Your health is poor, and he’s capable. He earns a lot of money. Why shouldn’t he help out his younger brothers and sisters more?"
"Sure, why not? You gave birth to me, so I should work myself to the bone like an ox, letting them drink my blood and eat my flesh, is that it? Before we split the family assets, wasn’t all the money I earned enough? Am I not allowed to get married and have children? Was I supposed to spend my entire life working myself to death just so you and your children could spend my money?"
Li Xiu, who had just walked into the room, calmly addressed the group of people, each wearing a different expression.
Looking at his expressionless mother, Li Xiu said with a smile, "You gave birth to me, but did you ever fulfill your duties as a mother? Regardless of what happened in the past, we’ve come to this point. Who’s right and who’s wrong doesn’t matter anymore. You hate me, and I have no desire to see you. Let’s just leave it at this. From now on, we’ll go our separate ways and live our own lives."
"Do you know why I don’t like you? You’re always like this. With everything. It’s as if it’s always my fault. I’m your mother! But you always act like this with me. Everything you do is right, and I, your mother, am made to look like a fool in front of you. Would it have killed you to say a few nice words to me? But you never have. My whole life, I was crushed by my mother-in-law and sisters-in-law, unable to even hold my head up. And you, my own son, you helped them bully your own mother!"
Ge Er Ya stared viciously at Li Xiu. "You want me to like you? I wish I had strangled you at birth! You’re nothing but a debt collector from a past life! Stop dreaming. I could never, ever like you in this lifetime!"
Seeing her like this, Li Xiu remained completely unmoved. ’I gave up on this mother in my last life. Besides, I’m not some two or three-year-old child desperate for a mother’s affection. I have a beloved wife and a precious daughter in my arms. For familial love, I have my daughter. For romantic love, I have the dear wife I’ve sought for two lifetimes.’
"Mother, there’s no need to say anything more. I can’t possibly understand your mindset. But when I look at my own precious daughter, all I want is to lay the best things in the world at her feet, just to see her smile. I’ve said before that I would support you in your old age. I will still honor that promise, simply because you and Father brought me into this world."
Seeing Li Xiu’s placid expression, which hadn’t changed since he entered the room, Second Brother Li asked in a low voice, "Eldest, when did you get here?"
Seeing his own father still trying to smooth things over, Li Xiu broke into a broad smile. "Father, I arrived just as Li Man was saying I would be like Nezha, carving my own bones out for my father and slicing my flesh off for my mother."
In truth, he had arrived much earlier. He had gone home first to spend some sweet time with his precious wife and daughter, and then came over after dinner. They were his biological parents, after all. No matter what, he had to make an appearance on the first day of the New Year.
Dazzled by Li Xiu’s smile, the Li siblings stared at their brilliant eldest brother, their minds in a whirl. When did that dark, skinny, silent brother, who only ever knew how to work his fingers to the bone, grow into someone they now had to look up to? Deep down, they knew. It was after the family assets were split. It was after he married their sister-in-law. Maybe it was the better food, or maybe it was because his wife took good care of him. Their eldest brother was taller now, his skin was fairer, and his features had become more refined. He smiled more and more, and there was no trace of his former self left.
"Big Brother, I’m sorry." Li Man took a step forward and apologized quietly to Li Xiu. He was sorry for his past heartlessness, and for being so blind and thoughtlessly following others.
Li Xiu smiled. "It’s alright, Li Man. I can’t expect everyone to like me or to think of me. It’s human nature to seek advantages and avoid harm. That’s perfectly normal. From the first cry at birth, our lives are destined to be full of unpredictability and the human heart is impossible to fathom. How can there be so much perfect fatherly kindness and filial piety, or brotherly love and respect in the world? It’s enough for everyone to just live their own lives in peace."
"Big Brother, does this mean you’re never going to care about me again? That you won’t acknowledge me as your brother anymore? You used to dote on me," Li Yong said, his face crumpled in a sob.
"You still have three other brothers!" Li Xiu said with a light laugh, still offering a piece of advice. "Li Yong, you’re not a kid anymore. You should understand that it’s better to rely on yourself than on others. When push comes to shove, you can’t even count on your own parents. You need to have the skills to stand on your own two feet."
Looking at his eldest son’s smiling face, Second Brother Li was at a loss for words. "Eldest, you..."
"Father, I have a few words of advice for you. Listen or don’t listen, it’s up to you. This will be the last time I offer it," Li Xiu said, directly cutting off Second Brother Li’s unfinished sentence. He wore a smile, but his eyes were like knives, fixed tightly on the man who gave him life as he spoke slowly.