Chapter 113 - 111: Flowing Feast
The sumptuous dinner was a joyous affair for host and guests alike. After seeing everyone off and closing the door, Li Xiu returned to the room to find his wife holding their child, a strange, unreadable smile on her face. Li Xiu paused. ’Did something upset her? Why is her smile so creepy!’
"Are they all gone?" Seeing Li Xiu nod, Zhou Lian said, half-jokingly, "Li Xiu, is everyone in your Li family this cunning?"
During the meal, Grandma Li and the two Aunts Li had taken turns making pointed remarks. At first, she hadn’t caught on and even played along. It was only when she saw their increasingly happy smiles and heard their endless praise that she finally understood what they were getting at.
Zhou Lian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ’This is all so ridiculous! Forget leaving a man like Li Xiu—I couldn’t bear to part with my own daughter. In this day and age, when a couple divorces, the children, regardless of gender, go to the father unless he refuses them. In my last life, wasn’t it the very fact that I couldn’t part with my child that stopped me from getting a divorce?’
"Bao’er, don’t be angry. They’re just worried that once you’ve made something of yourself, you’ll start to look down on me."
"What about you? Aren’t you worried?" Zhou Lian asked, looking curiously at Li Xiu as he pulled her and their daughter into his embrace. ’I’ve been wondering about this for a long time but could never figure it out. Is he so sure I won’t betray him, or does he simply trust me?’
"I’m not worried. Bao’er, you should know that I’m a man who keeps his promises. I’ve told you before: we will share a bed in life and a tomb in death, from the highest heavens to the deepest hells. How could I ever let you leave me midway?"
With her back to Li Xiu, Zhou Lian didn’t see the madness in his eyes as he spoke—a devouring craze, the kind that would startle anyone who glimpsed it. But even if she had seen it, she wouldn’t have said much. After all, in her previous life, she had often seen him look at her with that very same expression.
"By the way, why did you decide to hold a running banquet? That must have cost a fortune!"
"My Bao’er got into the best university, so of course I’m happy. Plus, it’s a good way to shut the mouths of the villagers. I’m tired of hearing them gossip about this and that," Li Xiu said gently to Zhou Lian, a smile on his face as he teased their little daughter, who was still awake.
Canopies had been set up in the courtyard and the alleyway by the gate. From early morning, the Li family’s courtyard was abuzz with activity. Grandma Li arrived, as did the first and third branches of the Li family and other members of the clan. The women were all busy in the kitchen, and the two large cauldrons in the southern bungalow, normally used for cooking pig feed, were now filled with two huge pots of stewing meat.
The elders from the various branches of the Li family were having tea with Li Xiu, asking him about his plans. True to the saying that older ginger is spicier, they all but told him outright to keep a close eye on his wife, lest he end up with nothing.
The men of his and the younger generation looked at Li Xiu’s faint, unreadable smile and couldn’t help but shudder. The sinister air around him was practically overflowing. ’This man is a cunning fox spirit incarnate. Worry about him? You’d be better off worrying about his wife!’
"I’ve troubled you all to worry so much. It’s fine. My wife isn’t that kind of person. Besides, once you marry into the Li family, you belong to the Li family. There’s no sense in running off midway! Don’t worry. I, Li Xiu, am not so pathetic that I can’t even hold on to my own wife!"
Li Bao and the few others with him nodded vigorously. ’Anyone else’s wife might run off, but his never would. It wouldn’t matter if she went to university or became a high-ranking official someday; she’d never get away. For a man like him, with schemes woven into every strand of his hair, his wife could be the cleverest woman alive and still never escape his grasp.’
’The elders in the family are still too naive; how could they not see through him? All the other members of the Li family combined don’t have half his cunning. When he decides to deal with someone, he’s ruthless and cruel. No one who crosses him ever finds peace again. Worry about him? They should be more worried about the people he sets his sights on!’
As if he knew exactly what they were thinking, Li Xiu watched them with the faintest hint of a smirk. The look made their hearts clench, and one by one, they made excuses and fled. ’Getting targeted by him is never good news. We should just go and help out. A lot of people are coming today, not just from the village, but friends and relatives, even distant ones. We’d better go keep an eye on things!’
The running banquet was a lively affair. Li Xiu was generous, serving large bowls of meat and huge platters of fish. As soon as guests finished eating, they would leave, and new ones would take their seats. The festivities continued bustling until around four or five in the afternoon before finally winding down. The women of the clan were quick and efficient, cleaning everything up in no time. Once those who were meant to leave had departed, only the bewildered Zhou family remained.
"Little sister, when did you learn how to read?" Second Brother Zhou asked in astonishment, looking at the quiet and graceful Zhou Lian before him.
Zhou Lian’s lips twitched. She replied patiently, "Second Brother, I took literacy classes when I was still living at home. You didn’t know?"
"I know you took literacy classes, but what does that have to do with getting into a university?"
"Doesn’t it?"
...
Staring speechlessly at his sister, Second Brother Zhou felt mentally exhausted. ’When did she become so... so... what’s the word for it? Slick? No, that’s not it. In any case, Li Xiu must have corrupted her.’ At this thought, Second Brother Zhou shot a fierce glare at Li Xiu, who was holding the child.
"Second Brother, stop glaring," Li Xiu said to his brother-in-law with a smile, before turning to his in-laws with a serious expression. "Father, Mother, my wife is very intelligent. As you know, she didn’t have much to do after she got pregnant, so I suggested she read books to pass the time. She finished every book in the house—about seven or eight sacks’ worth—and she remembered it all. So, I just thought I’d let her give the exam a try. It’s great that she passed, but it wouldn’t have mattered if she hadn’t."
He glanced at everyone present and continued, "And none of you need to worry. We’ve already talked it over. I’m taking the child with me to accompany her to the university. I’ve already made all the arrangements."
Zhou Kun looked at his beaming son-in-law, then at his daughter smiling by his side. ’I never thought my daughter was smart enough to get into university,’ he mused, ’and I certainly never expected this son-in-law of mine to be so generous as to let her take the exam and go. Ever since Li Xiu sent word that she’d been accepted, my heart has been in turmoil. I never imagined my quiet, unassuming daughter could be so capable. I was afraid this whole university business would cause a rift between them.’
’But looking at them now,’ Zhou Kun suddenly felt relieved. ’I know my daughter. She doesn’t have a crooked bone in her body. As for my son-in-law, his mind is as full of schemes as a sieve has holes. The only reason he’d dare let her go to university is because he understands her heart and temper completely.’
"It’s getting late. Let your mother stay here for a couple of days. The rest of us will head back first," Zhou Kun said, looking at the sky outside and making a final decision. ’Let her mother have a good, long talk with her,’ he thought.
"Of course. Let Mother stay a few more days. When she’s ready to go home, I’ll take her back myself. Lian’er still has a month before school starts, and since there’s not much to do right now, it’s a good chance for her to spend more time with her mother. It’ll keep her from getting too homesick when she leaves for school," Li Xiu said to his father-in-law with a smile. ’My father-in-law is still worried, I see!’
’No matter. I have plenty of ways to make the Yue Family believe that my wife is one of a kind—the smartest and cleverest of them all!’