Chapter 99: The Ugly Truth

Li Kai had simply taken a blade and cut that man down to size, and he had driven the old woman to her death in the house by the very same means.

That was why everyone outside said Boss Li was ruthless and cold-blooded, a man capable of anything. Especially when compared with the upright, spotless male lead, Lu Liqin, Li Kai seemed utterly inhuman.

In truth, he was only a pitiful younger brother bent on avenging his eldest sister.

Now, as an outsider, Tang Xin studied Li Xihua in silence, trying hard to recall the plot in the book.

What she most wanted to know was how far things had progressed by now.

And how was she supposed to help her eldest sister?

In the story, it had clearly been because the Li family had already fallen on hard times, and Li Xihua had had no one to rely on, that she had only run back to her parents’ home and said nothing at all.

But now Li Sheng was still perfectly well, and the Li family seemed to be living even better than before.

Why, then, had Li Xihua returned home and still said nothing, continuing to cover up those ugly truths for her husband?

Oh, right. In Li Xihua’s heart, she still believed that her husband, Qian Darong, was a good man who stood firmly by her side, while the only villain was her mother-in-law.

Her eldest sister had married into the family, yet her brother-in-law had not come to the wedding, and now, for New Year, he still would not even accompany his wife back to her parents’ home to pay respects. Tang Xin truly could not muster even a shred of affection for that Qian Darong.

Hmph. Since she was already part of the Li family, if that Qian Darong had the nerve to bully her eldest sister, Tang Xin would make him pay dearly.

Li Xihua could also feel Tang Xin watching her the whole time, and grew a little self-conscious, so she simply slipped back into the kitchen.

Tang Xin had sharp eyes and clearly saw that after her eldest sister quickened her pace, her steps were a little unsteady.

They had never heard that the eldest married sister had any trouble with her legs or feet. Could it be...

Though it was not wise to stir up trouble during the New Year, Tang Xin felt she should first prepare her words. Once the holiday was over, she would immediately find a way to help her eldest sister solve the problem.

So Tang Xin pouted and deliberately asked, “Mother, does my eldest sister’s husband dislike Brother Sheng? When we got married, as her brother-in-law he did not even come to offer congratulations, and now it is New Year, yet he still lets my eldest sister come back alone to her parents’ home.”

Well, that was poking at the sore spot. Li Xihua became certain that this new daughter-in-law had it in for her.

Though she had indeed suffered grievance at her husband’s family today, and her temper was poor because of the New Year, she still would not have come back to her parents’ home on the first day of the year without proper manners.

But she still had to preserve a little dignity, so she hurried to explain, “Darong has guests at home. In a couple of days, when things calm down, he will come.”

Tang Xin was now even more certain. Her eldest sister was not going to tell their parents of her own accord about her grievances.

Li Xihua’s face grew even darker. It seemed her younger brother’s wife was very bothered by the fact that Darong still had not come since she had entered the family.

So Li Xihua became even more cautious, desperately explaining that Darong truly had something to attend to and was not deliberately refusing to come.

Tang Xin shook her head and decided not to speak anymore.

What could anyone do for a person who would not even fight for herself?

After eating dumplings, Tang Xin quietly saved a whole large platter, intending for Li Sheng to make a trip and deliver it to those elderly men.

She had not known before, but now that she did, and since she had the means, she would not fail to help them.

For one thing, it was to build goodwill; once they survived this darkest period, they would all become important figures after they emerged.

And besides, Tang Xin truly respected those old generals and old professors, those senior intellectuals and soldiers who had fought desperately for the safety of the motherland.

Which one of them was not worthy of the people’s respect and care?

After Li Xihua stayed at her parents’ home, the Li household became even livelier.

Li Xiyue dragged her eldest sister along and kept instilling one idea into her:

Their eldest brother had changed. He was no longer their eldest brother at all; he had already been bewitched by some enchantress.

So Li Xihua joined Li Xiyue in the line of the shocked as well. Of course, unlike her younger sister, who had benefited from Tang Xin and still had to jab at people to their faces, she did not do that.

Her younger brother’s wife was indeed a good woman. The life in the house had visibly improved, and their parents smiled much more often too.

On the one hand, Li Xihua was deeply grateful to Tang Xin.

On the other hand, she truly could not help but sigh: so this was how a husband and wife could live together?

She watched with her own eyes as Li Sheng, who had always been the busiest in the household and never took a break even during the New Year, finished his meal and then went back to the room with his wife to rest.

They called it taking a midday nap.

That was not all. Over there, the enchantress said that after her nap she wanted to wash her hair and needed Li Sheng to help prepare things.

And her mother, too, had even taken the enchantress’s changed clothes after bathing and was going to the river to wash them for her.

Was this bringing home a daughter-in-law, or had her mother gone out and brought back a wealthy young lady to wait on?

Tang Xin, who had gone back to the room on the pretense of resting at noon, slipped into the space farm and was basking in the joy of a bountiful harvest.

Aside from the crops, several of her fruit trees were also blooming and bearing fruit.

Not to mention the apples and oranges, the chestnut tree had yielded a great many more nuts, enough for her to exchange for enough coupons to take things to the processing workshop.

So Tang Xin not only made sugar-roasted chestnuts, but also chestnut cakes, all of them fragrant, sweet, and delicious.

The cattle and sheep in the pasture were growing strong as well. Most importantly, after the space farm upgraded, its functions had become even more varied.

There was not only a fishpond, but also beehives.

So besides finding ways to add more dishes to the family table, she could also increase the children’s snacks, and she could even find more excuses to make trips into the county.

Besides, with the beehives she could raise bees and harvest honey.

Honey was a wonderful thing, sweet in taste and good for the body as well.

After that first time, Tang Xin later found ways to go around the county and trade with people instead of selling things.

The main reason was that market liberalization was still a long way off, and free buying and selling was not yet allowed. If she was merely exchanging goods and happened to be caught, she would still have a better chance of getting out of trouble.

What she traded for with others was not much fruit, after all, in the dead of winter that kind of thing was far too eye-catching.

The processing workshop was of course excellent. Taking crops out directly was not appropriate, but once they were made into finished goods, it became much easier to sell them.

For example, tofu, egg cakes, pastries, and the like were wanted by many people, and bringing them home to improve the family’s meals was also a good thing.

Sometimes, when she wanted certain things and did not feel like doing them herself, she could also take some stored goods from the warehouse and use them as a little reward for the little monkeys.

She had them help with tasks, such as picking flowers for flower tea or drying flowers and the like.

The little monkeys had boundless energy. As long as they knew that helping the elder sister with some work would earn them something delicious, they would work with remarkable diligence.

And truth be told, even Mrs. Fang had been much relieved.

With the little monkeys’ help, under her daughter-in-law’s guidance, Mrs. Fang made health-giving flower tea, as well as soybean paste, mushroom paste, sesame paste, meat sauce, and similar things.

Tang Xin had long since noticed that the processing workshop could make certain items, such as tofu and pastries, that her mother-in-law could not make.

But anything that had to be simmered over a stove with fire, the processing workshop was helpless to produce.