Chapter 138: He Dreams of Killing Her

He treated the several brothers as if they were her own relatives, looking after them with meticulous care.

They felt the atmosphere of home for the first time.

But such good days didn't last long.

Because Li Qinglan couldn't keep up the act.

She began frequently mentioning her gambling-addicted father, her miserable life, and her strained circumstances.

Li Jiaci felt grateful for her efforts and voluntarily offered to help her resolve her difficulties.

Thus, from working from dawn till dark, it turned into risking his life working through the night.

During that period his body grew so thin it was nothing but bones; he couldn't bear to spend money on medicine, and when he handed over that sum of money to Li Qinglan, it was still stained with his blood.

Li Qinglan accepted it with a clear conscience.

Having tasted a bit of sweetness, she wanted more.

The money Li Jiaci earned alone by risking his life could not satisfy her desires at all.

So she started urging Li Jiaci's five younger brothers.

In less than a few months she became the envy of everyone at school, with endless money to spend—today treating someone to a meal, tomorrow taking someone to a movie, being extravagantly generous to anyone.

But as soon as she returned to the tenement building, she was that poor wretch with a gambling-addicted father, looked down upon at school because of her family's poverty and unable to pay tuition.

Even if Zhao Chen exposed this, Li Qinglan could still cry and say she wasn't acting out of vanity but because her innate inferiority forced her to pretend wealth outside, lamenting how decadent the university atmosphere was, and that people like her, poor as they are, could never gain the school's favor.

The several brothers together still didn't have as much knowledge as a single picture book!

Li Qinglan knew they hadn't had many years of schooling, so she dared to spout nonsense in front of them.

She smoothly bluffed her way through, then proceeded to bleed the brothers dry.

Household hygiene was no longer done; she only occasionally brought back some food from outside, and even that was just leftovers from her treating guests to meals.

Li Jiaci didn't blame her, but the money he gave her was no longer as much as before.

This made Li Qinglan anxious; once when Li Jiaci picked her up after school, she deliberately dropped a tuition arrears notice from her pocket, and when he asked a question she burst out with a long string of pitiful remarks.

The meaning was that she had no money to pay tuition, and the school was going to expel her.

She also revealed the bruises on her arms where her gambling father had beaten her, and she felt so wronged that tears streamed down.

After that, Li Jiaci helped her settle the tuition, and doubled the money he gave her.

Naturally, the burden on him grew heavier, making him breathless.

Smoke lingered in the room.

Li Jiaci opened the window to let in fresh air.

"This matter is over!"

"Don't mention that woman again from now on!"

Hearing this, Wang Lan lifted his down jacket, looked at the faint purplish bruise on his stomach, and muttered gloomily, "Just letting it go like that is far too lenient toward her!"

He had almost been killed by Lin Niansheng's hand!

This matter was actually plotted together by Lin Niansheng and Li Qinglan!

Afterward, Li Qinglan went to the hospital to visit him, feigning concern.

She hadn't said a few words before she started playing the pitiful, poor victim.

Such a wicked woman—even throwing her to those thugs as a plaything would be letting her off easy!

Zhao Chen also asked, "Brother, can you really let go of the past?"

Li Jiaci shivered uncontrollably as a blast of cold wind hit him.

He closed the window, rubbed his arms, returned to his brothers' side, sat cross-legged, and said, "Everyone, smoke less!"

"I'm asking you a question!"

Zhao Chen moved in a little closer.

"Can we not mention her during these happy days?"

"Just mentioning her makes me furious!"

"Don't go looking for trouble for yourself!"

Li Jiaci waved his hand, wearing an expression of not wanting to engage.

Could it be that he doesn't want to get rid of Li Qinglan?

He dreams of doing it!

But Li Qinglan had indeed collaborated with Lin Niansheng; now Lin Niansheng has been removed from office and stays at home, seething with anger that has nowhere to vent, likely he has pinned the brothers' names on the wall and day and night points at them cursing their ancestors eighteen generations.

If at this point Li Qinglan suffered some mishap, or even lost her life, wouldn't that be exactly what Lin Niansheng would want?

The first person he'd think of would definitely be Li Jiaci!

Then it would be Li Jiaci's several younger brothers.

Even if it wasn't done by them, given Lin Niansheng's methods, trying to link this matter to them would be as easy as turning one's hand over.

So Li Jiaci endured and endured, never pushing Li Qinglan to the brink.

Of course, if she just died like that, it would be far too lenient toward her.

Li Jiaci wants her to stay alive, but not live too well, not too comfortably.

She must pay a painful price for her own actions.

The snow outside has stopped.

Li Yihu walked to the window, looked at the thick snow, and said, "I never expected a year to pass this quickly; in the blink of an eye it's time for the New Year again!"

"Where are we going to spend the New Year this year? Or are we still coming to this tenement building?"

Zhang Chuqiang immediately spoke up to ask.

Someone changed the subject, and Zhao Chen didn't press further but laughed, saying, "This year we'll definitely have a lively time; before we used to press our faces against others' windows to smell the meat, but this year we ourselves can eat plenty of fish and meat!"

That's right, brother. If we're still spending New Year's here, we need to tidy up early!

Li Yihu turned to look at Li Jiaci and said.

Li Jiaci shook his head.

"No, we're not spending New Year's here this year!"

"Then how about spending it at the factory?"

"Actually, that would work..."

"We've lived there so long, the factory feels like home!"

"Hahaha!"

The brothers guessed what Li Jiaci was thinking.

Li Jiaci continued shaking his head.

"Not even at the factory!"

"Then... where else can we spend New Year's?"

"Brother, although the matter with Li Qinglan has made you angry, you can't just not let the brothers celebrate New Year because of that!"

"Our brother isn't that narrow-minded!"

"Exactly, everyone be quiet and listen to the eldest brother!"

Zhang Chuqiang promptly put an end to the noisy uproar nearby.

Everyone turned to look at Li Jiaci.

And Li Jiaci's mouth curled up as he smiled and said, "Tomorrow I'll go find a new place to live, get everything ready before New Year's, and we'll spend New Year's in our new home!"

"Whoa! That's a great idea!"

"Turns out brother was keeping us in suspense half the day, he was holding back a big move!"

"Finally we don't have to stay in the dormitory!"

……

Li Jiaci watched his brothers' happiness and felt happy himself.

Just from talking so much, everyone got a little thirsty.

Zhao Chen originally wanted to go downstairs to buy some water, but as soon as he moved, the rest of the people stood up, saying they wanted to go down and stretch their muscles.

The group came downstairs.

Li Jiaci had a cigarette in his mouth, and the cold wind blew so hard he could barely keep his eyes open.

"Damn, it must be at least ten degrees below zero!"

Just as his words fell.

Suddenly, a creaking sound came from the mouth of the distant alley.

That was the sound of stepping on snow.

A hunched figure shuffled through the alley, swaying as it walked toward the brothers.

Li Jiaci wiped the snowflakes from his eyes, but he couldn't see very clearly.

He asked Zhao Chen, "What the heck is coming over?"

"Brother, it looks like a beggar!"