Chapter 513: The Classic Double Standard

Li Ye was deeply grateful that he hadn't forgotten how treacherous human nature could be, and had preemptively stopped the Bi family from harassing Li Juan.

But when he got home, his grandmother pulled him aside and scolded him until he was drenched in curses.

"What's this? You're the college student who knows how to handle things best, right?"

"You knew the Bi family might cause trouble—so why didn't you say anything?"

"The dogs that bite don't bark! Are you a dog?"

If it weren't for the Bi woman's lack of common sense, and if she'd thrown herself on the ground and screamed that you were bullying her, what then? What if it ruined Xiao Peng's wedding tomorrow?

Li Ye bowed his head silently, taking the scolding. When his grandmother finally finished, he looked up and asked, "Grandma, then what should we do?"

"Hmph."

Wu Wu Juying let out a cold huff. "If you don't return a favor, it's rude. If those three women are useless, do you think I am?"

"Since the police are handling this, I'll wait until these few days are over, then go to their door and confront Bi, the village chief, face to face: What business do my Li family's children have with you? Let the whole village see if you still have any shame left."

From his grandmother Wu Wu Juying's words, Li Ye felt a chilling, razor-sharp menace, like the spear of a guerrilla fighter.

Undeniably, Li Ye, raised in an era of peace, had a completely different mindset from Wu Wu Juying.

Li Ye always sought to prevent trouble before it arose; Wu Wu Juying was ready to storm their door.

Of course, Li Juan knew nothing of this—right now, the girl was in high spirits, eating everything with appetite, dreaming that Beijing University was waving at her.

Li Juan had been nervous before the college entrance exam because her application choices were extremely "risky."

Based on her usual grades, applying to Beijing University was borderline impossible, but the girl had gritted her teeth and was determined to follow her brother Li Ye's path, so she dared to go all in.

After all, it was her first time taking the exam—worst case, she could just retake it next year! How would she know if she could make it unless she tried?

To her surprise, the two days of exams went flawlessly; as long as she didn't crash tomorrow, getting into Beijing University was no longer a dream.

Then she could study at the best university, and live in that small courtyard in Zaojunmiao, Beijing, enjoying daily stir-fries without repetition, and drinking fruit soda whenever she wanted—just thinking about it made her smile.

Early the next morning, as dawn barely broke, Li Ye woke up.

Today he had to drive for Jin Peng, picking up the bride.

Li Ye quietly opened the door, thinking he could leave without disturbing anyone, only to find Han Han Chunmei had already made him two large bowls of cold noodles.

Li Ye slurped down one bowl, then his little sister Li Ying came over.

"Brother, can you take me to see the bride?"

"Why not? Eat a bite first, then we'll go."

"Okay, okay!"

The girl devoured the whole bowl in five minutes, then bounced happily into Li Ye's car.

Today her brother was driving a big Crown—so comfortable.

When Li Ye arrived at Jin Peng's house, he nearly jumped back in shock.

Outside Jin Peng's door, besides seven or eight sedans, there were over a hundred motorcycles, their riders laughing and joking, clearly planning to join the wedding procession.

Anyone seeing this would think it was a biker gang gathering!

And the little girl's eyes couldn't take it all in—she kept staring at a few motorcycles, swallowing saliva, drooling.

"Slap!"

Li Ye smacked Li Ying on the back of the head.

"What are you staring at? Don't you listen to me? Touch a motorcycle again, and I'll break your legs."

"I'm just looking, just one look… Brother, look at that one—it's a Honda, and that one's a Kawasaki!"

Li Ying mumbled, clearly still obsessed with her dream of riding, unwilling to give up.

But Li Ye wouldn't budge—seeing how she acted, she wasn't just a kid who saw motorcycles as transport; she was a wind-chaser.

What's a wind-chaser if you can't hit a hundred kilometers an hour?

Li Ye didn't oppose wind-chasers—he'd once dreamed of being one himself when he was young.

So why oppose Li Ying riding a motorcycle?

The answer was simple: just look at how middle-aged men treat their daughters.

"You dare speed? I'll break your legs."

That's the classic double standard of middle-aged men—"I can ride, I can run wild, but you can't—I'm doing it for your own safety."

Li Ye had just parked in front of Jin Peng's house when he saw Hao Hao Jian leading out his daughter Hao Hao Cuicui.

Hao Hao Cuicui looked like she hadn't slept well—drowsy, half-asleep, but snapped awake the moment she saw Li Ye.

The girl immediately opened the small bag on her back: "Godfather, have you had breakfast? I brought some snacks."

"Oh? Give me a piece to try."

Li Ye accepted Hao Hao Cuicui's snack graciously, then pointed to Li Ying behind him: "Give your little aunt one too."

"Oh oh oh!"

Hao Hao Cuicui quickly pulled out another piece and nervously handed it to Li Ying: "Auntie, try this—it's my mom's eight-treasure nut cake, it's delicious!"

Fourteen-year-old Li Ying had never been called "auntie" before and felt awkward; she took a tiny bite, then puffed out her chest to play "grown-up."

Li Ye reached out and patted Hao Hao Cuicui's head, then asked gently: "Cuier, didn't you sleep well last night? Your eyelids are drooping—why not come back to my place and nap a bit?"

Hao Hao Cuicui shook her head. "I'm fine, Godfather. I'm not sleepy—I'm going to see the bride too!"

"That's perfect—your little aunt is here for the same reason. Stick with her, and don't fall asleep and get lost."

Hao Hao Jian smiled and explained to Li Ye: "We got here yesterday afternoon. Her grandma's family insisted we eat with them, so we stayed up late. And Cuier's particular about her bed—she barely slept all night."

"Then let her sleep more!" Li Ye scolded. "Don't you know lack of sleep harms a child's growth? If she wants to see the bride, why not let her come with your wife at noon?"

"Your sister-in-law… hehehe…"

Hao Hao Jian chuckled awkwardly. "Your sister-in-law is in Hong Kong, waiting to give birth. The distance is too far—I can't let her travel back and forth. It's unsafe."

"Waiting to give birth?"

Li Ye stared at Hao Hao Jian for a long moment, making him blush.

Then Li Ye laughed heartily: "Old Hao, why are you embarrassed? You're hiding it so tightly? If I hadn't asked, were you not going to invite me to the full-moon banquet?"

"How could I not?" Hao Hao Jian chuckled sheepishly. "Even though Hong Kong lets you have as many kids as you want, your sister-in-law's shy—she doesn't want me to brag. She said we'll just have a quiet gathering with family."

"Fine, I'll definitely come. And how's your wife adjusting in Hong Kong? If anything's uncomfortable, ask Pei Pei Wencong."

"Perfect, perfect," Hao Hao Jian smiled. "I'm neighbors with Ah Qiang. That reporter Pan's wife has a due date close to yours—helping each other out is easy."

Li Ye chatted cheerfully with Hao Hao Jian, sharing in his joy of becoming a father again.

But neither noticed that beside them, little sister Li Ying had her ears perked higher than a rabbit's.

After listening for a while, Li Ying turned her gaze toward Hao Hao Cuicui, who treated her as an honored aunt.

"Little Cuier! Your dad just said your mom's going to give you a little brother, right?"

Hao Hao Cuicui, under ten and trusting, answered honestly: "Yeah, I promised Mom I'll help take care of him—I can wash diapers now!"

Li Ying narrowed her eyes and asked, "Then why did your mom go to Hong Kong?"

Hao Hao Cuicui nodded obediently: "Because in Hong Kong you can have as many kids as you want—no fines, no scolding."

Li Ying's eyes widened instantly.

Hao Hao Jian had sent his wife to Hong Kong to have a second child?

That was allowed?

In mainland China, it wasn't just about fines—it was about affecting one's official position.

For example, when Li Zhong was director two years ago, the Li family could easily afford the fine—but no one dared cross that red line.

Half an hour later, the wedding convoy set off—seven or eight sedans and over a hundred motorcycles, roaring so loudly they woke every dog along the road.

Eight out of ten dogs cowered, tails tucked, trembling.

They'd never seen anything like this!

When they arrived at the bride's home, the scene stunned the onlookers.

"Look at that! All these are dropouts from the factories—rich and showing off!"

"What do you mean 'dropouts'? Now it's trendy to go into business—people are leaving their iron rice bowls to make big money!"

"Go into business? Don't get swept away by the waves!"

"Enough, enough! Old Liu's daughter never liked your big Niu. Today's his wedding—keep your mouth shut."

"What's wrong with my big Niu? He's got a steady job, thirty-seven yuan and fifty fen every month, polite and civilized—unlike these flashy show-offs!"

"Shh! Who are you calling a show-off?"

"Hmph, just watch—dogs can't change their nature."

Jin Peng was a big boss now, but five years ago, he was indeed a lazy good-for-nothing—so some old reputations were hard to erase in front of neighbors.

But reality quickly silenced them.

Though the wedding procession was chaotic with over a hundred people, when it came to knocking on the door and demanding the bride, everyone was orderly—most just laughed kindly, behaving like cultured people.

Who could imagine that Pengcheng Seventh Factory, which started as a makeshift operation, held weekly cultural and disciplinary study sessions—failure to pass meant losing your share of profits?

Liu's front door opened after only five minutes—no one was demanding red envelopes; just a bunch of kids asking for candy.

But how much candy could all those kids eat?

One sack's enough to stuff you all.

"Oh, the bride is so beautiful!"

Li Ying and Hao Hao Cuicui finally saw Jin Peng's bride, Liu Liu Qiaorong, and both thought she was stunning.

"Yeah, little auntie, look—this bride looks just like Liu Liu Xiaoqing. Perfect match for Brother Jin!"

Li Ying puckered her lips, deeply disapproving of Hao Hao Cuicui's blatant lie.

Liu Liu Qiaorong's appearance was the most popular "plump and round" type of the era—exactly like the queen of the Women's Kingdom.

And Jin Peng was merely a nobody compared to his own brother.

Remember, when Jin Peng first took an interest in Liu Liu Qiaorong, the girl didn't even give him the time of day—he hadn't made a name for himself yet, so which mother-in-law would give her daughter to him?

But Jin Peng was clever; he used the excuse of helping Liu Liu Qiaorong "find a job" to make contact, and coincidentally followed Li Ye to succeed, getting Liu Liu Qiaorong hired as a worker at the First Garment Factory.

Liu Liu Qiaorong was also loyal; though she became the factory's "flower" after joining and was pursued by many young workers, she still repaid his kindness by officially becoming his partner—and accidentally locked onto Jin Peng, a super high-potential prospect.

"Wu wu wu wu"

While a crowd of onlookers were discussing how the bride resembled a movie star, Liu Liu Qiaorong began sobbing uncontrollably.

This was a necessary ritual for a daughter's wedding—once married, a girl was like water spilled out; thinking of her parents' kindness, shedding a few tears was perfectly normal.

Liu Liu Qiaorong's father wiped his tears and stepped aside, while her mother, though also tearful, sternly scolded: "Enough! Just cry a little! Once you're married, bear children, serve your in-laws well, and don't throw tantrums."

But the moment Liu Liu Qiaorong's mother finished speaking, several aunts and gossips objected.

"Hey, sister-in-law, you've got it wrong—this is a new society; the wife's primary duty is to serve her own husband. Once she's married, Liu Liu Qiaorong must serve Jin Peng!"

"A wife follows her husband wherever he goes—whether he's a rooster or a dog, she must follow him wherever he goes."

"Exactly! Look how much hardship Jin Peng has endured outside! How could Liu Liu Qiaorong let her man go from meal to meal without enough to eat? She absolutely must follow him."

Li Ye watched the Liu family's relatives and finally understood what Jin Peng meant yesterday by "trivial, annoying problems."

It was just a bunch of meddlers stirring up trouble.

(End of chapter)

mhtxs

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