Chapter 657

October 5th, Sunday.

Early that morning, Li Ye went to Xidan Market, waited in line for hours, and bought a large basket of seafood and fruit to boost Wen Wen Leyu's nutrition.

If possible, pregnant women should eat deep-sea fish and fresh fruit; if not, coarse grains and legumes are fine too—they're all nutritious.

But after all these years of struggle, wasn't Li Ye's goal to give his wife and children a better life? So he had to make the effort.

For the past few days, Li Ye had been going to the market every week to pick out the best items; though hard-to-find fish like East Star Grouper or Tiger Grouper weren't available, one-foot-long Yellow Croaker was plentiful and reasonably priced.

Because back then, people still hadn't shaken their preference for greasy food, and fatty pork remained a strong temptation.

By a few decades later, regardless of price, the best cuts would be picked over multiple times before even reaching the counter.

When Li Ye drove home, he saw his sister Li Xia Yue's car parked at the gate—clearly, she'd come over with Xiao Dun on Sunday.

Since learning Wen Wen Leyu was pregnant, Li Xia Yue had frequently brought her son over to give "live demonstrations."

Poor Xiao Dun, still unable to walk, was forced into service as a "teaching model," letting the expectant mother experience the joys of childcare.

Yeah, playing with someone else's kid was definitely fun—but how would it feel when it was your own?

As Li Ye stepped inside, he heard a children's cartoon playing on the TV, mixed with the giggles of several girls and Xiao Dun.

【Hulu Brothers, Hulu Brothers, seven flowers on one vine, through wind and rain, they never fear, la-la-la-la】

【Ding-dang-dong-dong-dang, Hulu Brothers, ding-dang-dong-dong-dang, mighty powers, la-la-la-la. Hulu Brothers, Hulu Brothers, mighty powers~~~】

【Giggle-giggle-giggle-giggle~】

【Ya-ya-ya-ya~】

Hearing those laughs, Li Ye couldn't help but feel both amused and exasperated.

It was understandable that Fu Fu Yiruo, barely twenty, liked watching "Hulu Brothers."

But Wen Wen Leyu was already twenty-three! Fine, call it prenatal education—it wasn't that absurd.

But Li Xia Yue was well into her twenties, her son nearly walking, and she was still laughing heartily at cartoons—was that appropriate? The kitchen was cold and empty—couldn't you, as an older sister, at least start preparing something?

So Li Ye walked in carrying the basket and said: "Sis, stop watching cartoons with the kid—come help me clean these fish. It's almost noon. Uh—"

"Mom, when did you get to Beijing? Why didn't you tell me?"

As Li Ye entered the living room, he saw not just three girls and a child, but also his mother, Fu Fu Guiru.

Fu Fu Guiru was watching "Hulu Brothers" too, her face lit up with the same childlike joy.

Calling your own mother a child—haha, lucky she's your real mom; if she were your mother-in-law, she'd hold a grudge.

Sure enough, Fu Fu Guiru stood up and said: "I'll cook. You stay and keep Wen Leyu and your sister and sister company watching TV."

Li Ye hurried to say: "No need, Mom—I'll cook myself. You've come all this way—just chat with Wen Leyu and the girls!"

But Fu Fu Guiru took the basket from him and said casually: "Then come with me. We'll finish faster. Wen Leyu just said she was hungry—how come you took so long buying groceries?"

"It's not my fault, Mom—the market had a long line. Look at how squeezed I am."

Unable to resist his mother, Li Ye reluctantly followed her into the kitchen, uneasy.

He was uneasy because of what had happened a few days ago.

Li Xia Yue had called Li Ye, saying their stepmother Han Han Chunmei was pregnant.

Li Xia Yue had nearly shouted: "Did you know Han went to Hong Kong to get her IUD removed, you little brat?"

Li Ye was stunned. With people around the office, he could only mumble: "Didn't know. Uh-huh. Yeah."

After hanging up, he began to think it through.

When he got married, Han Han Chunmei had sat with Hao Hao Jian's wife, An Xiaolian—Li Ye had anticipated they might discuss second or third children.

But for Han Han Chunmei to get pregnant again, shouldn't she have discussed it first with Li Kaijian? After all these years, she'd been nothing but his appendage—everything required his approval.

If Li Kaijian agreed, Li Ye wouldn't interfere—he had no right to.

He found it amusing how, in the future, some cruel older siblings would scream "cut ties" at parents wanting a second child.

Only a failed main account fears a new one.

Unfortunately, Li Ye had overlooked his little sister, Li Ying, who was only fifteen or sixteen this year.

Li Ying had cleverly convinced their mother with the excuse: "Let's see the baby's gender first," allowing Han Han Chunmei to make her own decision for the first time—and now this situation had arisen.

With things as they were, Li Ye had no recourse. If his sister scolded him, he'd just take it—he knew she wouldn't hit him anymore.

But what about his mother, Fu Fu Guiru? Would she hit him too?

In the kitchen, Fu Fu Guiru showed no anger. She efficiently cleaned the several large Yellow Croakers, her movements swift and professional.

"These Yellow Croakers you bought are good, but they're frozen."

"Mom, this is inland—not the coast. Frozen is already a luxury."

"Pity. If only Wen Leyu's job didn't tie her to Beijing—I'd have her live in Pengcheng for a while, and I'd make her seafood every day."

"No, Mom. Deep-sea fish contain mercury. Twice a week is ideal—it's good for Wen Leyu and the baby. More than that harms them."

Fu Fu Guiru looked at Li Ye in surprise, then smiled: "You know this too? Looks like Li Xia Yue and Fu Yiruo were right—you really care for Wen Leyu."

Li Ye smiled: "What husband doesn't care for his wife? I just looked up some nutrition info at the library and figured it out myself."

Halfway through, Li Ye suddenly wanted to slap himself.

【Wives get dumb for three years when pregnant—did I become dumb too? Why did I blurt out such things? Have I been saying this too much lately?】

【I care for Wen Wen Leyu. Li Kaijian cares for Han Han Chunmei. But who cares for Fu Fu Guiru?】

But Fu Fu Guiru showed no reaction. She nodded approvingly: "Good thinking. Wen Leyu's a good girl. If you care for her, she'll care for you more."

"Yes, Mom, you're right."

Li Ye could only mutter an awkward reply, then watched as Fu Fu Guiru heated the wok, added ginger and garlic, slowly fried them until fragrant, tossed in onions and other vegetables, laid the fish on top, and gently pan-fried it—soon, a rich aroma filled the air.

Two people cooking was faster. Soon, Fu Fu Guiru and Li Ye prepared five or six dishes, and the family sat down for a warm, united meal.

"Li Ye, I'm sleeping with Mom tonight!"

"Oh, okay."

After dinner, Wen Wen Leyu went alone with Fu Fu Guiru to the small room—Li Ye's recent investment plan for her was large, and the initial $20 million had already fallen short; more capital was needed.

Li Ye had never intended to manage the specifics—he left it to the two women to decide. Let them talk, then just tell him the final number so he'd know.

Wen Wen Leyu, this new daughter-in-law, deeply respected Fu Fu Guiru, often calling to ask advice.

After all, Fu Fu Guiru had managed over a billion yuan—now that she was in Beijing, the two women would likely talk all night.

After Fu Fu Guiru and Wen Wen Leyu left, Li Ye finally couldn't hold back: "Sis, you called Mom here, didn't you?"

Li Xia Yue, soothing the bouncing Xiao Dun, replied: "Yeah. So what? Scared?"

Li Ye shook his head: "No. Mom didn't say a word to me."

"Mom's biased."

Li Xia Yue angrily tossed the child into Fu Fu Yiruo's arms and snapped: "You're the one helping the villain—and yet Mom scolded me for meddling!"

Li Ye asked, puzzled: "Meddling? What do you mean?"

Li Xia Yue grumbled: "Mom said, 'Is that your father's problem? Why should we care?'"

【.】

Li Ye paused, impressed by Fu Fu Guiru's detachment.

Since the divorce, she truly cut all ties—except for Li Xia Yue, Li Ye, and Fu Fu Yiruo, everything else meant nothing.

Fu Fu Yiruo stared at her brother and sister, who'd left their conversation hanging, and asked timidly: "Sis, Brother, what were you talking about? Can you tell me?"

Li Xia Yue looked at Li Ye. He sighed: "Let your sister speak—I still don't fully get it."

"Oh, okay, Sis, tell me!"

"Hmph, it's all your brother's fault—always careless and clueless."

Li Xia Yue, holding back frustration, unloaded everything on Fu Fu Yiruo.

Fu Fu Yiruo blinked repeatedly, clearly stunned.

But then she said: "Actually, Mom's attitude isn't wrong. In Southeast Asia, this is common—a family must have many children to thrive.

Even if the stepmother has another son, he won't overthrow the family. As long as he stays loyal, fine. If he tries to rebel, family law will deal with him.

We're blood-related—older sister beating younger brother is natural. If there's no blood tie, it'd be harder to justify discipline."

【.】

Li Xia Yue stared blankly, then her eyes brightened—she finally grasped the loophole of "same father, different mothers."

Li Ye, however, was speechless.

How come both his sisters and sister, who looked so elegant, had violent tendencies inside?

【What gene is this? Is beating your brother or sister really that fun?】