Chapter 700: The more independent, the less happy

After returning from the police station, Li Juan and Han Chunmei didn't sleep well.

When they got up the next morning to go to the airport, Han Chunmei's eyes were wet again.

She and Li Ying were waiting to give birth in Hong Kong. After finally waiting for her husband to come over, they had to leave after only a few days. How could she bear the reluctance in her heart?

A husband is the backbone of the family. Without a man by her side, Han Chunmei always felt uneasy.

Seeing her mother's appearance, Li Juan couldn't help but say, "Mom, don't cry at every turn. You have to be strong, don't be so weak..."

Han Chunmei wiped her eyes and pretended to be angry, "Where did I cry? You child, you are lecturing me? You've been to university for a few days, so you think you're capable, right?"

"You clearly cried~, no matter what difficulties you encounter, you must be strong yourself."

Li Juan pursed her lips and argued.

She didn't mean to "lecture" her own mother; she just felt a strong sense of insecurity after tossing and turning all night.

In the years Han Chunmei married Li Kaijian, everyone could see Li Kaijian's love for Han Chunmei. Even at the beginning, Li Juan didn't feel that her mother was unworthy of Li Kaijian.

In the late 1970s, there was no such thing as a young girl taking the initiative to be a stepmother, at least Li Kaijian's rank wasn't high enough.

Han Chunmei was a famous pretty girl in the ten miles and eight villages. Li Kaijian was nearly ten years older than her, and he also brought a reckless son. If it weren't for Han Chunmei bringing two girls and really not being able to live in her mother's house, maybe she wouldn't have been willing to enter the Li family's door.

It was only after entering the Li family's door that Li Juan knew that living a life doesn't just depend on appearance and age, but also on character, kindness, family strength,

especially character. The Li family made Li Juan and Li Ying experience unprecedented warmth.

But overall, Li Juan still felt that Han Chunmei was not bad, and the coefficient of compatibility between the stepfather and biological mother was at least 99.

But when she saw the cold and strong Hearing Fu Guiru yesterday, Li Juan had no confidence at all in her heart.

Although sister Li Ying had a complete plan, claiming that Han Chunmei and Li Kaijian's marriage was unbreakable,

Li Juan still used a whole night to analyze and compare Han Chunmei and Hearing Fu Guiru in detail with a scientific and rigorous comparison list.

The result of the comparison was that her own mother was completely defeated.

In terms of personal strength, it's a Nanyang tycoon vs. a rural woman. Who do you think wins?

In terms of children's achievements, Li Ye + Li Yue vs. Li Juan + Li Ying. Is there any comparison?

Even in terms of appearance, figure, and temperament, Han Chunmei, who was nearly ten years younger, couldn't compare to Hearing Fu Guiru, who was in her forties.

And what Li Juan thought was the biggest difference was personal will. Hearing Fu Guiru's strong self-confidence completely crushed the weak and timid Han Chunmei.

Han Chunmei had no personal will at all. She lived her whole life for her daughters and her husband.

Li Juan couldn't imagine if Han Chunmei knew about Hearing Fu Guiru's existence, could she withstand the mental blow?

【Mom is too weak, she should have her own ideas and her own life.】

Li Juan, who had been in university for a year and a half, had different ideas from sister Li Ying. All the female classmates around her upheld the belief of "self-improvement, freedom" and welcomed a free life.

Compared to Li Ying's mentality of trying her best to maintain the status quo, Li Juan had already begun to consider things after "what if."

【What if we are eventually forced to leave the Li family, Mom must also face it bravely.】

"Hi, Chunmei, why are you angry with Yang Xiaojuan? The child is right, you have to be strong."

Because of Li Juan's words, Li Kaijian also saw Han Chunmei's tears and hurriedly came to comfort her: "Xiao Ye told me, when you are about to give birth, I will take time to come over to accompany you, and when Yang Xiaojuan is on vacation in the summer, she will also come over to see the child with you..."

"No need, no need," Han Chunmei said hurriedly, "You are busy with your work, I can do it myself. Besides, I'm not alone in Hong Kong, sister Xiaolian and reporter Pan are here, and the hospital here is also very advanced. It costs so much money for you to come here, what a waste!"

"You don't have to worry about me. I will raise the son strong, and when the New Year comes, I will take him back to Qingshui to kowtow to Mom and Dad..."

Han Chunmei had planned everything, and didn't need Li Kaijian to worry about anything. When the child was six or seven months old during the Spring Festival, she would take him back to Dongshan to claim credit to her mother-in-law.

Li Kaijian sighed and didn't say anything more.

If you say Han Chunmei is strong, she cries at every turn.

But if you say she is weak, she can silently endure everything, suffer all the bitterness, and bear all the tiredness, completely meeting the standard of "hardworking and complaining" in the eyes of the evil mother-in-law of the older generation.

"Sigh~"

Li Juan sighed softly, and a faint sorrow gradually shrouded her beautiful face.

"Slap~"

Li Ying patted Li Juan on the shoulder: "Sister, help me take these things downstairs first."

"Oh, alright!"

Li Juan helped Li Ye take the luggage downstairs, but halfway through, Li Ying pulled Li Juan to the side.

"Sister, why did you say those strange things to our mother just now? Didn't I tell you to keep your mouth tight yesterday?"

"I didn't say strange things, I just feel that our mother has no ideas of her own, always relying on others..."

"Our mother has no ideas? Heh~"

Li Ying said amusingly, "Our mother has no ideas, so how did she pull us up so big? Our mother is right. You've been to university for a few days, so you think you're capable, right?"

Li Juan opened her eyes wide and drank angrily, "Where did I raise my tail? Xiao Ying, don't wrong me."

Li Ying shook her head and said in a low voice, "I saw the shadow of a person on you, although it's only a little bit, but it's very dangerous."

Li Juan was stunned for a moment and subconsciously asked, "Who are you talking about?"

"Lu Jingyao!"

Li Ying said coldly, "Lu Jingyao also labels herself as independent, free, strong, and free women are more charming... right?"

"."

Li Juan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Li Ying's collar.

"Fart, who are you talking about as Lu Jingyao? Who are you talking about as a shameless thing..."

Li Juan's hatred for Lu Jingyao is directly proportional to Li Ye's kindness to her. How good Li Ye, this brother, has been to Li Juan over the years, Li Juan hates Lu Jingyao that much.

Li Ying held Li Juan's wrist and turned around to twist it, getting rid of her sister's tearing.

"Alright, I just said you are a little bit like it, I didn't say you are."

Li Ying said calmly, "I know what you wanted to say to our mother just now. Isn't it that we can live wonderfully without relying on others? Even you might have thought about it, after graduation, you will never return to Qingshui County, never see those annoying people again, and start a new life, right?"

"Lu Jingyao thought so at the beginning. Don't look at her as if she is very glamorous now, but I tell you, people like Lu Jingyao are lonely for a lifetime."

"."

Li Juan was stunned by Li Ying, because she did have similar thoughts, and although Lu Jingyao's actions made Li Juan feel very disdainful, she is indeed very glamorous now!

"Sigh~"

Li Ying sighed, opened a suitcase, revealing a large bundle of packed newspapers and books inside.

"These are newspapers and books, our mother has read them all once. You take them back and read them carefully, and then you can understand many things."

"Our mother... reads newspapers? Reads books?"

Li Juan looked at the large bundle of newspapers and books in shock, and no matter what, she couldn't connect them with Han Chunmei, who turned around the stove all day.

Li Ying said faintly, "Do you think I'm stupider than you? Do you think I don't know our mother has no competitiveness? But the strange things you said to our mother just now, like strength and freedom, are all bullshit.

Does our father need a strong, free Han Chunmei? Are you afraid that our father and our mother won't break up fast enough?"

"."

Li Juan was confused, completely confused.

Are free, strong women not good? Not to mention others, just a few of her brother's classmates, Hu Man, Jiang Xiaoyan, Han Xia, aren't they all free, strong girls?

But Li Kaijian... does he need such a wife?

Li Juan asked herself, but couldn't give an answer for a long time.

Li Ying said gloomily, "Sister, I know you can't think it through. I thought the same as you before, becoming an independent woman, not looking at anyone's face, thinking about it makes me feel cool."

"But after I came to Hong Kong, I communicated with my classmates and found that their thoughts were completely different from ours."

"What they discuss all day is what this society and family need, not what we should become. If you only live for yourself, then don't expect the other party to take their heart out for you."

"We become independent women, not caring about anyone, and indeed live comfortably, but it's just that we live comfortably ourselves, others may not like us.

Just like those little gangsters in Hong Kong, are they individual enough, independent enough? But who will truly like them?"

"So although I can't be sure which thought is correct, what kind of wife do you think our father needs now?"

Li Ying asked Li Juan, and then without waiting for her to answer, she answered herself: "Our father needs a young, beautiful, non-contending, non-snatching, gentle, considerate, and good-tempered wife."

"You haven't noticed that our mother is better-looking than before in the few days you came to Hong Kong? Haven't you tasted that our mother's cooking is better than before? Haven't you noticed that our mother is more cultured..."

Li Ying said a series of parallel rhetorical questions, listening to Li Juan in a daze.

She thought about it carefully, Han Chunmei is indeed better-looking than before.

Her clothes are better-looking than before, her skin is better than before, and even her hairstyle and smile seem to be different from before.

And Han Chunmei's progress in cooking is even more obvious. Li Juan had never heard of many delicious Cantonese dishes.

Li Juan was stunned for a long time before smiling bitterly, "Xiao Ying, has this always been changing our mother?"

"Sigh~"

Li Ying said faintly, "Sister, wanting to make someone better is not something that can be changed by telling a few big truths. It requires bit-by-bit accumulation.

If a few big truths can change a person, then it must be for one's own benefit, and one can default on debts, just like Lu Jingyao at the beginning..."

"But do you think others are stupid? Independent women like Lu Jingyao, the more independent their personality, the further away they are from happiness."

"."

After Li Juan was stunned for a long time, she suddenly asked Li Ying, "Xiao Ying, then what kind of me do you think our family needs?"

Li Ying immediately said seriously, "There are two paths in front of you. Either be like Lu Jingyao, flying freely after graduation, no one will stop you,"

Li Juan immediately shook her head, biting her lip and saying, "No, I don't want to be such an ungrateful person, absolutely not."

"Then the other path is what I told you, 'being an official.' If you can't climb to the position of section chief before you are forty, you are a waste."

"What? Forty... section..."

Li Juan said in surprise, "Xiao Ying, our grandfather dedicated his whole life, and he is only a deputy section chief!"

Li Ying spat and said with contempt, "Our grandfather fought his way up with his bare hands, what about you? How did you get into Beijing University?"

"."

Li Juan suddenly realized that she... had never left the care of the Li family.

Then, what are those thoughts of freedom, self-improvement, and independence that those classmates in school promoted to her?

Eating the benefits of the family, receiving the support of the family, but embracing freedom? Disliking parents who dig for food in the fields, is that a white-eyed wolf, or eating inside and out?

As soon as the plane from Hong Kong returned to Beijing landed, the passengers on the plane took out various cold-proof clothes from their bags to resist the cold wind of minus ten degrees outside the plane.

Li Ye, Li Kaijian, and Li Juan walked out of the airport and saw two beauties waiting to pick them up at the gate.

Sister Li Yue, and the former beautiful teacher Mu Yunning.

While Li Yue was helping Li Ye and others take their luggage, she said to Li Ye, "Xiao Yu has an important meeting to attend today, so she really couldn't come to pick you up,"

"And you told me there were too many things, I thought one car couldn't fit, so I let Teacher Mu drive another car over..."

"Oh, there are indeed a lot of things, the three of us can't even hold them. I'll take a car with sister Li Yue, and Teacher Mu will carry our father and Yang Xiaojuan..."

Li Ye quickly made arrangements and took a car alone with sister Li Yue.

After getting in the car, Li Ye tentatively asked about Pei Wencong and Mu Yunning.

Li Yue was indeed in the know.

"Teacher Mu had seen Mr. Pei when she was in school, right? Later, because she wanted to host the publication of the "Qin Shi Ming Yue" comic, she went to Hong Kong to learn experience through Ah Qiang's introduction. During that time, she dealt with Mr. Pei several times, and later Mr. Pei had ideas..."

"However, Teacher Mu rejected Mr. Pei, and rejected him very decisively. At that time, she also entrusted me to express her apology to Mr. Pei."

"Oh~"

Li Ye nodded, indicating that he understood.

But sister seemed afraid that Li Ye wouldn't understand, and continued to explain, "Teacher Mu only cares about her career now, and doesn't want to consider personal emotional matters,"

"And maybe you think Mr. Pei is worthy of Teacher Mu, but Teacher Mu may not think it's suitable. First of all, Mr. Pei is not handsome enough, and Teacher Mu's family also has concerns..."

Mu Yunning's uncle seems to have a high rank, so Li Ye can also understand the so-called "concerns."

As for the factor of "handsome," Li Ye can understand it even more. Every girl who has fantasies about love is a face-dog.

Li Ye said in a deep voice, "I didn't say Old Pei is very suitable, but youth is easy to grow old and time passes quickly. Teacher Mu is two years older than you, sister. Once you miss the scenery of dusk, it will be a vast darkness..."

"What are you saying, Xiao Ye?"

Sister Li Yue disagreed very much, "Westerners all say that when a woman reaches thirty, it is the most beautiful time, and a cultivated woman always looks thirty..."

"Stop, stop, stop," Li Ye directly interrupted her sister's words, "Don't listen to the nonsense of those brainless things. If anyone says this in front of you in the future, slap them directly. It's simply harming people."

This kind of harmful chicken soup, Li Ye had heard of it in his previous life, and it was indeed passed down from Europe. Later, he didn't know how many people were poisoned.

Always looking thirty, that is a self-deceiving "forget-worry spell."

Experienced old drivers don't even need to look at the front face. Just look at the neck and ankles from behind to distinguish whether the other party is a twenty-year-old girl or a thirty-something old spot dove.

If there is really a way to make a thirty-something look like a twenty-something, then she can be

If there really were a way to make someone in their thirties look like someone in their twenties, then they could be nominated for a Nobel Prize, because that would defy the natural laws of human metabolism.

. 。。。。。。。

Two sedans pulled up in front of Li Ye's house, and several large boxes were moved inside one after another.

Because her older sister Li Yue wasn't leaving immediately, Mu Yunning stayed at Li Ye's house to have a cup of tea.

Perhaps because she felt constrained just drinking tea, Mu Yunning took the initiative to ask Li Ye about something.

"Li Ye, you've seen both 'Havoc in Heaven' and 'Calabash Brothers', right?"

Li Ye nodded and said, "I have! Why do you ask?"

Mu Yunning said, "Those two animated films were both produced by the Shanghai Animation Film Studio. If you think their standard is decent, how about we find them to produce our 'The Legend of Qin' as well?"

「. 」

Li Ye took a sip of tea and didn't agree immediately.

The standard of the Shanghai Animation Film Studio was undoubtedly very high, and 'Havoc in Heaven' had even won awards internationally multiple times, but Li Ye didn't think now was the best time to collaborate with them on 'The Legend of Qin'.

Because in just these few years, the Shanghai Animation Film Studio would experience a massive wave of departures, with many excellent talents being lost, and in the end, the mainland's premier animation production unit would sigh as its glory faded away.

Li Ye also felt regret and heartache over the decline of such an excellent unit, but he didn't know if he should try to extend its life, or poach its talent to return to the peak through a different model.

But regardless, if he were to collaborate with them right now, Li Ye wouldn't have enough say, and might not be able to reach the point where "whatever I say, you draw for me."

If 'The Legend of Qin' couldn't fully showcase the charm of the national style, then it would be a failure.

"Let's not be in a rush! Our manga still has many chapters yet to be released, and the market's anticipation hasn't built up enough yet!"

"Oh~"

Mu Yunning glanced at Li Ye and didn't say anything more.

When she was at school, she felt that Li Ye had a very strong "decision-maker temperament," and now that Li Ye had graduated, this temperament was even stronger,

strong to the point of being indisputable.