Chapter 8: Chapter Eight: A Family That Loves Each Other

Li Ye’s home was a standalone courtyard house with three main rooms and three side rooms, a fairly decent living arrangement.

As soon as he rode his bike to the gate, Li Ye caught the scent of spicy and sour shredded potatoes.

It was late autumn, early winter; most delicate vegetables had vanished from the market, and every household’s table now featured only the three staples: radishes, potatoes, and cabbage.

Li Ye pushed his bike inside and saw three figures—a tall one and two small ones—busy in the kitchen shed.

The tall one was naturally his stepmother, Han Chunmei; the two small ones were her daughters, who had taken Li’s surname after marrying Li Kaibian, named Li Juan and Li Ying.

As for Han Chunmei, she was a woman of great misfortune.

In her youth, Han Chunmei was widely recognized as the most beautiful girl in the surrounding villages; after marrying a carpenter, she gave birth to two girls and could bear no more children.

In today’s world, a man with two daughters would be overjoyed.

No need to save up for a house or land, no need to worry about a car or bride price; on holidays, he could just lie on the sofa while his daughters brought him cigarettes, alcohol, candy, and tea, and his sons-in-law would smile and say, “Dad, let’s have a drink?”

When old and sick, both daughters would chip in money and labor—no escape—and he’d live a carefree life as long as he had money to spend.

But in this era, every family was waiting for a male heir to inherit the throne! If you couldn’t produce a son with a sword, gossip alone could crush you.

Han Chunmei’s in-laws were domineering; they forced their son to divorce her and drove her out of the house.

Han Chunmei returned to her parents’ home with her two daughters, enduring years of hardship, until she finally married Li Kaibian, who was eight years her senior.

Then she felt she had ascended to heaven.

Her in-laws no longer scolded her for her daughters eating half a steamed bun too much, and her husband no longer whipped her for breaking a bowl.

Moreover, after she married into the Li family, they immediately found her a temporary job paying twenty-two yuan and fifty fen a month—seemingly little, but it made the suffering woman weep with joy.

No one understood better than her the ache of watching others eat candy while her pockets held not a single cent.

No one knew better than her the bitterness of her children crying from hunger at night, and her having nothing to give them but cold water.

So after entering the Li household, Han Chunmei treated the family with gratitude, taking on all laundry, cooking, and housework—so much so that Li Ye’s grandmother often complained, “I’m not even old yet, and I’ve become useless.”

“Oh, Xiao Ye’s back?”

Seeing Li Ye enter, Han Chunmei paused, then quickly pulled out two jiao and handed it to her daughter.

“Juan, hurry to Dongjie and buy a piece of tofu; Ying, wash a head of cabbage.”

Food was precious now; every meal was precisely measured, and no one dared waste leftovers, so Li Ye’s sudden return made Han Chunmei fear there wouldn’t be enough.

“No need to go to so much trouble—I’ve already eaten something outside; just mix some cabbage heart.”

Li Ye waved off Li Juan, who was about to leave, and pulled out the unopened bag of sesame candy from his backpack.

“I bought this sesame candy on the way—try some, you and Ying.”

“.........”

Li Juan stared at the candy offered to her, unsure what to do.

She had lived with Han Chunmei in the Li household for a year and had never seen Li Ye, her brother, show her a kind face—what had happened today? Had he been kicked by a donkey? Or had a sow climbed a tree?

“I... I don’t want it... you eat it!”

Li Juan forced back her saliva and refused the candy, ducking behind Han Chunmei.

“Eat it! I still have half a bag left!”

Li Ye showed her the half he’d already opened and shoved the whole bag into Li Juan’s hands.

“Oh.”

Li Juan finally took it, lowered her head, walked behind Han Chunmei, exchanged a glance with her sister Li Ying, and revealed a faint smile.

Han Chunmei frowned in displeasure and scolded her daughters: “Oh oh oh? Can’t you even call your brother? You’re grown girls and still so rude?”

“........”

“Brother.”

“Brother.”

The two girls quickly called Li Ye “brother,” timidly, like mosquitoes buzzing.

“It’s fine, it’s fine—I wasn’t polite either before; you’ll get used to it gradually. I’m going inside now.”

Li Ye quickly reassured them and turned toward the northern room—he couldn’t stay, or his sisters would feel uneasy.

After Li Ye left, Han Chunmei rubbed her eyes and sternly told her daughters: “Is calling your brother so hard? And you still dare eat candy? Get a plate, serve it properly, and bring it to the table.”

The girls’ lips immediately pouted; Li Juan muttered under her breath: “He doesn’t even call you ‘Mom.’”

“I...”

Han Chunmei raised her hand to strike, but halfway up, she sighed and let it drop.

Being a stepmother is so hard.

Though unhappy, the girls obediently fetched a plate, arranged the sesame candy on it, and brought it to the table as a snack.

The remaining bits of sesame candy were divided by Li Juan into three portions—one for her sister Li Ying, one for her mother Han Chunmei.

Han Chunmei’s eyes finally filled with tears.

Li Ye’s sudden return delighted everyone at home.

His grandfather and grandmother hugged their grandson, fussing over him, saying he’d grown thin.

His elder sister measured his coat and decided it was too small, promising to buy him a new one as soon as she got paid.

Even Li Kaibian, who had once beaten Li Ye with a belt and whose relationship with his son remained strained, scowled as he pulled out money: “Coming home now—you out of money again? Here’s ten yuan—spend it wisely.”

Li Ye had worried about how to interact with his family in this world, but the intense warmth of home and sincere familial affection erased any sense of emotional distance—he naturally blended in.

“No, I still have money. I came back mainly to tell you something.”

“What’s that?”

“Today I got back that 26 Phoenix bicycle.”

“.........”

Everyone froze; after a long silence, Li Kaibian asked in a low voice: “What are you thinking?”

“I didn’t think much,” Li Ye said. “The day before yesterday, Lu Jingyao sent me forty-five yuan. Since she clearly doesn’t want us anymore, we shouldn’t keep clinging to a cold shoulder. Let’s part amicably—no more half-measures or complications.”

“Slap!”

Li Kaibian slapped his thigh. “Why didn’t you think this way sooner? If I hadn’t been worried about you, I’d have already...”

“What are you blabbering about?”

The grandmother spat at Li Kaibian and anxiously asked Li Ye: “Xiao Ye, are you sure you’ve thought this through?”

Li Ye nodded. “I’m sure. But there might be some unpleasant rumors soon—don’t take them seriously; they’ll fade in a few days.”

“Rumors? What rumors?”

Li Kaibian was about to ask for details when Li Ye’s grandfather, Li Zhongfa, said: “Enough. Eat first—the kids are hungry. Why keep nagging?”

“I wasn’t nagging...”

Li Kaibian muttered and bent to eat.

If the old Li Ye had been disciplined with a belt by Li Kaibian, then Li Kaibian himself had been beaten with a stick by Li Zhongfa—“A stick produces filial sons”—was the Li family’s tradition.

Just before finishing dinner, Li Zhongfa suddenly asked Li Ye: “Didn’t your school recently hold a class-division exam?”

Li Ye replied: “We did take the exam, but I don’t know about class divisions—how do you know about it?”

Li Zhongfa said: “This morning, your school called me. They said your scores weren’t terrible, but not good enough to enter the special fast class...”

Li Ye immediately understood.

The remedial class at County No. 2 High had always been divided into fast and slow tracks; now they’d added a special fast class to boost college admission rates.

With Li Ye’s scores and ranking, he could never enter the special fast class—and the school had called Li Zhongfa only because they wanted something.

“Grandpa, don’t worry about my studies. Even without the special fast class, I’ll get into university. So don’t agree to anything against the rules.”

“What rules? It’s just a small favor. Just focus on studying, don’t stress yourself. Whether you pass or not, we don’t pressure you.”

Fine—they still didn’t believe in him.

Li Ye looked around the table and sensed everyone’s feelings.

Whether grandfather, grandmother, father, or sister, none dared pressure Li Ye—they all carefully protected the “family’s eldest son’s” self-respect.

“Alright, I get it. If I pass, great; if not, I’ll just live off you guys!”

Li Ye didn’t swear or promise to convince them—he’d just give them a big surprise when the time came.