Chapter 3: Chapter Three: Father Drives Out

At this moment, the two listened as the elders and second brother chatted, daring not to make a sound—some dressed, others folded quilts, while Li Xue quietly fetched water to wash his face, glancing at his second brother now and then.

Li Xue finished folding the quilts on both beds and got down to wash his face and brush his teeth.

The commotion also woke Li Xuewen and Zhao Yafang.

The eldest brother and his wife, neatly dressed, came into the central room; the wife hurried to help Liu Yin prepare breakfast, while the eldest brother sat silently, feeling the chair, then settled beside Old Grandma.

Li Xuewen glanced at Li Xuewu’s face and saw him smiling; he awkwardly let out a “hehe” in return.

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Li Xuewu only learned his mother had sent a letter, his elder brother had married and started work, his third brother had taken the college entrance exam, and their grandmother had passed away when he was packing his belongings for discharge and reviewing his personal effects; thus, when he saw Zhao Yafang come out, he stood and called out, “Big sister-in-law.”

Zhao Yafang replied and went to help her mother-in-law Liu Yin.

Li Xuewu noticed his sister-in-law’s discomfort—he knew she was meeting him for the first time, likely because his elder brother had told her about his past—and he didn’t mind, putting an arm around his elder brother’s shoulder and giving him two pats.

“Big brother has married and established himself, built a career—this congratulations from your younger brother is a bit late.”

Li Xuewen froze, stunned that this sudden-returning “menace” had said such a thing; he let out two more “hehes.”

“I haven’t heard you call me ‘big brother’ in a long time—since you could beat me, you started calling me Xuewen. Today, I see you’ve truly grown up.”

Li Xuewu looked at this elder brother, then at his quiet younger siblings sitting on the edge of the kang, finally understanding his influence in this family—how tyrannical his former self had been, even scaring his own elder brother.

“Thank you, big brother, for your concern. I was young and foolish back then. I suffered a head injury this time and can’t remember much of the past—I beg you not to hold it against me.”

Li Xuewen stared at his brother, now speaking in refined, literary phrases—he simply couldn’t believe his eyes.

He recalled his brother’s earlier conversation with Old Grandma and ultimately held back from touching his head, mainly fearing his second brother might retaliate.

He felt deeply frustrated—he’d planned to wait until his brother grew up and properly discipline him, recounting all the times he’d bullied him, but now his brother was injured, forgot everything—what could he even say?

“Really don’t remember? Do you recall Zhang Yanan?”

Li Xuewu shook his head blankly.

“What about Dong Wenwen?”

Li Xuewu shook his head again.

“Wang Yajuan? Wang Yamei? Do you remember those two sisters?”

“Xu Huizhi?”

Liu Yin, while cooking, watched the two brothers in utter disbelief; Zhao Yafang, watching her little brother-in-law, felt her heart twitch.

Li Xuewen sighed.

“So you really don’t remember—then how do you remember our family?”

Li Xuewu twitched his lips—he didn’t know who these people were, but they all sounded like women’s names.

“I don’t remember my family either—I learned some from fellow soldiers, some from sorting through letters, and some from studying my hometown records; only when I came home did I piece it all together.”

Li Xuewen fell silent, staring at his brother—his past beatings were wasted, unrecoverable.

Old Grandma smoked her pipe, watching the brothers bicker, a smile in her eyes.

At this moment, Li Shun returned home, took off his outer coat, washed his face, and sat down beside the eight-legged table against the wall.

The moment Li Shun entered, the atmosphere instantly chilled.

Li Xuewen caught his wife’s glance and quietly stood up to return to their room.

Li Xuecai and Li Xue also slipped into the eldest brother’s room.

Grandma merely touched Li Xuewu’s scar, patted his cheek, and sat on the kang, listening in silence.

“Better to forget—let the past go. It’s a blessing to be a little foolish.”

Grandma sighed.

At this, Li Shun snorted: “A dog can’t change its habit of eating shit!”

Liu Yin wiped her eyes with her sleeve, heart aching for her son.

Li Xuewu saw everyone silent, the atmosphere sinking.

Clearly, his father Li Shun held a poor attitude toward him—likely tied to his former self’s past—and his mother was the one who pitied him.

Li Shun ignored Liu Yin and continued: “Your elder brother got married—there’s no extra room left. Get your job settled quickly, find a place, and move out.”

Liu Yin retorted: “Where’s he supposed to live? How can you be so heartless?”

Li Shun: “I’ve been generous enough. Once your job’s settled, split off and live on your own—didn’t you say yourself you’d rely on yourself? If you’ve got ambition, would you come crawling back to this nest?”

“Husband, where on earth can he find a place to live in this freezing snow?”

Li Shun straightened his back, refusing to even look at Li Xuewu.

“Wolves travel a thousand miles to eat meat; dogs travel a thousand miles to eat shit. Live according to your ability. Your second uncle was a wild one too—he went into the mountains and still survived.”

Liu Yin saw Li Xuewu staring at them blankly.

She quickly added: “I’m talking about your second uncle—he works now at the Northeast Jilin Forestry Bureau. Your aunt works at the Shenyang Railway Bureau. Your second uncle has an older sister named Li Juan, twenty, working on the railway with your aunt, and a younger brother named Li Xueli, eighteen, also working—under your second uncle in forestry.”

“Your second uncle helps your father collect medicinal herbs every month. He usually sends them by train to the station, where your father picks them up. Your grandmother and I process them—some we sell to pharmacies, others your father takes along when he travels to villages to treat patients.”

Li Xuewu now understood—his father Li Shun traveled to villages to practice medicine and sell herbs just to support the family; clearly, his salary wasn’t enough to feed everyone.

“You’ve worked hard.”

Li Shun snorted two puffs of air at this remark.

“Stop talking nonsense. Splitting up is inevitable. Your elder brother will care for us in our old age—he stays with us, everything here belongs to him. Once you get a job, move out. When your third brother gets a job, he moves out too. Whether you live well or poorly is entirely up to you.”

Zhao Yafang, adding firewood, paused, glancing at Li Xuewen—right now, Li Xuewen was playing ostrich, too afraid to meet his wife’s gaze.

Last night they’d agreed to bring up the matter of school housing today, now that the second brother had returned—but Li Xuewen dared not mention it now.

Li Xuewu stared at this stubborn father determined to drive him out—he felt his throat dry. Perhaps it was love disguised as harshness.

He could understand the older generation’s thinking—he himself had his own ambition. Could he, with his stored knowledge and post-injury advantage, really starve in this era?

“You’re right—those with ability eat meat; those without watch others eat it. Though I don’t remember much of the past, I take responsibility for everything I did. I’ll arrange my job quickly; as soon as I get word, I’ll move out. For these few days, I’ll pay for my meals.”

He pulled a small bundle from his luggage, took out twenty yuan and thirty jin of grain coupons, and placed them on the eight-legged table, pushing them toward Li Shun’s side.

Liu Yin slapped Li Xuewu’s shoulder, crying.

“How can you still be so foolish! You’re your father’s son—he raised and educated you out of duty. You don’t need to thank him, nor resent him. He didn’t send you to enlist because he feared for your safety—why are you still fighting with your father? Put it back!”

Li Shun swept the money and coupons into his pocket.

“Take it. Why wouldn’t you take it? You’re nineteen—I was nineteen, carrying my father’s medicine chest to treat patients. Am I supposed to let you eat my food for free?”