Chapter 82: Cultural Level

Looking at this father who insisted on saying things in a twisted way, a sharp pain surged through Li Xuewu's brain, and with a *buzz*, many memories were awakened.

There were times he had been beaten by Li Shun; times he had jumped over walls to run away; times he had caused trouble.

More often, there were times Li Shun had taken him to apologize.

Times he didn't dare go home after jumping the wall and hid at Shen Guodong's house to sleep, only for Li Shun to carry him home in the middle of the night.

Times he had beaten him, only to apply this same black medicinal paste to his buttocks in the middle of the night while he was asleep.

Various memories resurfaced, mixing with the memories of his previous life.

Which one was truly him? Li Xuewu couldn't quite tell anymore.

Recalling the past, he found himself in tears before he knew it.

Li Shun patted Li Xuewu's other uninjured cheek and scolded, "Stop crying. Look at your pathetic state. Where's that stubbornness you show me? Now you know it hurts? Stop crying; tears aren't good for the wound's recovery." After saying this, he even used gauze to gently wipe away Li Xuewu's tears.

Seeing that Li Xuewu had stopped crying, he used the gauze to wrap the swelling on his face layer by layer, thick and tight.

"Wear a mask when you go out. No drinking, no smoking, no spicy food. And definitely don't let the wind hit it or strain yourself. If you pull a nerve, it'll leave a permanent ailment."

After finishing, he tidied up and went back to the southern room to put away the medicine dish.

After washing his hands and returning, Li Shun sat on the edge of the kang, looking at the child in the old lady's arms with a weary heart.

His own son was still just a child himself, yet he had picked up another child. What was to be done?

To say it was hard for Li Shun to suddenly accept this child would be true, but to say he would throw her out now? Li Shun would never do that.

In the early years, when the family had a pharmacy, they had never turned away a single patient. Later, when the pharmacy was gone and he practiced medicine, he had never cut off someone's medicine for the sake of money.

The plaque from the family pharmacy was still kept behind the house.

*May there be no illness in the world; why begrudge the dust on the medicine shelves? *

He wanted to scold this bastard, but he couldn't bear to hurt his son's kind heart. He could only swallow the bitterness himself.

Influenced by Li Shun's mood, the whole family fell silent.

The old lady saw her eldest son frowning as he looked over, and without fear of dropping her, she gently lifted the child with both hands and placed her into Li Shun's arms.

Li Shun reached out nervously to take the child from the old lady and held her so she stood on his lap.

The baby girl looked at this person who was frowning at her, thinking he was making faces to amuse her. She "giggled" out loud, reached out with her little hands to grab Li Shun's nose, and kicked her short little legs.

The child's laughter was like sunlight breaking through dark clouds, bringing a smile to Li Shun's face.

Li Xuewen saw his father beaming as he teased the baby girl, even reaching out to check her pulse at her neck, and then actually holding her in his arms. He couldn't help but show a look of shock.

Li Xuecai and Li Xue were even more amazed. Li Xue was one thing; Li Shun had held her when she was small.

But ever since she was old enough to understand things, Li Xue had followed the old lady, and Li Shun had never held her again.

Although Li Shun was gentler in his words to his daughter than to his sons, he had never treated his daughter with such tenderness since she grew up.

The three Li Xuewen brothers hadn't even enjoyed Li Xue's treatment, let alone such tenderness.

In Li Xuewu's memories, he had never seen his father like this. Only today was his father no longer scolding him.

Today, the siblings were all eye-witnesses to their old father's demeanor.

"Has my eldest granddaughter been named yet?"

Although he didn't look at Li Xuewu, everyone knew Li Shun was asking him.

When Li Xuewu first returned, he felt the family was large, and "he" had a history of being naughty, so he wasn't favored by his parents or family. He felt the family had opinions about him, so naturally, he kept his distance and observed them.

Today, when this happened, his sister-in-law, who had her own little schemes, stood up for him; the old lady, who was closest to Li Xue, took the initiative to hold the infant; his great-aunt wanted to make a cradle for the child; his mother wanted to help raise the child; Li Shun acknowledged the granddaughter; and his kind-hearted elder brother and his younger siblings, who had never shown any disgust and even teased the child—all showed their support for him and acceptance of the child.

The Li family had the friction and selfishness common to large families of this era, but like other large families of this era, they valued family affection highly and were kind-hearted people who thought as one when encountering trouble.

Li Xuewu could see that his father was accommodating him by acknowledging this child, fearing he would be in a difficult position, so he took the burden upon himself and personally acknowledged this granddaughter. ===== CHAPTER 83 =====