Witty Wife, Better Life-Chapter 796 - 786: True Colors Revealed

Auntie Xue’s main idea was that the house had to remain in Old Li’s hands—it was the foundation of his security, and before he took his final breath, the house couldn’t be given to any of his children.

Furthermore, Auntie Xue had analyzed the Li children for Old Li and concluded that the second eldest was the most promising. Through past events, it was clear that the second eldest wasn’t heartless toward family ties. Look, no sooner had he secured his footing in Z Province than he helped his eldest brother’s family, found a job for the child, transferred his brother-in-law to his side, enabling Xianghe to go with her husband in the military. As for favoring his eldest daughter’s family, that came even earlier; Jiajia’s illness was cured by him.

Therefore, Old Li shouldn’t only focus on Li Hongqi but should consider Li Hongjun, his second son, as the wisest choice.

Old Li had always been easily influenced, and having heard Auntie Xue say this, also felt there was truth to it. At his age, his major concern was aged care. With the second son in good standing, on the day he couldn’t walk anymore, he could rely on the second son to enjoy a bit more of a comfortable life. Though the family wasn’t originally divided this way, he understood his second son and was confident in him. If he were to ask his second son to take care of him in his old age, the second son would certainly agree—after all, the second son was a soldier.

In view of this, there really was no need for fuss; his house, if given to the third child when he was old, would be no different. At this time, Old Li still had his youngest son in his heart.

Qiu Shuping waited at home, left and right, but Old Li never returned. Restless, and too busy to quarrel with Mother Zheng who was cooking in the main hall (for Shuping had snatched the opportunity to cook dinner first), she tidied up and went out to look for him.

She strolled over to the team leader’s house, only to be told by the team leader’s wife that Old Li had left long ago. Qiu Shuping frowned—where could the old man have gone in such a short time?

She casually asked a few people and found out that Old Li had been taken away by Xue Suqin.

She was furious, angry at that shameless woman and her own husband. At his age, he was still not conducting himself properly; was he not afraid of getting a stroke?

In her frantic search, Shuping reached the entrance of the Xue family and overheard a few words of Auntie Xue advising Old Li not to transfer the house to Li Hongqi.

"You shameless old harlot, when was it your turn to meddle in our Li family’s affairs? Do you have no face left?" Shuping’s true nature returned abruptly; the facade of a white lotus could only be maintained when she was in her right mind.

Auntie Xue was startled—she hadn’t expected her words to be overheard by anyone, nor had she thought Qiu Shuping would come looking here. Old Li hadn’t been at her place for even ten minutes.

Xue Suqin didn’t know that because Qiu Shuping had learned of Old Li’s changed mindset, she became so urgently watchful. Otherwise, Old Li could go out for an entire day, and Shuping wouldn’t make anything of it.

But Auntie Xue was cunning. She was flustered at first, but quickly regained her composure, and her expression turned innocent.

"Sister-in-law, what’s this about? How can you curse like that? I didn’t mean to interfere with your Li family’s matters, I really didn’t mean it like that," Auntie Xue said, her eyes reddening.

"Pah," Shuping’s eyes reddened too, with anger, "you bitch, I’m cursing you, you shameless vixen. What’s up? Your own husband’s dead, and your belt’s come loose, huh? And calling him ’Old Li’? Aren’t you embarrassed?"

"Sister-in-law, you’ve misunderstood, wah-wah..." Auntie Xue’s teeth itched with hatred, but she controlled her facial expression, putting on a pitiful look.

"Misunderstood? Misunderstood your mother’s ass, you think I can’t see through your little schemes? I’m telling you, Xue Suqin..." On and on Shuping went, hands on her hips, standing in their yard, cursing Xue Suqin’s ancestors for eight generations. Having upgraded her vocabulary in prison, she kept it up for half an hour without repeating a single insult.

Auntie Xue, no matter how patient, was finding it hard to endure a half-hour finger-pointing tirade. She pinched herself secretly, deciding to make a final effort; if it didn’t work, she decided she wouldn’t pretend to be a quail anymore.

"Brother Li, I really didn’t mean anything else, I just, just felt that it wasn’t good for Brother Li, and since sister-in-law doesn’t approve, then consider it my meddling. I’ve lived in the village for so many years after all, everyone knows what kind of person I am. Today, sister-in-law stood in my yard and cursed my ancestors for eighteen generations; nobody is made out of clay, Brother Li, you should take sister-in-law away quickly, let’s not meet again after this." At first, Mrs. Xue was quite assertive, but then she became more and more aggrieved, and eventually began to sob uncontrollably.

Old Li was truly at his wit’s end, he had never encountered such a thing. One was ferociously menacing, the other crying incessantly in innocence; there was no need to say towards whom his heart leaned.

"Suqin, don’t cry, Big Brother is sorry for you..." Old Li looked guilt-stricken.

But before he could finish, Qiu Shuping silenced him with a scratch, "You shameless old thing, right before my eyes, you two adulterers dare to act all brotherly and sisterly, you think I’m dead or something? Today, if I don’t scratch you to pieces, I won’t bear the Qiu surname."

"Hey, you crazy woman, stop it, or I’ll have to get physical," Old Li suddenly felt a burning line on his face where his wife had scratched him, blood was undoubtedly drawn.

He quickly used both hands in an attempt to protect himself, barely managing to avoid another successful assault from Qiu Shuping’s claws.

"You’ve gone mad, if you want to make a scene, we’ll go home, don’t embarrass me here."

"I’ve gone mad indeed, after suffering so much for you Li family, that old wretch actually fooled around with another woman, I’ll see if I don’t scratch you both to death," Qiu Shuping seemed possessed.

Qiu Shuping was truly heartbroken. Having slaved away at the Li family for so many years, she raised five children for Old Li, believing she had done nothing to wrong the Li family. And now, as she was getting on in age, the old man had sprung such a catastrophe on her, how could she not feel heartbroken?

When she first heard of the matter, she was angry too, but without having witnessed it with her own eyes, the impact wasn’t that deep, she could still talk big, pretending she knew nothing, ready to bide her time. But she couldn’t pretend for a few days before she saw the adulterers with her own eyes, her chest nearly exploded with rage. She couldn’t remember any of that posturing, that house; all she wanted now was to scratch both of their faces, so they would be too ashamed to step outside.

"Ah..." Mrs. Xue screamed in agony as Qiu Shuping scratched her, the pain on her neck causing her to let out a pig-slaughter-like cry.

Seeing that she couldn’t deal with Old Li, Qiu Shuping directly switched her target and took her anger out on Mrs. Xue. Mrs. Xue was unprepared, not expecting the conflict to reach her, and thus got scratched.

"Stop it, go back home now. If you keep this up, I won’t be polite," Old Li, seeing his wife’s scratch on Sister Suqin, became anxious and went to grab his wife’s hands. Old Li was also concerned; his wife had just returned home, and if he were to hit her now, the whole village would hear of it, and he’d be unable to clear his name no matter what, so at this moment, even if he was angry, he had to put up with her.

"What’s wrong, you feel bad for her? I’m telling you, today you either kill me, or I kill her," Qiu Shuping retaliated against him.

"I think you’ve gone mad, completely mad," Old Li wanted to check on Suqin, but he couldn’t let go here, and he paced around anxiously.

"Right, I’ve gone mad, driven mad by you, Chen Shimei."

Mrs. Xue tentatively touched her neck with her hand, and upon seeing the trace of blood on her hand, her eyes reddened, and taking advantage of the moment when Old Li had hold of Qiu Shuping, she fiercely scratched at her face several times, "You dare scratch me, you dare scratch me, I’ll fight you to the death."

"Ah, let go of me, you Chen Shimei, I’m still your wife, and you let this slut scratch me, you’re really something," Qiu Shuping’s face stung from Mrs. Xue’s scratches.

Old Li, of course, saw the multiple scratch marks on his wife’s face and unconsciously loosened his grip on her hands.