Witty Wife, Better Life-Chapter 836 - 826: You Should Ask the Debtor for the Money

No matter how much the Zheng mother and daughter pleaded and cried, Shen Yunfang was resolute about making them leave the place.

In the end, the Zheng mother and daughter had no choice but to concede that they could take care of the paralyzed old Mr. Li in bed. This time, however, Shen Yunfang didn’t agree.

"Just because you say you’ll take care of him, do you think we should let you? Do you not know that there’s a difference between men and women? My father-in-law may be over sixty years old, but he’s still a man. What exactly do you plan to do, an old divorced woman and a young wife, when it comes to helping my father-in-law with bathroom needs? Are you going to wait until we come back to find that the Li Family has a new stepmother?" Shen Yunfang’s words were truly damaging.

However, those in the crowd who had originally thought that way dropped the idea; it was true that even a daughter by blood taking care of her old father would be inappropriate, let alone two unrelated women. If a scandal did arise from this, it would be much worse than the current scandal.

The mother of the Zheng Family was so angry that she was at a loss for words.

The eldest elder of the Li Family also spoke up, agreeing with Shen Yunfang’s suggestion. From now on, Mr. Li would be taken care of by Li Hongxing and his wife; Li Hongjun and his wife would contribute money each month; Li Hongqi and his wife hadn’t contributed any effort so they would get nothing. The mother of the Zheng Family was a mother-in-law and not originally a member of the Li Family. She had already lived in the Li household without compensation for such a long time, which showed the generosity of the Li Family. Now that the house belonged to Li Hongxing and his wife, the Zheng mother and daughter should move out as soon as possible.

After the onlookers and the old master of the Li Family had left, Shen Yunfang didn’t pay any mind to the Zheng mother and daughter in the courtyard, only saying, "Move out within three days. Don’t even think about anything else. You have hands and feet, go out and find a job to support yourselves, which is much better than clinging to a paralyzed old man. If you really care about this house, that’s fine too. Once Li Hongqi gets out of prison, you can come back and discuss the house then." The Li Family recognized Zheng Huilan only because of Li Hongqi; without Li Hongqi, Zheng Huilan was nothing.

Of course, aside from the Li Family elders, everyone else in the Li Family had quite a bone to pick with the Zheng mother and daughter. If it weren’t for the Zheng Family instigating trouble in the first place, none of Li Hongqi and the others would have gone to the Capital to ask for money, which eventually led to being sentenced for fraud. Both Li brothers knew that the root cause of the issue lay with the Zheng Family, but old Mr. Li and Qiu Shuping were blinded by flattery at the time, still thinking about protecting Li Hongqi’s wife, so they didn’t speak up. Now that the old lady was gone and the old man couldn’t even take care of himself, they certainly weren’t going to help support Li Hongqi’s wife.

That very night, Zheng mother and Zheng Huilan sought out Li Hongjun once more.

This time they were much more rational. After sitting down, they took out a piece of paper from their pocket and slapped it onto the kang bed.

Shen Yunfang was curious and picked up the paper to see that, astonishingly, it was an IOU signed by Li Xianghe.

"We know we can’t talk you down since we are in no position to argue, but you, the Li Family, must pay back the money you owe us," said Zheng mother, with a cold expression, probably because she knew they wouldn’t be able to live in the Li Family house any longer and so dropped any pretense, revealing her true feelings.

Shen Yunfang shook the IOU in her hand, "This is clearly written with Li Xianghe’s name. You should go ask her for the money, no need to talk to us about it."

It’s only fair that whoever borrows has to repay; surely the mother doesn’t expect the two of them to repay Li Xianghe’s debts.

"Li Xianghe isn’t home right now, where would we even find her? You’re all Li Family members, it’s only right for you to help pay her debts," Zheng mother said with a sense of entitlement, "I won’t say more. You’re driving us out, leaving us no way out. You surely can’t think of evading even the debts you owe us. That would be shameless. If you really refuse to handle this, then I’ll have to cast aside my pride and talk to others about this matter. We can’t just let the Li Family enjoy all the benefits, right?"

Shen Yunfang chuckled and pulled out a pen and paper, swiftly jotting down the address of the Z Province Military Region. "Here, this is Li Xianghe’s current address. If you want money, you can go directly there to ask her for it. We may be in-laws, but she is like a daughter who has been married off and water that has been poured away. To put it properly, she now belongs to the Sun Family, not the Li Family anymore. Even if you tried to enforce this IOU, you wouldn’t be able to pin it on us, right, Madame Zheng from the Zheng Family?"

Shen Yunfang had managed to shoo away the two of them with a sharp tongue, not sparing any details about the verbal skirmish there; in any case, she had not let the Zheng mother and daughter take the slightest advantage.

Three days later, the Zheng mother and daughter packed up their belongings and left without looking back, and nobody knew exactly where they had gone.

After the family finished observing the seventh-day mourning ritual for the dead, the Li Hongjun family began to pack their things, getting ready to head back to Z Province. Before this, their father had already been brought back from the hospital by his three children.

The room where the elderly couple had lived was tidied up once again by Shen Yunfang and Wang Dan, making it more suitable for the old Mr. Li to rest every day.

Though Mr. Li had become paralyzed and was unable to speak, his mind was as clear as a mirror. Once he was home, he kept holding onto his second son’s hand, wanting to say something but unable to articulate his words.

Li Hongjun could only patiently comfort his father, "Dad, don’t worry. My big brother and I have worked out your future living arrangements. I am often not at home, and I am afraid that I won’t be able to take good care of you if you came to Z Province with me. So from now on, you’ll stay with my big brother and sister-in-law. I will send them fifty yuan by mail every month, and if you want to eat or drink anything, just tell my big brother. Whenever I’m free, I will bring the kids to come and see you."

"Jun... uh... stay..." Mr. Li could only utter these few syllables, and drool began to uncontrollably leak from the corner of his mouth.

Li Hongjun used a towel to carefully wipe his father’s saliva, "Dad, don’t rush to speak. I’m still going to be home for another two days. Take your time, there’s no hurry."

The old man, with the one hand he could move, gripped Li Hongjun’s arm tightly, refusing to let go, and, despite not being able to speak clearly, didn’t allow Li Hongjun to leave his sight.

Watching from the side, Shen Yunfang sighed in her heart. At such a time, the elderly man must be feeling scared, probably afraid that his son would leave him behind.

Seeing Mr. Li’s pitiful state, it was hard to know what to say. Had they known this day would come, why act as they had in the past? He could have been enjoying his days, respected as the head of the Li Family, with a warm and caring spouse to take care of his needs, instead of being in this situation, old and without anyone to even talk to, relying solely on his children for something to eat.

Even with all the uncertainty and unwillingness to leave, the day of departure arrived all too quickly.

Li Hongjun spoke with Li Hongxing, evidently giving him some instructions, while Wang Dan kept talking to Shen Yunfang non-stop. "Yunfang, when you get back, please bring up Goudan every so often. He’s not young anymore. If you find someone suitable there, help us set something up for him. If he really does get a bride from the city, your big brother and I will be grateful to you and your husband for the rest of our lives." ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

Shen Yunfang felt rather embarrassed; at seventeen, the young man was indeed no longer a child, yet she still thought of him as one. However, reflecting on her own experiences, she admitted, indeed, seventeen was not young at all.