Witty Wife, Better Life-Chapter 863 - 853: Li Hongqi’s Plan

Li Hongqi coughed and said, "You both know my current situation, I barely have any money on me, and our parents didn’t leave much behind. But we had agreed when we divided the family, that taking care of our parents in their old age and their end-of-life matters would be my responsibility. I wasn’t there when our mother passed, so I won’t mention that. Now we have failed to look after our father, so I want to handle his funeral properly." Seeing his eldest brother nod in agreement, he continued, "But, it’s said that ’a penniless man is a hero thwarted’, I truly don’t have any money." Li Hongqi spoke with heartfelt sincerity, and it was indeed the truth. When he was released from prison, his pockets were empty. If it hadn’t been for Zheng Huilan and her daughter waiting for him outside, he might have faced the same distress as Qiu Shuping had experienced.

The three brothers made their way back to Taoshu Village, firstly to save money. There was still the old Li Family house, which gave them a temporary place to stay; living expenses for renting a place in the city were too high, and Zheng’s mother’s meager savings wouldn’t last more than a few months. Secondly, they hoped to see if there was any way to get some more money from Old Man Li.

"Ever since our father passed away, I’ve been troubled for days. After much thought, it seems our only option now is to sell this house to afford a decent burial for our father." As he spoke, he looked around the room, showing his reluctance.

Li Hongjun and Li Hongxing were taken aback. They had never considered selling their ancestral home. It was where they had grown up, and even without their parents, it remained home in their hearts.

"But, but how can we do that?" Li Hongxing was at a loss for words, knowing the family house simply couldn’t be sold. freёweɓnovel.com

"Hey, big brother, I don’t want to sell the house either. After all, this is where we’ve grown up, and I’m attached to this place. But given our current situation, if I want our father to have a good farewell and to fulfill our filial duties, this is the only way," Li Hongqi said, appearing to be deeply pained by the idea, yet his eyes surreptitiously gauged the reactions of his brothers.

Li Hongxing didn’t know what to do and was so agitated he scratched his head in despair.

Li Hongjun, however, hadn’t said a word and remained very calm.

"I know you don’t want to let go, big brother. So, how about this? You see if you’re interested in buying the old house. If you can buy it, it would be good. The house would stay in our Li family and not fall into strangers’ hands," Li Hongqi suggested, giving off an amicable brotherly vibe.

Li Hongjun glanced at Li Hongqi, thinking this must be his real motive.

"How much do you plan to sell these two rooms for?" Li Hongjun interjected before Li Hongxing could say anything.

Li Hongqi hadn’t expected his second brother to be the first to speak, but it didn’t matter who it was, as long as he got the money.

"Second brother, we are siblings after all. If I sell the house to you, I can’t ask for too much. But the amount must cover the costs for our father’s funeral. I think about a thousand yuan should be enough," Li Hongqi said, rubbing his hands and looking down.

"What? A thousand yuan? For these two decrepit rooms?" Li Hongxing was dumbfounded.

At the beginning of the year, Li Cuozai from the village had built five new tile-roofed rooms, costing less than three thousand yuan in total. On average, that was about six hundred yuan per new room. Those were brick and tile houses, significantly superior compared to their old house. So, how could their old house possibly be worth a thousand yuan?

"Big brother, you must think I’m not asking for too much, right?" Li Hongqi was still trying to persuade Li Hongxing. "Our old family home may be a bit old, but it’s still very sturdy. Besides, if your family buys it, you can just tear down the middle wall, and the entire courtyard will be yours. That way, you won’t have to share a house with others, right?"

Upon hearing this, Li Hongxing realized that if Li Hongqi sold the house to someone else, his own family would end up living very close to others...

"Big brother, you should ask your wife about this. Buying a house is not a trivial matter." Li Hongjun saw that Li Hongxing seemed genuinely interested and felt compelled to remind him, fearing his brother might agree in the heat of the moment, and if his wife found out and wanted to back out later, it would cause a commotion.

"Right, right, right, it’s up to your sister-in-law. I’ll go ask her," Li Hongxing remembered he couldn’t make this decision on his own and frantically thought of going outside to find Wang Dan.

"Hey, don’t rush, big brother. Are you telling me that as a man, you can’t make decisions about major family matters? Look here, you can’t go on like this. Even if sister-in-law is capable, she’s still a woman. You’ve got to take more interest in the big and small matters of the family," came the obvious instigation.

Li Hongqi, of course, didn’t want his sister-in-law to interfere; he intended to coax his brother into agreeing first, and after the contract was signed and everything, she would be without recourse, even if she learned about it afterward. Once the deal was inked on white paper with black ink, if she dared to go back on her word, he could immediately report them to the police.

"That’s not right to say. Big brother and his wife are a family unit. Big brother works hard in the fields every day. If he has to manage everything at home too, he’ll work himself to death. My sister-in-law is a good person, and she’s capable. She’s just right for handling these matters."

With a few gentle words, Li Hongjun cheered his big brother up, who took several large strides to the front gate, opened the door and shouted, "Dan, oh Dan..." Li Hongxing always called his wife by her nickname.

"What’s up, have you brothers finished talking?" Wang Dan had been pacing in the courtyard, worried her husband wouldn’t make a decision.

"Li Hongqi is considering selling the house and asking if our family wants to buy it. I came out to ask for your opinion," Li Hongxing whispered, summarizing the discussion they had just had inside the house to his wife.

Wang Dan exploded when she heard her husband’s words. This wasn’t about selling a house; it was about extorting money from them. The two households were essentially one family, separated only by a thin wall—which might as well not be there because if someone farted in one house, it could be heard in the other. If someone else moved in, it would never be peaceful. Li Hongqi was clearly trying to force them to buy the house.

"Why doesn’t he just go rob someone? He has the nerve to ask for a thousand yuan just like that. He really is bold," Wang Dan immediately started railing, hands on her hips in the courtyard. "Are you dead or something? He says that and you don’t slap him right across the face, you come and ask me? I think he has gone crazy for money."

Li Hongxing, used to his wife’s scolding, didn’t take her words to heart.

"Look, I’m just asking for your opinion. I haven’t agreed to anything," he said.

"At least you’ve still got some sense," Wang Dan shot her husband a disdainful glance, then stormed off toward the house, "Li Hongqi, let me tell you, if you think you can sell that rundown house for a thousand yuan, I guarantee it will never sell. But if you’re serious about selling, give us a real and fair price." While Wang Dan was scolding him, her mind was working fast. She was immediately intrigued when she heard that Li Hongqi was considering selling the house.

If they could really buy the old house, they would have more room to live comfortably. If they only had the two rooms they currently had, there would be no place for the eldest son and his spouse to return to, not to mention the future marriages of their two younger sons.