stingy landlady

Chapter 49 The Argument

Li stammered, "I! I don't know!"

Seeing that things were looking up, Zhao quickly said, "Sister-in-law! I won't do it again! Sister-in-law! You're so kind! Sister-in-law! Da Bao is someone you've watched grow up, your favorite nephew! Sister-in-law!"

Li was at a loss: "Don't ask me! I don't know anything!"

Li threw her hand away, went inside, and collapsed onto the kang (a heated brick bed) to cry!

Madam Zhou quickly went inside to mediate.

Guizhi felt bored and asked Dabao, "Dabao! What do you say?"

Da Bao was stunned by the beating. "Me? What did I say? Third Sister! I was wrong! Eldest Sister! Second Sister! I'll never dare to do it again! Please forgive me this time!"

Gui Xiang and Gui Hong were also tired from fighting and crying, so they gradually stopped.

"Lin Xiaoyun! Tell them to get out!"

Lin Xiaoyun released Da Bao and shouted, "Get out!"

The old lady was extremely embarrassed and hurriedly went out. Zhao followed her out.

"Dabao! Dabao! Let Mom see, are you hurt anywhere? Should we call a doctor?"

Back in Erzhu's room, Erzhu had already heard the commotion and was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Seeing Da Bao enter the house with a bruised and swollen face, seeing the old lady with a gloomy face, and seeing Zhao Shi with tears streaming down her face.

"What's going on? What's this all about now?"

Erzhu asked impatiently.

The old lady said, "That ungrateful wretch Xiaoyun! He lives with me every day, and I treat him like my own child! Who would have thought he'd be so ungrateful! He even dared to point a knife at Dabao!"

Erzhu asked again, "Was Dabao beaten by him? How could he be so arrogant? How could Big Brother tolerate it?"

The old lady got even angrier: "No, it's those two wretched girls, Daya and Erya. They beat our Dabao to a pulp! It was the right thing to separate them in the first place! Now they've grown up and dare to go against me!"

It's Erzhu! Your older brother didn't earn his fortune easily! Don't let a few girls fool you and give away all your savings!

Erzhu rubbed his leg and said, "Mother! It's hard for me to even stand up! What can I do? Let's wait until I'm better! These girls dare to defy her now!"

Inside the house, Li grew increasingly frightened, wondering what Dazhu would do upon his return. Would he side with her and the children, or with the old lady? She wept uncontrollably.

Siya was also silently shedding tears beside Li Shi! Seeing Li Shi cry only made her feel scared!

Guizhi thought about the dumplings she had made, then about Xiangmanlou waiting to deliver the dishes, and looked at her heartbroken mother. No matter what, life had to go on.

"Lin Xiaoyun, go hitch up the carriage!" Guizhi said weakly.

"Big sister! Second sister! Xiaoqiong, pack the food box up! Go do what you need to do!"

After saying that, he went into the inner room and said to Zhou Niangzi, "Aunt Zhou, you go ahead and do your work! Go back to our vegetable garden to pick some vegetables later. From now on, my grandparents can deliver the vegetables themselves! We won't take care of them anymore!"

When Li heard Guizhi making arrangements, she gradually stopped crying.

Seeing that Li Shi had calmed down, Guizhi silently observed her for a long while before asking, "Mother! Don't you want to live with Father anymore?"

Li's hoarse voice came through: "Would your father believe us? That's his own mother! Why didn't I give birth to a son?"

Guizhi asked again, "Mother! If Father doesn't believe us, how can we live like this?"

"How could I not? Things were just starting to get better, and he... he dared to divorce me!"

Looking at the fierce-looking but weak-willed Li Shi, Guizhi couldn't help but chuckle: "Mother! Life has to go on no matter what, but business can't stop! We can't break our promises and ruin the restaurant's business!"

Li sat up and perked up. When Siya saw that her mother had stopped crying, she also stopped crying.

Li's eyes were red and swollen, and there was a handprint on her face. She said:

"Sanya, Siya! Mom's going to wash my face! Sanya! You two go ahead and get busy! We haven't picked the vegetables yet!"

Guizhi asked, "Mother! Why don't you go to the east end and stay there with Aunt Zhou? That way, when we leave, Grandma and Second Aunt will come over. If we're not home, you and Fourth Sister will suffer!"

Li looked at the locked cabinet and thought for a moment: "No! They're not home. If they come and break the door, we'll really have nothing left!"

"Mother! Why don't we take all the money? The remaining clothes and bedding aren't worth much! It'll help my father see them for who they really are!"

Guizhi was really worried about that timid girl! She'd become a pushover if the old lady got angry!

Li was somewhat tempted!

"Then! Then Mom will go wash her face! And we'll go pick vegetables together!"

Guizhi nodded, picked up Siya, and said, "Come here! Fourth Sister! Let me put your shoes on! Let's go outside and ride in the carriage!"

"Third Sister is so kind! I want to ride in the carriage!"

The two sisters walked out hand in hand, and Siya whispered to Guizhi, "Third sister! Mother is crying, aren't you afraid?"

Guizhi also whispered to Siya, "Are you scared? Why were you crying just now?"

Siya said, "I'm so scared! When Mom cries, I want to cry too!"

Guizhi thought to herself, "Kids are all like this! I'm acting too mature! But what can I do? No one in this family can stand on their own! A whole house full of steamed buns, fragrant steamed buns!"

As she thought about it, Guizhi couldn't help but laugh out loud.

When Siya saw her sister laughing, she laughed along with her.

"Third Sister! You smiled!"

"Siya laughed too! Keep your laughter down! Hehe!"

The child didn't care about anything else and just giggled.

Si Ya sat in the carriage, looking at the big horse, seemingly unaware of fear, and called out, "Giddy up! Giddy up! Whoa! Whoa!"

Guizhi saw that Sun was still standing in front of the basket, waiting to take the vegetables onto the cart.

She walked over with a smile and said to Mrs. Sun, "Fourth Aunt! I'm sorry! We need to empty this basket; we need to use it to carry the vegetables!"

After saying that, without stopping, he poured the vegetables on the ground and picked up the empty basket to put it on the carriage.

Before Mrs. Sun could stop her, she cried out, "Sanya! What are you doing?"

Guizhi curled her lip and said with a sneer, "Oh! Fourth Aunt doesn't know yet, we've already separated the family! From now on, we'll each sell our own vegetables!"

After saying that, he turned around and got into the carriage.

Li loaded the necessary items onto the carriage, then boarded as well, carrying a large bundle. After a moment's thought, she got off, locked the door, and then boarded again with peace of mind.

"Mom! What are you carrying? Such a big bag!" Guizhi asked in surprise.

"Oh! I've cut all the fabric. Your new clothes, and Xiaoyun's new clothes. All you have to do is sew them on! Take them over there and make them!"

"Have your dad build me a lockable cabinet; I'll put all my things there. I won't be home alone anymore. As soon as you leave, I'll take Siya and move to the east side! We'll get through a few months, and as soon as the house is finished, we'll move!"

Guizhi thought that Li Shi had finally learned to be smart. "Mother! You and Fourth Sister must be scared at home too! This is how it should be! Now that we're all gone, that Da Bao is a boy, and he hits people really hard! Plus my Second Aunt and Grandma! We'll only be the ones who suffer!"