While the Li family mbers were clustered together, anxiously asking about Li Hua’s condition, Gu’er was off to the side, listening as Li Zhi and Li Ying explained what had happened with the Zhou family.
Apparently, the Li family had no idea that Zhou Mazi had beaten Li Hua so badly she was hospitalized. If they had, they would have co much sooner. It was Zhou Duo’er who had shown up at their door asking for help, saying there was trouble at ho. In response, Li Shan had sent Li Datie and Li San Chui to check on things.
Because the Li family intervened, Zhou Feng’er wasn’t sold off to that old gambler by Zhou Mazi. After the situation blew up, the old gambler didn’t dare take Zhou Feng’er anymore. However, Zhou Mazi still had to repay the debt he owed.
Zhou Mazi wasn’t arrested either. The village committee decided that if they took him away, there would be no one to look after the Zhou children, especially with Li Hua not being ho. So, they just gave Zhou Mazi a stern warning and left.
After the committee mbers left, the Li family finally got the full story and learned that Zhou Mazi had beaten Li Hua so severely she was in the hospital.
At that, Li Datie and Li San Chui beca furious. They gave Zhou Mazi a ruthless beating on the spot, then went back ho to tell the rest of the family that Li Hua was in the hospital.
That was how the Li family found out that Li Hua was in the hospital in the city and had even undergone surgery. Gu’er’s maternal grandmother, Zhou Ercao, had wanted to co too, but she had been so worried about her daughter that she hadn’t slept well the night before and wasn’t feeling well, so the family didn’t let her co. What was surprising, however, was that Li Shan had co with them. Everyone had assud he didn’t care much about Li Hua.
"He’s an animal. You’re not going back to him. The children belong to the Zhou family, so let the Zhous raise them. You just co ho. We can afford to feed one more mouth."
No one had expected Li Shan to say that. Even Gu’er was surprised that her grandfather was urging her mother to leave Zhou Mazi. ’Isn’t divorce supposed to be a disgrace? Lots of won who can’t take it anymore would rather drink poison or drown themselves than get a divorce. Their own families won’t even let them, thinking it’s too shaful. And hasn’t Grandpa always disliked Mom? Why would he be the one telling her to leave him?’
Li Hua was stunned as well. She never thought her own father would say such a thing. ’Can I really leave Zhou Mazi? Is that really an option?’
A sudden surge of hope rose in Li Hua’s heart. ’If I could really leave Zhou Mazi, then I... then I...’
"Dad... but will Zhou Mazi agree?"
Li Datie let out a shout.
’Bai Erni, on the other hand, didn’t say a thing. Her sister-in-law coming ho would be just as her father-in-law said: it wouldn’t be a burden. If money was tight, they’d just eat a little more simply. There was no way they could let her go back to a household like that just to wait to be beaten to death.’
"What are you shouting about? She’s your sister! Your own flesh and blood! Are you just going to stand by and wait for that animal to beat her to death? If that bastard Zhou Mazi doesn’t agree, then we’ll beat him until he does! As for the children... they don’t even care about Hua’er’s condition. What good are they?"
Li Shan glared at Li Datie.
Li Hua broke down, crying softly. She never imagined her father actually cared for her and would stand up for her like this. His words ant that even if she divorced Zhou Mazi, she would have a ho to go back to.
"Alright, stop crying. You haven’t even recovered yet. You’ll make yourself sick again if you keep this up."
Li Shan sighed as he looked at Li Hua.
’Gu’er thought it was a good idea to let the Li family handle the divorce. As Li Hua’s family, it was their place to step in. That way, no one could gossip. All that mattered was getting Zhou Mazi to agree to the divorce.’
Then, Gu’er stepped outside the hospital room with Li Shan and Li Datie to discuss the plan to get Zhou Mazi to divorce Li Hua.
Li Shan hadn’t expected Gu’er to be on board with the idea, let alone to have her own thoughts on how to proceed. He gave her a long, deep look before nodding, signaling that she could leave it to him. He promised Gu’er he would have the matter settled before Li Hua was discharged from the hospital.
Looking at Gu’er, Li Shan took out a piece of red cloth. When he unfolded it, Gu’er saw it was filled with crumpled bills and loose change.
"Gu’er, this is all I have—a little over one hundred and twenty yuan. I know your mother’s surgery cost a lot of money. You know our family’s situation; I can’t co up with any more than this. You take it for now. I’ll have the family save up more, and I’ll bring it to you when we have it. We’ll pay back the debt together. We’ll manage to get by."
Li Shan’s words left a complicated feeling in Gu’er’s heart. ’She knew her grandfather’s financial situation. She had always assud they didn’t care about her mother, but she was wrong. When disaster struck, you really did have to rely on family. The fact that they could scrape together this money and state clearly that her mom could co ho after the divorce—that was more than enough.’
"Grandpa, I don’t need this. Please, take it back. You have plenty of expenses at ho. Don’t worry about the money; I can earn it. However, when you talk to Zhou Mazi, you can’t let it slip that we have the money. Once he finds out how much Mom’s treatnt cost, he won’t want to be saddled with that debt. He’ll agree."
Gu’er pushed the money back to him. She couldn’t imagine how long it had taken her grandparents to save up this much, and she couldn’t possibly accept it.
Li Shan tried to offer it one more ti, but seeing that Gu’er was resolute, he put it away. ’He knew his granddaughter was different now, not the sa as she used to be. But she’s still kind-hearted and good to Li Hua,’ he thought. ’She wasn’t raised in vain.’
Gu’er insisted the Li family stay for lunch, and Sun Jiaming accompanied them to a nearby restaurant. Gu’er, anwhile, stayed behind in the hospital room to talk with Li Hua.
"Gu’er... are we really... really doing this? Leaving him?"
Li Hua still couldn’t quite process everything. When Li Shan had suggested it earlier, she hadn’t objected, and just like that, it felt like the decision had been made for her. ’Is this really happening? Am I going to be alone from now on?’ She felt lost and afraid.
"Mom, we’re not going back to him. You’re going to have a much better life from now on, I promise. Grandpa agrees too. That shows that everyone thinks you can’t live with him anymore. Just think about it. If you go back, it’ll be the sa as always. Do you want to live that life? Or would you rather spend your free ti chatting with Grandma Sun, going on walks with us, and living each day without anyone hitting or cursing you? You could watch TV when you’re bored, take a stroll in the park, and whenever you miss Grandma and the family, you can buy so gifts and go visit them. You could eat whatever you want, buy whatever you want. Don’t you want to live a life like that?"
Gu’er asked Li Hua.
’Of course she wanted the second life. Who wouldn’t want a life of peace and comfort? But... was it possible for her?’
"Mom, believe . I would never do anything to hurt you. I will make sure you get to live a peaceful, happy life."
Gu’er squeezed Li Hua’s hand, her expression earnest. This was her conviction. Ever since she was reborn, her one goal had been to ensure that both she and her adoptive mother could live good lives, completely different from her past life.
Li Hua nodded at Gu’er. It was a difficult, hesitant nod, but with it, she was essentially entrusting her entire life to Gu’er, allowing her daughter to decide her fate.
’It would be good to leave Zhou Mazi,’ she thought. ’As for the children... Feng’er and Du’er will get married sooner or later. And Zhou Cai... he’s the heir of the Zhou family; I have no say in his life. I’m sure Zhou Mazi won’t treat his own son badly. Besides, none of them care about anyway. They don’t care if I live or die. So, from now on, I’ll just consider myself dead to them.’
Seeing her nod, Gu’er felt a wave of relief wash over her. All that mattered was that her adoptive mother was willing to listen.
’Co to think of it, I really have to thank the Li family,’ Gu’er mused. ’And right, Li Ying and Li Zhi seem like good people. In a year or two, when I open my own shop, I could ask them to co and help. It would be a way to support the Li family, too.’
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Thank you to Duoduo... and Gugu for the sachets, and thank you to FF722 for the monthly ticket! This storyline will wrap up in the next Chapter. There will be three updates tomorrow.
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