The Li family was incredibly busy due to Zhifang’s funeral; the Li brothers had wide connections, and many of their colleagues and classmates ca to offer condolences.
Many people ca to mourn upon hearing of Zhifang’s death.
In the Li family courtyard, large stoves were set up and small stoves were placed against the wall base, with continuous hot water on the stoves, and the fires in the large stoves never went out.
It was terribly cold, and if there were no fires, people would have frozen in the courtyard.
Liu Qi saw the situation and bought a lot of tea and brown sugar, making brown sugar water on the stove to warm everyone up with a bowl of hot drink.
Liu Ming also helped out running back and forth.
There were people coming and going from within and outside the village, relatives of the Li brothers, their friends from outside, as well as their children’s classmates.
Seeing how the Liu siblings devoted themselves to Zhifang’s funeral affairs, everyone praised their benevolence.
After three days of funeral events, every mber of the Li family was nearly worn out.
They were truly exhausted; so much that after Zhifang was buried, Zhiyuan and the others didn’t even want to talk.
Jingyu and Jingyan, having cried for three days, had lost their voices and couldn’t cry anymore when they reached the ancestral grave.
Later, Sun Xiui and a few other sisters-in-law cried, preventing any awkward silence.
After the burial, they returned the borrowed items in the courtyard, cleaned up, and distributed leftover food to the neighbors.
Afterward, Liu Qi took Jingyu and others to the county.
Anning had booked a hotel there, and after arriving, they went straight to sleep until noon the next day.
When Jingyu woke up, he cried again with Jingyan.
Jinghan followed Zhipeng to look for Wang Baozhu.
They were determined not to let Treasure Bead escape; they had to bring her back alive or dead.
At that ti, soone ntioned Jindong.
During the busy days, no one cared about Jindong, but now people questioned why Jindong didn’t return for his father’s mourning.
Others questioned how Jindong should be handled after Zhifang’s death and Treasure Bead’s escape.
The village elders called over Zhiyuan and others, asking who would take care of Jindong since he was still underage.
So said Zhiyuan, being the eldest, should show his stance.
Then, the Li family realized they had forgotten about Jindong.
Zhipeng, furious, found Jindong in a gaming hall in the City and slapped him hard, then dragged him back to the village.
Bringing him back, Zhiyuan asked Jindong, "Do you know how your father died?"
Jindong didn’t even know Zhifang was gone.
Stunned, he replied, "My father is dead? How did he die?"
Furious, Zhiyuan nearly kicked Jindong: "Do you know that your mother pushed your father out to beg?"
Jindong smirked, "I know about that. Since my father was disabled and couldn’t work, earning no money, should my mother and I just starve? Letting him beg was making use of the waste."
Unable to hold back, Zhiyuan kicked Jindong down: "What are you saying? That’s your father, and you speak of him this way?"
Jindong, hurt and frightened, replied, "Then, what else could be done? That’s what my mother said."
Enraged, Zhiyuan shouted, hating Treasure Bead even more.
Such a venomous woman. Zhifang had always protected her, treasured her, and yet she treated him this way and ran off after causing his death.
And now, listening to what Treasure Bead told Jindong, is this what she should say?
Jindong then realized the situation.
He suddenly burst into tears, "Uncle, my father is gone, what about my mother? Who will take care of now? Who will I follow... You can’t just abandon ."
Zhiyuan, with a grim expression, called Zhiyuan and others in.
"What shall we do about this?"
Zhicheng thought and said, "Let’s hand him over to Sun San; we can’t keep the child anyway."
But doing so would make it known that Treasure Bead had cuckolded Zhifang, making a laughingstock out of him in the entire village. Who knows how many would mock Zhifang for raising another man’s son.
Zhiping hesitated, wanting to say sothing, but with a raise of his hand, Zhicheng interrupted, "I know what you’re thinking; you want to protect Lao Si’s reputation. But does Lao Si still have a reputation? Do you think the way he died is honorable? Frozen to death in the snow by his own wife, now he’s beco a village joke. Do you know what people outside are saying? They say his death was retribution for being unfilial."
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