CHAPTER 427: CHAPTER 344: SHE GOT WHAT SHE WANTED

Li Guozhi calmed herself down, thought for a moment and said, "But you should tell Li Si that her grandma hasn’t had it easy! It was just a moment of confusion back then that led to such a big mistake! After all, she’s already this old, what is there that can’t be forgiven? Don’t you think so?"

Zhou Rou picked up on some unexpected information from this statement. She instinctively swallowed her saliva and pretended to ask casually, "That’s true! I’m sure Li Si can understand. But I’m just curious—what are Grandma Li’s plans now?"

Could it be that Li Fei’s father is actually Grandma Li and that old Han Tou’s biological son?

If that’s the case, things are quite interesting indeed!

A mocking smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Li Fei, oh Li Fei! I never thought you’d end up doing something like this. How should I pay you back for this?

And Li Si—so what if she married into a wealthy family? Once this disgraceful secret is exposed, can it really have no effect on her?

"Li Si has been sensible since she was a child! As long as she can understand, that’s all that matters. What can her grandma really be thinking? Who would still listen to her opinions now? Ugh, things are so difficult in our family these days!

When Li Fei’s family acknowledged that Han man as their sworn relative, Li Si’s grandma was furious! What can you do when you’re old? If Li Si is thoughtful enough to bring her grandma to Beijing, it would at least mean her grandma hadn’t doted on her all these years for nothing!" Li Guozhi blurted these words in a moment of passion, feeling slightly guilty as she reached the end of her sentence.

When she looked up and saw Zhou Rou still nodding and smiling, she felt relieved.

What she didn’t know was that Zhou Rou wasn’t just rolling her eyes internally; she was downright delighted. The relatives in Li Si’s family—what a bunch of bizarre characters, truly unbelievable!

Zhou Rou cautiously felt for the recording pen in the mink pocket, flashing a sweet smile as she carried on the conversation. "Auntie! Rest assured! I will definitely pass this message to Li Si! But whether Li Si can do exactly what you hope for, that I can’t promise!"

"I understand! Thank you so much, young lady!" Li Guozhi also knew that whether this matter would work out was beyond her control.

Zhou Rou got the information she wanted and had no intention of dragging things further. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she parted ways with Li Guozhi.

Li Guozhi pedaled her bicycle, her mind swirling with the words that Zhou Rou had just said. She didn’t know why, but she had this strange feeling.

It was almost like an intuition, as if she had said something wrong.

With this heavy burden on her mind, she returned home. Her mother-in-law was already asleep, just as usual.

Wu Dachuan unusually didn’t drink today, instead sitting silently on the couch in the living room, staring at the television.

When he saw Li Guozhi open the door and come in, his expression didn’t change. "You’re back!"

Li Guozhi glanced at him and responded indifferently.

There wasn’t much left to say between them now. Their daily communication boiled down to a few uninspired lines: "You’re back," "Did you eat?" "I’m going to work."

This flavorless, lifeless existence felt as plain as water, leaving Li Guozhi increasingly numb and annoyed.

After her shower, she came out to find Wu Dachuan in the same posture. Only now did she notice he seemed to have something weighing on his mind.

"What’s wrong with you?" Li Guozhi hesitated before asking. Compared to the indifference of the Wu family, she tended to be too soft-hearted, unable to bear seeing others in hardship.

Wu Dachuan clutched his hair, lowered his head, and sighed deeply. "Old Lu is gone."

The towel in Li Guozhi’s hand slipped powerlessly to the ground. She stared wide-eyed in disbelief, "Who’s gone?"

Her heartbeat began to thud fiercely!

Wu Dachuan, his eyes red, looked at Li Guozhi. "He passed away yesterday. I just got the news this afternoon. The money we lent him—chances of getting it back are slim."

When he went to Old Lu’s house, he was dumbfounded. From what people were saying, he learned that Old Lu was the primary cause of the accident: driving drunk, resulting in one death, one injury, and severe vehicle damage. Old Lu died on the spot. The passenger in his car’s front seat passed away en route to the hospital.

Old Lu was the most successful among Wu Dachuan’s old classmates, managing several construction sites. Not long ago, Old Lu suddenly invited him out for drinks and dinner, then asked to borrow tens of thousands of yuan from him, promising repayment within a month with an additional 5,000 yuan in interest.

If anyone else had asked, Wu Dachuan would certainly have refused—he didn’t trust them.

But Old Lu was different. His family had plenty of money, and they were friends who knew each other well. Coupled with the tempting promise of a quick 5,000 yuan profit in one month, Wu Dachuan wavered!

With children going to school, money was needed everywhere, and he and Li Guozhi worked hard for just over 1,000 yuan a month between the two of them.

It seemed like an opportunity.

So he came home and told Li Guozhi about it.

Li Guozhi initially opposed the idea. Who wasn’t cautious these days? People always talked sweetly when borrowing money, but the moment it came to repayment, that friendliness disappeared!

The saying goes: Borrowers are servants; lenders are kings!

But after Wu Dachuan’s persistent persuasion, Li Guozhi reluctantly agreed to lend him 50,000 yuan.

At the time, Li Guozhi didn’t feel confident about it. The money was set aside for Wu Yue’s college tuition next year. If they relied solely on her and Wu Dachuan’s salaries, it wouldn’t be enough to cover their child’s education.

Yet, thinking about the extra 5,000 yuan that could be earned in just a month, she decided to gamble!

But who could have foreseen this—who would have thought the man would die!

Li Guozhi suddenly felt her legs give out. Covering her mouth, she cried helplessly, "How could he die? That money’s for our child’s tuition! Dachuan, no matter what, you have to get it back! Otherwise, how will our child continue school? Didn’t he have property or assets? Can’t we use his property as collateral instead?"

Wu Dachuan looked utterly defeated. "We can only try our best to recover it. But the family of the other victims is demanding compensation as well! I also just found out today that Old Lu’s business hasn’t been doing well; he’s been patching things as he goes. His house had been mortgaged for loans long ago!"

Li Guozhi felt her mind spinning, her vision darkening, and then she fainted.

...

Far away in Beijing, Leng Mochen received a report from his subordinates about Zhou Rou’s recent actions.

Leng Mochen stood up and looked out the window. He had truly underestimated Zhou Rou. But this could work. Someone needed to muddy the waters in the Li Family.

He picked up the phone and instructed his subordinates to continue monitoring her, while also letting the Wang Mei family know Zhou Rou was back in North City.

What would happen next wasn’t his concern.

Li Si and Sister Ding had just returned from a walk outside. Her complexion was glowing. Her fair little face was tinged pink, with none of the dark spots common during pregnancy.

"Madam, what would you like to eat later?" Sister Ding asked as she hung up Li Si’s scarf and coat.

Li Si tilted her head in thought. "How about some braised pork belly? I suddenly feel like eating it!"

Recently, her food intake noticeably decreased. Sister Ding said this was normal—the baby required more space in the womb, so pregnant women’s stomachs were often compressed.

Sister Ding smiled and was quite pleased. "I’ll get right on it!"

She really liked this household’s mistress: gentle in temperament, without the arrogance or domineering attitude common in wealthy wives.

People are reciprocal, and she truly put her heart into taking care of Li Si’s daily meals and accommodations.

Ever since Sister Ding arrived, Aunt Liu only took care of cleaning duties, while cooking duties were left entirely to Sister Ding.

Her cooking skills were excellent, and she paid close attention to nutrition, ensuring balanced meals with meat and vegetables. Over the past months, Li Si even gained a few pounds.

Though it was unclear whether those pounds belonged to the baby or were just her own weight going up.

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)