"It's because he's cruel enough,"
Li Tongya had barely finished speaking when Li Changhu felt a chill crawl up his spine, his pupils suddenly dilating, hairs on his body standing on end. He stared at his younger brother's smiling face, his heart filled with awe.
"Hahahahahahaha..."
Giving Li Changhu's shoulder a shove, Li Tongya casually tossed the Wooden Slip in his hand, chuckling as he watched Li Changhu.
"You child."
Li Changhu let out a sigh, assuming Li Tongya was joking. He waved his hand lightly and said,
"I'll go arrange Xiangping's wedding."
Having said this, Li Changhu straightened his clothes and stepped out toward the Tian Family.
However, Li Tongya's smile faded as he sat quietly beside the wooden table, then he spoke,
"Father."
Unexpectedly, Li Mutian was already standing on the stone steps, his face stern as he pondered, turning his head to look at Li Tongya upon hearing his voice.
Li Mutian sat in front of the door last night, watching the moon, when he saw Li Xiangping dash towards the back mountain. Concerned, he quietly followed his son up the mountain.
Little did he know that Li Tongya, too, could not rest easy about his brother and stealthily followed him. The two men met awkwardly but tacitly watched Li Xiangping commit murder, then witnessed wild beasts clean up the remains, after which Li Mutian descended the mountain.
"Xiangping did it for the safety of the family, Father need not be angry..." Li Tongya said, trying to console him.
"I'm frustrated as hell!"
Li Mutian, repressing his emotions, lost his usual decorum. Narrowing his eyes, he continued,
"That kid did well to kill that waste. If he had just threatened him, I would've jumped down and chopped that waste myself! He did well, very well! Why would I be angry? Don't cover up for Li Changhu!"
Li Tongya sighed deeply and said in a muffled voice,
"Big brother has a kind heart and is respected by the villagers and tenants; he's capable of preserving our property."
"Bullshit!" Li Mutian slammed the table, his face flushing with more anger:
"They respect me, Li Mutian! They are gathered around your brother because they owe Li Changhu rent! These people have always feared power and lacked gratitude. Look at him; if I, Li Mutian, died today, Li Yesheng would dare to come knocking tomorrow. Would Li Changhu dare to kill him?"
Seeing Li Tongya bowing his head in silence, Li Mutian's tone softened, and he spoke in a low voice,
"I wasn't worried in the past; with you two brothers, Li Changhu's kindness was an asset, balancing kindness and authority for a hopeful future. But now it's different; our Li Family is walking on thin ice with guilt within its walls. A weak and lenient leader could easily lead to our downfall!"
"Moreover," Li Mutian took a breath, his eyes full of worry and unease:
"I've been feeling uneasy these past few days, fearing some deadly calamity."
————
Li Changhu had finalized many of the wedding arrangements at the Tian Family and sat there on the field, his expression complex. He had walked through the village and had not seen Li Yesheng at all.
Remembering his brother's stern shout from the night before and Li Tongya's hints, Li Changhu knew it was likely that Yesheng had been killed by Xiangping.
Li Changhu felt a surge of pain in his heart as he thought back to how, as children, Yesheng and Tongya would always follow him obediently to the river to catch fish.
He vaguely remembered Sheng'er holding a large green fish, grinning and shouting, "Big brother, big brother, look at me!" Although Tongya was clearly envious, he would always turn his head away, pouting his lips, refusing to look. When they were tired from playing, they would stand by the riverbank to pee, competing to see who could do it higher or farther.
But then their aunt died, and their uncle lay bedridden, and in just a few months, Yesheng's demeanor changed drastically, never returning to how he was before.
"The crime was not so great!"
Tears began to glisten in the corners of Li Changhu's eyes. He always believed he could persuade him once more, to encourage him to learn and to earnestly take care of Yesheng, to live well.
"Changhu!"
A call startled Li Changhu, who quickly lowered his head to wipe the corner of his eyes and looked towards the source of the voice.
It was an old tenant farmer with white hair, an honest and simple look on his face, his skin darkened, dressed in homespun clothes with very wide pant legs.
"Uncle Xu." Li Changhu stood up, patting his pant legs, and asked with concern,
"How is it, do you have enough grain at home?"
"Yes, enough indeed!"
Seeing Li Changhu, tears started to well up in the old man Xu's eyes. He was old, but his body was still robust. However, his only elder son had fallen ill and remained bedridden, unable to even work the fields.
Li Changhu had reduced his rent and also provided him with grain, which just barely allowed him to pull through. As an elder who had watched Li Changhu grow up, Old Man Xu already viewed him like a child of his own, and having gone through such difficulties, his heart was filled with immense gratitude.
"Please, don't mention it!"
Li Changhu had quickly come out of his sorrow and stated earnestly,
"Just a few days ago, my father told me to take good care of Old Xu's fields, so here I am."
Old Man Xu was shrewd with age and knew very well that Li Changhu was doing a favor for Li Mutian. He smiled and cupped his hands towards Li Changhu, saying with a smile:
"Please thank the Family Head for me! My family, the Xus, are deeply indebted for this kindness."
"Hey, there's no need to talk about indebtedness, it's what we should do!" Li Changhu waved his hand dismissively.
The two chatted in the fields, while Li Xiangping, carrying a cloth bag, had come to the edge of the reed marshes, silently watching Li Yesheng, who sat by the bank.
Li Yesheng was counting on his fingers and muttering to himself,
"Three days ago, I went to Third Uncle's house, the day before yesterday was Big Uncle's house, yesterday Fourth Uncle chased me out, so today I can only boil some wild vegetables and catch a few shrimps to make a soup."
He looked at the reed marshes, swaying with the wind, the place that had given birth to him and raised him. If not for this generous stretch of reed marshes, he, Li Yesheng, would have perished in some forgotten corner long ago.
"There's still Big Uncle's family," he thought quietly, but then saw a figure emerging from the reed marshes.
"Brother Xiangping!"
Li Yesheng stood up in surprise. Since the main family built their compound, Li Xiangping didn't visit often, said to be reading all day long within. Li Yesheng could only see him when he went to the main house to eat.
"Come here."
Li Xiangping smiled, taking out a white steamed bun from the cloth bag and passing it into his hands. Li Yesheng quickly grabbed it and wolfed it down, speaking unclearly,
"You've always been the kindest to me, brother!"
"Hahaha."
Li Xiangping and Li Yesheng had always been the closest, and when they were younger, Li Xiangping would secretly take food from home for Li Yesheng to eat. With Li Mutian turning a blind eye to this, Li Xiangping indeed brought a lot for him.
"Here." Li Xiangping's expression was somewhat complex as he stuffed the cloth bag into Li Yesheng's hands and said,
"These are the learning materials I had when I began my schooling. When you're herding the ducks, you can read more."
"Thank you, brother!"
Li Yesheng was deeply moved, scooped up some river water to wash his hands, and then carefully kept the cloth bag.
"I'll ask Father in a few days and talk to him and the teacher, so when you're free you can come by and read more. If you have any doubts, you can always ask us."
"How can I accept this!"
Li Yesheng was a mix of shocked and delighted, repeatedly declining while feeling both anxious and hopeful, and kept waving his hands.
"I heard going to school requires a tuition fee. My brother won't give me the money."
However, Li Xiangping observed him for a while and said indifferently, "We don't need to go through these formalities. When I ask Father, it'll be the same as me paying for you."
"This..."
Li Yesheng wanted to say more, but looking at Li Xiangping's calm demeanor, he suddenly felt a deep reverence, thinking to himself:
"Brother Xiangping seems just like Big Uncle!"
Li Xiangping had no idea what was going through Li Yesheng's mind. He patted his shoulder, entrusted him with the matter of studying diligently, and then went back home.
ps: I'm really not padding the story; it feels like the pace is a bit fast, using Li Yesheng to flesh out the main characters' images a bit more QAQ
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