Witty Wife, Better Life-Chapter 591 - 581 Have a Good Talk (Part One)

Li Hongjun listened as his old man spoke so critically of his wife and couldn’t help frowning tightly, "Dad..."

At that moment, the door to the hospital room was pushed open, and Shen Yunfang walked in.

"Dad, if you’re going to talk like that, then I really need to have a word with you." She had been listening from outside for quite some time, and now that she heard her father-in-law speaking about her this way, she immediately stood up to speak out for herself. Why was it that all the good things were attributed to his Li family, while all the blame was put on her? How was that fair?

Li Hongjun, about to speak, closed his mouth immediately upon seeing his wife enter, but noticing that their two children weren’t with her, he asked anxiously, "Where are the kids?"

"Just now, Brother Ma’s family came over. They heard that dad and big brother were here, so they said they wouldn’t come in. They suggested visiting you some other time when they’re free. Seeing that it’s getting late, I let them take the kids back with them," Shen Yunfang explained first.

Li Hongjun nodded in relief after hearing this, but then, remembering the current situation and glancing at his wife and his own father, he knew his wife had also been holding back a lot of grievances that she wanted to express. Now that there was a chance, he thought it was best to let her air her grievances. Don’t they say that a woman shouldn’t keep things bottled up? Otherwise, she can’t live a good life, and it’s not good for her health. He believed in taking care of his wife, so he let her speak out and ease her mind.

After explaining where the children had gone, Shen Yunfang turned to face Li’s father, "Dad, I heard what you were saying just now. Do you really think mother and Li Hongqi were arrested because of me? Who fed you such nonsense?" She didn’t need to think twice; Li’s father could only have learned the details of the incident either from the police or from Qiu Shuping or Li Hongqi themselves. Naturally, as a father or a husband, he would be more inclined to believe his own family members.

Li’s father moved his lips but, in the end, couldn’t utter any words of rebuttal. He was still bound by old thinking; an old man like him should not confront his daughter-in-law directly. Even if he indeed had some complaints, he would express them through Qiu Shuping.

"I suppose the police must have told you the real reasons why mother and Li Hongqi were arrested when you went to the police station, right?" Shen Yunfang was not willing to take the blame for this.

Li’s father and Li Hongxing both nodded. How could the police not have explained those details?

"Then why are you still saying it’s because of me? Did I ask them to come to the Capital? Did I tell them to swindle money from others? Did I tell them to commit crimes? I did none of these things. If I had, the police wouldn’t have let me walk around freely outside, they would have arrested me as well. The fact that I can still live my life normally proves that their miserable deeds have nothing to do with me. Dad, how can you falsely accuse me like this?" Shen Yunfang argued convincingly.

Li’s father managed to say after some effort, "If you could’ve given Hongqi some money, they wouldn’t have resorted to scamming for lack of funds." This is what his son had tearfully told him, and although he knew his youngest son was cunning, he refused to believe that he would commit a crime. He was a university graduate with a good job; how could he possibly break the law?

Shen Yunfang laughed and asked, "Dad, why should I give Li Hongqi money?"

Li’s father looked up at his daughter-in-law, his eyes filled with deep reproach, perhaps believing her question was out of line. "Hongqi and Hongjun are brothers, which makes him your brother too. Hongjun, when you got married, you should take care of your wife properly. It’s true that your brother has been facing difficulties back home, and if you’re well-off, it’s only right to lend your brother a helping hand," he said, directing the latter part of his speech at Li Hongjun.

"Dad, what you’re saying is interesting. Although Li Hongqi and our Hongjun are brothers, isn’t there an old saying, ’Even brothers settle accounts’? They are brothers, but now they are grown up and have their own families, and when it comes to money, things have to be clear. Besides, our family separated not long after Hongjun and I got married, right? I really don’t know any family that splits up and still has the nerve to ask for money from another brother so boldly. Are you saying that the Li family’s separation is some kind of joke?"

Li Lao-tou’s face turned hot with those words; he had always believed that although his sons had divided the family property, they were still born of the same mother, and it was only natural for them to help each other out in times of need. Now, to have his daughter-in-law point this out so bluntly was more than he could bear.

"Hongjun, is this how you let your wife speak to your father? Since when did the Li Family let a woman take charge?" Li Lao-tou was somewhat infuriated and embarrassed.

"Dad, don’t say that. If our family lets me take charge, it’s a tradition passed down from you. Hasn’t our family always been run by the mother? How come it’s only okay for officials to light lamps, but not for civilians to start fires?" Shen Yunfang asked with a smile.

Li Lao-tou’s mouth gaped open, but no words came out.

Shen Yunfang sighed and said to her father-in-law, "Dad, don’t be offended by my words. I’ve been married to Hongjun for five or six years now; we have two children, but as a daughter-in-law of the Li Family, I feel wronged. Now that the topic has come to this, I might as well speak out and let you judge whether I’m in the wrong.

I won’t mention what happened before I married Hongjun; let’s talk about what happened after our wedding.

Three days into our marriage, mother-in-law said she wanted to divide the family property. I wasn’t against it; in fact, division was better for me, but I just don’t understand. Why did you refuse me outright when I suggested dividing after the wedding before I got married, but as soon as we were married, a single word from my mother-in-law could break up the family? Did I do something wrong as a daughter-in-law back then?"

Li Lao-tou had no reply. Could he say that he couldn’t handle his wife’s nagging, and that’s why he had to agree to the division?

"Was it because Hongjun and I living in the firewood shed was blocking others’ way? Or did I do too much work by cooking for the whole family on my own? It couldn’t possibly be wrong for me to spend my own money on meat to improve the family’s diet." Shen Yunfang asked sarcastically. She felt she had done all that a daughter-in-law should do.

Li Lao-tou had nothing to say.

"Fine, even if you, Dad and Mom, look down on me and want to divide the family property, do it. But why do I feel like you’re driving us out with the way you’re dividing?"

"That’s not true; Hongjun is my son," Li Lao-tou said firmly, how could he possibly drive his own son out.

"Heh, then why didn’t Hongjun and I get a house when the family was divided? You said that all children should be treated equally, so why did big brother and little brother each get two rooms, yet Hongjun and I didn’t get even one?"

"That’s because Hongjun is in the army; he can’t stay at home for more than a few days, and he also has a salary. His conditions are better than his brothers’..." Li Lao-tou tried to justify.

"Dad, Hongjun is in the army, and yes, he has a salary, but that’s something he’s earned with his life at stake. That’s not a reason for you two elders to show favoritism," Shen Yunfang interrupted, unwilling to listen to his excuses.