A Couple's Rebirth to 1977 Before Marriage

Chapter 181: Chapter 178: Ping’an Is Taught a Lesson

"Yes, An’er, tell your mother everything. What’s the matter with that woman?" Mrs. Ping said to Ping’an irritably. The boy really had a loose tongue, blurting out anything that came to mind. ’It seems he has a problem with me, his own mother!’

"Mom, Sister-in-law, I was wrong! You’re both so magnanimous, please just spare me!" Ping’an caved immediately. In his family, even his father listened to his mother. He really didn’t dare to cross her. And in the Li family, Li Jincheng was completely whipped; his sister-in-law was the absolute queen at home. He couldn’t afford to offend her either!

Zhou Lian just smiled, not pressing the issue. She gently wiped the mouth of Nuonuo, who was sitting quietly to the side, eating. Just like in her previous life, Nuonuo was well-behaved, smart, and sensible. ’Even at such a young age, she knows when she can play and when she can’t! You only have to tell her something once, and she’ll remember it, never making the same mistake again!’

Mrs. Ping ignored him as well, looking fondly at the well-behaved Nuonuo and praising her, "Nuonuo is so good! How did you two teach her? She’s still so little!"

Zhou Lian smiled and said, "We lead by example, I suppose. She’s very smart. You only have to tell her something once, and she’ll remember it, never making the same mistake again!"

Seeing the two women had started talking about their children, Li Xiu glanced at Ping’an, who understood and nodded. Ping’an then said to Mrs. Ping, "Mom, why don’t you, Sister-in-law, and Nuonuo spend some time together? Jin Chen and I are going to the study to discuss something."

Mrs. Ping waved a dismissive hand at him. Ping’an rubbed his nose, smiled sheepishly, and led Li Xiu into the study.

"Ping’an, what are your thoughts on this matter?" Li Xiu asked quietly. ’I’m not letting this go. What gave some little brat the audacity to have designs on me and upset my wife? What is she relying on?’

Ping’an glanced at Li Xiu, suppressed the storm raging in his heart, and asked expressionlessly, "Jin Chen, what are you planning to do? How far will you take it?"

Seeing the shock in Ping’an’s heart, Li Xiu gave a wicked smile and said viciously, "Ping’an, out of respect for Elder Ping, I’ll teach you one more thing: either do nothing, or pull it out by the roots. You should understand the principle that if you don’t kill a snake, you’ll be the one who gets bitten."

"I understand the principle, but is wiping them out completely just because Liu Wenjing offended Sister-in-law a bit too extreme?" Ping’an asked cautiously. ’Isn’t this Li Jincheng a little too ruthless? All for such a small thing!’

"Ping’an, you need to understand that Bao’er is my reverse scale. Whoever touches her, dies. Besides, you know me. My judgment of character is far better than yours. A family that can produce a woman like Liu Wenjing, how clean do you think they can be? Ping’an, you’re too naive. With your current mentality, if you enter the world of politics, you’ll be eaten alive before you know it!" Li Xiu said calmly, looking at Ping’an. ’This kid is still too green. The ups and downs his father’s generation experienced haven’t shown him how harsh the world is. I don’t know how Mr. Ping and Mrs. Ping raised their sons. The eldest is completely disheartened, and this younger one is just ridiculously naive!’

Ping’an’s heart skipped a beat. ’Usually, when Li Jincheng talks to me about anything, he’s very subtle. But his words today cut right to the bone.’ He asked cautiously, "Jin Chen, what’s with you today? Why are you telling me all this?"

Looking at the cautious Ping’an, Li Xiu closed his eyes for a moment. ’In my last life, after Elder Ping passed away, the Ping Family completely fell from grace.’ Thinking about all the things Elder Ping had done for him since they met, Li Xiu stared into Ping’an’s eyes and said firmly, "Ping’an, you know I won’t be joining the system. What I’m about to tell you here today, I will not say a second time. Listen carefully. No matter which path you choose in the future, you must remember my words!"

"Elder Ping and Aunt Zhou went to the battlefield in their teens, earning illustrious achievements for the country and its people. But after the war, Elder Ping fell from power and rose again three times. It wasn’t because he made any mistakes; it was simply the result of power struggles. The fact that he holds real power again now is half due to opportunity and half to his connections. Since ancient times, our people have perfected the art of scheming. Once Elder Ping passes away, have you ever thought about what will happen to you and your brother? ’When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.’ ’When a wall is about to fall, everyone gives it a push.’ This is the way of our people. Elder Ping has been diligent his entire life; are you just going to let the Ping Family quietly fade away?"

"Your older brother is already completely disheartened. The future of the Ping Family rests on you. Elder Ping and Aunt Zhou are truly dedicated to the country and its people. They are too selfless, and besides, they can’t bring themselves to force you. They also place too much importance on the life-and-death bonds of the past. But they’ve forgotten that not everyone is as devoted to the public good as they are. Who doesn’t care about their own children and grandchildren? It’s not that other people are bad—quite the opposite, other people are just normal. Didn’t they risk their lives so that their descendants could live good lives?"

"If other families’ descendants can benefit, why can’t their own? So, Ping’an, look around. Besides your Ping Family, in the upper circles of the Capital City, which family doesn’t have several descendants working within the system? Why can’t the world their parents’ generation built with their blood shelter their own descendants? And you, what do you want? Or let me ask you this: Ping’an, once Elder Ping passes away, what will you and the Ping Family do?"

Looking at Li Xiu’s expressionless face, Ping’an was aghast, partly because of Li Xiu’s bluntness, and partly because of the harsh cruelty in his words. He sank weakly into a chair, covering his face. "Jin Chen," he said, "have I been too selfish? Too useless? I’ve never thought about any of this. I thought... I thought..."

"You thought Elder Ping would arrange your path for you. You thought even if he didn’t, the other families and powerful figures would protect you, protect the Ping Family, out of respect for him. Ping’an, you have to understand, since ancient times, have there been few instances of fathers and sons, of blood brothers, turning on and killing each other for power and profit? And yet you fantasize about others protecting you with some vague, baseless sentiment? Ping’an, are you a fool, or are you just that naive? Survive. Live well. Hold your bottom line. Even if your methods are ruthless and merciless, you can still have a clear conscience!"

"Did you read all those books at my place for nothing? As long as you don’t harm the common people and hold to your principles, with the protection of Elder Ping’s legacy and my help, I can’t promise you’ll be famous for millennia, but I can ensure you won’t live a mediocre life or be cursed for all eternity! Think about it carefully. When you’ve made up your mind, come find me. If you’d rather just drift along, then you don’t need to see me ever again. I’m only saying this once. Think it over." Li Xiu said softly to the devastated Ping’an.

’This kid is just too naive. If he were my own brother, I would have taught him what cruelty means in a heartbeat. But forget it. For the sake of Elder Ping’s kindness to my master, and for the care and protection he’s shown me, I’ve overstepped my bounds today. Still, considering Elder Ping has been selfless and dedicated to the country and its people his entire life, I don’t regret telling Ping’an all this!’

The door was pushed open gently. Both Li Xiu and the utterly dejected Ping’an looked towards the entrance in shock. ’Who could it be at this time? Mrs. Ping and Zhou Lian know we’re discussing something important; they wouldn’t disturb us!’

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!