A Couple's Rebirth to 1977 Before Marriage

Chapter 230: Chapter 227: Severing Ties

"How have they not been filial? They kept watch in the mourning hall for three days and three nights—which of the four of them failed to do that? What gives you the right to call them unfilial!" Ge Er Ya snapped, glaring at Grandma Li with resentment.

Li Xiu gently placed a hand on Grandma Li’s arm, which was trembling with anger. He looked at his mother’s savage expression, sighed softly, and said in a slow, deliberate tone, "For a few hundred yuan, you’ve really gone to great lengths, Mother. Even confronting Grandma. You talk about not being filial while he was alive? If the money I give every Mid-Autumn Festival and New Year doesn’t count as filial piety, then we’ll just stop the payments from now on. How does that sound, Mother?"

"You..." Ge Er Ya glared at Li Xiu, cursing internally. ’Vicious wolf cub!’

"Since you say I wasn’t filial to Father while he was alive, and that I alone should bear all the expenses after his death, fine. That’s acceptable," Li Xiu said in a measured voice, meeting his mother’s hateful glare and savage expression. "In that case, Mother, we can simply follow Father’s precedent. It’s true, I can’t be there to be filial to you in person. So, when you pass away, I’ll bear all of those expenses as well. From this moment forward, none of this has anything to do with me. I’ll just wait for the time to perform my final act of filial piety. What do you think of that, Mother?"

"You... You..." Ge Er Ya was so furious with Li Xiu she was left speechless.

"Eldest Brother, you..."

"Shut up! It’s not your place to interrupt me. Father is dead. Setting aside my position as the eldest brother, the fact is you lot angered him to death. How dare you have the nerve to stand here and criticize me? Get out of my sight, you unfilial things!" Li Xiu cut Li Hua off without a shred of courtesy, his words sharp and insulting.

Ge Er Ya pointed a trembling finger at Li Xiu, asking in shock, "What are you saying? How could you know?"

Li Xiu let out a cold laugh. He looked at every member of his family in the room, his lips barely parting as he spoke. "The only way to keep a secret is to not do the deed in the first place. Mother, you should be asking who *doesn’t* know about this by now. It’s already a huge embarrassment, and still, you try to cover it up. Don’t take everyone for fools. Father is gone. On his deathbed, he was still worried about you. I won’t do anything to you, but I am severing ties. As for this old house... as long as you’re living in it, Mother, I will never return. So put away all your petty schemes. I have neither the time nor the patience to play your games."

"From now on, we will go our separate ways. You’d all best behave. As for the filial piety you demand, Mother, I will most certainly provide it. I’ll make sure your send-off is just as grand as Father’s. If you have any sense, you will not provoke me. When it comes to you, my patience is thin. Today, with the heads of all three branches of the Lao family present, I’ll say this plainly: let’s stay out of each other’s lives. Otherwise... you are welcome to test whether or not I’ll show you any mercy."

Ge Er Ya glared at Li Xiu, her eyes practically bursting with rage. "How dare you!" she spat. "I am your mother! You crawled out of my womb! How dare you treat me this way! You ungrateful wolf! You unfilial beast!"

"Why wouldn’t I dare? You were capable of angering Father to death, Mother. I am simply complying with your wishes, so why make such a fuss?" Li Xiu said with a shrug. "I know your biggest regret is not strangling me at birth. But I’m grown up now. Let’s just pray to the heavens that you and I never cross paths in the next life. I would rather be an orphan than your son. That’s all there is to it. There’s no need to say any more, Mother. After all, you gave birth to me. You of all people should know my temperament, right?"

Li Xiu glanced at Li Hua and his three brothers, noting their flushed faces and furious eyes. He gave a dismissive smile. "The four of you, don’t provoke me. You know me better than anyone. Don’t do anything foolish. We’ll let the past be the past. Father is watching you from the heavens, so you’d best behave. Stay far, far away from me. Don’t cause trouble, and we can all live in peace. The elders here today have heard every word. This is the best possible ending. You all know my temper. If things are pushed to an irreparable point, I fear it won’t end well for anyone."

Eldest Li looked at Li Xiu’s blank expression and the cold indifference in his eyes. He closed his own eyes and took a deep breath. ’So, it’s finally come to this.’ He wondered if his second brother, now in the grave, would have any regrets. ’Forget it.’ Looking at Li Hua and the others, he said, "So be it. All of you, listen to your eldest brother."

With a final glance at the crowd, Li Xiu stood up and helped Grandma Li to her feet. "Grandma, it’s getting late. Let’s go home."

After Grandma Li nodded, Li Xiu bid farewell to the others and gently helped her as they walked away.

Watching Li Xiu’s tall frame stoop slightly to carefully support Grandma Li, Aunt Li hid her own feelings and asked Ge Er Ya softly, "Second Sister-in-law, what exactly did Li Xiu do wrong that makes you hate him so much? He’s your own son. From his actions, you can see he’s not an unfilial child. What is it really all about?"

Ge Er Ya also saw Li Xiu’s retreating figure. She glanced at the people around her, her mouth opening and closing without a sound. ’What is there to say? I don’t even know how it came to this.’ She thought hard. ’What did Li Xiu do wrong? Nothing, really. He did nothing wrong at all. But maybe that’s exactly why... maybe it’s because he did nothing wrong that we, a mother and her own son, have reached a point where we won’t see each other again until one of us is dead.’

Aunt Li shot Ge Er Ya a look, sneered, and then said to Aunt Li, "Eldest Sister-in-law, you can never wake a person who’s only pretending to be asleep. Why waste your breath on her? Our nephew has a son and a daughter now, a lovely wife by his side. He lives a carefree and comfortable life. What happens to anyone else has nothing to do with him!"

Aunt Li looked at her sarcastic third sister-in-law, then at her expressionless second sister-in-law, and sighed, saying nothing more. ’Forget it,’ she thought. ’She’s this cruel to her own son. What’s the point of me trying to talk sense into her? It’s a waste of effort.’

Hearing the silent exchange between the sisters-in-law, Eldest Li looked at his second brother’s four sons and his niece. He sighed. "You’re all at an age where I, your uncle, can no longer control you. But for the sake of your father who has passed, let me say this one last time: do not provoke your eldest brother. You all know his temperament better than anyone. If you truly cross his bottom line, what do you think will happen? He values relationships and loyalty, but when he turns ruthless... you’d best not put him to the test."

Seeing the grim looks on the faces of Li Hua and his brothers, Li Bao spoke softly. "You’ve probably never seen what he’s like when he gets truly serious. I’ve only heard stories. Back when Eldest Sister-in-law had just started university, Eldest Brother hadn’t even found his footing in the Capital City yet. Two female students picked a fight with her and said some awful things. In the end, I heard both of them were expelled and sent back to their hometowns. Their official files were marked: ’Character is deplorable, unemployable.’ And that was back when he didn’t have the power he has now. If it were today... heh. We grew up as brothers, so I’m warning you as one. That’s all I can do. The rest is up to you."

When none of them responded, Li Bao shook his head. "We all grew up together," he said quietly, "and I’ve been with Eldest Brother in the Capital City for years. He is both deeply loyal and utterly ruthless. I don’t need to be him to guess what you’re thinking. Those petty little schemes of yours? Just give them up. I’ve said everything I can. As for what I can’t say... well, that’s that. You’d best think it over carefully yourselves."

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