Chapter 7: I Have Done Right by Every Single Member of the Li Family!

Grandmother Li knew best just how good Mother Li was.

Although Mother Li had been married into the Li family for many years and had only given birth to one son and one daughter—which was indeed few compared to other families in the village who had five or six children—and her son, Shitou, was a simple-minded boy, it didn't matter.

In Grandmother Li's eyes, even if Shitou was simple-minded, he was still a male heir. In the future, if necessary, they could just pay a higher bride price to bring home another daughter; as long as she could produce the next generation, what was there to be dissatisfied about?

Aside from that, Grandmother Li considered Mother Li to be a top-tier daughter-in-law. She was truly capable in every aspect of domestic life, a wonderful woman for running a household.

Therefore, Grandmother Li truly did not want a home-wrecker like Qin Tao!

Especially with Qin Tao's charming and seductive appearance, Grandmother Li saw her as nothing but a source of calamity!

Grandmother Li thought to herself that even if the child in Qin Tao's womb truly was a boy, so what?

Looking at Qin Tao's manner, she couldn't carry a shoulder pole or lift a heavy object. Before her husband, Li Wangtian, was conscripted, Qin Tao relied entirely on him for support. Even during the busy farming season, she couldn't even manage to prepare a decent meal to send to her man in the fields; she was lucky if she could even carry a jug of water.

It was only because Li Wangtian was willing, that he was prepared to do any work just for the sake of "two ounces of meat," and was content to support his wife like this.

The villagers often wondered why Li Wangtian's mother had died so young, but Grandmother Li believed that Li Wangtian's mother had been literally worked to death by the sheer aggravation of dealing with a daughter-in-law like Qin Tao every single day.

Grandmother Li wanted to live for a few more years; she had no desire for Father Li to bring such a fox-spirit home—a woman who could do nothing but show off her face.

"Besides, who knows if the brat in her belly is even Wangguang's! Even on the road fleeing the famine, she didn't forget to seduce men. What kind of good person could she be!"

As Grandmother Li thought this, her disdain for Qin Tao grew even deeper, making her even more determined to prevent Mother Li from divorcing Father Li.

Watching Zheng Meiniang brandish her butcher knife made Li Shiyue's heart race with excitement: "This aunt is great! If there's a chance in the future, I must learn her knife skills! We'll definitely need them on this journey through the famine!"

While Li Shiyue was still thinking about how to build a rapport with her aunt, Li Qiutian, standing beside her, gave her a tug and signaled with her eyes to look at Grandmother Li approaching them.

"Sister-in-law, it is better to tear down ten temples than to destroy one marriage! Don't you worry! Without my say-so, that filthy thing won't dream of stepping foot into our Li family!"

After saying this to Zheng Meiniang, Grandmother Li turned around and grabbed Li Shiyue's hand. Li Shiyue felt a sudden surge of immense strength; it felt as if Grandmother Li was about to crush her hand bones.

"Ah! It hurts!"

Tears nearly welled up in Li Shiyue's eyes from the pain. Before Mother Li could intervene, Li Qiutian, standing nearby, reached out with her knife and swung it directly toward Grandmother Li's wrist.

Despite her petite stature, Li Qiutian had truly inherited the immense strength of the Zheng family.

This strike not only freed Li Shiyue's hand but also left a large, red welt on Grandmother Li's wrist.

Feeling the pain in her wrist, Grandmother Li forced herself to endure it without showing any reaction. Instead, she looked at Li Shiyue with feigned concern: "Oh dear, Grandma didn't know her own strength. Shiyue, does it still hurt? Let Grandma rub it for you."

Li Shiyue didn't dare let this black-hearted grandmother touch her again. She immediately pulled her hand back behind her back and pulled Li Qiutian closer to Mother Li, distancing herself from Grandmother Li.

Li Wangming stepped forward at this moment, grabbing Li Shiyue's hand to inspect it by the light of the fire. Although he couldn't see clearly, seeing Li Shiyue grimacing and on the verge of tears, he knew she wasn't faking; she must be in severe pain.

Li Wangming looked at Grandmother Li, who now wore a slightly awkward expression, with utter helplessness: "Mother, you..."

Faced with her youngest son's reproachful gaze, Grandmother Li turned her head away uncomfortably, but after a moment, she turned back to Li Shiyue and said, "Shiyue, what nonsense were you just talking about? Your father has simply been blinded by a vixen; how could he possibly divorce your mother? Good child, persuade your mother so our family can live together in peace. That is the only way we can survive this journey through the famine."

Hearing this, Li Shiyue rolled her eyes inwardly. She thought about Mother Li's attitude just now, Father Li's recent behavior, and the improper "System" inside her.

Li Shiyue lowered her head and, steeling her resolve, pinched the tender flesh on her waist hard. Li Qiutian, standing beside her, was wondering why she was pinching herself when she suddenly heard Li Shiyue let out a cry and burst into tears.

"Ah! Waaa... waaa... How are we supposed to live? How are the three of us supposed to survive? Grandma, oh my dear Grandma, look! Look! My dear father is currently hugging someone else's woman! Grandma, oh my dear Grandma, I'm not just talking nonsense, it's that my father doesn't want us three anymore! If the three of us want to stay alive, what can we do? What can we do?! Ah! Waaa... Heavens, why won't you let people live?!"

After her wailing, Li Shiyue dodged Grandmother Li's reaching hand and ran straight toward Li Youfu and the three clan elders. Upon reaching Li Youfu, without a word, she bent her knees and fell to the ground with a loud "thud."

Li Shiyue knelt incredibly fast!

With two loud "bangs" of her head, she managed to squeeze out enough tears and snot to cover her face. Taking advantage of the momentum, Li Shiyue shouted loudly to Li Youfu, "Grandpa Fu, please give us justice! Mother, brother, and I truly have no way to live! We only want to survive this journey through the famine! Please, Grandpa, give us justice!"

Looking at Li Shiyue's tear-streaked face, Li Youfu felt a pang of sympathy; after all, he had watched this child grow up in his village. Even the hardest heart would feel unsettled seeing such a young girl kneeling before them at a time like this.

Seeing the tiny Li Shiyue kneeling before Li Youfu, Mother Li's heart felt as though it were breaking.

She took Shitou's hand and walked to Li Shiyue's side. After helping Li Shiyue up, she held Shitou's hand in her left and Li Shiyue's in her right, then spoke to Li Youfu with a determined expression: "Uncle Fu, my surname is Li, and I am also a person of Li Village. Since I married Li Wangguang at nineteen, I have asked myself for these twenty years if I have done right by anyone in the Li family. I have borne children, served my parents-in-law, cared for my siblings-in-law, and done my utmost to manage everything inside and outside the house. I observed the mourning period for my father-in-law, I saw Xiaomai and Xiaodou married off, and I cared for Wangming when he was young. In the Li family, I have done my best! Shitou is my son; he is different from others, and as his mother, I cannot abandon him—especially in these times. Since Li Wangguang despises Shitou and Shiyue and has found another woman to bear him sons, then let the three of us go. Uncle Fu, you are the village chief; I beg you, let me divorce him!"

"Divorce! He must be divorced! That unfaithful man has wronged our Chunniang, so why shouldn't my Chunniang be allowed to leave? Take them, take them all! Shitou and Shiyue are our children; if their father doesn't want them, we will cherish them ourselves!"

Zheng Meiniang, once again stepping forward with her butcher knife, shouted at the air with full vigor.

Li Xiaotian, being very considerate, walked over and pulled her mother's arm to bring her in front of Li Youfu.

Though she couldn't see clearly in the dim light, Zheng Meiniang's presence was imposing. Holding her butcher knife, she said to Li Youfu, "Uncle Fu, you are a fair man. Help our Chunniang, and we will all remember your kindness."

The moment Li Youfu saw Zheng Meiniang's butcher knife, his heart trembled: "Wàngzhèng's wife, let's speak calmly. Put the knife down first."