Witty Wife, Better Life-Chapter 862 - 852 Dispute

"Our dad is in the side room," Li Hongqi said, as if he were trying to cover something up, then he added, "Huilan is scared, so we’ve temporarily placed our dad there."

Li Hongjun glanced at Zheng Huilan, then at Li Hongqi, and without saying anything, walked out.

Old Li had reaped what he had sown in his lifetime. He had always favored his youngest son, been partial to him, thought only of him, and when his time came, just a casual remark from his son about the daughter-in-law being scared had pushed him aside. It was truly sad and lamentable.

Shen Yunfang also came out. She didn’t want to see Old Li, but she didn’t want to stay inside either. If she couldn’t hold back her kicking, it wouldn’t be good, so she followed them out.

"You go check on the kids at your sister-in-law’s house. You didn’t sleep at all last night. Take the chance now to get some rest. When we’ve figured out a plan here, I’ll come get you." Li Hongjun didn’t head directly to the side room; instead, he waited at the door for his wife and upon seeing her follow him out, escorted her to the main entrance.

This suggestion was exactly what Shen Yunfang had in mind. She wasn’t very familiar with Old Li—her children had only met their grandfather a few times, just as she had only met him a few times. So, avoiding him now was for the best.

"All right, I’ll go check on the kids. You take it easy too. This isn’t something that can be settled in a day or two." Shen Yunfang was also worried about Li Hongjun, who, compared to her, had a deeper emotional connection to Old Li.

The couple then went their separate ways in the courtyard. After watching his wife leave, Li Hongjun’s expression turned grave, and he entered the storeroom.

The room was still as small and cramped as ever. Even so, Old Li didn’t end up with a bed, just lying directly on a broken door supported by some bricks at the ends—barely keeping him off the ground. His body seemed to have been simply tidied up, but it was presentable.

"Dad, I’m back," Li Hongjun said as he entered, his eyes already red.

The person lying there was his father, who had raised him all these years!

There’s no need to mention how heartbroken Li Hongjun was inside the room; the few others inside were already quarreling fiercely.

The main argument was between Wang Dan and Zheng’s mother. One argued that since Li Hongqi had cared for the old man, he should be responsible for everything concerning the old man, including his death. He couldn’t just benefit from the old man and then ignore all responsibilities.

Zheng’s mother countered that there were three sons in the Li Family, so the funeral should be equally handled by all three. It made no sense to focus just on Li Hongqi, the youngest.

Regarding the previous agreement on splitting the inheritance, that was years old. Given everything that had happened over the years, that agreement should’ve been voided long ago.

As they argued, it almost led to a physical fight. Zheng’s mother was afraid of Shen Yunfang but not of Wang Dan, so she was ready to roll up her sleeves and fight.

This, however, upset even the usually calm ones. Li Hongxing burst out, "Li Hongqi, this is the Li Family’s matter. Tell your mother-in-law to shut up. Outsiders shouldn’t dictate the Li Family’s affairs. If you have complaints about the previous division, we should directly consult the elders in our clan about this. Arguing and quarreling like this, our dad might just get up and scold us for being unfilial."

He finished speaking and fixed his gaze on Li Hongqi, waiting for him to take a stand.

"Ah, this is really unheard of, to force a brother and his wife into such a situation..." Seeing the situation turning against her, Zheng’s mother tried to stir things up again.

But this time, before she could finish her sentence, Li Hongxing, pulling his wife along, walked outside, saying, "I’m going to find someone."

"Big brother, big brother, what are you doing? Let’s just talk between us brothers, there’s no need for their old ladies to get involved." Li Hongqi saw that Li Hongxing really was going to look for someone, so he quickly stood up to hold him back.

He was well aware that he had no ground to stand on in this matter.

Now that Grandpa had given him the two rooms, he was supposed to fulfill the terms of the eldercare agreement, which included taking care of Grandpa until his death. If he outright refused to care, his two good brothers definitely wouldn’t let him easily take possession of those rooms.

He was currently at a low point in his life, desperately needing funds to strike out on his own. But looking around, what did he have left aside from these two rooms? Just a wife who couldn’t have children, and a divorced mother-in-law, so he really was depending entirely on these two rooms, and therefore the eldercare agreement couldn’t be voided.

Wang Dan was quite pleased with herself for having frightened Li Hongqi, but she didn’t let it show, "It should have been you brothers discussing this from the beginning, but instead, you acted like a turtle hiding its head, always hiding behind your wife and mother-in-law. That’s why all these problems have occurred." Wang Dan’s words were harsh, especially now that she was still upset from their recent argument, making her words even harder to bear.

Li Hongqi felt his veins bulge with anger but held it back forcefully. He ignored his sister-in-law and directly addressed his older brother, "Big brother, to wait for our second brother to return, Dad has been laid out for more than a day now. We should really discuss and decide on the next steps quickly, Dad hadn’t had it easy in his lifetime, let’s let him rest sooner rather than later."

Li Hongxing wasn’t like Wang Dan; his outburst had been just a momentary thing, seeing his younger brother relent, he softened as well.

"Alright, we are all brothers here, whatever you say goes."

Wang Dan knew her husband well, aware that he was out of his depth. If he and the third Li brother were to talk, her family would surely be at a disadvantage.

"Wait here for a bit, I’m going to find Hongjun. We’re all brothers; we can’t leave him out when it comes to discussing things." Wang Dan turned around and walked out, then stood in the yard and shouted, "Hongjun, Hongjun, come over quickly, Li Hongqi says it’s time for you three brothers to discuss things."

As for what they needed to discuss, it went without saying, everyone in the Li Family knew.

Li Hongjun had already changed Grandpa’s burial clothes in the storehouse. After hearing his sister-in-law’s call, he composed himself and came out, nodded at her, and walked towards the house.

"Hongjun, be careful, don’t let anyone fool you." Wang Dan still couldn’t help but worry and quietly advised him.

Li Hongjun nodded and entered the house.

Afterward, the three Li brothers seriously began to discuss the arrangements for Grandpa’s funeral.

This time Li Hongqi’s attitude was very cooperative, whatever Li Hongjun and Li Hongxing said, he agreed without any objection.

Li Hongjun and Li Hongxing exchanged looks, sensing there was something fishy.

"Hongqi, we know you’ve just come back, if you’re facing any difficulties, just tell us. We’ll help you out without a second thought." Li Hongxing softened.

Li Hongqi immediately put on a deeply touched expression, "Big brother, if you hadn’t asked, I’d feel awkward bringing it up. But since we’re brothers, and our goal is to send off Dad properly, I’ll be upfront about my difficulties."

Hearing Li Hongqi speak openly settled Li Hongjun’s heart, thinking this was the normal way things should be. If Li Hongqi had agreed to everything without bringing up any issues, then he would have really been wary of him preparing some bigger scheme.