Who knew that all of a sudden, Li Weimin and Li Weiqiang’s tempers would flare up.
Their first thought was that these two wives were up to their old tricks again, thinking they wanted to take advantage of their niece.
How outrageous.
Li Weimin’s eyes widened, as if he was about to eat someone.
He pointed at Liu Fen and said, "You wait and see what happens when I get home."
On the other side, Han Xue received a strong glare from Li Weiqiang and a dismissive look away, pretending not to see.
Han Xue and Liu Fen felt a pang of heartache.
They wondered how much Li Weimin and Li Weiqiang disliked Li Xuemei’s family.
To have such an impression left behind.
They could only smile bitterly.
It seems they would need to make a concerted effort to change the deep-set impressions from before, to see how Li Weimin and Li Weiqiang would react.
Gu Xiaoqing was thrilled.
These two uncles were just too lovable.
Honest, simple, kind-hearted uncles.
They were the uncles who worried endlessly for the family back then.
Once everything changes, nothing will be the same.
Everyone will be different.
Li Qinghai coughed once, looking at his two sons with their silly expressions, yet feeling comforted inside—these were his sons, united at heart, and that’s most important. In the future, when he was no longer around, they would have each other to rely on.
As long as they stayed united, without quarreling and helping each other, he could rest easy.
Seeing the old man cough, Li Weimin thought it was Liu Fen and Han Xue’s fault, quickly saying, "Dad, don’t overthink it, Liu Fen and Han Xue didn’t mean it that way. Besides, you are the decision-maker in our family. Whatever you say goes, they don’t have a say. Rest assured, we follow your lead."
This was putting the power back in the hands of the old man.
It was also to comfort the old man.
The implication being they were absolutely not ungrateful people.
Li Qinghai laughed until he was breathless.
Holding back his laughter for a while, he finally said, "Alright, listen to me on this matter. The secret recipe for this business and all that, they are secret recipes passed down by our Li Family’s Imperial Chef ancestors. The food business Xuemei and Ruhai are doing also relies on our Li Family’s secret recipe. And our Li Family’s rule is this: the secret recipe is not to be passed on. It absolutely cannot be passed on to children of other surnames."
Li Weimin and Li Weiqiang were dumbfounded.
Their eyes, big and wide, stared fixedly at Li Qinghai.
Their expression seemed to say, Is this really my dad?
Could it be an imposter?
This made Li Qinghai angry.
Why didn’t these two sons have even a bit of Xiaoqing’s quick wit?
What kind of brains did they have?
Fuming, he rolled another cigarette.
Without any explanation.
Li Weimin and Li Weiqiang felt so awkward, having just confidently vowed they wouldn’t covet their sister-in-law’s family’s belongings.
In the blink of an eye, their own father had put them on the spot.
Now they were caught between a rock and a hard place.
What should they do?
The two looked at each other, scratched their heads fervently, and frowned deeply, not knowing what to say.
Liu Fen and Han Xue didn’t explain either, a little annoyed themselves.
It’s their own fault for being so straight-laced, it serves them right to be stifled by the old man.
Look at them for unnecessarily overthinking about the two of us.
They really took our good intentions as worthless.
The two turned away, deliberately chit-chatting with Li Xuemei while tidying up the dishes.
Finally, Li Weimin couldn’t hold back any longer. He got up and went to Li Qinghai’s side, offering his own hand-rolled cigarette with a flattering smile, awkwardly asking, "Dad, this, this... If we, as the eldest brother, do it this way, then, that means..."
Finally, mustering the courage, he said, "Then I’d be too ashamed to do this business; I’d rather not do it than have that reputation."
Then he squatted down at the side without saying a word.
Li Qinghai was furious.
What kind of brains did they have?
Theoretically, his ancestors had scholars and even a government official, how could it be that in his generation, they’d become so dense?
On the other side, Gu Xiaoqing had laughed enough and then came over to help out his uncle.
He pulled up his uncle and sat him on a stool.
Explaining in detail: "Uncle, grandpa said it for our own good. For the benefit of our family. Really, think about it, if in the future, my grandparents, my second uncle, and my third uncle knew that my parents’ business made a lot of money, would they leave us alone?
By then, if they stir up my grandparents, insisting on coming to our house asking for money, we could still fend them off, giving a little only, saying we didn’t make much.
But if my grandparents want the secret recipe, then how could we brush it off? By then, our business would likely collapse.
Forget about the big tile house, then we might not be left with anything. Think about it, didn’t grandpa say it was the Li Family’s ancestral secret recipe? Isn’t a secret recipe something that isn’t passed on?"
With this explanation, Li Weimin and Li Weiqiang suddenly saw the light.
Their faces lit up with joy, the gloom between their brows finally dissipating.
Li Weimin clapped his hands, stood up, went to Li Qinghai’s side, and with a grinning face said, "Yes, Dad, this is our old Li Family’s family secret recipe, our family even has a book of secret recipes. Didn’t our ancestors have an official position in the imperial exams? This must have been passed down from the imperial palace. It absolutely cannot be shared."
Understanding Li Qinghai’s deep meaning, Li Weimin and Li Weiqiang realized now how foolish they had been earlier.
Also, the two wives.
No wonder Han Xue and Liu Fen had such resentful, devouring looks earlier.
Turns out it was because of their own foolishness.
Really stupid.
Even couldn’t compare to a twelve-year-old child?
The Gu Family is not so easy to get along with, or anything should just be kept within the Li Family.
At least when those people have thoughts about something, they should still consider Li Qinghai, Li Weimin, and Li Weiqiang.
It is a family secret recipe, it’s not something just anyone can ask for.
A family secret recipe!
Haha, thinking about it, Li Weimin wanted to laugh.
It was indeed a great excuse.
He couldn’t help but laugh foolishly for a while.
Gu Xiaoqing, Gu Xiaoying, and Gu Xiaojie were sent to play in the house.
A few adults sat in the courtyard chatting.
Han Xue, Liu Fen, and Li Xuemei sat under the eaves shelling peanuts.
The six men sat in the courtyard discussing farm work.
For the first time, everyone peacefully enjoyed a calm, serene night.
Looking forward to a bright future.
Everything seemed to become beautiful and filled with longing.
All the suffering seemed to fade far, far away.
Gu Ruhai looked at the harmonious scene, feeling peaceful and serene inside.
Earlier, he had been a bit annoyed at Gu Xiaoqing’s remark, thinking his daughter had a deep gap with him.
But after that final explanation, Gu Ruhai realized he had been the one at fault.
Maybe, deep down, he had thought about helping his second and third brothers if there was a chance.
But perhaps he hadn’t carefully considered the consequences.