He had howled for half the day, but nobody came out from the house. Instead, it was Li Zhuye from next door who poked her head out of the open doorway. She glanced into the courtyard before curling her lips and said, "Auntie, did you wake up confused? Did your house get robbed? That was your two daughters-in-law’s family coming early in the morning to take away their dowries. You didn’t even know?"
"What?" Li Dagui and Wang Daxiu were shocked.
Seeing that Li Dagui and Wang Daxiu truly had no idea, Li Zhuye dared not say more, withdrew her head, and went back home.
Li Dagui and Wang Daxiu exchanged a glance, then hurried to their sons’ wing rooms, only to find them empty.
The kang was spotlessly clean, and all the furniture such as tables and cabinets that the daughters-in-law had brought over as part of their dowry had been taken away.
The Li family’s own possessions, however, were untouched and all left behind.
Apart from their daughters-in-law’s dowries, the two sons had taken only a few sets of their own clothes with them.
Looking at the desolately empty wing room, Li Dagui felt a chill running down his spine. Had his two sons really left?
Wang Daxiu, noticing something was off with Li Dagui’s complexion, cautiously asked, "Head of the family, have Jinhu and Jingou really decided to split off from our family and become stay-at-home sons-in-law for their wives?"
Talk about hitting a sore spot!
A surge of rage stuck in Li Dagui’s throat, reddening his face.
If these unfilial beasts were so eager to wash their hands clean and run away when the family was in trouble, then good riddance, don’t come back!
But the most urgent task was still to rescue Jinlong.
Now that his sons were unreliable, he only had his worthless daughter to count on.
Li Dagui was puzzled. With the family in such a state, why was Li Jinzhi still hiding in her room? Had she truly thought herself part of the He family, holding onto their precious gem, and thus disregarded her own family?
"Knock on Jinzhi’s door, get her to come out!" Li Dagui found a stool in the courtyard to sit on and gestured for Wang Daxiu to call at the door.
Wang Daxiu knocked on Li Jinzhi’s door. With a push, the door swung open on its own.
As the door opened, it revealed a scene of complete disarray.
The room was a mess, as if it had been ransacked.
Wang Daxiu rushed into the room, looked around, and then came out exclaiming, "Head of the family, Jinzhi isn’t in the room!"
Li Dagui could see clearly that his daughter had most likely packed up her belongings and run off as well.
Well then! As soon as there’s trouble in the family, these children only care about saving themselves!
Li Dagui trembled with anger!
He considered himself to be someone with a certain status and standing in Qilidun, who used to sit with his legs crossed at home, judging this family, scolding that one.
On normal days, they felt proud, with the eldest and second sons being honest and reliable, their daughter possessed a bit of cleverness, and especially the youngest son, whose future achievements were sure to surpass those of the Wang Family’s Scholar.
Therefore, they looked upon others with an involuntary sense of superiority.
But now, they were smacked in the face by their children.
The youngest son was caught after causing harm and awaited rescue, the honest eldest and second sons had left home taking nothing with them, and their daughter had packed her dowry and run away.
Indeed, when disaster struck, they each flew in their own direction!
This time, only the foolish wife was left, still shouting and crying out loud.
"Head of the household, Jinzhi is still carrying a child, where could she have run off to?"
Where else could she have run to? She must have gone to the He Family, as now that was the only place that could take her in.
Seeing his own wife just infuriated him even more. When people came to move the dowry, their daughter escaped—there must have been some noise. He had fainted and didn’t know, but had his wife fainted too?
At this thought, anger surged within him, and he finally found a place to vent: "Were you dead last night? I fainted, and you did too? When did those unfilial beasts sneak off, and you didn’t know? Your daughter ran off, and you didn’t know? All day long, all you know is how to drop cat pee, wailing like you’re at a funeral!"
Wang Daxiu’s body shuddered as she weakly explained, "Wasn’t I looking after you? How would I have noticed them? It was just this morning that I got confused for a moment, who would have thought..."
"You still don’t go and bring them back? If you don’t bring them back, don’t you ever come back either, get lost——" Li Dagui felt a surge of anger rising in his chest as he looked at his wife’s mournful face and became furious.
"Where, where should I look?" Wang Daxiu was already clueless, and upon being yelled at by Li Dagui, she felt even more helpless.
Li Dagui really wanted to beat this unlucky wife of his, but he lacked the strength and was also worried about his youngest son, knowing that it was unrealistic to look for the eldest son and daughter at this moment.
He could only grit his teeth and order, "In times like these, can’t you quickly make something to eat, so we can go and see how Jinlong is doing later."
Only then did Wang Daxiu run to the kitchen. She hadn’t even started the fire when she heard someone outside shouting, "Uncle Da Gui, hurry to the Wang Family Ancestral Hall’s entrance, the Clan Leader is waiting for you there."
Upon hearing this, Li Dagui couldn’t care about anything else, supported by the rushing-out Wang Daxiu from the kitchen, he followed the messenger toward the ancestral hall.
Upon reaching the entrance to the ancestral hall, Wang Daxiu and Li Dagui saw Li Jinlong tied up like a rice dumpling, kneeling on the ground, the sight so heartbreaking!
Their own beloved had never knelt before their ancestors for such a long time, he had never suffered such torment!
"Jinlong, I am your mother, do your legs hurt? Are you hungry? Did they beat you yesterday? Say something, Jinlong, don’t scare your mother——" Wang Daxiu wanted to rush into the ancestral hall but was stopped by several strong men.
She could only wail from outside.
Perhaps it was this voice that awoke Li Jinlong, who had been motionless the whole night. He slowly turned his head, his usually well-mannered face now sapped of energy, with dark circles under his eyes and disheveled hair, there was no longer any trace of a scholar.
His expression, originally vacant, suddenly brightened upon seeing Wang Yongan, and he struggled to shout, "I am a scholar! I am a student! I am going to take the exam to advance! You can’t treat me ! Let me go, let me go!"
Wang Yongan looked down upon Li Jinlong as one might look at a worthless ant. Hearing this, he just shook his head slightly and with a smile, said to the perspiring Li Family Patriarch beside him, "Uncle, do listen, such words must not be carelessly uttered! In the past, all students engaged in study, regardless of age, could be called students before obtaining the Scholar qualification. But the rules changed two years ago, only those who passed the county and prefectural examinations can be called students. And only as a student can one have the qualification to participate in the imperial examination, where only the best can become Scholars! It seems that this member of the Li Family is unaware of this, yes? Ever since the new system was implemented, the enrollment of students has also been tightened. For instance, those with physical disabilities, speech impediments, or poor appearance are not admitted..."
As he said this, his gaze especially paused on Li Jinlong’s feet for a long time before turning away, "So, in the future, Uncle, you must better restrain the youths of your clan, so that such minor mistakes do not bring disaster to the whole clan!"