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墨書 Inktalez
In Uncle Li's narration, Ye Xiaohan finally understood the whole story.
Uncle Li, whose real name was Li Yi, had once lived a life of comfort and abundance, enjoying a peaceful existence in the community. When his daughter grew up, Li Yi decided to find a son-in-law who would come to their home.
The marriage of his precious daughter was not something to be taken lightly. Li Yi hired a matchmaker and looked at many candidates over time. However, some of those he favored were unwilling to come to their home, as being a son-in-law meant being treated like an adopted son. In an era where society heavily favored sons over daughters, this arrangement would often attract criticism.
Nevertheless, due to Li Yi's good fortune, there were still many who were willing to give it a try. The prospect of marrying a beautiful wife and living a life of luxury, with the potential for a substantial inheritance in the future, was indeed quite appealing.
However, when Li Yi thought about the motives of these money-seekers, he felt uneasy and began to sift through the candidates, eliminating several along the way.
The remaining options were far from ideal, and just looking at them made Li Yi even more reluctant to marry off his beloved daughter to any of them.
Just when Li Yi was feeling increasingly troubled, his precious daughter, the eldest sister of the Li family, Li Xinxin, quietly began to develop feelings for someone.
Next door lived another family with the same surname. They had lost their patriarch years ago and were struggling to get by as a single mother with her son.
Seeing their plight, Li Yi often lent them assistance. Sometimes he would hire Aunt Li from next door to do some sewing or laundry. With help from their neighbors, the mother and son managed to scrape by.
The neighboring Li family consisted of an elderly mother and her son, who was about the same age as Li Xinxin. The two families lived close together and frequently interacted; thus, the two children were not strangers and could be considered childhood friends.
Li Xinxin was at an age of blossoming beauty and had begun to entertain secret thoughts about her future husband upon learning that her father intended to choose a suitor for her. Blushing at the thought, she found herself daydreaming about what her future husband might look like.
Would he be tall or short? Slim or plump? Would they be able to live a simple and harmonious life like her parents?
Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t even notice someone approaching from across the way.
It was the young man from next door, Li Fu, who saw her and came over to greet her. "Sister."
"Ah!" Li Xinxin snapped back to reality as she suddenly noticed him standing there. Although she knew he couldn’t read her mind, she still felt a bit shy and guilty. "It's you, Brother Li! Did you come over today to help Aunt Li deliver something?"
Li Fu smiled and replied, "Yes! I just went to see Old Master Li. Sister, why are you here all alone? Did that girl sneak off somewhere to play? You’re too kind-hearted; those servants are getting too bold."
Li Xinxin softly explained, "No, no! You’ve got it wrong. I just wanted some quiet time alone; that’s why I asked them to leave me be. It’s not that they’re slacking off. Please don’t tell my father; he’ll get upset again."
"Since my elder sister has said so, I will listen to her," Li Fu agreed. He looked at Li Xinxin and smiled, "Sister, you have a leaf on your head."
Li Xinxin hurriedly reached up to touch her head. "Oh, really? Where is it?" She fumbled around but couldn't find it, feeling embarrassed as she looked up at Li Fu. It was quite silly of her to be so careless.
"Right here." Li Fu leaned forward, reached out, and gently shook a leaf above her head before displaying it in his palm.
Li Xinxin's face turned crimson as she softly thanked him, "Thank you."
Li Fu bowed slightly. "It's nothing; I'm just glad you don't think I'm rude. I can't stay here too long; my mother is still waiting for me at home. I want to go back."
"Okay, take care," Li Xinxin hurriedly returned the gesture, watching him walk away.
If someone had been nearby to witness the entire scene, they would have clearly seen that there was no leaf on Li Xinxin's head; it was all just a performance by Li Fu.
Li Fu grew up beside the Li family and received their care. Initially, he felt grateful towards Li Yi's family. However, as he grew older, an imbalance began to fester within him.
Why was it that they shared the same surname Li but could live in a mansion, enjoying warmth and abundance while he and his mother had to scrape by? They worked tirelessly for mere coins just to fill their stomachs.
The eldest daughter of the Li family grew up alongside him, yet she lived a life of luxury and comfort while he had to serve others, bending over backward to please them.
Every time he heard his mother nagging in his ear about remembering Li Yi's kindness and repaying it well in the future, waves of jealousy and anger surged within him.
This jealousy and anger had taken deep root in Li Fu's heart, becoming indelible and intensifying with time due to the stark contrast of their poverty.
Not long ago, he inadvertently overheard his mother mention that Li Yi planned to find a suitor for Li Xinxin. A thought crossed his mind.
If he could marry Li Xinxin, he would gain entry into the Li family. With the elders aging and no brothers for Li Xinxin, wouldn't the inheritance eventually belong to her? And with her gentle nature, obtaining the inheritance from her would be a piece of cake.
This was a rare opportunity; greed sparkled in Li Fu's eyes as he decisively began to formulate a plan.
In the days that followed, leveraging their years of neighborly familiarity, Li Fu frequently appeared before Li Xinxin. His deliberate pretense and flattery won him considerable favor with the unsuspecting young girl.
Their relationship gradually grew closer as Li Fu subtly expressed his desire to marry into her family. Li Xinxin was deceived by his facade into believing that this brother she had known was genuinely sincere toward her. Since marriage was on the horizon, why not marry someone familiar rather than an unknown man?
With Li Fu's encouragement and subtle pressure behind the scenes, Li Xinxin proposed to her father that she wished to marry Li Fu.
Li Yi initially disagreed. Although there was no concrete evidence and Li Fu had not done anything overtly wrong, this young man always made him feel somewhat uncomfortable for reasons he could not quite grasp.
The support from the Li Family was given out of years of neighborly relations and Aunt Li's hard work.
However, unable to resist his precious daughter's repeated pleas, Li Yi ultimately agreed. In his view, this family was still under his control, and even if Li Fu harbored ill intentions, he would not dare to reveal them openly.
"I have been cautious all my life, thinking I could see things clearly. Who would have thought that after weathering so many storms, I would end up capsizing in a ditch in my old age, failing to recognize the ambitions of this ungrateful wolf!" Li Yi said bitterly, his face filled with regret.
Ye Xiaohan felt sorry for the girl in the story who encountered such a malicious man, losing her entire life to him. "Sir, don't be too sad; it's all in the past now."
Li Yi reined in his emotions. "At that moment, I mistakenly believed I could keep this ungrateful wolf in check and agreed to this marriage."
At first, Li Fu did not display any strange behavior; instead, he was always respectful and dutiful towards Li Yi and his wife, treating Li Xinxin well. Gradually, Li Yi let down his guard, thinking he had been overly suspicious and had misunderstood Li Fu. He began to feel guilty and became increasingly unguarded around him.
Just as the Li Family appeared to be thriving on the surface, Li Fu suddenly turned against them. One night, he slipped a sedative into Li Yi's tea.
When Li Yi awoke, he found himself imprisoned in a dark basement. He shouted for help but exhausted himself without anyone coming to his aid; he was left trapped inside.
It wasn't until the third day that Li Fu finally arrived, coldly tossing a broken bowl containing cold leftovers onto the floor. "Old Master Li, it's time to get up; I've brought you your meal. How's the comfort of this secret room? I spent a long time digging it out just for you."
"You! It’s you!" After being locked away for three days, Li Yi had considered everyone who could have done this but still suspected Li Fu the most. Now that he confirmed his suspicions, he was both shocked and furious. "So it was you all along! You beast! The Li Family has treated you well; why would you do this?"
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