Witty Wife, Better Life-Chapter 865 - 855, The Last Time

"My meaning is this, those with money should chip in with money, and those with strength should chip in with effort. Like with the old man’s business, Big Brother and Sister-in-law will definitely have to put in more effort to contact relatives and friends to come over and lend a hand, as well as prepare the meals and all that. Just the few of us won’t be enough, so we’ll need Sister-in-law to see which families around here have sisters-in-law who are free to help out for a few days. Hongjun and I won’t be here long, and we can’t contribute much muscle, so we’ll take care of the money part," Yunfang said with a slight smile.

Li Hongjun glanced at his wife, quite surprised by her understanding. His wife, though wealthy – very rich indeed – was extremely principled. If she admired you, she was willing to fork out any amount, just like with Goudan; she, his second aunt, had taken care of him for several years, and in the end, she even put in her own money to help Goudan and his wife buy an apartment in the city. Conversely, if she disliked someone, they shouldn’t even think of getting a cent from her, like certain unbearable relatives back home. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

This really wasn’t something they’d agreed upon beforehand.

When Wang Dan heard her sister-in-law mention she’d take charge of the expenses, she felt relieved. It wasn’t that she was calculating— she had just been too scared by poverty. Knowing now that she wouldn’t have to pay, Wang Dan’s demeanor and expression both calmed down.

"Oh, look at you talk—we’re all family, what’s all this fuss about trouble. Besides, we’re also sons; we can’t truly ignore the old man’s affairs. So, according to our local customs, the funeral procession should be the day after tomorrow. We need to ask a few of our close relatives from the village to help us out, find some strong lads..." Wang Dan began to ramble on and on.

Yunfang nodded from time to time as she listened, and when Wang Dan eventually mentioned having a meal at the end, Yunfang directly pulled out five hundred yuan from her purse and pushed it to her sister-in-law.

"Sister-in-law, you know better than I do about these things. Even if you tell me, I won’t be able to understand right away, so it’s better if you and Big Brother handle it. Then, Hongjun and I will follow your lead; whatever you ask us to do, we’ll do, and that’ll settle it," Yunfang really didn’t want to deal with it all, and since her sister-in-law knew the ropes, she might as well let her take over.

When Wang Dan saw her second brother’s wife whip out so much money all at once, her eyes lit up, but she was still a bit rational and didn’t reach for the money right away. Instead, she looked up at her husband. Although Li Hongxing didn’t exchange any glances with her, this slight delay made everyone’s face look good.

Though Wang Dan sighed when she took the money, "Ah, now Li Hongqi has really become the boss who doesn’t bother to lift a finger. We’re all sons, yet he gets all the benefits, and when there’s work to be done, he doesn’t care one bit," her tone made her resentment clear.

"Sister-in-law, let’s quietly get things moving for now, without making a big fuss. Let’s also keep an eye on what Hongqi does. If he has a shred of conscience, then whatever he gives will be enough when the time comes. If he’s heartless, then we’ll just have to do it ourselves. Respecting the elders isn’t for others to see—it’s for the elders themselves, and this is the last time," Yunfang consoled.

Indeed, with the two elders of the Li Family gone these past two years, the siblings had the most contact when the parents were still around. If the parents were gone, the siblings might well go their separate ways.

"Mm, I think it’s worth seeing if he has any sense of duty." Despite the money coming from the second brother, Wang Dan was still not content. "By the way, Yunfang, what do you think about Hongqi wanting one thousand yuan to sell the old house?"

Wang Dan really didn’t want strangers moving in next door, but she wasn’t willing to give Hongqi that one thousand yuan, and the issue couldn’t be ignored either. Judging by Hongqi’s manner, if she didn’t agree to buy it, he might actually sell it to someone else. Of course, he wouldn’t sell it to others for that price—everyone else had sense too. He was just preying on Wang Dan’s emotions.

Yunfang looked around at the people in the room before saying, "I’m getting the sense that you want to buy the old house, right?"

"That’s right, this house and ours are as one. We didn’t realize it when we split up the family property, but thinking about it now, if Hongqi really sold the house to someone else, that would truly be infuriating. However, he’s asking for too much; we just can’t afford that price," Wang Dan was open about her thoughts and laid them bare.

"It’s not impossible to buy the old house at a fair price, but we’ll have to be a bit craftier about it."

"Yunfang, you tell me what to do, and your sister-in-law will listen to you."

So, that very afternoon, the two families had lunch together, and at the dining table, Shen Yunfang shared some tips on buying a house with Wang Dan.

In the afternoon, after Li Hongjun and Li Hongxing went out, Shen Yunfang finally got some time to have a good sleep. In the evening, Li Hongqi showed up uninvited, still talking to his two older brothers about selling the house.

"Big sister-in-law, people have already come to me asking about the price of the old house. If you’re really not going to buy it, then I’ll have to sell it to outsiders," Li Hongqi said, while watching his sister-in-law’s expression to gauge the likelihood of her purchasing it.

However, Wang Dan didn’t give him a chance, her face calm, "I would like to buy the old house, but the price you’re asking is too high. Even if I wanted to, your older brother and I can’t come up with that much money. You’re not here to sell us the house; you’re here to make fun of me, aren’t you?"

Li Hongqi didn’t believe a word she said, "You shouldn’t say that, big sister-in-law. You’ve been living in our old family house for so many years; you should know better than anyone how good it is. I’m not asking an unfairly high price. Besides, I’m counting on making a bit more money to give our father a proper burial. Think of it as showing him your filial duty one last time." His words were truly shameless.

"Big sister-in-law, don’t try to fool me by claiming you don’t have the money. Perhaps it would’ve been believable in the past, but now I hear that Goudan has become a city dweller, and the two of them are doing quite well in Z Province. Wouldn’t they be filial and offer you some help?" Of course, Li Hongqi knew exactly how much his older brother’s family had, but there was also Goudan, his promising nephew.

"Heh, you’re well-informed, aren’t you? Then tell me, how much did you contribute in filial respect to our parents when you first graduated from college and started working?" Wang Dan stared at him, none too kindly.

Damn it, one wasn’t decent oneself, and now had the nerve to talk about others? Truly shameless and without limits.

Stunned by her question, Li Hongqi lost his spark and finally dropped a line that if she didn’t decide soon, he would sell the old house to someone else, and then he left.

The next day, Li Xianglian and her husband arrived and started crying as soon as they saw Shen Yunfang and Li Hongjun.

"You tell me, what’s happened to our family these past two years? First our mother, and now our father. They were both so healthy before, how could they just be gone like that?" Li Xianglian sobbed.

"Big sister, don’t cry. Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the natural order of things. The old master also suffered quite a bit these past two years. His passing might even be a release," Shen Yunfang consoled her elder sister-in-law.

After sobbing for a while, Li Xianglian’s emotions finally settled somewhat. She looked around inside and outside the room and asked, "Xianghe hasn’t come back yet, has she?"

Shen Yunfang was taken aback; she has been so busy since yesterday that she had indeed forgotten about Li Xianghe.

"We haven’t seen her since we got back yesterday. Where did she go?"