The moment that voice reached her ears, Li Shuying's entire body went rigid. Her fingers curled tightly at her sides, knuckles whitening, while a surge of memories, dark, suffocating, inescapable rose from the depths of her past life and crashed violently into her mind.
Zhao Depeng, the name alone was enough to stir a storm within her. Her eyes widened, the softness from moments ago vanishing entirely, replaced by a cold, simmering fury.
Li Guoqiang, however, showed little outward reaction. He turned calmly to face the newcomer, his expression composed, almost indifferent. "Brother Depeng," he said evenly, "you are here."
Zhao Depeng approached with an easy smile, his tone carrying a practiced warmth that did not quite reach his eyes. "How could I not be?" he replied. "My nephews and niece have come all this way, how could their uncle remain absent? Still…" he added with a faint sigh, "I am somewhat disappointed that you did not come to see me earlier."
As he spoke, his gaze shifted, subtle yet calculating toward the bundles in their hands.
The weight of those packages, and few big packages popping out like a thermos flask, liberation shoes did not escape his notice.
"So," he continued casually, "you all went to explore Baicheng? Had you informed me, I could have accompanied you. It would have been lively."
Li Guoqiang offered a polite, restrained smile. "You have been occupied with training," he replied. "I heard your platoon is due for inspection soon. It would not be appropriate for us to disturb you."
Zhao Depeng chuckled lightly. "You are too formal, Guoqiang. Between brothers, why such distance?"
Yet even as he spoke, a sharp glint flickered briefly in his eyes which he quickly concealed. His gaze lingered once more on the items they carried.
"Oh?" he said, as though only just noticing. "You have brought quite a number of things." His eyes settled on the thermos flask, and his smile deepened.
"Ah, a thermos flask," he said approvingly. "I knew you were a filial son. Just this month, your sister-in-law wrote to me, mentioning how Mother finds it troublesome to boil water repeatedly especially with the cold approaching. But now that you have brought this, it will certainly ease her burden."
The words fell lightly.
Yet the effect was immediate.
The expressions of the Li siblings changed almost imperceptibly.
Li Guoqiang's smile faded slightly, and for a moment he seemed about to speak to clarify, perhaps, that the item had not been intended as Zhao Depeng so conveniently assumed.
But Zhao Depeng did not give him the opportunity.
"And these liberation shoes…" he continued smoothly, his tone carrying an almost thoughtful air. "They are for Guofu, I presume?"
He sighed softly, as though burdened by circumstance. "I had intended to buy a pair for Xiaojun as well, but you know how it is, expenses are many, and savings are tight. Still, Guofu will surely be delighted. To receive such a gift from his elder brother, how fortunate he is."
His words were casual, too casual.
Meanwhile, his attention had already shifted toward the other bundles held by Li Jianmin and Li Jianguo. His eyes lingered there, curious, probing.
Instinctively, the two brothers stepped back half a pace, their grips tightening as they drew the bundles slightly behind them.
The movement was subtle but Zhao Depeng noticed. A flicker of displeasure passed through his eyes, quickly buried beneath a renewed smile.
"So," he said lightly, as though nothing had happened, "only the three of you came? What of Li Jianhua? Why did he not accompany you?"
He paused briefly, then added with an almost wistful tone, "And Hongmei? Why did you not bring her along? It has been nearly a year since I last saw her. I miss her dearly."
Li Jianmin and Li Jianguo exchanged a quick glance, uncertain weather to answer.
Yet under his steady look, silence was not an option.
"Elder Brother is preparing for the college entrance examination," Li Jianguo replied carefully. "It is an important time for him, so he could not come."
"What…?" Zhao Depeng cut in sharply, the smoothness in his tone cracking for a brief moment. "Was he not supposed to leave school and find work?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he knew. He had said too much.
Li Guoqiang's expression changed instantly. The calm composure vanished, replaced by something cold and something sharp enough to make even the evening air feel heavier.
Li Guoqiang's brows drew together as he spoke, his voice firm and unyielding.
"Brother Depeng, who told you that my son is leaving school to find work? He is the top student, not only in his school, but in the entire city. Why would he abandon his studies at such a critical juncture?"
Zhao Depeng faltered. In truth, he did not know how to respond. The last letter he had received from home, barely ten days ago, had clearly stated that Li Jianguo had already been out of school for a week, wandering in search of work. Yet now, having spoken rashly, he could only swallow his unease and force a laugh, hoping this slip of tongue dosen't change the outcome.
"How would I know, Guoqiang?" he said, his tone deliberately casual, though a trace of stiffness betrayed him. "I was merely making an assumption. After all, many students in the county leave school before the college entrance examinations to find work especially families like ours from the countryside. In these times… how many can truly afford a university education?"
Li Guoqiang's expression hardened instantly. His voice dropped, cold as frost on winter bamboo. "I do not concern myself with what other families choose," he said. "But my children will attend university. Even if I must grind my bones to dust, I will see it done. So, Brother Depeng, the next time you make assumptions, leave my children out of them."
The air seemed to tighten. Zhao Depeng felt a chill creep down his spine. Though he harbored no small amount of resentment toward Li Guoqiang, he could not deny that the man's anger carried a weight that made one's heart quail.
Forcing another laugh, he tried to recover, speaking more cautiously this time.
"Guoqiang, why speak so harshly? You have four children. If all four go to university, what will become of your wife at home? And your parents? Someone must tend to them."
Before Li Guoqiang could respond, a sudden peal of laughter broke the tension.
It rang clear and sharp from behind him.
Zhao Depeng frowned, turning to see who would dare laugh at such a moment. It was Li Shuying. The young girl stood with her arms folded, her eyes bright with undisguised amusement.
She laughed for a long moment before finally catching her breath. "Uncle, you truly are amusing," she said lightly. "I cannot believe I never noticed it before. To keep a straight face while uttering so many absurdities at once, today I am convinced you and Grandmother must be cut from the same cloth. Mother and son indeed."
Zhao Depeng froze, utterly taken aback. Since when had this little bitch grown such a sharp tongue?
Suppressing his irritation, he forced a strained smile. "What are you saying, little Shuying? When did I speak anything absurd? I was merely being practical."
Shuying nodded thoughtfully, her expression almost innocent. "Of course you were being practical. After all, placing the 'well-being' of one's parents above one's own household is the most proper and commendable thing, is it not?" she said, her tone laced with quiet irony. "Just like Zhao Hongmei, so devoted to Grandfather and Grandmother that she came all the way to our house to persuade my mother to let my elder brother leave school and find work… so that your family might receive a little more filial support."
A sharp intake of breath sounded from Ma Zhiyong.
Li Guoqiang's eyes widened, then darkened rapidly. He turned to Zhao Depeng, his gaze blazing like a storm about to break.
"What does she mean?" he demanded, each word heavy with restrained fury. "Why should my son abandon his studies to provide money for your mother?"
Zhao Depeng's legs nearly gave way under the pressure of that glare. Panic surged within him.
"What are you saying, Guoqiang?" he stammered. "She is your mother as well! She raised you, does it matter that there is no blood relation? As for Jianguo… I am certain Mother meant well. Shuying is still a child; she must have misunderstood."
Before he could say more, Li Shuying cut in, her voice crisp and unyielding.
"Uncle," she said, her eyes steady, "you speak of it so lightly, turning black into white. But as the saying goes, paper cannot wrap fire. No matter how you try to dress it up, the truth will always burn through. But thankfully Zhao Hongmei tried everything she could, but couldn't achive the outcome."
By now, the carefully maintained smile on Zhao Depeng's face had begun to crack.
The corners of his lips stiffened, his eyes darkening as the pretense of warmth slowly peeled away, revealing something far less pleasant beneath. His voice, when he spoke again, had lost much of its earlier ease.
"What exactly do you mean by that?" he asked, each word measured, yet edged with irritation.
Li Shuying did not retreat, nor did she soften her tone.
She stepped forward slightly, her small frame unassuming, yet her presence unexpectedly steady. There was no hesitation in her expression, only clarity.
"My elder brother is attending school, and he will sit for the college entrance examination." She paused briefly before continuing, her voice even. "And also," she said, her lips curving faintly, though there was no warmth in it. "Since you speak so earnestly of filial duty, you should know this, my father's allowance passbook has already been returned to my mother. From now on, our household will manage our own finances."
"And you are right about one thing, my father should indeed care for his parents while raising his four children. That is only proper. So for for that matter we are already providing two yuan each month as filial support, twenty-four yuan a year. In these times, that is more than sufficient to sustain an elderly rural couple."
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze sharpening.
"And to be honest Step grandmother isn't happy about it at all, so perhaps it is time for you to demonstrate your own filial piety. The allowance you earn, has it not long been held tightly by Aunt Sun Guifeng? Should it not now be given to your mother instead?" she asked, her tone deceptively light. "After all, she is your birth mother. Surely your sense of duty toward her must run deeper than ours."
Than aftet a faint pause she said mockingly "Or is filial piety only something to be demanded of others?"
Zhao Depeng stood stunned. For a moment, he could not even process the flood of information.
The return of the allowance book?
But as understanding dawned, his expression darkened rapidly and anger surged.
He turned sharply toward Li Guoqiang, his voice rising.
"What is the meaning of this, Li Guoqiang?" he demanded. "You stopped giving your full allowance to Mother? Have you forgotten your own words? It was you who promised to hand over your entire monthly allowance! And now you dare to take it back?"
Li Guoqiang's gaze hardened. A chill settled in his eyes as old memories surfaced. "I have not forgotten," he said coldly. "But this decision was made under the authority of the brigade leader, and it was both ethically and legally sound. My earnings should rightfully belong to my wife and children."
His voice lowered, yet carried a weight that could not be ignored.
"For years, your mother kept that money for her own use, while my family endured hardship. I said nothing then. But now the matters have been corrected. That is all there is to it."
Before Zhao Depeng could respond, Li Shuying spoke again.
"We still provide two yuan each month," she said. "Tell me, Uncle how much do you contribute?" Her eyes were steady. "I have never seen Aunt spend a single coin on household expenses, not for the home, not for Grandmother. So where does your sense of filial duty reside?"
Zhao Depeng's face flushed with anger.
"Li Shuying!" he snapped. "You are merely a child. You understand nothing. Do not interfere in matters between elders."
Li Shuying smiled, "Is that so?" she said, her voice calm, almost thoughtful. "Then perhaps Uncle should enlighten me. In the Analects, it is said that filial piety begins with sincerity. But what I see here… is merely borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha, using someone else's sacrifice to polish your own virtue."
"And as for me being a child..." she added, her voice softening just enough to sharpen the contrast, "...if even a child can see through such matters, then perhaps the problem is not with the child's understanding… but with your conduct."
Zhao Depeng's face shifted through several shades in rapid succession, first red with anger, then pale with restrained humiliation.
His jaw tightened as he turned sharply toward Li Guoqiang. "Is this how you have taught your daughter to speak to her elders?"
Li Guoqiang merely shrugged, "She just asked you a few questions, What is wrong with that?"
The simplicity of the answer only deepened Zhao Depeng's frustration. Li Guoqiang then lifted his gaze toward the darkening sky. "It is getting late, you should head to the canteen if you plan to eat dinner. As for us, we still have other matters to attend to."
With that, he turned without another word and walked toward the guesthouse.
Ma Zhiyong and others immediately followed him in none of them sparing Zhao Depeng a second look.
The evening wind stirred faintly through the compound as Zhao Depeng remained where he stood for a long time. His hands were clenched tightly at his sides, his nails biting into his palms as humiliation and anger churned violently within him.
This had not been how the encounter was supposed to go.
Not at all.
In truth, he had not come merely to exchange greetings. When Zhao Depeng learned that Li Guoqiang had sold the apples for more than seventy yuan, he almost lost his mind.
After all that amount equaled nearly four months of his combined allowance and Li Guoqiang had earned it in a single day. The thought gnawed at him like a worm burrowing into wood.
So he came to find out about the source of the apples then perhaps he too could profit from it. At the very least, he had intended to pressure Li Guoqiang into sharing the profits.
But instead of extracting answers he had been humiliated by a mere child. His expression darkened. In Zhao Depeng's mind, the world had always followed a certain order.
Li Guoqiang's family should remain poor, grounded and barely surviving and always looking up to him and his family. Only then could he stand comfortably above them. Only then could he enjoy the quiet satisfaction of superiority.
For years, his mother controlling Li Guoqiang's allowance had ensured precisely that. As long as the money flowed into their household, Li Guoqiang's family would remain shackled by hardship.
But now everything had changed. The allowance had returned to Li Guoqiang's wife and worst of all those little bastards no more kept him in regards and openly humiliating him?
Yet the humiliation was only part of it. Another thought surfaced, colder and more calculating.
Li Jianhua.
Both his son, Zhao Xiaojun, and Li Jianhua would sit for the college entrance examination this year and everyone knew Li Jianhua's reputation. If he ranked first again in the entire city then the entire village would sing his praises. Li Guoqiang's son would shine like a rising star and Zhao Xiaojun would once again stand in the shadow.
No, that could not be allowed. A slow, sinister smile crept across Zhao Depeng's lips. If Li Jianhua could not appear for the examination or if something were to happen before then the outcome might be very different.
The idea took shape in his mind with chilling clarity. Without another glance toward the guesthouse, Zhao Depeng turned and strode back toward the barracks.
The dormitory room was empty when he entered. Closing the door behind him, Zhao Depeng sat at the small wooden desk by the window. The faint yellow light of the lamp cast long shadows across the room. He reached into the drawer and withdrew a sheet of coarse writing paper. Then he dipped his brush into the inkstone. His movements were swift.
The letter was addressed to his son Zhao Xiaojun. He knew his son well, the boy was clever and capable, he will definitely complete the task.