Chapter 205: The Country Vendor

Li Dong had come to terms with things and even agreed to his father adopting the unfamiliar cousin.

However, Li Chengyuan had a change of heart.

Seeing Li Dong's puzzled expression, Li Chengyuan sighed, "I initially wanted to adopt this girl, Li Lan, but after reconsidering, I think it's a bit inappropriate."

"Li Lan is fifteen now and has her own thoughts. No matter how bad Chen Jing is, she's still her mother, and Li Lan might not want to live with us."

Compared to Chen Jing, both Li Chengyuan and his wife are strangers in Li Lan's eyes.

No matter how bad her mother is, she's still better than strangers.

The idea of adoption was a wishful thinking of everyone, and no one had asked Li Lan's opinion.

But since Li Lan is not a child anymore, she must have her own considerations. Forcing the situation might not end well and could lead to complaints.

Li Dong's face showed a bitter smile. If this was the outcome, he would have preferred not to be scolded, and in the end, it seemed he was left in a difficult position.

Li Chengyuan, noticing Li Dong's thoughts, scolded, "I'm your father. Am I breaking the law by scolding you? If I beat you, you would have to accept it!"

Before Li Dong could respond, Cao Fang interjected angrily, "Try beating him, old man! You're getting more troublesome with age. Has my son done anything to deserve this?"

"Isn't your son also my son?"

Li Chengyuan grumbled. Seeing Cao Fang glaring at him, he cleared his throat and said, "I'm just talking, why are you so serious about it?"

"Hmph!"

Cao Fang ignored him and said to Li Dong, "Dongzi, if you have something to do, go back to Pingchuan first. You can come back when that day arrives."

Li Dong understood what "that day" meant, and so did Li Chengyuan.

Though Li Chengyuan had an idea, hearing Cao Fang say it still left him feeling uncomfortable.

Cao Fang saw him hanging his head and wanted to say something, but ultimately held her tongue.

In terms of emotions, it seemed that Li Chengyuan was the only one in the Li family who still cared about Li Chenghui. Others, even Li Chenghui's children, didn't seem to evoke much sorrow in Li Chengyuan.

After all, they grew up together, were biological brothers, and Li Chenghui wasn't that old. Naturally, Li Chengyuan felt distressed.

Li Dong and Cao Fang didn't know how to comfort him. After a while, Li Chengyuan composed himself and said, "Life and death are fated, and wealth is in the hands of destiny. He lived a full life and did not lose out."

After saying this, Li Chengyuan said to Li Dong, "Today, we'll talk to Chen Jing and Li Lan. If they agree, I'll proceed with the adoption. If not, we'll just look after Li Lan more in the future. Other matters will be left to fate."

Li Dong nodded in agreement without saying much.

Cao Fang, however, expressed dissatisfaction, "If you're going to talk about adoption, then don't talk about it at all. If the girl's life here is really uncomfortable, it wouldn't matter if she stayed for a year or two. We wouldn't lose a meal because of her. But adoption is a different matter. Not only is her mother still around, but if in the future..."

Cao Fang didn't want to say more. If they adopted Li Lan and something happened to them, would the property and store be split between Li Lan and Li Dong?

Although Li Dong wasn't short of money now, it was money he earned himself.

They had worked all their lives and planned to leave something for their son, like the house and store.

But if they adopted Li Lan, she would be considered their daughter, and how would they settle that?

Li Chengyuan was concerned about this niece, while Cao Fang didn't know Li Lan and leaned towards her son's perspective.

Cao Fang was displeased when Li Chengyuan brought this up last night, but she followed the principle that death is paramount. With Li Chenghui's condition, Cao Fang didn't want to argue with Li Chengyuan at this critical moment.

Li Chengyuan said, "I have my own considerations. You don't need to worry."

Cao Fang snorted and stopped insisting.

The adoption was not yet finalized, so discussing these things was a bit premature. Besides, she felt that Chen Jing would likely not agree.

Unless...

Realizing this, Cao Fang quickly said, "Old man, don't mention our store or Dongzi's situation to anyone."

"Got it. I'm aware!" Li Chengyuan said impatiently.

"You're just a bunch of nonsense!"

Li Chengyuan ignored her and pondered how to approach the situation.

---

In the afternoon, Li Dong and Li Chengyuan met with Chen Jing and Li Lan.

Li Lan remained timid, not daring to speak and kept her head down, lost in thought.

Chen Jing, however, complained to Li Chengyuan, "Your elder brother, is he even human? Isn't Li Lan his daughter? But he only cares about Li Nanming and Li Qing..."

Li Chengyuan listened silently, not responding.

After she finished, he gruffly asked, "There's no point in talking to me about this. I'm asking, what are your thoughts on what my wife said yesterday?"

Chen Jing stopped crying and said angrily, "What thoughts can there be? I don't agree! I'm not dead yet, so why should anyone else adopt my daughter!"

Chen Jing then turned to Li Chengyuan and said, "Your elder brother, I'm not targeting you. I know you mean well, but Wang Li's intentions are not good! She said the construction team was disbanded, but I've found out that the people are still there; they just changed the name. Do you think her mother and the others are not black-hearted?"

Li Chengyuan didn't want to get involved and asked Li Lan, "Li Lan, what do you think?"

Chen Jing's expression darkened, and she pouted, remaining silent.

Li Lan, hearing Li Chengyuan's question, blushed and after a long pause, said quietly, "Elder... Elder Uncle, I want to stay with my mother."

Li Chengyuan nodded and sighed after a while, "Then forget it. If you need anything in the future, you can contact me in Dongping, or you can go to Pingchuan to find your brother Dongzi."

Saying this, Li Chengyuan took out a prepared note from his pocket and handed it to Li Lan, "This is my phone number and address, and also your brother Dongzi's number and address. Keep it in mind, and contact me if you need anything. You can also come over to my place sometimes; your aunt hasn't met you yet."

He had anticipated this outcome and prepared the contact information in advance.

This was the best he could do. Since the mother and daughter didn't agree, he couldn't forcefully take their daughter.

If it weren't for fearing that Li Lan might suffer with her mother, Li Chengyuan wouldn't have wanted to get involved. Now that the mother and daughter had declined, Li Chengyuan actually felt a bit relieved.

Li Lan glanced at Chen Jing, saw that her mother remained silent, and decided to take the note.

With that, Li Chengyuan had nothing more to say and stood up, "I'll leave now. I'll go persuade the elder brother and at least leave something for you two."

Seeing Chen Jing's hopeful face, Li Chengyuan added, "But I can't guarantee anything. It depends on him."

Chen Jing hurriedly said, "Elder Uncle, we're counting on you. Talk to Uncle Li for us. We're struggling..."

Li Chengyuan didn't want to listen to her complaints. Apart from lamenting, Chen Jing had nothing else to say.

Not wanting to continue arguing with her, Li Chengyuan called to Li Dong, "Dongzi, let's go visit your elder uncle at the hospital. After that, you can head back to Pingchuan."

Li Dong agreed and glanced at Li Lan, who was watching him furtively. He thought for a moment and said, "Li Lan, you can call me if you need anything in the future."

Although Li Chengyuan had mentioned it earlier, Li Dong repeated it.

This was a promise Li Dong made after thinking it over last night. Otherwise, he might not have even left his contact information.

Now he was making a commitment to Li Lan that she could reach out to him if needed.

Li Lan timidly murmured a "mm" and didn't dare look at Li Dong again.

Li Dong didn't take it personally. After saying this, he left with Li Chengyuan.

After they left, Chen Jing glared at Li Lan and said, "Useless! What did I tell you before I came? You should have begged them to speak on your behalf with your father. Why didn't you say anything just now?"

Li Lan kept her head down and remained silent, making Chen Jing even more displeased. She shouted, "What good is having you? If I had a son, I'd have someone to rely on in my next life. If I'd known you were such a burden, I should have just ended you!"

With that, Chen Jing huffed and prepared to leave.

Seeing Li Lan looking at the note Li Chengyuan left, Chen Jing angrily shouted, "What are you looking at? That cheap second uncle of yours is just a country vendor. Do you really think you can rely on them?"

As if that wasn't enough, Chen Jing turned back and snatched the note from Li Lan, tearing it into shreds.

Li Lan stared blankly, catching only the words "Wanyuan Community" on the torn note.