Chapter 122: It’s All the Wood’s Fault

After howling for a while, Liu Bao ultimately didn't dare eat the dog poop.

Seeing Li Lingling crying so hard she could hardly breathe, Li Xian disregarded the notion of child discipline.

Ignoring the pulling of Li You and Zou Ni, he directly picked up the little rascal and gave Liu Bao four hard slaps. Liu Bao cried without even a chance to protest.

Liu Guangsheng, distressed, tried to intervene but was kicked aside by Wu Shengli. Watching his precious son being beaten to a pulp, Liu Guangsheng could only feel helpless.

When Li Xian finally threw Liu Bao to the ground, Liu Guangsheng scrambled up, snatched his son, and ran outside. In the courtyard, he yelled angrily:

"Li Lao Er, you'd better watch out! If I let you get through the New Year, my surname isn't Liu!"

Fearing Li Xian might come after him, Liu Guangsheng didn't dare say more. With Liu Bao, who was completely frightened out of his wits, in his arms, he fled.

Inside the house.

With the commotion outside ceasing, Li Qing finally had the chance to stumble through an account of the afternoon's events.

"If the adults in the family don't teach, I don't believe a child of just a few years could act like this!" Only after everything had been settled did Li Qing find his justification.

Li You let out a heavy sigh: "What's this all about! Oh my God."

"Pfft."

Li Daoyun, sitting cross-legged on the kang, took out a match to light his pipe and deeply inhaled. He then forcefully exhaled the pungent smoke into his son's face.

"Don't even mention your mother. If she were alive, she'd have hacked that bastard to pieces with a kitchen knife. I'd call you father if she didn't."

Although Li Xian had never met his great-grandmother, he had heard from the elderly Li Daoyun that she had been quite formidable. When she was leading bandits in the mountains, she wielded a box cannon and a big machete, making local men shudder.

In the past, she was nicknamed "Night Yasha," a name far more intimidating than Li Daoyun's. Li Daoyun himself said, "If your great-grandmother hadn't been killed in the chaos while pregnant with her second child, we wouldn't know what kind of family the old Li family is now."

Li Daoyun looked at Li You, who was still blowing out sighs, and then at Li Qing, who stood there dumbfounded. His anger flared.

Following the rules of teaching his own children in person, he pointed his smoking pipe at the two men, "You're like mountain donkeys turned into grasshoppers—each generation worse than the last. Oldest son, don't just stand there like a fool; sweep the dog poop with a broom before it melts."

"Alright," Li Qing lowered his head and went to clean the mess.

Li Daoyun looked at Li Xian, feeling somewhat reassured—at least the old Li family still had someone with backbone.

At this moment, Zou Ni, wiping her tears, said, "What are we going to do? If we've beaten their child like this, won't the Liu family come over and make a fuss? How are we supposed to celebrate the New Year?"

There was silence in the room.

With the New Year approaching and such events unfolding, it was indeed troubling.

After Li Qing cleaned up the dog poop, Li Xian, feeling frustrated, introduced Wu Shengli to the family: "Grandpa, Dad, Mom, this is my new godfather."

The family then recognized Wu Shengli, who had spent some time at the retirement home with them, and immediately invited him to sit on the kang.

Zou Ni also dried her tears and went to the kitchen to start cooking.

In these times, recognizing a godfather was a significant matter.

In the traditional hierarchy of Heaven, Earth, Emperor, Parents, and Teacher, with the people now ruling, the closest kin became paramount. Calling someone "father" or "mother" meant one was bound to provide for and respect them.

By this logic, the family had to treat Wu Shengli as their own.

Wu Shengli sat on the kang and, seeing Zou Ni's worried expression as she went back and forth with frozen fruits and seeds, waved his hand: "Sister-in-law, what's the big deal? What else can they do? Kill someone?"

"Even if they don't kill anyone, causing a commotion with a group of people during the New Year is already quite something," Zou Ni sighed. Having been an honest person all her life, she feared such troubles the most. She then patted Li Xian's arm, "Second son, you're usually so righteous, how come today you're acting like a stubborn mule?"

Li Daoyun didn't like this and slammed the pipe on the kang, "Who are you calling a stubborn mule?"

Zou Ni flinched, realizing she might have unintentionally offended her father-in-law, forgetting that the one leading the charge was indeed her own father.

Li Xian waved his hand, saying a few words to calm everyone down. However, Zou Ni's remarks had reminded him of something.

At this moment, Li Jie and Li Pi, who had been helping Wang Feng steam dry goods, returned.

Seeing Li Xian come back, they were surprised: "Second Brother, we thought you wouldn't make it home before the New Year… Hey? What happened?"

Noticing the tense atmosphere, Li Pi immediately inquired.

Li Xian stepped forward, patted Li Pi's head, which seemed to have grown a bit taller, "Fourth Brother, you're quick on your feet. Help me out. Go call your older brother Qinghe and the others, then go to the checkpoint and use their phone to dial my old pager number. If Xu Bing calls back, tell them to come to our house. If not, then just leave it."

"Got it!" Following Li Xian's instructions, Li Pi didn't waste any time and ran off.

After Li Pi left, Li Jie's eyes reddened upon hearing about the events of the afternoon while she had been away.

She had only been back for a couple of days. Although she had been keeping herself busy at the paper factory and had managed to forget about her issues with Gao Ming to some extent, hearing that even a child had called her names was unbearable.

"How did I become a loose woman? Who have I ever been with?" She felt both wronged and upset.

Li Xian had already roughly sorted out the current situation of the family in the lumberyard.

It was likely due to the troubles with Gao Ming and the previous conflicts with Accountant Liu's family over buying the house, combined with the news of his debts, that had led to a significant decline in the family's status and reputation in the lumberyard.

Otherwise, judging by the situation when they built the new house in summer, such an incident wouldn't have happened.

Thinking this, he shared his thoughts with the family.

However, Li Daoyun dismissed it with a wave:

"Nonsense. What you said certainly has some connection. But to blame it all on that, it's just people gossiping behind our backs.

The Liu family has never stopped trying to undermine us. Before, when the third one went to the forestry bureau, there were still two months' wages owed to the broadcaster. When I went to collect them, Accountant Liu said the third one was absent without leave and had his wages deducted.

Later, during winter when his second son measured the land, he ended up measuring more land than your elder brother's by over an acre. Know why? Isn't it because you're dealing in timber?"

"Timber?" Li Xian was stunned, "My timber dealings have nothing to do with them."

"Yes! It's got nothing to do with them, yet they're picking a fight. During the logging season, the quota for the lumberyard is fixed. Every winter, the amount is nearly the same, and the accounting side doesn't check thoroughly. Accountant Liu makes some extra quota on the side, covering your father's wages for two years.

Now you're taking out ten truckloads at a time with official approval. The accounting side has to check every week. How can Liu's accounts be handled? If they don't keep up, it's like digging up their ancestral grave."

Click!

Li Xian slapped his forehead.

It all made sense!

This explained why the Liu family was so hostile—money is as dear as one's parents. Thinking back, he could have just buried the entire Liu family alive!

But now, with things having progressed this far, Li Xian couldn't afford to retreat.

The timber deals had earned him at least 100,000 yuan over the past month. In fact, the 150,000 yuan loan from the agricultural credit union, which was supposed to settle the raw materials and full salaries for the workers, relied on the money from timber deals.

Without this, Li Xian would truly be at a loss.

Although Li You spoke calmly, the fact that so much had happened while he was away made Li Xian feel the pressure.

To his family, even knowing Wang Feng's character, Li Xian thought, "Forget it, as long as I can live a good life with Li Qing and maintain the family, that's better than anything."

But when it came to outsiders bullying them, he couldn't accept it.

Though he hadn't voiced it, he was already silently planning—this matter was far from over.

Just then, a commotion was heard outside.

"Who the hell hit someone? Is there no law?"

Before the words were out, the door was yanked open. With the warm air from inside meeting the cold air outside, a few men in green forestry uniforms, reeking of alcohol, entered the room.

Noticing Li Xian leaning against the doorframe, one of them pulled out a pair of handcuffs from behind his waist.