Chapter Forty: A Man's Knees Are Worth Their Weight in Gold

At this moment, Li Dali also reacted. He secretly regretted that he had been one step slower than his younger brother just now. He quickly rushed to his mother's side and said affectionately, "Mom, we are all flesh and blood of yours. How could we just ignore you? Before, it was because those quack doctors said that your illness couldn't be cured. In the future, we will definitely be filial to you and take good care of you! Huzi, don't be in a daze. Hurry up and take it. Then we can invite the guest to our home and have a seat."

Li Xiaohu turned around and glanced at his two brazen brothers, then looked at the bank card handed over by Lu Feng. He gritted his teeth and shook his head, saying, "Big Brother Lu, I can't take your money anymore! You have already done us the greatest favor by curing my mother's illness. You even bought clothes for my mother and me, and made sure we had good food and a good place to stay. I can't take this money. In the future, I can work and earn money to support my mother!"

As soon as his words fell, Li Dali and Li Dazhi, his two brothers standing behind his mother, became furious at the same time. Li Dazhi was the first to angrily shout, "Huzi, what nonsense are you talking about? How can you refuse someone's kind gesture? Hurry up and take it!"

"Huzi, do you know what you're saying? What ability do you have to support your mother? With money, your mother can suffer less and have better food and drinks. Hurry up and take it and thank this big brother!" Li Dali also said angrily.

Lu Feng glanced at these two unfilial sons and sneered inwardly. He could see a strong sense of greed in their eyes.

But this was even better. If they weren't greedy, it would really be difficult for him to carry out the following plan.

With a warm look in his eyes, Lu Feng looked at Li Xiaohu and smiled, "Take it. What your two big brothers said is right. You must use some of this money to go to school. You are still at an age when you need to go to school. You must learn cultural knowledge well so that you can become a talented person in the future. Also, besides your schooling, keep the rest of the money for your mother to take care of her health. You surely don't want your mother to suffer with you like before, do you?"

Li Xiaohu turned to look at his mother, and there was a look of hesitation in his eyes.

The middle-aged woman had now completely given up on her eldest and second sons.

She had raised these sons, so how could she not understand their thoughts? Now they were pretending to care about her, asking about her well-being, and eagerly promising to take care of her in the future. Who couldn't see that they were after the bank card handed over by Lu Feng and the 100,000 yuan in it?

Feeling bitter in her heart, she forcefully shook off the hands they had reached out to support her, walked to Li Xiaohu's side, and looked at Lu Feng, saying, "Little Brother Lu, we really can't take this money. We already owe you and Dr. Shang a great deal. Please take it back! We will be able to live a good life in the future."

Lu Feng smiled noncommittally, took a step forward directly, and stuffed the bank card into Li Xiaohu's hand. Then he turned to the middle-aged woman and smiled, "It's okay. This money means nothing to me. As a mother, you surely can't bear to see Xiaohu not being able to go to school, right? He is at an age when he should be studying. Only by learning cultural knowledge well can he succeed in the future, go out, and live a happy and stable life in a big city. He can earn a lot of money and bring you a stable old age. Auntie, please don't refuse!"

"This..."

The middle-aged woman hesitated.

What Lu Feng said made sense. Her son had dropped out of junior high school and carried her around to seek medical treatment. He was now at an age when he should be in school, and she couldn't delay him any longer!

Lu Feng chuckled, patted Li Xiaohu on the shoulder, and then turned to Li Dali and Li Dazhi, saying, "Aren't you going to get the key? Do you want your mother to stand outside here and face the cold wind?"

Li Dazhi quickly nodded and said to the middle-aged woman, "Mom, you wait a moment. I'll go get it right away!"

Li Xiaohu looked down at the bank card in his hand, feeling uneasy. It was not until Li Dazhi ran away quickly that a determined look appeared on his face. He turned to the villagers gathered around and said, "Uncles, aunts, and elders, my mother has just returned home and is in very poor health. She can't chat and greet you all today. She needs to rest quietly. You can go and do whatever you need to do. I will definitely take my mother to visit your homes another day!"

The villagers around looked at the bank card in Li Xiaohu's hand with envy. Upon hearing his words, they all greeted the middle-aged woman warmly and then left one after another.

Of course, everyone had witnessed what had happened today and despised Li Dali and Li Dazhi in their hearts. They had actually forgotten their mother once they got married. Such unfilial sons were really heartless and worse than beasts.

Soon, the key to the gate was brought. When the courtyard gate was opened, the middle-aged woman burst into tears when she saw the overgrown weeds in the courtyard. At the beginning, she and her second son, Xiaohu, had been driven out from here. Now, thanks to Lu Feng, she and her son were able to come back.

"Xiaohu, kowtow to your Big Brother Lu. If it weren't for him, your mother and I would probably still be suffering under the bridge cave!"

The middle-aged woman sobbed.

There were also tears in Li Xiaohu's eyes, and he was about to kneel down to Lu Feng.

Lu Feng quickly stopped Li Xiaohu and said seriously, "Auntie, this is all I should do. You don't have to take it to heart! You are an elder, and it is only right that we respect you! Xiaohu, remember, a man's knees are worth their weight in gold. Don't kneel to others at every turn in the future, understand?"

Li Xiaohu nodded heavily and firmly remembered these words of Big Brother Lu in his heart.

"Mom, we..." Li Dazhi followed behind and was about to enter the courtyard gate.

The middle-aged woman's face changed, and she said angrily, "Who allowed you to come in? This is my home. I raised you so big, married you off, and I don't owe you anything anymore! From now on, you are you, and I am me. If anyone dares to enter my courtyard gate again, I will break their legs!"

Li Dali and Li Dazhi's faces darkened, and they were angry, but they didn't dare to enter. However, in their hearts, they were both secretly cursing: Who wants to enter your old woman's house? If it weren't for that 100,000 yuan, we wouldn't care about your business at all!

But with Lu Feng around, they didn't dare to say it. In case they angered this rich guy, the money that was almost in their hands might slip away.

Reluctantly stopping in their tracks, Li Dali forced a smile and said, "Mom, look at how messy this courtyard is. We wanted to help you clean it up. After all, you are our mother. You gave birth to us. How could we not care about your affairs?"

"Get out!"

The middle-aged woman was furious. Li Dazhi's words had brought back the hardships she and her younger son had experienced in the past few years.

"You..."

Li Dali was about to get angry when Li Dazhi quickly stopped him and said in a low voice, "Let's go first. We'll come back tonight."

Li Dali nodded resentfully. His eyes swept over Li Xiaohu's hand, and he turned and left.

The middle-aged woman, with tears streaming down her face, looked at the weeds in the courtyard and cried, "What on earth did I do in my last life to deserve such torture!"

Li Xiaohu also shed tears. He gently supported his mother and sobbed, "Mom, don't be sad. I'm still here, aren't I? I will definitely be more filial to you in the future and make sure you have a good life!"

The middle-aged woman turned to look at her younger son and hugged him tightly, crying loudly.

Lu Feng didn't try to console them. He knew that after this outburst, Li Xiaohu's mother would probably be able to release all her sadness. This was not a bad thing but a great thing. It would help her better deal with her state of mind in the future and her attitude towards her two unfilial sons.

After a long while, the mother and son stopped crying. The middle-aged woman wiped the tears from her face. Seeing Lu Feng's calm expression, she felt a bit embarrassed and forced a smile, saying, "Little Brother Lu, I'm really sorry for making you laugh. It's a misfortune in my family. It's all my fault for not educating them well before. But from today on, after seeing them again, I have a clearer understanding in my heart. They are all grown up, and I won't need them in the future. Although we can't completely cut off all contact, we'll just live our own lives!"

Lu Feng silently agreed in his heart and grinned. Then he said, "Auntie! Let's not talk about these unhappy things! You should be happy to be back home. Xiaohu, let's clean up the house and the courtyard. By the way, is there a store in your village? We still need to buy good kitchen utensils and household items. Also, we need to buy new quilts and such!"

Li Xiaohu smiled and said, "I think there should be. I've been away from home for half a year. After we finish cleaning up, I'll go and ask."

At noon, Lu Feng went to the county town to buy food. Since the items in the rural stores were not complete, he also took Li Xiaohu to do some big shopping in the county town by the way. Anyway, he had rented the BMW for three days, and during these three days, including that Driver Li, they all had to follow Lu Feng's orders.

The lunch at noon was brought by the neighbor. The villagers were simple and honest. The neighbor, a chubby auntie, knew that Li Xiaohu and his mother had just returned home. The pots, bowls, spoons, and other kitchen utensils in their house hadn't been used for several years, and there was no cooking oil, salt, soy sauce, or vinegar. They surely couldn't cook, so she directly stewed an old hen and made a big pot of stewed dishes.

Eating these dishes, Lu Feng felt a warmth. Back at home before, his parents often cooked such big pots of dishes for him, didn't they?

At four o'clock in the afternoon, when everything was tidied up, the originally desolate courtyard and the stuffy, musty house were all completely transformed. With a faint smile, Lu Feng bid farewell to the middle-aged woman and her son.

On the winding dirt road, Driver Li was driving the BMW X6 SUV. Looking at Lu Feng in the back seat who was closing his eyes to rest through the rearview mirror, he hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Mr. Lu, there's one thing I don't understand. Why are you so kind to their mother and son? From what I've seen and heard today, I know that you are not related to them at all! Also, today you gave them 100,000 yuan in front of so many people, which really puzzles me. You should be well aware of what kind of people the eldest sister's two sons are, and also the reactions of the people around. I don't think you are the kind of person who wants to show off."