Volume 1 Chapter 10: Grudges and Favors

  Wang Hu's words were quite impressive, and Zhang Yong also showed a smile. Although he had previously understood that Li Yifan's academic performance was not very good, today's Li Yifan somehow made him feel a kind of inexplicable confidence.

  It won't take long for Li Yifan to shock everyone present, and the 10,000 yuan he gave out would be given with a willing heart. As for whether his two uncles' money was given willingly or not, that's something he'd rather not know.

  Wang Guang started eating voraciously, but when he heard his father, his aunt's husband and Li Yihua making a bet, a strange smile appeared on his face. He believed that after a few days, his cousin would be humiliated.

  Your usual poor grades, even if you cram at the last minute, it's probably still useless.

  Zhang Qian didn't say much from start to finish, apparently Li Yifan's confidence today made her feel that something was off. This younger brother of hers, although she didn't know him well, still knew his character. In the past, he had always been cautious and timid, even stuttering when speaking with adults, especially when talking to his own father. But today, his behavior was quite unusual. Maybe Li Yifan really did have some secret that she didn't know about.

  No longer entangled in the topic of children's academic performance, adults began to discuss some current national and municipal news, and the atmosphere at the wine table also became lively. When the children had eaten almost enough, the adults' wine was also almost finished.

  After drinking a few more cups of clear tea and sobering up, this meal finally came to an end, and everyone went their separate ways.

  "Let's go for a walk, the weather is pretty good today."

  In the evening, Bincheng was breezy and cool. The sea breeze brought moisture to the air, making it not feel so hot. Li Lisheng had just finished dinner and wasn't in a hurry to go back home to open his shop, so he suggested taking a walk. Li Yifeng and Zhang Shu both agreed.

  "Son, this time study hard and let them see that we are not as bad as they think."

  As they walked, Li Lisheng suddenly patted Li Yifan's shoulder and said to him, "It turns out that being honest doesn't mean being a fool. Just now, the second uncle-in-law and younger uncle-in-law's words, Li Lisheng had all heard them, it's just that because they are relatives, he didn't want to show his dissatisfaction at the dinner table."

  And today, his son's unique confidence also gave him a kind of inexplicable confidence, so he was particularly enthusiastic today. At this time, he couldn't help but tell Li Yifeng another sentence.

  "Don't worry, Dad, just wait and see after the exam."

  Looking at his father and mother standing beside him with expectant eyes, Li Yifeng's nose was slightly sour. In his previous life, he had disappointed his parents in this exam, and they had been ridiculed by their relatives.

  In the end, I had to pay a high price and drag my uncle to find someone, just to keep myself in the third shift. The cold smile and disdainful expression of my aunt's husband at that time, as well as his hurtful words, are still vivid in my mind.

  "He's not cut out for it, no matter how much money you spend."

  This is what Xiao Yifu said in front of everyone at a family dinner after the final exam results came out, really not leaving any face, and at that time, Da Shu was also very disappointed with himself, so no one stood up to speak for himself and his parents. That day, Li Yifeng still remembers, his father drank a lot that night...

  And the second aunt's family, with their smiling faces hiding knives, and their subsequent actions, were even more ruthless in stabbing a knife in the back of parents who were already worried about their children's education.

  These grudges, he still remembers them to this day. If they dare to do it again in this lifetime, he will definitely make them pay dearly.

  My mother, Zhang Shu, is the eldest in our family. After graduating from a medical school, she worked as a barefoot doctor in rural areas for a period of time. Later, she came to Bin City and became a factory doctor at a textile mill. My father, Li Lisheng, followed his grandfather who was said to have been an imperial chef in Beijing, learning cooking skills from him. He later found a very good job at the state-run Zhengyang Restaurant in Bin City.

  Later, Er Yi was able to get a job at a textile mill, all thanks to Old Mom's introduction.

  Later, the factory's performance was poor, and the state-run Zhengyang Restaurant was also on the verge of bankruptcy due to mismanagement. My father and mother gritted their teeth and decided to open a restaurant themselves.

  At that time, the economic situation of Er Yi's family was not very good either. The benefits were not good, and Er Yi also faced the situation of being laid off. The geological bureau where Er Yi's husband was located at that time was also a poor institution with very poor efficiency.

  If Yimao were to go bankrupt, Er Yi would also be left without a place to settle down. In the end, under the strong intervention of Grandma and Grandpa, Li Yifan's family opened a restaurant, and only then did they reluctantly bring Er Yi and her family along.

  After more than a decade of contact, Li Lisheng, who was born into an honest family, had already discovered that his second brother-in-law was not a good person. Originally, he didn't want to bring them in when opening the restaurant, but due to the intervention of his father-in-law and mother-in-law, as well as the help of his eldest brother-in-law, Zhang Shu, who was the eldest in the family, took it upon herself to set an example and did not want to see her younger sister's difficult situation, so she agreed to merge the two families' shares to open this restaurant.

  However, because Li Lianqiang's family made a big contribution, they are considered the major shareholders of the restaurant. In the restaurant, Li Lianqiang is in charge of stir-frying and cooking, Zhang Shu buys ingredients and does the washing up, as well as other heavy tasks, but Zhang Ying got the relatively easy job of working at the front desk and doing the accounts.

  At that time, Li Lijiang was very dissatisfied with such an arrangement, but Zhang Shuxin was soft-hearted and said that her sister's body was not good, she had to take care of her, so she compromised.

  Over the years, this small restaurant has become a famous tourist city in Bincheng, and business is getting better and better. The two families have also made a lot of money, but it's also where the trouble started.

  Li Liqiang is a straightforward person, with a simple and honest nature. He speaks directly and to the point. Moreover, he has some resentment towards Ermei's family for taking advantage of them. When he sees his wife working hard in the kitchen while Ermei sits idly in the front, not even bothering to help when she has no work to do, he can't help but feel unhappy. As a result, when speaking to Ermei, his tone is often heavy, and on several occasions, he has even made her cry.

  This way of going back and forth was seen by Er Yi Fu Wang Hu, and it's inevitable that he would feel displeased in his heart.

  Xiao Yi's family originally came to their restaurant for a meal every weekend, but later saw Li Lisheng mention Er Yi again, and Xiao Yifu was somewhat displeased with this brother-in-law.

  The reason is simple, when he and Xiao Yi were in a relationship, it was Er Yi who introduced them, and at that time they didn't have anywhere to hang out, so they often ate and played at Er Yi's house, so his relationship with Er Yi and her husband was very good.

  Furthermore, Cai Ming originally looked down on Li Lisheng and thought he was not good at handling things, so the relationship between the two families became even more rigid. Although they still seemed harmonious on the surface, cracks had already appeared.

  It was this summer, after the final exam in August, when the landlord of their seafood restaurant came to collect rent, he said that he wanted to redecorate the house. After all, the building where the restaurant is located was originally an illegal construction, and its quality can be imagined. Leaking wind in winter and leaking rain in summer are common occurrences.

  Seeing how enthusiastic the landlord was about helping to renovate the house, Li Lisheng and his wife were naturally very happy and agreed.

  But when the landlord led a team of construction workers into the scene, something went wrong. They suddenly discovered that more than 100,000 yuan had been withdrawn from the restaurant's public account.

  It wasn't until then that they discovered their second sister's family had opened a seafood restaurant on the other side of Wu Yi Road, and the waiters in the restaurant were actually the original waiters from their family restaurant.

  The account was emptied, all the waiters were taken away, Li's seafood stall was almost half closed down. It was the peak tourist season at that time, if they could quickly reorganize and reopen, they might still be able to make some money. However, next year's rent had already been paid to the landlord, and the landlord would not finish renovating the house until November at the earliest.

  Then after renovation, recruiting staff and reopening, it will be at least until the end of December or next year. However, during these months, it is always the off-season for tourism, how can business be so good?

  His second aunt's move has indeed made Li Yifan's family miserable, and they have opened a seafood store on the other side of Wuyi Street, with the clear intention of competing with you.

  Zhang Shu was furious, her own sister actually did such a thing to herself, the elder sister who raised her with one hand. So she went to Li Lisheng's house with Li Lisheng to reason with them. Unexpectedly, at their home, she was ridiculed by Er Yifu and Xiao Yifu.

  When I wanted to find other relatives to help reason, I didn't expect that my second aunt and her husband had already spoken ill of my family in front of many relatives. Many relatives were willing to speak a fair word for me, not even my eldest uncle who usually favors my family spoke up.

  Zhang Shu was so angry that she developed high blood pressure in mid-August of that year and almost had a stroke. A year later, although her family had recovered, with the help of various relatives, Er Yi's business had grown bigger, making Zhang Shu even angrier. Unexpectedly, a series of setbacks followed, including high blood pressure, diabetes, and vitiligo, which eventually defeated this kind-hearted woman who had always been good-natured throughout her life.

  After the old mother passed away, she told herself before leaving that she should not go to Erniang's house for trouble again. After all, what had happened in the past was over, and at that time, she had let it go. However, Li Yifan, who had been through two lifetimes until now, still couldn't let it go.

  It was precisely because of the shamelessness of Er Yi's family that they created the tragedy of his ancestors wanting to be filial but not being able to wait for their relatives. This kind of situation is absolutely not allowed to happen again in this life.