The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Chapter 561: Chapter 552: Stepmother Who Refuses to Be a Stepping Stone 40 (A Soulful Epiphany and Rewarded Updates)

Li Jingyu looked at Wang Baozhu, ”Whose idea was this?”

She had already concluded that it was Wang Baozhu who wanted to sell her house.

”No matter who came up with it, we’re here to discuss it with you now.”

Wang Baozhu didn’t want to admit it was her idea, but she couldn’t say it was Li Zhifang’s in front of him.

”Heh.”

Li Jingyu laughed once and stood up to walk into the house.

”Jingyan, what do you mean by this?”

Li Zhifang felt greatly disrespected and grabbed Li Jingyan to ask.

”What do I mean?”

Li Jingyan fiercely shook off Li Zhifang’s hand: ”You claim to be my real parents, but I hardly see it that way. Which parents treat their children like this? Selling a house to start a business, selling a house to pay off debts? It’s clear you don’t consider us family; you just think that having money in your hands is the right thing.”

Li Jingyan grew angrier as she spoke: ”I really shouldn’t have come back.”

”Jingyan.”

Li Zhifang also got angry: ”I am your father, I bought the house for you, and now that I’m in trouble, shouldn’t you sell the house to support me? I’m respecting you by discussing it, if I were like fathers in other families, I wouldn’t have to tell you anything and would just...”

He paused there: ”I spoke wrongly. If I were like the other men in our village, I wouldn’t have bought you the house at all.”

”Ah, there it is, your true feelings.”

Li Jingyan sneered: ”You never wanted to buy us a house, you just think that because we’re girls who will eventually marry off, the house shouldn’t be ours, right?”

”What did you say, you unfilial daughter?”

Li Zhifang sprang to his feet and raised his hand to hit Li Jingyan.

Li Jingyan stood her ground, her neck stiff, shouting loudly: ”Go on, hit me, hit me to death.”

”I’ll hit you to death, you unfilial daughter...”

Li Zhifang’s palm was about to land on Li Jingyan’s face when Li Jingyu suddenly rushed out and pushed Li Zhifang away.

Li Jingyan laughed with tears in her eyes: ”Why did you push him? I want to see if he can beat me to death. I was so foolish to think he actually cared for us. And now? With this woman here, it’s either selling the house or trying to beat us to death. Just great, just great.”

Li Jingyu was also overwhelmed with sorrow.

She hugged Li Jingyan and cried, ”We’d have been better off not coming back, this home isn’t like a home at all, I... I miss Mom.”

Li Jingyu was usually reserved and not prone to much talking, but now her real emotions surged through, revealing her longing for Anning.

At her words, Li Jingyan began to sob loudly: ”Why are we so unlucky? Whose parents are like ours? Our birth mother said she didn’t want us and then just left. After she was gone, how hard was it for the three of us? We barely got a few good years with a mother who cared for us before she came back. As soon as she returned, she started scheming against us. Having such a birth mother, what meaning is there for me to live, what is the point of living?”

Li Jingyu comforted Li Jingyan while addressing Li Zhifang, who was standing to one side seething with rage, and Wang Dingzhu, who was trying to speak: ”The matter of selling the house is not for us to decide. The property title is with Third Uncle now. If you want to sell the house, go find Third Uncle; if he agrees, everything is fine.”

As soon as it was mentioned that the property title was with Li Zhicheng, Li Zhifang deflated.

He knew that Li Zhicheng would never allow him to sell the house.

Li Zhifang glanced at Wang Baozhu: ”Then, let’s... let’s not sell it, I’ll find another way to beg Fifth and Lao Liu to give me some time.”

Li Jingyan wiped away her tears, angrily said: ”You don’t need to go to Sixth Uncle and Fifth Uncle. My sister and I will do it; treat the money as if my sister and I borrowed it. When we are capable in the future, we will pay it back with interest.”

Having said that, Li Jingyan pulled Li Jingyu and left, saying as they walked out: ”We’re going to call Fifth Uncle and Sixth Uncle right now. We’ll take on the debt; in the future, don’t even think about touching our house.”

Li Jingyu followed Li Jingyan, and the sisters quickly left the house.

Wang Baozhu’s face looked somewhat ugly.

She hadn’t expected things to come to this point.

She thought that no matter what, they were still mother and daughter. Even if they hadn’t seen each other for years and had become estranged, they wouldn’t be like enemies. Yet, the result was exactly like they were enemies.

Wang Baozhu seethed with silent resentment.

She felt that Anning had brainwashed the kids, turning them against their own mother.

”Aunt Geng is too much. How could she teach the children to be so ungrateful?”

Wang Baozhu complained to Li Zhifang: ”I don’t know what she says to them usually; I reckon she must speak ill of us. Otherwise, why would the kids harbor resentment toward me, but also be distant from you?”

Li Zhifang thought it over and felt Wang Baozhu had a point.

Anning must have been badmouthing him behind his back, causing the kids to be distant from their own father.

Yet he never reflected on what he had done all this time.

Over these seven or eight years, Li Zhifang really hadn’t been close to the children at all. Buying clothes and shoes for the changing seasons or sewing them was all Anning’s responsibility. The daily meals were cooked by Anning, and it was Anning who was concerned about the children’s well-being. Anning didn’t just care for their daily life, but she also devoted a great deal of effort to the children’s education.

Otherwise, why would all six kids be doing so well in their studies? Wasn’t that all thanks to having a great teacher like Anning?

Moreover, Anning taught the kids many life lessons. It could be said that every day, Anning spent the most time with the kids, whereas Li Zhifang would hardly ever speak a few words to them.

Over time, naturally, the kids knew who they should be close to.

Not to mention that, just look at the issue of selling the house. While Anning was there, she thought of everything for the children. As soon as she had money, she would set up properties for them, treating sons and daughters equally.

But as soon as Anning left, Li Zhifang wanted to sell the houses of Li Jingyu and Li Jingyan. The children weren’t foolish; naturally, they would feel chilled to the heart.

Li Jingyan and Li Jingyu left the house. Li Jingyu asked Li Jingyan, ”Where should we go now?”

It was already getting dark outside. The two stood on the street, looking around, and for a moment, they didn’t know where to go.

Li Jingyu, overwhelmed with sadness, couldn’t help but shed tears. ”Sister, we don’t have a home anymore.”

”Let’s go find Mom.”

Li Jingyan gritted her teeth: ”Let’s go find Mom.”

”But how can we find her now? It’s already dark.”

”I have a way.”

Li Jingyan dragged Li Jingyu to Aunt Lin’s house, borrowed a bicycle, and had Li Jingyu ride with her to the town.

At this time of the year, Li Zhiyuan would generally be in the town.

He now also had a restaurant in the county, but most of the time, he stayed in the town. Moreover, Li Zhiyuan’s eldest son, Li Jingming, was also in the town.

The sisters rode to Li Zhiyuan’s restaurant.

Li Jingyu parked the bicycle steadily, and Li Jingyan rushed inside.

Just then, Li Jingming was coming out. The siblings ran into each other.

”What are you doing?”

Li Jingming grabbed Li Jingyan to steady her: ”Why the rush?”

Li Jingyan clung to Li Jingming: ”Brother, could you... could you drive us to the Provincial City?”

Li Jingming frowned: ”What time is it now? Why are you going to the Provincial City? You two...”

Li Jingyan was desperate: ”Brother, will you take us? If you won’t, we’ll just take a taxi. If something happens on the road...”

Li Jingming was truly scared by these words.

”I’ll take you, take you. I never said I wouldn’t. Come inside first, let me get ready, and then we’ll go.”

Li Zhiyuan’s house was doing good business now. They had recently bought a small truck for hauling goods, and Li Jingyan’s plan was to have Li Jingming drive them to the Provincial City in the truck.