Chapter 553: Chapter 544: The Stepmother Who Refuses to Be a Stepping Stone 32
The Li brothers all looked down on Wang Baozhuâs character.
And they saw through her more clearly than Li Zhifang.
Wang Baozhu ran off with another man when Li Zhifang was poor, so she definitely was not a good person and was also extremely heartless, ruthless, and selfish.
As soon as Wang Baozhu returned, she forced Li Zhifang to divorce Anning. If she were allowed to get back together with Li Zhifang, who knows how she would disrupt the peace and tranquility of the entire Li family.
As the Eldest, Li Zhiyuan expressed his opinion first: "Even if Lao Si and Anning get divorced, I would never agree to let Wang Baozhu step through our door."
Li Zhipeng also immediately added: "Iâm thinking the same. Lao Si and Wang Baozhu can be together if he wants, but itâs absolutely impossibile for them to get married."
Having been silent and sitting in the corner, Li Baolai suddenly chimed in: "I had Jingyu hand over all the household registration books of Lao Siâs family to me. Without the household registration book, he canât get married."
Zhang Fengfeng was initially startled, but then she happily praised Li Baolai: "Old man, youâve handled this brilliantly. I didnât expect you to have such cunning. Why didnât I think of that? Youâre the smart one, old man."
Her praise made Li Baolaiâs old face red: "No need to talk about this."
Li Zhicheng chuckled secretly for a moment, then reminded Zhang Fengfeng: "Mother, you and father should keep safe Lao Siâs household registration book. Iâll also give the village committee a heads-up. Without the introduction letter issued by the village, Lao Si canât get married. Iâll instruct the village committee not to produce any proof for him. We donât oppose him liking Wang Baozhu, but this woman must not dream of entering our house."
"Got it, Iâm well aware," she replied.
Truth be told, among the Li brothers, Li Zhicheng was capable and competent, but the most narrow-minded and shrewdest was still the Fifth, Li Zhiping.
He initially didnât say much, but then he finally spoke: "I remember that Lao Si borrowed money to buy the house, and later on to renovate it. The money for the house has been repaid, but there was still a bit more borrowed for the renovation, and that hasnât been paid off, right?"
Li Zhikang nodded: "Lao Si did borrow some. When I lent him the money, his wife at the time... um, Anning wanted to write an IOU. I said thereâs no need for IOUs between brothers, but Anning insisted on it, saying even brothers should settle accounts clearly."
Li Zhiping also laughed: "Was the same for me, Anning had Lao Si write an IOU."
The two brothers exchanged a glance: "In a few days, letâs go and demand the debt from Lao Si."
Zhang Fengfeng slapped her thigh: "Do it, demand it in a few days to prevent him from squandering the money on that hussy."
Li Baolai took a sip of water: "You all just demand from Lao Si, but donât from Anning, after all, our Li family owes her."
"We definitely wonât," they assured.
Li Zhiping and Li Zhikang wouldnât dream of demanding debts from Anning. In fact, Anning had been a great help to them over the years, especially Li Zhikang. When he started his furniture factory, Anning helped him find some master craftsmen, and there was a time when he couldnât recover a big debt. It was Anning who came up with a solution to recover it, or else he would have gone bankrupt.
Li Zhiping pondered for a moment: "Mother, if Lao Si saves up some money, you coax him into purchasing property for the kids, anyway, we canât let him keep too much idle cash on hand."
Zhang Fengfeng was overjoyed upon hearing this: "Lao Wu, how is it that you and mother think so alike?"
All these sly folks at the Li home were enough to drive Li Zhifang mad, a group gathered at Li Baolaiâs place plotting against Li Zhifang alone.
At this moment, Li Zhifang was still unaware of how his kin were scheming against him; he was on a date with Wang Baozhu.
Wang Baozhu was meticulously dolled up, wearing a light blue dress and her long hair styled into big, wavy curls. Her face painted with delicate makeup, she looked especially stunning.
Li Zhifangâs heartbeat accelerated at the sight of her, a feeling he had not experienced since they first fell in love.
This was a feeling that he never had when with Anning.
He quietly took Wang Baozhuâs hand: "Iâve divorced Anning. She didnât want anything and left on her own with the child."
Wang Baozhu lowered her head and smiled mildly: "It doesnât matter what she wants; we have money now, we wonât have to live a rough life anymore, and what I care about is you and the children. As long as you all are well, Iâm very happy."
She leaned on Li Zhifangâs shoulder: "Zhifang, Iâm so happy, I... I did wrong, but you didnât despise me, and you generously accepted me. I really, truly owe you a lot. From now on, I will live well with you, and I will definitely raise our children right. Our good days are still ahead."
What she was actually thinking was, isnât it true that the good days are yet to come? Li Zhifang is going to be a well-known agricultural magnate, and those three kids at home will each become big shots. As long as she can hold onto their hearts, there are countless benefits to be had in the future.
"Uh-huh, weâll definitely live well in the future."
Li Zhifang wasnât one to say sweet nothings, even when happy, it simply wasnât something he could express with words.
"When are we getting married?"
Wang Baozhu asked: "My dad and mom despise me, and my sisters-in-law arenât nice to me either. I really canât take it anymore, can we get married soon? Once weâre married, I can move in and live with you."
Li Zhifang, with fervent enthusiasm, said decisively: "How about tomorrow? Iâll get everything ready, and tomorrow we can go get our marriage certificate."
"Good."
Wang Baozhu smiled softly, her heart blooming with joy.
After the Li familyâs family meeting was over, Li Zhicheng and his brothers each had their own matters to attend to and didnât stay much longer, each saying their goodbyes and leaving.
Li Zhicheng had just left home when he ran into Li Jingyan.
"Uncle San."
Li Jingyan hurried over and called out.
Li Zhicheng smiled and responded: "Hmm, Jingyan, whatâs up?"
Li Jingyan took out a package and handed it to Li Zhicheng: "Uncle San, here are the property papers for me, my sister, and my brother. Iâve always felt itâs not safe to keep them at home. You... you keep them for now, and Iâll come to you when I need them, okay?"
The smile in Li Zhichengâs eyes deepened.
Among Li Zhifangâs three children, Li Jingyan was the sharpest, and her temperament actually somewhat resembled Li Zhichengâs.
He also favored this niece, Li Jingyan, the most.
"Alright, Iâll keep them for you. When you need them in the future, just come to me. Apart from you three, I wonât give them to anyone else."
Li Zhicheng took the package and took out the property papers, placing them in the briefcase he carried: "In the future, if you have any problems, just come to Uncle San. Or you can go to your Fifth Uncle or Sixth Uncle."
Li Jingyan smiled, and after a while asked Li Zhicheng: "Uncle San, has my mom been in contact with you all? Where is she now?"
Li Zhicheng really didnât know where Anning was at that moment. He pondered for a while: "Your mother should be in the Provincial City. Donât worry; maybe tomorrow when you go to school youâll bump into Liu Qi and Liu Ming, you can just ask them."
Li Jingyan thought about it and realized it made sense.
Liu Qi and Liu Ming were in the same class with her. Although Anning had left, Liu Qi and Liu Ming still had to return to school. She would definitely be able to find out some information from them.
"Okay."
Li Jingyan felt much better thinking about the fact that Liu Qi and Liu Ming hadnât left. She waved to Li Zhicheng with a smile: "Then go ahead, Uncle San. It wonât be long before I get into a high school in the Provincial City, and then Iâll be able to see my mom again."
Li Zhicheng patted Li Jingyanâs head: "Child, donât think too much, remember to study hard."