Chapter 274: Chapter 274

At four o’clock in the afternoon, under the coercion of Li Xianglu, Su Yan ate a bowl of rock sugar sea cucumber, brought a large kettle of mung bean water, a portion of spiced boiled eggs, a portion of deep-fried chicken legs, four watermelons, and twenty muskmelons for the road.

After seeing off Su Yan, Li Xianglu heated up the pig’s trotters soup from lunch, and then warmed up some flower rolls; the old master felt a bit listless after Su Yan left.

If they had always been living apart, it would have been fine. But after living together for a long period and then parting ways, it was very hard to get used to. He always felt like something was missing beside him. Whenever he thought of something and wanted to talk to the person next to him, he found they were no longer there. The feeling of loneliness made the old master listless for the following two or three days.

It wasn’t until Su Yan made several calls to confirm she would return before winter that he started to feel a little better.

In the following days, Li Xianglu occasionally brought some food over, because most of the food was sent by The Ais’ people.

And Li Xianglu also found out why The Ais’ people were so eager to take care of their third brother.

The third brother is just a fool!

The situation was critical at the time. When Li Jianqing heard a cry for help, he ran towards it. With no lights and only a flashlight to guide him, he treaded uneven ground, trudging through the difficult mountain paths.

There were cries and sounds of a scuffle coming from a cabin, and Li Jianqing, disregarding everything, kicked the door open and went in. Then, he saw Iro being pressed down by a man.

Iro’s clothes were torn to shreds, leaving her nearly uncovered.

Li Jianqing kicked the man away, but unexpectedly, the opponent was well-trained in martials arts. The two started fighting, and Li Jianqing, with his superior combat skills, quickly gained the upper hand and floored the man. However, the man then grabbed Iro who was nearby.

Li Jianqing stopped in his tracks. The opponent was clearly an extremist; he wanted retaliation and demanded that Li Jianqing break his own leg, otherwise, he would kill Iro along with himself.

So, Li Jianqing smashed his own leg with a rock, collapsed to the ground, and the man, excitedly forgetting to escape, attempted to come over and kick Li Jianqing. But Li Jianqing, mustering his strength, knocked his assailant to the ground again.

At this point, Iro’s eyes were red with anger. She picked up the rock that had broken Li Jianqing’s leg and viciously smashed it onto the man’s leg.

It was a tit-for-tat. But Li Xianglu felt there was no need for them to do this; the two of them were simply fools. How foolish must one be to break their own leg.

Li Xianglu suspected that Jianqing must have fallen in love with Iro to be so reckless, but this was denied by Li Jianqing.

And the rubbish collecting was left to Qin Zhen alone, as Qin Xi became busy again. When cooking at home, Qin Xi asked to take some food with him, and Li Xianglu, without asking further, just prepared some good dishes, packed them, and let him take them away.

Two weeks later, Li Jianqing was discharged from the hospital. The Ais were very grateful, not only did they bring him home, but they also sent a large number of health care products.

Li Jianqing was picked up and brought back in the morning. As it was inconvenient to move back and forth, they packed up the demilune in the living room and replaced it with a ninety-centimeter plank bed for Li Jianqing to stay in the living room temporarily.

Qin Xi found a pair of crutches for him from outside, which made it more convenient for him to go to the bathroom.

Li Xianglu had made up the bed neatly early on. Once the person was brought back, he was let to lay in the living room. Li Xianglu then took some clothes that Li Jianqing had changed and washed during those days, but while sorting them out, she realized they were all clean, which made her frown. Even the large shorts were washed clean—it definitely wouldn’t have been Jianqing himself. Qin Zhen did come by often, but that was mostly to meet Anna at the hospital. So, who could it be?

Just as Li Xianglu finished sorting the clothes and wanted to ask, Qin Zhen called out, "We have visitors!"

Li Xianglu looked out and saw a woman in her forties or fifties, dressed in a crimson short-sleeved top, holding a small black bag, with Iro following behind her.

Li Xianglu went out to greet them. It turned out to be Iro’s mother, who said that Jianqing saved Iro and she hadn’t visited the hospital, so now that he was discharged, she came to see him at home.

Iro didn’t resemble her mother much. Iro’s eyes were crescent-shaped, squinting when she smiled, and she was petite at just under 1.6 meters tall. She had fair skin, and unlike the typical black hair, hers was chestnut-colored, quite fashionable.

On the other hand, Iro’s mother had drooping almond-shaped eyes, a large nose that flared when she spoke, and thin lips. Although she spoke with a smile, there was no laughter in her eyes.

However, whether they looked alike or not, it didn’t matter to Li Xianglu. She politely asked them into the living room and then went to pour water.

Sha Xinyu’s eyes lit up as she looked around the living room, especially at the antique-style furniture and the screen, which seemed very high-end. The wooden floor was clean and neatly polished. Even though the slippers were handmade, they were obviously regularly washed and also clean.

When she turned around, she saw a bed abruptly placed on the west side. Frowning, she looked over and saw a strapping young man lying there. He did not panic when they came in, slowly getting up to greet them.

Seeing the delight on her daughter’s face, Sha Xinyu guessed who the young man was and walked over with a smile, saying, "You must be Li Jianqing?"

Li Jianqing nodded, "Yes, Auntie."

Sha Xinyu smiled, pulled up a chair beside him, and sat down. She gave the young man a once-over—he was handsome, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, a square face, and a very masculine appearance. He was at least 1.8 meters tall, serving in the army, and currently specialized in missiles. The problem was his lowly birth, which was disappointing. It was said that he had a particularly harsh mother, was a child of divorced parents, and his father was seemingly living with a widow in the county town, selling noodles. How could such a family background be a match for her daughter?

In fact, Sha Xinyu had been terrified when she heard that her daughter was almost tainted; she was very grateful to the boy who saved her, especially since he broke his leg for her daughter. But as her daughter’s attitude transformed, that gratitude gradually diminished.

The great debt of gratitude could not lead to her daughter being tied down. She had been naïve during her first marriage, thinking a happy relationship was enough for a lifetime. A low-ranking soldier could never turn his fortunes around, and the poverty was unbearable. Thankfully, she had reacted quickly, decisively divorcing. Later, she got together with Iro’s father, who was a Commander, twelve years her senior. After that, everyone looked up to her, and the living conditions at home significantly improved.

Thinking of this, her heart hardened. Although her subsequent life was better, she couldn’t escape the reputation of marrying for wealth. So, her daughter must not follow in her footsteps and must marry well the first time. She was determined to cut off any possibility of her daughter marrying a poor wretch while she still could!