Chapter 21: Everything starts with difficulty

  The next morning, Wen Ze received a call from Zuo Yu Xi. "Li Si Qing's school is all set. On the first day of school, just go find the principal and report your name." Wen Ze didn't say anything polite, his relationship with Zuo Yu Xi was already very close, saying more would make it seem distant. He went to the small playground for a two-hour workout, then rode his bike to Li Si Qing's house. The little girl was crawling on the stone slab in the courtyard, writing something. Her thin body was curled up, her focused expression made people feel a kind of unspeakable sympathy. Wen Ze quietly approached her from behind, took a peek, and saw that the crumpled notebook had several lines written with pencil: vinegar 7 cents, noodles 3 dollars, rice 2 dollars 50 cents, salt... densely packed on a full page, some with circles drawn above them, some with crosses. Wen Ze let out a quiet sigh in his heart, afraid of startling her if he spoke too loudly, so he took a few steps back and said softly: "Nuan Nuan, brother is here to see you."

  Li Siqing suddenly jumped up, seeing the person she had been thinking about day and night. She rushed forward a few steps, then stopped abruptly, suppressing the urge to throw herself into Wen Chen's arms. Her bright eyes shone with boundless joy: "Brother, you're here!"

  Wen Xian nodded slightly and pulled her small hand towards the house, "Is your dad at home today?" Last time Li Shengli was out drinking and didn't return, Wen Xian hadn't seen him.

  Mentioning her father, Li Siqing's eyes clouded over with a hint of melancholy, and she said in a low voice: "He got drunk last night, just sobered up a bit today, hasn't gone out yet..."

  Warmly and gently patted her head, saying: "Don't worry, it's okay, I'll go talk to your dad."

  Li Shengli was half-reclined on the bed, looking listless. When Wen Qing entered, he didn't even lift his head. Wen Qing found an excuse to send Li Siqing away, telling her not to come in without being called. She walked slowly to Li Shengli's bedside. At just 32 years old, Li Shengli looked like a man in his 50s, with disheveled hair, stubble, and eyelids that drooped as if stuck together. His skin was pale from excessive drinking. All this was because of a woman who didn't love him - the young man who had once been so full of energy at the agricultural machinery factory had tortured himself into this state in just two short years.

  A serious illness requires strong medicine. Wen Jian didn't bother to argue with him, and directly threw Li Siqing's account book in front of him, taunting: "You're really capable! A man in his forties still has to rely on an eleven-year-old child for support. Look at this account book, don't you feel ashamed? I just can't understand what the point is of living like you?"

  Li Shengli's parents had passed away, and in Qingzhou, apart from Li Siqing, he didn't have any other relatives. The neighbors came over to offer some words of condolence, but seeing that he wasn't listening, they could only stand by anxiously, unable to do anything. Yet no one had ever spoken such harsh words to him before. Li Shengli slowly lifted his head, his dull eyes showing not a hint of anger, and after a moment, he lowered his head again, remaining silent.

  "Right, with a father like you, Nuan Nuan is indeed unlucky and destined to suffer. Hmph, I always thought Zhao Ya-qing was blind to have left you for someone else, but now it seems she's living a life of luxury in the south, who knows what kind of carefree and happy days she's having? If she were still with you, struggling to make ends meet, being ridiculed and looked down upon by others, that would be true blindness."

  Li Shengli suddenly raised his head, much faster than before, and stared fiercely at Wen Qian, his face very unpleasant. Wen Qian seemed not to notice, continuing to say: "In my opinion, if Nuan Nuan followed her mother, her life would be many times happier than now! Who knows, one day Zhao Yaqing will come back, see her daughter pitiful and take her away, even if she changes her surname in the future, it's still much better than struggling here..."

  "Shut up!" Li Shengli finally spoke, his voice hoarse from years of heavy drinking, sounding like a rusty gate creaking in the wind.

  Settled in my heart: as long as there's a reaction, it's fine! "Not speaking? How would you know how useless you are if you don't speak up? Marrying an old wife who steals husbands, doing business and still losing money, TMD can't even raise his own daughter, what a waste of space. Still has the face to lie in the wine jar every day pretending to be lovesick and selling tears? Just looking at him makes people sick!

  "Shut up!"

  Perhaps there were many people behind him, but Li Shengli had never heard such vicious abuse face to face. A surge of hot blood rushed to his brain, his chest seemed to burst open, and in an instant, the veins on his neck bulged, his eyes turned red as if they were about to bleed.

  With hands clasped in his sleeves, his chin held high, a cold smile playing on his lips, he looked at him with disdain and said, "Are you worthy?"

  Li Shengli shouted angrily and rushed over from the bed, Wen Jian didn't say a word, lifted one foot and kicked him back, then slapped his face with a loud slap.

  "You're just a good-for-nothing, your wife ran away and it's not a big deal, why are you acting like you want to die every day? If you have the ability, get up and stand straight, use money to smash Zeng Wucheng to death! Every day drinking to numb yourself, escaping reality, do you deserve yourself, do you deserve Nuan?"

  Li Shengli was pinned to the ground by Wen Qian's foot, struggling with all his might for half a day. Finally, he went limp and lay there wailing: "I'm a loser! My parents are dead, my wife ran away, I couldn't even raise my daughter... What's the point of living? It's better to die early, it's better to die early!"

  "Business is ruined, savings are gone, I'm in debt up to my neck, can't borrow money from anyone, I've thought of every possible solution, tried every trick... If I were a woman, I'd even consider selling myself on the streets... What else can I do..."

  "Others look down on me, scold me behind my back, and take pleasure in my misfortune. I don't care. I just want to ruin myself, I just want to see if that woman will come back one day and see me like this, and whether she'll have a little bit of conscience, whether she'll regret it!"

  "Nine whole years, nine years of marriage can't even compare to a little bit of money and a little bit of vanity? I'm stupid, I'm stupid..."

  Li Shengli cried and bumped his head on the ground, Wen Xiang heard it in her heart and felt a pang of sympathy. It's a pity that people must have a pitiful side, originally after such a long time, he still couldn't forget that woman!

  A moment of passion, a lifetime of regret!

  She let out a long sigh, crouched down and tightly grasped his shoulders, not letting him hurt himself again. In a low voice, she comforted him: "Just vent it out, once you do, your heart will feel clearer..."

  It took Li Shengli a while to calm down, and Wen Xiang helped him sit on the edge of the bed. "Uncle Li, you're an intelligent person, and intelligent people often get stuck in their own thoughts. Punishing yourself with others' mistakes is the most foolish thing to do. You can only make your life better, happier than before, to make Zhao's aunt regret not choosing you... even" He paused for a moment, though not entirely approving, but still said the words that hit the nail on the head: "even possibly making her come back to you!"

  Li Shengli's eyes lit up, but dimmed down instantly. Wen Xiang knew what he was worried about and said: "Uncle Li, please don't mind my previous impolite words. I came today to ask you to come out of retirement, resume your old career, and make a fortune together with us."

  Li Shengli, after the outburst earlier, felt a weight lift off his shoulders as some of the pent-up frustrations of the past two years dissipated. He shook his head and said: "Wanting to be successful is no easy feat? First, you need capital; second, you need connections; third, you also need a bit of luck. Doing business isn't that simple... Wen Xiang, regardless of who taught you those words earlier, Uncle isn't a fool, I understand your good intentions, but Uncle is just this way, and for this lifetime, there's no hope for me to amount to anything. Nuan Nuan... poor Nuan Nuan..."

  Just as the effect of the strong medicine was about to dissipate, Wen Jian calmly took out a few sheets of paper and handed them to Li Shengli: "This is a specific plan for a breakfast shop. You take a look first. The storefront, funds, procedures, and management personnel will all be taken care of by me. You just focus on bringing out your ancestral culinary skills and creating some simple yet delicious dishes. When the time comes, we'll split the profits 50/50. Remember, this isn't a joke! I'm giving you one month's time to think it over. If you're interested, call this number to find me!"

  Li Shengli's mind was a mess, he had only been disconnected from society for two years, and even Wen Qian, this young man, could speak and act to such an extent?

  "Are you serious?"

  Wen Jie didn't respond to him, and only turned around at the door to say quietly: "Uncle Li, even if it's for Nuan Nuan's sake, please believe me this time. I've never been so serious before!"

  As soon as the door was pushed open, Li Siqing was seen sitting on a stool beside him, his small hands supporting his cheeks, and his dark, bright eyes turned around, with long eyelashes fluttering lightly. His waxen complexion and simple clothes could not hide the slender body's inherited elegance and charm from his mother.

  "Brother, you guys just..."

  Wen Jie knew that such a big commotion would definitely not be hidden from Li Si Qing. The little girl was able to endure and not rush in, which was the greatest trust in herself. "It's okay, Nuan Nuan, I asked your dad for help with something, and he agreed!"

  "Really?" Li Siqing stood up, her hands tightly clasped together in front of her chest.

  She nodded slightly, reached out and touched her hair, saying: "The matter of going to school has been settled, go to Minghua Middle School, don't worry about tuition and living expenses, everything will be taken care of by brother!"

  Li Siqing told herself to believe in Wen Qian, but she also knew how difficult it was at her young age. However, she didn't expect that Wen Qian would settle everything in just a few days. In an instant, her mind seemed to be emptied, leaving only endless emotions flowing.

  "Weng Gege, I...I will definitely study hard!"

  Smiled warmly and gently, lifted her head, the sky was very blue, the clouds were very light, the wind was very soft!

  This is a season of lush grass and flying swallows, with emotions, tears, and love!