Chapter 365 - 362: The Li Family’s Future Path

Chapter 365: Chapter 362: The Li Family’s Future Path

"As long as you all understand, that’s what matters. Don’t be in too much of a hurry. Right now, your brother, sister-in-law, and sisters are paving the way, so you can take your time and walk a steady path. Aside from the few sisters who are already married, it’s rare for us all to be together like this. I hope you won’t regret the paths you choose in the future. After all, a person’s life is only a few short decades. I don’t want you forcing yourselves to do things you dislike!"

"As long as you don’t break the law or go against your conscience, I’d support you even if you wanted to just coast through life. But every one of you is very smart, so go out and do whatever you want. Your sister-in-law and I are here to smooth the road ahead, letting you walk it without a care in the world!"

Looking at the three youngest of his siblings, Li Xiu spoke earnestly. ’He had never intended to do all this, but his younger brothers and sisters were just too smart. He had to give them a chance, to see just how far they could take the Li family!’

"Your big brother is right. In the past, our Li family was just an ordinary farming family. After we moved to the Capital City, your big brother struggled for ten years to forge a path. Li Bao also made us proud. All these years, he’s helped your big brother and fought tooth and nail to carve out a place for them in the Capital City’s business world. The reason the Li family can stand firm in the Capital City now is all thanks to your two older brothers."

"Now Cui and He are both in the Capital City. Your futures are secure, so don’t worry about a thing. With your brothers backing you, just be brave and march forward. How far you go is up to you. He, you wanted to follow my lead. After school starts, you can come to the company one day a week to help out. How much you learn will be up to you!"

Watching his earnest sister-in-law, Li Bao waited for Zhou Lian to finish before speaking up sheepishly, "Sister-in-law, everything I have today, the fact that I’ve gotten this far... without Big Brother, I’d be nothing more than an ordinary farm boy!"

"Don’t sell yourself short. It’s undeniable that your big brother’s connections played a part, but if you didn’t have the ability, it wouldn’t matter how capable he is. Mr. Wo Long was brilliant, but even he couldn’t save A Dou’s Shu Han dynasty, could he? Li Bao, all these years, your hard work, your struggles... your big brother and I have seen it all," Zhou Lian said earnestly to Li Bao, glancing at Li Xiu.

Li Xiu looked at Li Bao seriously and said, "Your sister-in-law is right. Don’t sell yourself short. You’ve done a great job. You, Dongfang, and the others have managed the company wonderfully. I haven’t had the energy these past few years, so the company has relied entirely on you all to stay afloat. You’ve done more than enough!"

"You all heard what your sister-in-law just said. The future path of the Li family—how we walk it, what heights we reach—it’s all up to you now. All I can do is stand behind you and watch."

"Big Brother, Sister-in-law, I’ll work hard. I understand the path you’ve planned for the Li family. Don’t worry, we won’t let you down!" Li Bo said earnestly, glancing at his brothers, sisters-in-law, and sisters in the room.

Zhou Lian smiled and said gently, "You are all smart and kind. Li Bao has already started his own family and can stand on his own two feet, so we don’t need to worry about him. The rest of you must remember: never have the heart to harm others, but always be on guard. This is especially true for you girls. You have to remember what I’ve told you. Whether you have a crush on someone or are starting to date, don’t hide it. You must let your big brother or me know. It’s not for any other reason than to protect you from being tricked or scammed!"

"We know, Sister-in-law!" Li Cui and the other girls answered in unison. They understood that their sister-in-law meant well. This was especially true for Li Cui. In her two years in the Capital City, she had seen all kinds of shady characters. She knew she still had a lot to learn and wasn’t cunning enough, so she definitely wouldn’t be foolish enough to court disaster.

Seeing them, Zhou Lian smiled and said, "I’m not trying to be an alarmist, but the depravity of the human heart is beyond what you can imagine right now. The other sisters in the family married well because the elders and your big brother investigated their husbands again and again before making a decision. The fact that your sister-in-law and I are living well is because we married the right men. Can any of you guarantee that all the men out there are like your brothers? You must be careful, again and again!"

"Listen to your sister-in-law. She’s right," Wang Xiaojuan chimed in. "To be honest, before I married your brother, my parents investigated him again and again. Because of what happened with your second uncle’s family, my mom was dead set against it. But I had my heart set on your brother back then, so I pestered my dad to investigate again. My mom only agreed after she learned the full situation. But even then, right after we got married, your brother went to the Capital City while I was pregnant, and my mom was still worried. It wasn’t until your brother brought me and your niece to the Capital City that she finally let it go!"

Wang Xiaojuan looked at her sisters-in-law and continued, "You all know whether I’ve had a good life these past few years. But even so, my parents are still not completely at ease. I was lucky to marry your brother. My cousin on my father’s side... I don’t know if you’ve heard, but when she got married, she had a lavish wedding. Back then, who didn’t say what a great man he was? But now!"

"You’ve probably all heard. She can’t get a divorce, but she can’t go on living with him either. And there are two kids. What can she do? Just endure it! The other day I went back to my parents’ house, and my younger aunt grabbed my hand, crying her eyes out. Who would have thought that the man everyone praised back then would raise a hand to his wife? And beat her half to death!"

"It’s not like my family doesn’t have people to stand up for her, but what can be done? She can’t abandon her two children. When her brothers go over, he kneels and begs for forgiveness, but the next time, he beats her all the same. What can anyone do? So, you must listen to your sister-in-law. If you want to start dating someone, tell the family. Let your two older brothers dig up every last detail on the person before you get involved. Please, don’t get swept up in the moment. This is about the rest of your life!"

Watching the earnest Wang Xiaojuan, Zhou Lian smiled and said, "Your sister-in-law is right. Ever since Cui got into university and came to the Capital City, your sister-in-law and I have talked about this. Your other sisters in the family were all married off after thorough investigations. But the Capital City is different; people come from all over the country. Your big brother and your other brother are somewhat well-known here. If someone with ill intentions really wanted to deceive one of you, it would be almost impossible to prevent."

"Back then, your sister-in-law and I were truly on edge. We’re telling you all this because we want you to open your eyes and see what people’s hearts are really like. What’s more, I don’t recommend you date before you graduate. At this stage, neither you nor the other person can afford to be responsible for your own futures, let alone each other’s."

Watching Zhou Lian and Wang Xiaojuan, the four Li brothers exchanged a look and smiled. ’They were treating their sisters-in-law like their own flesh-and-blood sisters, speaking so frankly from the heart.’ Li Xiu understood why Zhou Lian was saying all this. ’She wasn’t the type to meddle in other people’s business. It was all because in their past life, this sister had protected Nuonuo and Yanyan. That was why in this life, Zhou Lian had put her heart into sincerely considering the future of every single one of them, including the ones who were already married. It was all to repay the kindness from that past life.’