15 Cesarean Section Delivery Fifteen

Page 1/3

Mr. Li did not have time to reprimand Hu Yian and hurried after her.

There was about to be quite a spectacle!

Chu Yunli and another exchanged a glance. She turned her head and gave a few instructions to the steward, then tugged at Hu Yian’s sleeve and followed quickly.

The Yao family owned several shops in the city. Although their business was not as prosperous as the Li family’s, they were by no means poor. Yao Qiushan was in his twenties, with multiple wives and children. He was calm and unhurried in his work, and even by noon he had not yet arrived at the shop.

Over the years, Mr. Li had often shown him kindness. Yao Qiushan frequently came by under the pretext of delivering gifts of thanks, and the two families had maintained a steady relationship. Mrs. Li had also visited Yao Qiushan’s shop before, so she was quite familiar with the place and went straight to the door.

When she heard Yao Qiushan was not home, Mrs. Li refused to believe it. She stood with her hands on her hips at the entrance, clearly not in a friendly mood, which drew a crowd.

Throughout this, Mr. Li remained by her side, quietly urging her, “Qiushan is family, not a stranger. If you have something to discuss with him, let’s find a quiet place to sit. Don’t stand here making a scene and embarrassing yourself. You’re the lady of the house, not a shrew.”

Mrs. Li glared fiercely at him. “Yes! I should be the gentle and virtuous lady of the house, I was once! But I’ve become like this because of you. Li Yuan, you keep telling me to leave — are you just afraid of losing face?” She stepped closer, pressing him. “As a man, if you dare to do something, you must dare to take responsibility. If it weren’t for a stroke of fate that revealed the truth to me, were you planning to deceive me your whole life?”

The matter was unbearable to dwell on; the more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

Mr. Li looked helpless. “You’ve misunderstood.”

Mrs. Li pointed a finger at Chu Yunli and the others watching nearby. “He’s right here. If he dares to face me, how can you expect me to believe him?”

Mr. Li’s gaze at the two was like daggers, wishing he could bore a hole straight through them.

Chu Yunli was unfazed. “Master Li, the lady is right—men should take responsibility for their actions. Tell me, do you even deserve to be called a man?”

Mr. Li was furious, smoke practically billowing from his pores. “You’d better shut your mouth!”

“Do you still consider me your daughter-in-law?” Chu Yunli’s face was full of scorn. “There’s no longer any connection between our families. I can say what I want and curse as I please. Who are you? Even my own father ignores me. Why should you care?”

Mr. Li was stifled by her words. Originally, with Meiniang, he was her elder, but... after Li Hualin took a mistress and had the midwife cut open his lawful wife to bear his children, the scandal had spread like wildfire. The townspeople now called Li Hualin a beast, worse than an animal, and accused the Li family of poor upbringing. Under such circumstances, how could he still act as the elder?

There was a commotion at the shop’s entrance. The steward inside could not simply stand by. But since those gathered had personal grievances with the master, the steward dared not report the matter officially and quickly sent for help.

Meanwhile, Yao Qiushan, who was already preparing to head to the shop, received the message and hurried over. When he arrived, the crowd was in uproar. Seeing Mrs. Li hysterical and cursing, which was affecting business, he quickly approached. “Uncle, what’s the matter?”

Mr. Li glanced at him with a meaningful look.

Yao Qiushan was puzzled; he had never seen such a complex expression on Mr. Li’s face before and was about to ask when Mrs. Li suddenly demanded, “What exactly is your relationship with my husband?”

Startled, Yao Qiushan replied, “He is my uncle!” He had anticipated a day when their relationship would be made public. Though anxious, his expression remained composed. “Aunt, what happened? Why are you crying like this?”

The crowd blocking the entrance made it impossible for customers to enter. Smiling, Yao Qiushan suggested, “Why don’t we find a private room to talk? We’re all family here; any misunderstandings can be cleared up.”

Page 2/3

Mrs. Li, in her fury, had rushed here impulsively. She did not want onlookers, and had already regained some composure on the way. She was making a scene at the door solely to force Yao Qiushan out. After all, he often traveled out of town for supplies for half a month. If he was deliberately avoiding her, she might not have seen him today.

Now that he was here, her goal was achieved. She ceased her outburst, and the group moved to the tea house across the street.

Chu Yunli and the others closely followed.

Mr. Li glanced back a few times but did not stop them from following, given it was a public tea house. Only as they ascended the stairs and approached the door did he speak: “Meiniang, you keep insisting you are not of the Li family. Even so, you should understand the principle of ‘do not listen to indecent talk.’”

Chu Yunli blinked and looked at Mrs. Li. “Aunt, don’t you want us to confront each other?”

“Come in,” Mrs. Li barked at the waiter and then slammed the door, sitting heavily. “Speak!”

Yao Qiushan felt uneasy, forcing a smile. “Speak about what?”

“What exactly is your relationship with my husband?” Mrs. Li had regained her rationality but her fury remained. She slammed her palm on the table. “If you can’t explain this clearly today, I won’t let you off easily.”

Yao Qiushan looked towards Mr. Li. Their eyes met briefly but before they could exchange more, Mrs. Li continued: “Yao Qiushan, over the years, how many benefits have you received from my Li family? I’ll have the accountant come over later to review the books — prepare your ledgers.”

At these words, Yao Qiushan was stunned.

The favors he had received had never been hidden from Mrs. Li, and she had been willing before... Could she really have discovered the truth?

Who had told her?

“Are you all mute?” Mrs. Li slammed the table again. “Speak!”

Hu Yian stepped forward. “I accidentally overheard Yao Qiushan calling Master Li ‘father.’ They seemed quite close. Master Li also gave the Yao children quite a bit of silver...”

To Mrs. Li, everything in the house belonged to her children and grandchildren. Mr. Li often spent lavishly, but she never cared. However, she would rather have him squander money than see him support a woman and children outside.

“Li Yuan, is this true?”

Furious, Mrs. Li’s voice cracked.

Mr. Li did not expect Hu Yian to have overheard it personally, but besides him, no one else should have known. After a moment of panic, he quickly composed himself. “You heard wrong.”

Hu Yian shrugged. “Of course you’d say that. It depends on whether the lady believes me.”

Mrs. Li did not blindly trust Hu Yian but had pieced together their relationship from previous hints. Confirming that the man had deceived her sparked her outrage.

“Li Yuan, even now, you still want to lie to me!” She glared at Yao Qiushan. “Tell me, who is your real father? If it truly is Yao Lin, how have you had the audacity to take advantage of my family all these years?”

Yao Qiushan frowned. He was content with his current life and had no desire to acknowledge his parentage… His biological father had accepted him, but his two brothers held him in disdain. As for Mrs. Li, she had never looked kindly upon him. Under such circumstances, recognizing ties with the Li family would bring no benefit and only enmity.

Page 3/3

Yet, Mrs. Li’s harsh words made him unwilling to continue deceiving her. Or perhaps he wanted this lofty woman to feel lost and disappointed, to see her weep. But such thoughts lasted only a moment; reason told him denial was the right choice.

He stepped back. “You two are having marital disputes; don’t drag outsiders into it. Aunt, I have always regarded you as my mother…”

“I wouldn’t dare,” Mrs. Li interrupted furiously. “You have a real mother; I’m not hers.” Mentioning Yao’s mother inflamed her further. “That woman acts so delicate and weak. I used to think a widow’s demeanor like hers was too much. But now I realize, as a mistress, that’s normal. You and your mother are both liars, both thieves!”

She was so angry that by the end, she stood and pointed at them, her finger nearly poking Yao Qiushan’s face.

Yao Qiushan was irritated by her hysteria. Glancing at Mr. Li, he spoke in a low tone, “Aunt, curse all you want, as long as it eases your anger. Honestly, I’ve dreamt of having a father like Uncle, but that’s just a dream. I truly am not of the Li bloodline.”

“You still want to lie to me!” Mrs. Li closed in again, her finger almost touching Yao Qiushan’s eyes. “I’m not blind…”

To Mr. Li, it seemed Yao Qiushan was humbly seeking acceptance, wanting to acknowledge his parentage but afraid. Watching Mrs. Li rage like a madwoman, relentlessly pressing forward, he suddenly lost patience. “Madam, stop this. Since you want the truth, I’ll tell you.” He reached out and took Yao Qiushan’s hand. “Qiushan is indeed my son, a child of the Li family. Are you satisfied now?”

Receiving this clear confirmation, Mrs. Li was stunned. She stepped back and slumped into her chair, dazed for a long moment. Then she screamed, “Li Yuan, you scoundrel!”

Indeed, it was better if a man took a concubine openly and fathered several illegitimate sons than to secretly keep a woman and children outside.

The former made her angry but she was aware. The latter… what did Li Yuan take her for?

Chu Yunli spoke up. “Madam Li, this clearly shows he has no respect for you. But at least I now understand why Li Hualin dared to harm me—it’s clearly learned from his father.”

Mrs. Li suddenly looked up. “Li Yuan, you didn’t tell me about them mother and son because you planned to get rid of me and bring them into the family?”

Mr. Li looked helpless. “It’s not like that. Back then, Ai Cao and I were together due to an accident. I only later found out Qiushan was my son. Madam, I never wanted to leave you…”

Chu Yunli cut in again. “Now that the truth is out, of course you’d say that. Even if you wanted to kill your wife and marry another, who would admit it?”

Her words barely fell when she caught Mr. Li’s fierce gaze.

She met his eyes calmly. “Isn’t that so?”

Mr. Li ground his teeth. “I never planned to kill my wife!”

Hu Yian added, “You never know a person’s heart. You say one thing, but who knows what you think inside?”

Mr. Li: “…” Those two troublemakers!