Witty Wife, Better Life-Chapter 833 - 823 What Should the Old Master Do?

After the old lady’s funeral had been handled, the siblings of the Li Family gathered to discuss what to do next.

Now that the old lady was gone, only their paralyzed old father remained, and the siblings had to devise a plan on how to proceed.

Of course, currently in the room were only the families of Li Hongxing, Li Hongjun, and Li Xianglian. Li Hongqi hadn’t arrived yet, and Zheng Huilan from that house, using fear as an excuse, said she couldn’t come, and they said nothing more about it.

Then there was Li Xianghe. When Shen Yunfang received the news of the old lady’s death, she immediately went to inform Li Xianghe. At that moment, Li Xianghe was stunned for quite a while before she came to her senses and then hurriedly left in a flurry. Shen Yunfang even impulsively asked her if she needed help buying a ticket, but she replied that her children at home couldn’t be left alone and she wouldn’t return; her mother would surely not blame her. Thus, the Li family’s younger daughter, Li Xianghe, wasn’t present.

"Hmph, what’s there to discuss? When we divided the family assets, it was agreed the elderly parents would stay with Li Hongqi, and he would handle everything including illness and death. Now that he is not here and the old lady has passed away, we’ve taken on all this trouble, which just benefits him," Wang Dan muttered discontentedly.

"Enough, what’s the use of saying all this now when Hongqi isn’t even home?" Li Hongxing said, his mouth full of blisters—these days at the hospital had aged him from a man in his thirties to looking like someone in his forties or fifties.

"So what if Li Hongqi isn’t home? Isn’t his wife there? Why is it that when there’s no place to stay, they are husband and wife and can come home and take over the house, but when it’s time for her to contribute, she is suddenly nothing? How come all the good things in this world fall into their laps?" Wang Dan was clearly resentful.

Since the old lady had died up until the burial yesterday, these few families had been incredibly busy, while those from the Zheng family had just holed themselves up in their room, not bothering with anything at all. Even if she is an outsider, she’s still staying in someone else’s home; when the host has troubles, shouldn’t a guest lend a hand wherever possible? But these mother and daughter didn’t lift a finger. She had only called out a few times, yet they had the gall to respond with excuses like fear and not daring to step outside. It’s funny, isn’t everyone afraid when there’s a dead person in the house? Why do they think they’re any different just because they’re women? It’s infuriating.

Li Hongxing, not very articulate, found himself at a loss for words after a few exchanges with his wife, although inwardly he agreed with her.

"Big brother, big sister-in-law has a point. These past few days have indeed been tough on her," Li Hongjun interjected, trying to ease the tension. It wasn’t time for a dispute between the elder brother and his wife. frёeωebɳovel.com

Hearing what Li Hongjun said, Wang Dan calmed down a bit, "Hard on her? Everyone’s been putting in the effort; none of us have been slacking off. I won’t speak for eldest sister and brother-in-law, but even Yunfang has been on her feet non-stop these days."

"It’s nothing, this is the last time anyway," said Shen Yunfang bluntly, admitting that if it wasn’t for the old lady’s passing, she wouldn’t have been so committed these past few days.

"These past few days have been tough for all of us. Now, our old mother is finally at peace, and we don’t need to worry about her anymore, but our old father is still lying in the hospital; we can’t just ignore him," Li Hongjun brought up the issue again.

In the room, Shen Yunfang, as the daughter-in-law, didn’t want to speak. Li Xianglian and her husband were honest folks; they could work but weren’t great at making decisions, so they remained silent too. From eldest brother Li Hongxing’s side, he didn’t have much to say, and Wang Dan was still considering Li Hongjun and his wife’s feelings, hesitant to speak her mind freely, so the only one left to broach the subject was Li Hongjun.

As his sister-in-law was about to speak again, Li Hongjun quickly added, "Although it was initially decided that the old three would take care of the elderly when we divided everything, now that old three is not here and his wife is unreliable, we can’t just watch our old father be left uncared for, can we?"

Wang Dan, hearing this, shut her mouth.

The room fell silent again, and after a while, eldest brother-in-law Liu Jianjun, seeing that no one was speaking, finally asked, "Hongjun, what are your thoughts? Just speak straightforwardly."

"I’ve been thinking, we can’t control others who are disrespectful to their parents, but we have to live up to our own conscience. Although it was settled how to care for the elders when we separated the family assets, now that there is no one to look after the old man, we just can’t sit by idly. At least until our third brother comes home, we need to take good care of our dad. We owe him that much for raising us to adulthood," Li Hongjun said.

"Exactly, Hongjun is right, let’s not dwell on the past anymore. Raking over those coals is pointless as the people are gone. Now, only our father is still alive, and as his children, we can’t just watch him have no one to attend to him. We all have children of our own, so let’s set a good example for them," Li Xianglian spoke up.

Li Hongxing looked at his wife and also nodded firmly.

Seeing that his brother and sister agreed, Li Hongjun continued, "Since everyone agrees, let’s discuss what we should do. Given Dad’s current condition, he will definitely need someone to look after him constantly. It can only be you and me who take care of Dad, Big Brother. Big Sister doesn’t count as she is married off; she can help when she’s free."

Li Hongxing nodded, understanding that sons have to take on such responsibilities, not daughters.

Li Xianglian didn’t say much. It wasn’t that she was unfilial, but her home was far away. She couldn’t possibly run back and forth to Taoshu Village every day to care for the elder. Bringing him to her place would surely face objections from her brothers, so just like her second brother had suggested, she would help whenever she was free.

Seeing that his elder brother and sister-in-law agreed, Li Hongjun then proceeded to discuss the specifics of elderly care.

The two families couldn’t care for the elder simultaneously, so one would provide financial support, and the other would provide hands-on care.

Whichever family the elder would live with must take care of his daily needs. The other family would offer financial support, paying twenty-five yuan a month.

Li Hongxing, unsure, kept glancing at his wife for a decision.

Wang Dan frowned, weighing which choice would be best for her family.

Thinking of having to handle the toiletry needs of her paralyzed father-in-law disgusted her immensely, making her utterly unwilling. But if asked to contribute twenty-five yuan monthly, she felt a pinch—it was like slicing her own flesh with a knife. Given that her family barely scraped together three to five hundred yuan a year from farming, parting with twenty-five a month was an unbearable thought.

After weighing her options, she inevitably chose to care for the elder.

"Come on, what is there to choose anyway? My family isn’t rich like my second brother’s. We’re just old peasants clinging to a few acres. Where would we get an extra twenty-plus yuan each month? Besides, you, as a soldier, are often away, clearly unable to care for the elder. Is there even a choice here?" Her words carried a heavy undertone of complaint.

Old man Li, the father-in-law, was male, and even though he was advanced in age, it should be his sons who took care of his hygiene needs. A daughter-in-law might at most wash and clean for him. Wang Dan thought that Li Hongjun’s proposal to care for the elder was merely lip service, unachievable in reality. That’s why raising the elder care fund was troubling for her, leaving her with no choice but to take care of the elder.