Casting Nets to Catch a Husband

Chapter 140: Break Up

The moment he knew his father was back, Li Zhongjue felt a glimmer of hope that there might still be a chance to salvage the situation with the Lu family. However, once he stepped into the study and the door closed behind him, that hope turned into a heavy burden that suffocated him.

Li Zhongjue faced Li Cunyi, silent for a long time, unable to speak.

Li Cunyi had already guessed that his younger son’s matter probably concerned his wife. Seeing him struggling to speak, he gave him some time to compose himself. After a while, seeing that Li Zhongjue still didn’t know how to begin, Li Cunyi asked, “What happened?”

What happened…

Li Zhongjue’s heart clenched.

Since May, he had found it hard to speak about.

No matter how angry he was with Li Yunbi, she was still his sister. No matter how much he disagreed with Qian Shi’s actions, she was still his mother.

With Qian Shi, Li Zhongjue could argue and debate. But now, facing Li Cunyi, he found it impossible to reveal what his mother and sister had done.

Yet, Li Zhongjue knew that this matter had to be spoken of. The sooner their family made their stance clear, the less likely the Lu family would have a poor impression of them.

He took a deep breath and handed the letter, originally meant for the inn, to Li Cunyi.

Li Cunyi took the letter, unfolded it, and quickly scanned it. Looking up at Li Zhongjue, he said, “What’s wrong with this letter? Didn’t you already convey this to me in a previous letter?”

Li Zhongjue’s voice was strained, “Aunt Lu asked Brother Chengzong to retrieve the letter. Brother Chengzong is staying at the inn right now.”

Li Cunyi was stunned, “Retrieve? What do you mean?”

…

The longer the study door remained closed, the more Qian Shi had been on edge.

Li Zhongqi had already put down his bundle and was pacing the corridor, asking his mother what had happened at home, but Qian Shi said nothing.

Finally, Qian Shi heard the study door open. Looking up, she saw Li Zhongjue opening the door, and father and son were about to come out.

Qian Shi instinctively stood up, “Master.”

Li Cunyi really wanted to lose his temper but restrained himself, considering Li Zhongqi and Li Zhongjue, and hurried out with Li Zhongjue.

Li Zhongqi was about to ask when a maid from Li Yunbi’s side hurriedly came to the main courtyard. Seeing Qian Shi, she quickly reported that the young lady had been crying non-stop since she returned.

“Crying?”

Qian Shi wanted to cry more than anyone else. She guessed that Li Cunyi had gone to see Lu Chengzong, and now, concerned about their children, he was rushing to see Lu Chengzong. When he returned, a confrontation between husband and wife was inevitable.

Still worried about her daughter, she told her eldest son to rest and hurried to Li Yunbi’s courtyard with the maid to comfort her.

As Qian Shi expected, Chen Shi’s counterattack had left her with no room to defend herself. When Li Cunyi returned from the inn, he closed the door that night and argued with Qian Shi.

“Repay a debt of gratitude? What kind of gratitude did you repay?”

“That little token of thanks we sent to the Lu family back then? A school admission? The horse I gave to Chengxiao? Is that all my life is worth?”

Qian Shi was rendered pale by his relentless questioning, and all she could muster was that they had helped Lufeng’s fabric shop.

“Helped? Do you think the Lu family would still be just small-town fabric merchants without you?”

“Was it you who gave them their shop in Anyi County or the capital to open it? Just because you helped with some stock, you think their success is all thanks to you?”

Li Cunyi’s anger surged, thinking of his son’s repeated pleas to spare some dignity for his mother and sister, and then seeing the tear-stained face of Li Yunbi when he returned to the inner courtyard, with Li Zhongjue still staying in her courtyard without daring to leave.

Fearing that too much conflict with his wife might drive his daughter to do something foolish out of shame, he finally restrained himself, stopped arguing with Qian Shi, and took a thin quilt to sleep in the study. The next morning, at dawn, he packed a small bundle and left home.

~

Two days later, in the afternoon, Anyi County.

Lu Xun had been busy running errands in the surrounding towns and had just returned to the county when he heard Lu Chengzong’s voice.

His eldest son was back.

Lu Xun didn’t even bother to take a sip of tea. He turned and rushed towards the shop, thinking he could finally get some answers. Before he reached the shop, Lu Chengzong had already come in, followed by Li Cunyi carrying a bundle.

Lu Xun was stunned…

His wife’s words from a few days ago still echoed in his ears: “This relationship must be broken, and I need Li Cunyi to come personally to apologize and break it off!”

And here he was.

Startled, Lu Xun quickly called out to his eldest daughter-in-law who was about to make tea, “Go to the embroidery shop across the street and call your mother back. Tell her Uncle Li is here.”

Qin Shi promptly responded and left.

Hearing himself addressed as “Uncle Li,” Li Cunyi’s face flushed with embarrassment. Thinking of his wife and daughter’s actions, he felt deeply ashamed. Without further ado, he bowed, “Brother Lu, I have come to apologize.”

Before he could complete his bow, Lu Xun quickly stepped forward to support him, “Brother Li, there’s no need for this. Come, let’s talk inside. When did you return?”

The two of them went to the flower hall together, and Chen Shi returned after hearing the news.

Despite her fierce demeanor a few days ago, Chen Shi was now quite cordial towards Li Cunyi. She sent the younger generation out before starting the conversation.

After exchanging greetings, Li Cunyi inevitably offered another round of apologies.

At this moment, Lu Xun ended up sitting on the sidelines while Chen Shi took the lead. She smiled and said, “There’s no need to blame yourself too much. I understand that your wife also had the children’s best interests at heart. It’s unfortunate that such a situation arose, making it difficult for us to meet again. It’s just that your wife is a bit more sensitive, and her roundabout ways made it hard for us to understand her intentions. It would have been better to speak directly; we would have cooperated without hesitation. After all, as mothers, our hearts are the same when it comes to our children.”

If Qian Shi could hear these words herself, she would no longer dare to underestimate Chen Shi as some simple country woman. This was not a submissive rural woman who could be easily ignored. Chen Shi’s polite yet firm words forced one to swallow the hard truth. Had Qian Shi known this earlier, she would never have dared to treat the Lu family as malleable clay in a moment of anger.

If these words were thrown in Qian Shi’s face, they would mean: “You may not think much of us, but we are equally uncomfortable with you.”

Yet Chen Shi spoke so courteously and decently, not a hint of harshness in her tone.

But to Li Cunyi, these words carried another meaning, indicating the Lu family’s stance. This relationship was no longer suitable. For the sake of their children, it was best for both families to part ways.

Li Cunyi knew it was irreparable. He sighed and said, “I am deeply ashamed in front of you, brother and sister-in-law. To be welcomed here today and still be called a brother, invited to sit and offered a cup of hot tea, is something I am deeply grateful for. I failed to discipline my wife and daughter properly and cannot shamelessly continue to be regarded as Chengxiao’s godfather. My unfilial daughter is not worth mentioning, and there is no reason for Chengxiao and his wife to suffer this indignity.”

He stood up at this point, bowed to Lu Xun and his wife, and said, “Even though the bond of godfather and godson is severed, I will never forget the life-saving grace you, Brother Lu and Sister-in-law, bestowed upon me back then. If you don’t mind, let us continue as friends, so that Chengxiao and Zhongjue don’t become estranged because of this matter.”

Li Cunyi’s words were exactly what Lu Xun and Chen Shi had hoped for, so they readily agreed. The couple still had a good impression of the Li father and son, and the shadow cast by Qian Shi and Li Yunbi was dispelled for the moment.

The heavy burden Li Cunyi had carried in his heart for two days was eased by three parts. He naturally inquired about Lu Xun’s recent autumn cloth purchases, saying, “I asked Chengzong. Brother, you brought back ten bolts of cloth this time. Is it a burden? I also trade cloth every year. Besides my uncle, I have a few friends who can help distribute some if it’s too much.”

Unlike before, when he called him Brother Lu, Li Cunyi now addressed him as “Big Brother” according to age. Though the kinship was severed, his guilt made him even more respectful towards Lu Xun and his wife.

Lu Xun noticed the change in address, exchanged a glance with Chen, and didn’t mention it further. He only smiled and shook his head regarding the help with distributing cloth, saying, “Thank you for your kind offer. I haven’t told you yet, but my children are all grown now. I’m letting them gain experience. Recently, the second son opened a branch of Lu Feng in a nearby town. And at the end of last month, the Liu family, whom Chengxiao married into, opened an embroidery shop opposite our Lu Feng store. The business is doing well. With four stores, the pressure isn’t too great.”

He then mentioned the change from a fabric shop to a fabric store, saying, “I’ve also been running around nearby towns recently and have found a fabric shop and two embroidery shops to cooperate with. We’re just waiting to choose an auspicious day to change the shop sign. From now on, it will be run as a fabric emporium. It may not achieve great success, but it should be enough to handle our shop’s surplus stock.”

This was modesty; even if the fabric emporium only captured a fraction of the business from nearby towns, it would still be a significant income.

Li Cunyi hadn’t expected that in just a few months, the Lu family had made such great strides—opening a branch, transforming the store. He congratulated them sincerely.

In his heart, he felt that the Lu family was blessed. His wife and brother-in-law’s actions were truly inappropriate. Claiming not to help but actually showing hostility, not realizing that the Lu family was also growing. Now the Lu family was responding adeptly, rising even higher. Li Cunyi was happy for the Lu family but also felt ashamed and regretful about his wife’s actions.

While at the Lu residence, he naturally inquired about Lu Chengxiao, concerned about both his business and marriage.

Lu Xun and Chen Shi knew that Li Cunyi genuinely cared for their third son, so they didn’t hide anything, treating him like an ordinary friend, discussing Lu Chengxiao’s business trip to Zhejiang and the situation with the Liu family and Liu Yu.

Li Cunyi had already heard about Liu Yu from his son’s letters. Now, hearing that she opened an embroidery shop opposite Lu Feng, he was very curious. However, since he was no longer Lu Chengxiao’s godfather, he felt it would be inappropriate to ask more. Sighing inwardly, he took out a small bundle he had brought, unwrapped it, and revealed a beautifully crafted box.

Li Cunyi opened the box to reveal a pair of exquisite jade bracelets.

“I bought these when I received news of Chengxiao’s wedding. Since he called me godfather, I should have prepared a wedding gift for him. Unfortunately, I missed the chance. Though the relationship is severed now, the sentiment remains. I hope you will accept these as a gift for the couple.”

Lu Xun and Chen saw the quality of the jade and knew it was very valuable. They couldn’t accept, saying, “We appreciate the thought, but this is too valuable to accept.”

Li Cunyi urged them repeatedly, but the couple refused to accept it.

Li Cunyi knew the relationship was truly damaged and felt deeply disappointed.

Thanking the Lu couple for their hospitality, he took his leave. At the Anyi County dock, he hired a boat, not to go to Yuanzhou, but to detour to Changfeng Town. Following his memory, he directed the boatman to the waters where he had been injured by water bandits.

Li Cunyi had the boatman stop, staring blankly at the water. The scene of that young boy saving his life was still vivid.

Li Cunyi, man in his forties, felt tears fell from his eyes. He wiped his face, his hands wet, looked at the water for a long time, and finally told the boatman, “Let’s go to Yuanzhou.”

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