Chapter 17: On What Grounds?

“Brother-in-law, how’s business been lately?” Li Xiuyuan asked with a smile. His brother-in-law’s family ran a seed and fertilizer shop in town, and business was usually quite good, especially in spring—the busy season for sowing and planting.

The reason for asking, though, was an art of conversation; you can’t just bring up a sore topic out of the blue.

“Business is pretty good. It’s been busy lately. Your sister has been juggling taking care of the kids and managing the family business—it’s exhausting,” Zhang Zhihao replied.

Hearing this, Li Xiuyuan understood that his sister, Li Qingqing, was quite a strong presence at home.

“Busy is good. With two kids now, the future pressure will be considerable. It’s wise to earn more and save more…”

“Yes, your sister thinks the same. She’s even considering taking on more agencies,” Zhang Zhihao added.

As they chatted, Li Qingqing emerged from the kitchen and plopped down next to Li Xiuyuan, scrutinizing him carefully. “Come on, what’s really going on? Dad’s been hiding something from me, hasn’t he?”

Li Xiuyuan and his sister had always been close; their age difference was small, and before she married, she had taken great care of him. When he was in university, she had helped him a lot—his living expenses were mostly covered by her, since the small amounts he earned from odd jobs barely supported him.

“Sis, it’s just that…” Li Xiuyuan began, but Li Qingqing interrupted.

“Wait, let me guess. Are you and Jingya getting married? If you ask me, you two should have made it official long ago. Although, to be honest, I’ve always felt a little uneasy about Jingya. But since you like her, you have my full support as your sister. When you get married, I’ll definitely give you a big red envelope,” she said with a teasing smile.

Just then, their mother, Zhang Qiuhe, came out of the kitchen and overheard Li Qingqing talking about Lin Jingya. Her face tightened with unease, and she kept signaling silently to her daughter. Despite their son having passed the civil service exam, he had recently suffered a heartbreak—a blow that both she and her husband tried to avoid mentioning in his presence.

But Li Qingqing paid no attention to her mother’s glances and continued talking.

“Sis, you’ve got it wrong,” Li Xiuyuan shook his head. “We broke up.”

---

“Are you kidding? How could you let her go?” Li Qingqing refused to believe it, but seeing her brother’s serious expression, she was momentarily stunned and instinctively glanced at their mother.

Zhang Qiuhe nodded. “It’s been over a month. We just didn’t tell you.”

Since their daughter Li Qingqing was busy with two children and managing the family business, they had chosen not to burden her with the news.

Li Qingqing looked at her brother, probing, “What happened? Was it you… or her?”

“We took the civil service exam. The written results came out in late March. She passed; I didn’t do well. So she looked down on me and ended things,” Li Xiuyuan said calmly.

Now, speaking of Lin Jingya stirred no emotions in him. After all, that chapter had closed ten years ago in his previous life. Ten years—the most merciless measure of time.

Having been through so much, looking back, it was only natural to misjudge people in youth. It was fortunate they had broken up in time, before marriage.

Marrying such a woman would have been a disaster.

“What? On what grounds? She had you paying her tuition and living expenses back then…” Li Qingqing’s eyes widened in anger.

Even as a woman herself, she couldn’t accept such ingratitude and treachery—how could anyone be so shameless as to repay kindness with betrayal?

“Sis, I get it. People always want to rise, water flows downhill. Apart from the shock of how fast she turned, it’s normal. Better to see people clearly sooner rather than later, right?” Li Xiuyuan interrupted, not wanting to dwell on Lin Jingya.

Li Qingqing was indignant on his behalf and wanted to say more, but Zhang Qiuhe quickly cut her off.

“Enough. Let’s not talk about it anymore. What’s done is done,” she said, picking up her granddaughter and changing the subject.

“How’s little Tongtong? Is she clingy?” Zhang Qiuhe asked. Tongtong was the granddaughter’s nickname; her formal name was Zhang Yitong.

---

“Not too bad. She gets along with her dad and grandparents, so she’s not always clinging to me. Honestly, she’s easier to manage than Mingxuan was at that age,” Li Qingqing replied absentmindedly, glancing at Li Xiuyuan from time to time.

She felt sorry for her brother, having given so much only to be heartlessly abandoned.

Zhang Zhihao, the brother-in-law, had been listening quietly and hadn’t joined the conversation. Seeing his wife and mother-in-law chatting about the child gave him an opening, so he pulled Li Xiuyuan aside into his room for a smoke.

Li Xiuyuan rarely smoked—primarily because Lin Jingya disliked the smell, so he avoided it unless drinking. But having worked in the countryside for over ten years in his previous life, he was an old hand at smoking. When his brother-in-law offered a cigarette, he hesitated but accepted.

In the system, drinking and smoking were unavoidable—not because one couldn’t survive without them, but because they made social integration easier.

For example, a business deal might be settled over a meal with drinks and cigarettes. Without them, the difficulty level would skyrocket.

“Xiuyuan, don’t think too much. There are still plenty of good girls in this world,” Zhang Zhihao said as he lit his cigarette. “I’m not good with words, but if you ever want to drink, I’m here anytime.

“And if you don’t have much going on, come stay at our place for a while. It’s May now; business is slower. I can cook you some good meals, and your sister might even help find some suitable matches nearby.”

“Thanks, brother-in-law, but I probably won’t have time for that now. When I do, I’ll definitely come by and won’t be shy about it,” Li Xiuyuan smiled.

Zhang Zhihao patted his brother-in-law’s shoulder, nodded, and said no more.

Just then, a call announcing that dinner was ready came from outside. Li Xiuyuan and Zhang Zhihao left the room together.