Chapter Twenty-One: The Thug's Threat

"Are you, like our uncle's family, trying to seize the family heirloom?"

"You ungrateful wretch!"

"You are not welcome in this home! You had better get as far away as you can!"

As she finished speaking, Li Huihui could no longer hold back her tears. Hearing her words, Yang Suying’s face streamed with tears. She reached out and pulled Li Huihui into a gentle embrace, the two of them weeping together as they wiped the tears from each other's faces. Even Li Chengyang, who sat motionless in his chair, was sobbing uncontrollably.

They were his children; how could his heart not ache for them?

Li Mu’s face was wet with tears, and the pain of hearing Li Huihui’s words was almost unbearable. How had his sister and parents survived these past few years? Without him, they had lived such... miserable lives. It was all his fault. It was he who had brought this upon them.

At this thought, Li Mu fell to his knees in the courtyard with a heavy thud. Looking at the three people inside, he cried out, "I am sorry to you, Father and Mother. I am sorry, Huihui. I, Li Mu, swear to the heavens: from this day forward, I will take back everything you have lost!"

"I will make sure you live a good life. I have failed you all; I am an incompetent son!"

"I am sorry... I am sorry... It wasn't that I didn't want to come back, but that I... I couldn't!"

Li Chengyang let out a long sigh. "Xiao Mu, we know you must have endured great hardships out there to be able to return. Enough, say no more. Your sister doesn't hate you; she is just nursing a grudge because you stayed away for so many years after leaving."

Having said this, Li Chengyang walked over to Li Mu, helped him up, and pressed him back into his seat at the table.

"Mother of his children, bring our daughter over here too. Today is a day for us to be reunited. We will live well from now on."

Hearing this, Yang Suying quickly wiped her daughter's tears and led her to the table. Having been apart for so many years and lacking news of one another, Yang Suying and Li Chengyang kept piling food into Li Mu and Li Huihui’s bowls. Li Huihui did not refuse, keeping her head down and focusing only on her rice, while Li Mu found every bite difficult to swallow.

Li Huihui finished her meal quickly, set down her bowl and chopsticks, and returned to her small room, limping as she walked. Throughout the process, she completely ignored Li Mu.

Seeing Li Huihui leave, Li Mu finally set down his own utensils and looked at his parents. "Father, Mother, what happened to Huihui’s leg?"

Li Mu remembered that when he first returned, Li Chengyang had been limping. Now that his sister was also lame, did it mean that after he left, his mother had been the only one holding the family together?

"Xiao Mu, you’ve just returned, eat your food! It’s been a long time since you tasted your mother’s cooking, hasn't it?"

Seeing Yang Suying brush the topic aside, Li Mu immediately sensed that something terrible had occurred. He frowned and asked, "Am I not your son anymore? Huihui is my sister. Is there something that I, as her brother, am not allowed to know?"

Seeing her son speak this way, Yang Suying instinctively glanced at Li Chengyang.

Li Chengyang understood. He sighed, "Xiao Mu, it isn't that your mother and I don't want to tell you; it’s just that we’re afraid it will only cause you more pain."

"Not long after you left, while Huihui was searching for something, she was accosted by the local thugs in our village. Your sister refused their advances and struggled, but because she was on an incline, she tumbled down during the struggle."

"Fortunately, she didn't sustain other injuries, but her leg was badly damaged by the force of the impact."

Upon hearing this, Li Mu felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His body went rigid on the spot. It was unclear how much time passed, but guilt, pain, and remorse surged through his heart, gradually spreading throughout his entire body. He thought of how Li Huihui used to be—lively, adorable, and always following him around, sweetly calling him "Big Brother."

And now...

Li Mu hung his head, tears streaming down his cheeks and dripping onto the floor and the table.

Seeing Li Mu’s reaction, Li Chengyang sighed, "Child, what’s done is done. Don't let your mind wander. Eat your food!"

"With you here now, I believe your sister will soon let go of her resentment and get along with you again."

Li Mu nodded, then asked, "Father, what happened to those thugs in the end?"

At this question, Li Chengyang’s expression darkened instantly, turning into a look of bottomless pain. "Nothing happened to them."

"Nothing?" Li Mu’s face changed dramatically. "Why not?"

Li Chengyang did not answer. Instead, he spoke to himself: "Child, you must promise me one thing."

"What is it?"

Seeing that Li Mu looked distressed, Li Chengyang set down his chopsticks and looked at him with great solemnity.

"Our family is not well-off. We can barely provide you with a home. Your mother and I have no influence, and you have suffered much because of us—especially your sister."

"Now that you are back, I hope we can live in peace from now on and not stir up any trouble."

"Child, I want you to understand: the world is a vast place. We only hope that you and your sister remain safe and sound."

After speaking, Li Chengyang lit a cigarette. It was crumpled and dirty, clearly something he had been saving for a long time, reluctant to smoke. Li Chengyang didn't even have a nicotine addiction; he rarely smoked. He only wanted a cigarette now to calm his nerves after touching upon such painful memories.

"Actually, at the place where your sister was harmed, we found relevant security footage. Usually, such matters are handled by the authorities above, and we could only urge them, but we never once saw those thugs face any consequences."

"When the matter had dragged on for half a year, the other side hired lawyers and, along with those in power, issued a 'no-fault' agreement. It was filled from top to bottom with claims that your sister had deliberately tried to blackmail them."

"Such an absurd thing, yet everyone believed it. They even went so far as to call your sister unchaste."

As he spoke, Li Chengyang’s voice trembled. He had no power, no way to resolve the situation, and nowhere to vent his frustration.

"The connections behind those thugs are not simple. How could poor people like us ever hope to fight them?"

"In fact, after the incident, people came to our house to intimidate and threaten us. They said if we kept pressing the issue, they would break your sister’s legs completely."

"We were still resisting then, but later, dead cats and dogs began appearing on our doorstep, and they even splashed filth on our walls."