Chapter 31: The Son-in-law’s Arrogance? Li Junsheng Teaches Him a Lesson!

Li Junsheng’s actions, along with his rather forceful words, immediately left everyone present in astonishment.

Especially Sun Gui, who was momentarily stunned. When he came to his senses, he stared at Li Junsheng in disbelief, sizing him up for a good while.

Was this really his timid, submissive father-in-law? Why was he suddenly reacting so strongly today? In the past, when he and his mother-in-law both laid hands on Li Chun’ya, he’d never seen Li Junsheng say a single word in her defense! And now he was pretending to be the loving father? How ridiculous!

Li Chun’ya felt her numb heart stir ever so slightly; she too hadn’t expected her father to stand up for her. But what was the use? The moment she left this home and returned to her husband’s family, she would only be repaid with double the bitterness. Whether or not her father backed her up was now irrelevant. When she needed his support most, he had stood by indifferently. Now, on a sudden whim, he was only making her life at home even harder.

Li Chun’ya hung her head, her eyes full of sorrow.

Li Guojun leaned in toward Li Chun’ya and muttered, “Dad’s been acting strange lately. Even I got beaten by him twice!”

Li Chun’ya paid her elder brother’s words little heed. Pregnant and weary, she dreaded going home to face more scolding from her husband and mother-in-law. All she wanted was to find a way to placate Sun Gui.

“Forget it, this cup wasn’t brewed properly anyway. If Dad poured it out, so be it. I’ll make you another cup.”

Li Chun’ya went into the kitchen to brew fresh tea. Sun Gui, who had been left without a graceful exit, now found Li Chun’ya’s compliant gesture greatly pleasing.

With a sidelong, provocative glance at Li Junsheng, Sun Gui made it clear he cared nothing for the man’s anger or words. The sly glint in his narrow eyes seemed to say, “See? Your daughter is willing enough on her own—don’t blame me!”

Li Junsheng ignored Sun Gui’s provocation, his heart aching for his daughter’s resignation after so many blows. It was his fault; had he stood up for Chun’ya sooner, she wouldn’t have turned out like this. Before she married, what a cheerful child she had been!

Li Chun’ya returned with another cup of tea for Sun Gui, noticeably lighter on the tea leaves this time.

“Here, there aren’t so many tea leaves now. Drink up.”

Sun Gui was clearly dismissive of Li Junsheng, and in front of him, he sneered at Li Chun’ya, “I don’t want this tea anymore. I told you to brew me a cup, and you still couldn’t get it right!”

Today, since Li Junsheng dared say unpleasant things to him, Sun Gui had no intention of lingering in his home any longer. He looked at Li Junsheng and asked rudely, “Old man, why did you call Li Chun’ya home? If it’s to have her help with chores, forget it. She’s heavily pregnant. We can’t even finish our own work at home, let alone help at her mother’s house!”

A wave of bitterness surged in Li Chun’ya’s heart. Sun Gui had never shown her an ounce of care. Even if he didn’t want her doing chores at her parents’ home, at his own he left everything to her! He resented her for not giving him a son, despised the stretch marks on her belly, and the way her body had changed. In private, he even called her an old hag!

Faced with Sun Gui’s rude questioning, Li Junsheng responded with a question of his own, “So what? In your home, my daughter still has to wait on you while pregnant?”

“Then what do you live for? Why not just chop off your limbs and donate them to someone in need? Chun’ya’s this far along, she can’t even sleep well—she should be the one looked after, and look at you!”

“My daughter has always been clean and tidy. She’s carrying your child, and you can’t even help her wash her hair? Can’t you see it needs washing?”

Li Junsheng lashed out at Sun Gui, every word brimming with pain for his daughter.

Li Chun’ya reached up and touched her braid, her expression dazed, her heart strings plucked in wild disarray. So her father did care about her after all? He could see her hardships—then why hadn’t he defended her before?

Having given birth herself, Ji Xiaocui understood Li Chun’ya’s difficulties deeply. She couldn’t help but show concern and affection for her sister-in-law.

“You haven’t washed your hair, have you? And it must be hard for you to squat when you go to the bathroom. I have a stool at my place—take it later, you can use it to sit down.”

Wang Xiuhua, seeing how Li Junsheng was standing up for his eldest daughter today, hurried to show her own concern for Li Chun’ya, hoping to win his favor and secure a larger share of the family money.

She didn’t want to let her younger brother’s wife take all the credit and the reward that might come from their father.

That second brother’s wife, she thought to herself, is pretty cunning!

“Since you’re here today, let me help you wash your hair, all right? I’ve got some shampoo—it smells nice after you use it.”

Yet, despite seeing the family’s concern for Li Chun’ya, Sun Gui remained scornful. He didn’t believe Ji Xiaocui and Wang Xiuhua truly cared for her; surely, they had their own motives.

So Sun Gui dropped all pretense and said bluntly to Li Junsheng, “Old man, what are you after this time, trying to get something out of Li Chun’ya again?”

“She’s had two kids already. You never cared much for her before—why all the concern now?”

Li Chun’ya paused, feeling her father’s presence in her heart, and couldn’t help but defend him before Sun Gui.

“How can you speak to my father like that? You don’t even greet him when you come, and how can you think that way about my father and my brothers and sisters-in-law?”

Sun Gui hadn’t expected Li Chun’ya to still side with her own family, and his eyes turned vicious. In front of Li Junsheng, he threatened her outright, “Shut your mouth! This isn’t your place to speak. Haven’t I taught you enough of a lesson lately? Itching for another one?”

“Just you wait. Say another word and I’ll deal with you when we get home. See if anyone can protect you then. Don’t think you can stand up to me now.”

Li Chun’ya shuddered and dared not utter another word. She knew too well that Sun Gui meant what he said, and she didn’t want another beating.

Li Junsheng, watching all this, understood: if he didn’t teach Sun Gui a lesson now, his daughter would suffer even more once she went home. This Sun Gui, calling him “old man” at every turn, clearly thought he was too aged to be a threat.

But today, Li Junsheng would make sure Sun Gui understood the difference between them! At fifty, he wasn’t so old; he could still stand up for his daughter.

“Sun Gui, you bastard, how dare you threaten my daughter? Let’s see what you’re made of—pick on me if you dare. What good does it do, bullying a woman like Chun’ya?”

Li Junsheng grabbed Sun Gui by the throat and slapped him twice across the face!

Sun Gui was dumbfounded at first, then, enraged and humiliated, tried to fight back. But Li Junsheng was no ordinary man—years of working with steel and machinery had given him tremendous strength. He caught Sun Gui’s hand easily, not even using his full force, and Sun Gui howled in pain.

“Dad, I was wrong, I know I was wrong! Please, let go of my arm—you’re going to break it!”

Sun Gui begged for mercy. Li Junsheng released one hand, gripped Sun Gui’s chin, and said coldly, “Today I invited Chun’ya home for a family meal—nothing more. If you want to eat, sit down and eat; if not, get out!”

“If you treat my daughter well, I’ll count you as half a son. If you don’t, you’re nothing to me!”