Chapter 42: The Boyfriend Visits! Ma Yulian’s Disdain and Criticism?

Thinking about these matters, Li Junsheng returned home to find that his eldest son and daughter-in-law were already back.

Li Guojun saw him and still wore a hostile expression, his brows furrowed in cold disdain.

Li Junsheng pretended he didn’t exist, scanning the room for Ma Yulian. Not seeing her in the living room, he walked toward her bedroom.

Peering through the half-open door, he saw Ma Yulian lying on her side, back facing him.

Perhaps sensing Li Junsheng’s icy gaze, Ma Yulian turned her head, immediately spotting him at the doorway.

At the sight of him, Ma Yulian’s barely subdued anger flared up again. She grabbed the pillow by her side and hurled it at Li Junsheng.

“Get out! What are you doing here? Li Junsheng, you’re not even a real man!”

Ma Yulian still felt the sting from the slap she’d received; half her face hurt, and when she looked in the mirror, the mark was obvious. It would take two or three days before it faded.

In the living room, Li Guojun and Wang Xiuhua sighed, never expecting Li Junsheng to truly not want to live with Ma Yulian anymore—he slapped her without a second thought, showing no regard for her dignity.

Li Junsheng dodged the pillow and coldly reminded her, “Do you think I want to see you? Tomorrow Xiao Yu is bringing her boyfriend over. You’d better treat them well—no sour faces, and don’t insult him on purpose!”

Hearing this, Ma Yulian’s fury intensified, and she shouted curses at Li Xiaoyu.

“Shameless girl! She doesn’t focus on her work, never brings much money home, yet she’s found herself some wild man! I told her to break it off with that outsider—who told her to bring him home?”

Before Ma Yulian could finish, Li Junsheng’s voice rose above hers, rebuking her, “I’m the one who asked Xiao Yu to bring him home. How can you belittle your own daughter like this? Is the money Xiao Yu brings home every month too little for you?”

“She doesn’t even buy herself new clothes. Whether Xiao Yu’s boyfriend is good or bad, he should at least come here so we can meet him.”

“If you dare say anything unpleasant in front of Xiao Yu and her boyfriend tomorrow, don’t blame me for kicking you out. I, Li Junsheng, won’t have a wife like you!”

Ma Yulian was still obsessed with the six hundred yuan betrothal money and didn’t agree with Li Junsheng’s idea of assessing whether Xiao Yu’s boyfriend was reliable.

“I think you’re just making a fuss for nothing. Even if Xiao Yu’s boyfriend is a good man, what does it matter? Money is what counts!”

“Your opinion doesn’t matter,” Li Junsheng declared. In this lifetime, he would never allow Ma Yulian to meddle in their youngest daughter’s marriage.

Ma Yulian’s eyes shifted as she suddenly thought of something and changed her tone.

“If you want me to host that wretched girl’s boyfriend here tomorrow, fine—give me her money. Then I’ll make sure you all have a decent meal, so you can’t say I neglected her boyfriend.”

Ma Yulian never stopped coveting the children's money.

Li Junsheng snorted coldly and replied, “Xiao Yu’s money is under my control. Tomorrow, as long as you don’t give them a hard time or say nasty things, that’s enough.”

“Thanks to your loud mouth, Xiao Yu has to bring him here now. The neighbors all heard you shouting just now!”

Ma Yulian choked, finally realizing her loud voice had made things worse. It wasn’t good for too many people to know about Xiao Yu’s boyfriend.

But she still insisted, “What did I do wrong? I just want her to live well! So what if you’re a good person, honest and upright? What kind of life do I have without money? It’s chaos every day.”

She didn’t forget to mock Li Junsheng, but he stared at her with a steady gaze, saying only one thing that made her uneasy.

“Why is there never enough money in this house? Am I really poor? You know better than anyone. Don’t push me to settle accounts with you, wage by wage.”

Ma Yulian fell silent, her eyes tinged with fear as she looked at him.

Had he discovered something?

Li Junsheng ignored her and went to his own room to sleep.

At noon the next day, Li Xiaoyu arrived, arm in arm with a respectable-looking young man.

“Dad, I’m home. Let me introduce you—this is the boyfriend I told you about.”

“Hello, Uncle. I’m Tang Liang!”

Tang Liang greeted Li Junsheng politely, looking a bit nervous.

He had thick brows and large eyes, his expression straightforward and honest, with no sign of slyness. He wasn’t short, and for his first visit, he brought plenty of gifts.

Li Guojun and Wang Xiuhua’s eyes lit up at the sight of the gifts, immediately welcoming him with enthusiasm.

Li Junsheng didn’t make things difficult, his expression calm. “Come in and sit. Xiao Tang, how old are you this year? Where do you work?”

“Uncle, I’m twenty-two. I work as a cook at the textile factory where Xiao Yu works! Just a temp worker.”

Li Junsheng nodded in approval. A cook at a state-run textile factory, even as a temp, was quite good.

He then asked about Tang Liang’s family, and Tang Liang answered honestly: besides his parents, he had a married sister.

The only downside was that Tang Liang’s parents were rural folk, with no house in the city.

At this, Ma Yulian, arms crossed and face cold, let out a mocking laugh, her gaze at Tang Liang full of criticism.

Li Xiaoyu hurriedly took out the gift Tang Liang had bought for Ma Yulian, hoping to win her approval for their relationship.

“Mom, this is a gift from Tang Liang. See if you like it—I remember you said you wanted this scarf but thought it was too expensive.”

“Yes, Auntie. Just a small token. I hope you like it!”

Li Xiaoyu and Tang Liang watched Ma Yulian nervously, both knowing how difficult she could be.

As expected, Ma Yulian picked up the scarf disdainfully, deliberately finding fault.

“This scarf is out of style now. If you’re giving a gift, why not buy the latest fashionable design? You chose something outdated—probably because it’s cheaper, right?”

“If you can’t even afford a new scarf, how can you be my son-in-law…”

“Ahem!”

Seeing Ma Yulian about to say something nasty, Li Junsheng coughed lightly, his gaze sharp as a blade, warning her.

Ma Yulian rolled her eyes and reluctantly shut up, though she still refused to show Tang Liang any kindness.

Li Junsheng didn’t want her causing trouble, so he deliberately sent her away.

“It’s lunchtime—go get the meal ready. Today, Xiao Tang and I will have a couple of drinks!”

Tang Liang’s eyes sparkled as he glanced at Li Xiaoyu. At least her father treated him well and wasn’t prejudiced or difficult, making him feel hopeful about marrying Xiao Yu.

Ma Yulian rolled her eyes again, unwilling to cook for Tang Liang, and deliberately said, “I twisted my wrist yesterday. It hurts terribly—I can’t cook today!”