The crack of the firewood striking flesh echoed through the room. For a brief moment, everything fell silent and even Li Shuying froze.
Li Jianmin and Li Jianguo's faces drained of color, "Father!" The two brothers shouted at the same time.
The thick piece of firewood clattered to the floor. Li Guoqiang stood motionless in front of his daughter. The blow had landed squarely across his shoulder. A dark mark was already forming beneath the fabric of his shirt.
His expression did not change, not even slightly. Yet somehow, that calmness was more frightening than any outburst.
Even Wang Chunhua, Li Guofu and Li Guosheng were little taken aback, but Li Changfu remained oblivious.
Seeing his attack interrupted, the old man's fury only grew. His face flushed red as he pointed at Li Guoqiang, "Er Gou! Have you lost your mind?" His voice shook with rage, "Why did you stop me?" He jabbed a finger toward Li Shuying, "That little beast deserves a beating. Do you even know what she has done behind your back? She disrespects her elders, beats her uncle, humiliates our Li family before the entire brigade, and even stole the filial support money you sent us every month!"
The more he spoke, the angrier he became, "Such a vicious and cunning girl must be beaten into obedience! If she isn't taught a lesson now, one day she'll drag the entire family into disaster! Children who don't obey must be disciplined. This is the rule left behind by our ancestors!"
His words rang through the room.
Yet no one responded. Because everyone could feel it. The temperature in the room seemed to have dropped several degrees.
Li Guoqiang slowly lifted his head. His eyes were dark and errifyingly. The last trace of warmth inside them had vanished.
For years, he had endured and had remained silent. Not because he agreed, but because he was afraid. Somewhere deep inside, there still remained a sliver of filial respect for the father who had raised him.
But the moment that stick had been swung toward his daughter... That final thread had snapped completely.
When he finally spoke, his voice was frighteningly calm, "What gives you the right?"
The room instantly fell silent.
Li Changfu was momentarily stunned. Then he exploded, "What gives me the right?" He laughed coldly. "She is my granddaughter, that is my right! And she is a girl, that gives me a right. In this world, men command and women obey." His voice grew increasingly harsh, "If I beat her, who dares question me? If I kill her, it would still be family discipline, because I'm not only a man but also an elder."
"When an elder wants a jounier dead, the jounier must die. When an elder wants a junior punished, the junior must accept it." His chin lifted arrogantly, "That is the principle handed down by our ancestors!"
The moment those words fell, the atmosphere changed all again.
Even Wang Chunhua's expression shifted slightly, because she felt something was wrong with Li Changfu's words. But she didn't say a single word and gazed at Li Guoqiang.
Li Guoqiang's eyes narrowed. For several seconds, he simply stared at Li Changfu. The kind of stare that made people uncomfortable. The kind soldiers on the battlefield gave before deciding whether someone was friend or enemy.
Then suddenly, he laughed, and it startled everyone present.
Li Changfu frowned, "What are you laughing at?"
Li Guoqiang looked at him, "Father." His voice was calm. "When was the last time you fulfilled the responsibilities of a grandfather toward my children?" Li Guoqiang asked. When was the last time you looked at them with even a trace of the warmth expected from a grandfather?"
Li Changfu frowned, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Li Guoqiang's eyes narrowed slightly, "You think I'm talking nonsense?"
His voice dropped lower, as it carried a pressure that made the room feel suffocating.
Li Changfu suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. This was the first time in his life he had seen such a side of Li Guoqiang. The same obedient son who had silently endured his commands for decades.
Li Guoqiang took another step forward, "When my children were sick and I was thousands of li away serving the country, where were you? When my children went hungry and secretly drank cold water just to fill their stomachs, where were you as their grandfather?"
"When my daughter wore patched clothes year after year while my military allowance entered your pockets every single month, did you ever buy her even a single chi of cloth for New Year?"
The entire room fell silent.
Li Guoqiang's eyes hardened, "So tell me. What kind of grandfather are you? What exactly have you ever done for my children?"
Li Changfu finally found his voice, "I raised you, I fed you and most importantly gave you life! Without me, would you even be standing here today?"
Li Guoqiang laughed softly. The sound carried no warmth, it only made the atmosphere colder. "You raised me?" His eyes became sharp as blades.
"Should I thank you for making a three-year-old child gather firewood in the middle of winter?"
Li Changfu froze.
"Should I thank you for sending me into the mountains before dawn while other children were still asleep? Should I thank you for beating me whenever I failed to meet your expectations?"
Each question struck harder than the last. Li Changfu's face gradually darkened.
Li Guoqiang continued, "When I was ten years old, I was already handling household chores while your younger sons were still running through the village in split-crotch pants. When I was twelve, I worked in the fields like a grown man. When I was fifteen, I left home to work on railway construction projects, earning money so this family could survive."
His voice grew colder, "When exactly did you raise me?" He looked directly into Li Changfu's eyes, "Or perhaps what you mean is that you merely kept me alive until I became useful."
The words landed like a knife, Li Changfu staggered slightly. Even Wang Chunhua's expression changed. Nobody had ever spoken these things aloud.
Li Guoqiang's gaze shifted, "And now you want to beat my daughter." His voice was terrifyingly calm, "Do you know what the People's Government taught us after Liberation? The old laws are gone, the old customs are gone, the old feudal ideas are gone. Nobody has the right to treat women as slaves. Woman and man stand on equal ground."
Every sentence struck like a hammer. Li Changfu's face gradually stiffened.
Li Guoqiang continued, "You speak of ancestors and family discipline. Very well. Then tell me, which ancestor taught you to live off a child barely old enough to walk? Which ancestor taught you to take a son's military allowance, call it filial support, and leave his wife and children hungry?"
His eyes burned with fury, "If such ancestors truly existed... I would rather tear down the ancestral hall. I would rather smash every tablet inside it. I would build a public latrine on its foundation and let the entire village relieve themselves there."
The room instantly fell silent. Everyone stared at him in shock. Such words were practically rebellious in the countryside. Yet not a single person felt he was wrong.
Li Guoqiang's voice grew colder still, "Ancestors worthy of respect teach their descendants virtue, responsibility and teach kindness."
His gaze settled firmly on Li Changfu, "And certainly not feeding on their own children like leeches."
Li Changfu's face turned crimson. His finger trembled violently, "Y...you..." For the first time in many years, the old man discovered that he could not find a single word to refute his son.
Meanwhile, Wang Chunhua, who had remained silent under Li Guoqiang's barrage of words, suddenly exploded. The moment she heard him compare Li Guofu to a leech, her eyes nearly popped out of her head, "You cursed bastard who are you calling a leech?," she screeched. Her finger trembled as she pointed at him.
Li Guoqiang's gaze immediately shifted toward her, cold and sharp. Without the slightest trace of respect. "You." Then his eyes moved toward Li Guofu, "And your filthy, useless son."
The room instantly fell silent.
Li Guofu's face flushed crimson. For years he had enjoyed being the favored son of the household. When had anyone ever spoken to him like this? His anger instantly exploded.
"Li Guoqiang!" He lunged forward. His overweight body wobbling as he charged, "You dare call me filthy? It's your family that's filthy, you are nothing but a dog, that's why Father calls you Er Gou!"
The moment those words left his mouth, Li Guoqiang moved. Nobody even saw it clearly. One second he was standing still.
The next.... Bang! Li Guofu crashed face-first into the ground.
A scream immediately echoed through the room, "AHHH!" Before anyone could react, Li Guoqiang had already pinned him down. One hand pressed firmly against the back of his neck.
He did not appear to be using much force. Yet Li Guofu felt as though a mountain was crushing him. His face was pushed directly into the dirt floor and he couldn't move at all.
Li Guoqiang looked down at him. His expression was filled with disgust, "You dare say that to me?" His voice was frighteningly calm, "You've spent years eating the money I earned, and yet you dare bark at me? As an elder I must teach him a lesson, isn't it father?" He looked at Li Changfu.
He pressed down slightly harder. Li Guofu immediately shrieked, "AHHH!" His entire face turned pale.
"I think all those years of eating have clogged your brain." Li Guoqiang's voice grew colder, "You've eaten so much that you've forgotten how to be greatful."
"Mother!" Li Guofu wailed. "Father, save me! AHHH....!"
Seeing her precious son being treated like this, Wang Chunhua nearly went mad. She slapped Li Guoqiang's hands and began screaming, "Li Guoqiang, you heartless wolf, you ungrateful beast. Let go of my Guofu! My poor son! My precious son!"
She immediately turned toward Li Changfu, "Guofu's father!" Her voice became shrill, "Are you dead? Can't you see this bastard is killing our son? Pull him away!"
Li Changfu's face turned ugly. Without hesitation, he rushed forward together with Wang Chunhua. The two grabbed Li Guoqiang's arms and tried pulling him away.
But to their horror, he did not move even slightly. It was like trying to move a mountain. No matter how much strength the elderly couple used, they could not budge him an inch.
Li Guoqiang slowly raised his head. His gaze swept across the two of them, "What a pity, to think you raised such a son."
With a flick of his arm, he released Li Guofu. The latter rolled across the floor like a sack of grain before collapsing in a miserable heap. Li Guoqiang looked at him as though looking at garbage.
Then he turned toward Wang Chunhua and Li Changfu, "I don't care what happens to your family." His voice was firm. "But hear this clearly, this is the last warning I will ever give. The years I endured, the years my wife suffered and the years my children went hungry. That is more than enough repayment for the debt of raising me."
His gaze became colder, "From today onward... You have no claim over me or my family. And that allowance money..." His eyes landed on Wang Chunhua, "It belongs to my wife and children."
His voice dropped lower, "If any of you dare lay another hand on my wife or children... If any of you dare scheme against them again..." His eyes narrowed. "I promise you, you will spend the rest of your lives regretting it."
The intensity behind those words sent chills down everyone's spine. For the first time, Li Changfu realized something terrifying. Li Guoqiang was no longer the obedient son they could manipulate.
And the patience he had maintained for years had finally reached its end.
In the corner, Li Guosheng swallowed hard. Cold sweat covered his back. Without attracting attention, he quietly took a step backward, and before anyone noticed, he had already slipped out through the courtyard gate.
Li Guoqiang didn't even spare him a glance. Instead, he pointed toward the door, "Leave." The single word echoed through the room.
Li Changfu's eyes widened, his voice trembled, "Y...you... You dare tell your father to leave?"
Li Guoqiang didn't answer, instead, he calmly turned around. His expression softened slightly as his gaze landed on his children, Grand Aunt Li, and Widow He, then he said, "Everyone, sit down and let's continue eating."
As everyone slowly returned to their seats, the atmosphere inside the room remained heavy. No one felt as relaxed as they had moments earlier.
Wang Chunhua stood by the doorway, her face twisted with resentment and chest rose and fell violently. For decades she had controlled Li Guoqiang through filial piety, guilt, and habit. Today, for the first time, that control had shattered before her eyes.
She clenched her teeth so hard that they almost cracked. Finally, she pointed at Li Guoqiang and hissed, "Li Guoqiang, don't think this matter is over." Her eyes were venomous, "You humiliated your parents in front of outsiders today, you will pay for this. Just wait."
With that, she spat heavily onto the ground, "Pah!" Then she grabbed Li Guofu and stormed out of the house. Li Guofu shot one final hateful glare toward Li Guoqiang and Li Shuying before limping after his mother.
Li Changfu remained standing where he was. His aged face was dark and unreadable. For a long moment, he simply stared at Li Guoqiang. Finally, he let out a cold snort and then turned around and left as well. The courtyard gate slammed shut behind them.
Silence immediately descended upon the house. No one spoke. Not even the twins.
The only sounds that remained were the faint occasional clinking of chopsticks.
Everyone understood what Wang Chunhua was capable of. Previously, she had been forced to restrain herself because of Liu Zhenshen's authority and the attention surrounding Li Shuying and Chen Meilan.
But now things were different. This conflict was no longer about Chen Meilan. It was between a son and his parents. Even the Commune Secretary would find it difficult to interfere in such family affairs.
The thought made Widow He and Grand Aunt Li exchange worried glances. Neither of them felt relieved despite today's victory.
Li Guoqiang lowered his head and quietly picked up a dumpling. Yet his appetite was gone. He knew exactly what his words today meant. The moment he had openly rejected Wang Chunhua and Li Changfu, there would be no turning back.
A faint uneasiness settled in his chest. Not because he regretted protecting his wife and children, he would never regret that. What unsettled him was something else.
His fingers tightened slightly around the chopsticks. If Wang Chunhua truly lost all restraint...
What will happen? For the first time in many years, Li Guoqiang felt genuinely uneasy.
Across the table, Li Shuying silently ate her lunch. Her expression remained calm, yet her mind was racing. Something felt wrong, very wrong.
She knew her father better than anyone. In her previous life, she had watched Li Guoqiang endure humiliation from Li Changfu and Wang Chunhua for decades.
Even when they mistreated his wife. He had always remained silent. Yet today... He had exploded.
Li Shuying lowered her gaze. What changed?
The question kept repeating inside her mind. The more she thought about it, the stranger it felt. Just as she was lost in thought...
A familiar chime suddenly echoed inside her mind and Li Shuying froze. Her chopsticks stopped midway.
That sound...
It was the sound that appeared whenever a level inside the Farm System was completed.
Her eyes widened slightly. Had Zhang Junyi already sold all the supplies? But that was impossible. It hadn't even been a full day yet. She had expected him to need at least two days.
A wave of surprise swept through her. Then excitement quickly followed.
The level was completed.
Which meant... New things and crops would unlock. For a moment, all thoughts about Wang Chunhua, Li Changfu, and her father's strange behavior vanished from her mind.
Her heart immediately filled with anticipation. She lowered her head to hide the excitement in her eyes. Inside, however, she was already celebrating.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips. Completely unaware of the storm brewing in Li Guoqiang's heart.