632 Protecting the God of Fortune

“Stop shouting. They won’t come back. You should think about where you’re sleeping tonight. Let me make it clear to you. If you’re tired from shouting, we can give you water. But if you’re hungry, there’s nothing to eat. After all, we don’t have enough food ourselves. If you fall ill, we can get someone to send you to the clinic at any time. However, you have to pay for the treatment yourself. You can continue shouting,” Qiao Mei said with a smile.

To deal with such a scoundrel, one had to be as unreasonable as her.

“Li Gui! You can’t just watch your mother going through this! You can’t just ignore your eldest brother, Li Dong. Look at his two children! You can’t just watch us starve to death!” Old Madam Li begged.

After she could not get anything by being shameless, she started to put on a pitiful act.

Such young children had to suffer together with Old Madam Li and become her tools to make money. These children also had a tough life.

Li Gui could not bear to let the two children kneel on the cold ground. She was also a mother and could not bear to see children suffer.

She tugged at Qiao Mei’s sleeve and whispered, “Mei Mei, why not… let them come in and stay for the night. Look at those two children, they’re so pitiful.”

Qiao Mei could not bear to do it as well, but what could being kind achieve?

Could others bully you without any limit just because you were kind? Could you let others trample on you just because you could not bear to take action?

Back then, when she almost froze to death and starved to death in Qiao Zhuang’s cowshed, was she not also pitiful? She still managed to survive based on her own determination.

Since one could not choose one’s fate, then one would need to fight hard and persevere. Even if her heart ached for these two innocent children, she could not allow Old Madam Li to use the children as leverage again and again.

The last time, these two children had already been made use of to beg for food. Now, Old Madam Li was using them as a bargaining chip.

If they did not resolve this matter ruthlessly, these two children would be coerced by Old Madam Li again.

Moreover, these two children were not Li Gui’s biological children. The four children in the house, as well as her, were the ones who were Li Gui’s own flesh and blood! Li Gui could not even protect herself now, yet she still wanted to save others. Could it be that the lives of the five of them were not precious?

If Old Madam Li and the kids stayed tonight, they could never be chased away again. In the future, Zhang Miao and Zhang Chao would only get more sick and their conditions would not improve.

“If you want to care about these two children and their lives, and not the lives of your own five children, then I won’t care about this matter anymore. I won’t come to your house again in the future. Let’s go our separate ways and live our own lives, and not get in each other’s way,” Qiao Mei said as she looked at Li Gui coldly.

“Child, how can you talk like this!” Old Madam Li shouted in a panic.

Old Madam Li immediately got up, patted the dust off her thighs and pulled the two children up. If Qiao Mei no longer acknowledged Li Gui, then she would not be able to get any money at all.

How much money could she get from Li Gui? If not for Qiao Mei, why would she want to look for Li Gui!

This “God of Fortune” must not get away!

There was still a long way to go and there would be plenty of time to come and find trouble with them in the future. As long as she came to visit them more often, they would definitely send her away with money if they found her annoying!

“It’s getting dark! I’ll settle the score with you another day!” With that, Old Madam Li limped away with the two children.

Qiao Mei continued to sit on the stool in silence. Auntie Dong noticed the awkward atmosphere and said with a smile, “Oh my, Li Gui, don’t take it to heart! Mei Mei was just saying things out of anger! She was just scaring your mother!”

“I’m telling the truth. Mom, I know you’re a kind person, but you have to think of us more. We’re your biological children, right? If you let her in today, then what about Zhang Miao’s illness? Will Zhang Chao be so afraid that he won’t be able to sleep all night? Do you know that Zhang Chao spoke today? What if Old Madam Li enters the house and agitates him, causing his condition to worsen?” Qiao Mei said angrily.

Li Gui lowered her head and did not dare to look at Qiao Mei. She said softly, “I… I just want to let them stay for one night. I’ll chase them away tomorrow.”

Qiao Mei was so angry that she could only laugh. She pointed in the direction where Old Madam Li had left and asked, “If you can’t even manage to chase her away today, how are you going to chase her away once she has moved in? The family is already running out of food. Are you going to let my four younger siblings starve to death!”