Chapter 83: The Vengeance of a Slain Son-I Am a Superpowered Player(Your brother, Youyou)

"Stop right there!" Li Zhi hurled his dry tobacco pipe to the ground and stood up, shouting, "What are you going to say? Do you have the nerve to say it?"

"Why wouldn’t I? That whole affair was your doing, not mine. Why should I feel ashamed?" Li Ping turned to her husband and pointed her finger at him. "I told you not to do it back then, but you wouldn’t listen. Now you feel embarrassed? Why didn’t you feel embarrassed at the time? I must have been blind to marry you—just because you were a full-time worker. Who could have guessed you had such dirty hands? The town hospital should’ve fired you!"

"You... Ah..." Li Zhi slumped back into his seat, picked up the pipe, and began smoking again, his thoughts drifting back twenty years.

Twenty years ago, Hu Daniu and his wife had just been married when she fell pregnant, bringing unbridled joy to the entire family. But happiness was short-lived; when it came time for her to give birth, she suffered a difficult labor. The town hospital, fearing the risk and dodging responsibility, flatly refused to perform a caesarean section.

Li Zhi was in charge of that department at the time. In his youth, he’d held a middling leadership post at the town hospital, but he was a man consumed by jealousy. Ever since seeing Hu Daniu marry the most virtuous and beautiful woman in the village, he’d been cold and even spiteful toward the family. He’d once pursued Hu Daniu’s wife, Li Xiaohua, himself—only to be rejected. Now, watching her struggle in childbirth, he was delighted. "If you want a caesarean, go somewhere else! Not happening here."

The Hu family pleaded with him, even to the point where Hu Daniu knelt before him, but it was all in vain. Left with no options, they rushed to the county hospital in the dead of night. There, faced with the grim question—"Save the mother or the child?"—Hu Daniu gritted his teeth and chose his wife.

Li Zhi had, in effect, indirectly killed Hu Daniu’s child. From that day on, the two families became mortal enemies.

For years afterwards, Hu Daniu’s wife was unable to conceive. Desperate for a child, they sought every possible remedy. Finally, after treatment from an old traditional doctor, Li Xiaohua became pregnant again and gave birth to their son, Hu Xiaoniu.

"Hmph!" Seeing Li Zhi fall silent, Li Ping ground her teeth and marched off toward the Hu family home.

Watching his wife’s receding figure, Li Zhi took a deep drag from his pipe—only to realize that at some point it had gone out, and the last thin tendrils of smoke were fading into the air.

...

"Chen Yun, how are things in the city? Is work busy? Has anyone bullied you?" With the trouble from the local thugs resolved, Hu Daniu’s mind was at ease, and he finally had the mood to chat with Chen Yun.

"It’s going well. Chairman Jiang takes good care of me. I’m at the same level as the general manager at the city hotel—who’d dare bully me?" Chen Yun replied with a smile.

"Oh, that’s good, you—" Hu Daniu was in the middle of speaking when there was a sudden knock at the door.

"Could it be the thugs coming back?" Li Xiaohua exclaimed in alarm.

"It can’t be that fast. It’s only been a short while," Hu Daniu shook his head. "It’s probably a neighbor dropping by since they saw our door open. Go take a look."

"I’ll go." Li Xiaohua headed outside.

"Let’s keep talking. Since Chairman Jiang values you so highly, make sure you work hard and don’t—" Hu Daniu hadn’t finished when an angry shout came from outside—it was Su Yue’e’s voice.

"Get out of here!"

The two exchanged a glance and hurried out. When Hu Daniu saw who it was, his expression darkened instantly—far more than usual.

"What are you doing here?"

Chen Yun, unsure of the situation, stood quietly to one side.

"Xiaoniu’s mother, Xiaoniu’s father—I... I came to ask for your help," Li Ping said through clenched teeth.

"Help?" Li Xiaohua laughed coldly. "You have the gall to ask for help? Tell me, were you the ones who arranged to have Daniu’s and my legs broken?"

"You’d better get out of here before I lose my temper," Hu Daniu said, barely suppressing his rage.

"It was us—we lost our heads," Li Ping’s legs buckled and she dropped to her knees before the couple. "I beg you. Only your family can help us now. We were wrong this time, and we were wrong back then as well. I apologize. You can beat me, scold me as you wish. I know your family is wealthy—please, lend me twenty gold coins. I swear I’ll pay you back."

Borrow money?

The Hu couple was stunned, and then their anger flared even higher. Did these people have no shame? After all the suffering they’d brought, now they came begging for money?

"Sorry, but that money is mine," Chen Yun quickly stepped forward, having pieced together most of the story. "I won’t lend it to you. Please leave."

Li Ping was dumbfounded. What? The money is yours? Twenty gold coins—how could a young man like you come by so much money?

"My apprentice is right," Hu Daniu said sternly. "My apprentice, Chen Yun, is a master chef and a leader at a five-star hotel. He has plenty of money. The money in our family—it’s all from him. If he says no, then it’s no. Besides, why should I lend you money? Because your family broke my legs, cost me my child, nearly destroyed my family?"

Li Xiaohua couldn’t bear to hear mention of losing their child. Her whole body trembled, and tears streamed down her face.

No one understood better than she the pain of losing a child.

From the moment she first became pregnant, she’d counted the days, careful with everything she did, watching her diet, avoiding foods she loved but that might harm the baby. She even forced down the bitterest herbal medicines prescribed by doctors, all in hopes of having a son. She poured her heart and soul into that first pregnancy, right up until the day of labor...

"Save the mother or the child?"

That question had haunted her ever since—her greatest nightmare. She had wanted nothing more than to sacrifice herself for her baby, but she was in too much pain to speak, forced to watch helplessly as her first child died from the delay in treatment.

Her hatred for Li Zhi’s family ran deeper than Hu Daniu’s. This was the enmity of a child’s death—a blood debt!

"Don’t cry, shimu," Chen Yun comforted her. "The past is gone. You still have Xiaoniu and you still have me. Once a disciple, always a son. I am your son, too."

"Chen Yun...!" Li Xiaohua broke down, burying her head in her hands. Beside her, Hu Daniu, overwhelmed with grief, snatched up a spade leaning against the wall and advanced on Li Ping.

"Hit me then! Go ahead! As long as you’ll lend me the money, I’ll accept it even if you beat me to death!" Li Ping shouted desperately, casting aside all pride.

"You—!" Roaring, Hu Daniu swung the spade down.

"Master, stop!" In a flash, Chen Yun seized his master’s arm, halting the blow. "Please, Master, calm down!"