Chapter 55: Not Letting My Daughter Come Home? Then You Go Back to Your Mother’s House!

Ji Xiaocui, remembering how well Li Junsheng treated Xiaowei, was also willing to be kind to Li Chunbud, considering it a way to repay her father-in-law.

With her younger sister and brother-in-law helping her so much, Li Chunbud herself felt at a loss. Meanwhile, when Li Junsheng returned home from the hospital, he was confronted with a problem: after bringing Li Chunbud back, there simply weren’t enough rooms in the house. The whole apartment only had three bedrooms and a living room. The eldest and his wife occupied one room, Ma Yulian had another, and Li Junsheng himself slept in the smallest room, which had been converted from a study.

It was impossible for Li Junsheng to move in with Ma Yulian and give the small room to Li Chunbud. That tiny room was stifling in summer, freezing in winter, and absolutely unsuitable for a woman in confinement after childbirth.

It was because of the lack of space that the second son had been forced to move out and rent, and the youngest daughter had shifted to a dormitory. Should he just drive Li Guojun and his wife out? Those two had never gotten any money from him, so they were clearly eyeing the house—there was little chance of getting them to leave.

Suddenly, bringing Li Chunbud back home became a thorny issue with nowhere for her to stay.

Li Junsheng sat for a while on his simple folding cot, reflecting that even if Li Chunbud did come home, Ma Yulian and the eldest daughter-in-law would give her nothing but grief. Since there was no room anyway, perhaps…

Li Junsheng came up with a plan: he would stage a little drama to see it through.

With that thought, he stepped out of his room.

At this time, Li Guojun and Wang Xiuhua were hiding in their room, up to who knows what. Ma Yulian, having finished dinner, was resting on the sofa.

Li Chunbud’s two daughters were nowhere to be seen; perhaps Wu Dongmei had taken them, or perhaps Li Guojun and his wife had sent them back—at any rate, Li Junsheng hadn’t seen them. Knowing Li Guojun’s temperament, most likely they’d been sent back to Sun Gui’s home.

He’d fetch his two granddaughters another day, but for now, he had to resolve where Li Chunbud would stay.

“Chunbud suffered a massive hemorrhage and had a premature delivery at the hospital today—did you know?” Li Junsheng asked Ma Yulian.

Ma Yulian couldn’t care less about her third daughter’s fate, and replied carelessly, “No idea. She’s given birth already? Don’t tell me it’s another girl?”

“Can’t even produce a son—what a disgrace to me, Ma Yulian!”

Li Junsheng drew a deep breath at her words, forcibly restraining his temper. This woman was truly unfit to be a mother.

He didn’t lose his temper with Ma Yulian, but said to her deliberately, “Yes, she had a daughter. Her husband’s family is quite displeased. That’s why I’ve decided to bring her home for her confinement. So tidy up the place and clear a room; when Chunbud is discharged, she’ll come straight here.”

At these words, Ma Yulian was visibly stunned, her face contorted in shock and disbelief. In the next instant, she shot up from the sofa and flew into a rage at Li Junsheng.

“Are you out of your mind, or is Li Chunbud? She’s already married, she should be staying at her in-laws’ for her confinement! Who ever heard of a married woman returning to her parents’ house for that? Aren’t you worried about bringing bad luck and dooming us all? I’m telling you, you can’t bring her back here—there’s no room for her!”

“There’s no way I’ll give up my own room for her. If she takes it, where am I supposed to sleep?”

Li Junsheng couldn’t care less where she slept; she could move in with Chen Dazhu for all he cared.

Ma Yulian rattled on like a machine gun, venting her frustrations at Li Junsheng.

“How can you be so muddleheaded, Li Junsheng? You want to play the good guy and bring Li Chunbud back, but when it comes to actually caring for her, you’ll wash your hands of it! Am I supposed to look after her, or who? I’m old—she ought to be looking after me, not the other way around! Why didn’t you consult me about something so important?”

Losing control, Ma Yulian shoved Li Junsheng, but he didn’t budge.

All she could do was glare at him in helpless fury, her eyes brimming with malice.

Li Junsheng actually let out a bitter laugh at her words. He retorted sharply, “Who knows where you disappeared to today? Your daughter was hemorrhaging and you were nowhere to be found. I wanted to consult you, but couldn’t! I’ve never seen a mother like you!”

“Is Chunbud not your child? Yet you side with outsiders to bully her. Thanks to you, if you hadn’t arranged her marriage, she wouldn’t be suffering at Sun Gui’s hands.”

“I don’t care what you say, I’m bringing Chunbud home no matter what. If you don’t like it, go back to your own family. If you have a heart, you’d go visit her in the hospital and stop saying such cruel things!”

“You want me to go back to my own family?” Ma Yulian stared at him in disbelief, nearly driven mad by Li Junsheng’s words.

She glared at him for a long time, then, unable to find words, began to throw a tantrum, rolling and shouting like a shrew.

“I don’t care what you do with Li Chunbud. But I’ll never agree to you bringing her here, nor will I give up my room. Go ask around—what married woman returns to her parents’ house for her confinement? You act on a whim without thinking!”

“You’re the one playing the head of the family—let Sun Gui take her back, but don’t bring her here.”

Ma Yulian’s shrill voice echoed through the house, soon drawing Wang Xiuhua and even the neighbors, who had just finished supper, over to watch the commotion.

As Li Junsheng and Ma Yulian’s argument escalated, Wang Xiuhua began to lose patience.

“What now? Are you two making a scene again, giving everyone something to laugh at every day?”

Spotting Wang Xiuhua, Ma Yulian seized her as a lifeline and hurriedly complained, “Li Junsheng wants to bring Li Chunbud, who has just given birth, back here for her confinement. Isn’t that outrageous?”

Wang Xiuhua immediately raised her voice, “What? I’m against it too—she can’t come back here for confinement!”

Ma Yulian smiled inwardly, knowing Wang Xiuhua would take her side on this.

“You heard that, Li Junsheng? Both the eldest daughter-in-law and I refuse to let the third come back. If you insist, don’t blame us for driving her out!”

“You didn’t even discuss it with us first, just played the good guy. We’re not looking after her—if you want to, take her somewhere else!”

Wang Xiuhua hurried to chime in, “That’s right, mother-in-law is right. I already have my hands full with my own children and Guojun—I don’t have time to look after my sister-in-law!”

Little did Ma Yulian know, this was exactly what Li Junsheng wanted to hear.

The neighbors, sighing and clicking their tongues, stood by. Li Junsheng deliberately raised his voice, “Everyone, listen to this—do you think this is right? Chunbud’s husband is a scoundrel, bringing another woman home and driving Chunbud to a hemorrhage. Sun Gui left her and the baby at the hospital, not caring at all. And now, as her mother, Ma Yulian isn’t moved by her daughter’s suffering in the slightest. She’s her own child—what’s so wrong with bringing her home for her confinement? I never said I wanted you to look after her, just to clear out a room so she has somewhere to stay!”

Hearing of Li Chunbud’s plight, the neighbors were shocked and immediately began whispering among themselves, their resentment toward Ma Yulian growing ever stronger.