Chapter 117 Gathering

Chapter 117 Gathering

Chapter 117 Gathering
Li Changle thought back to the past and felt that it was true. Ever since grandma left, bad things happened one after another in the family.

"Brother, I'm getting better now, and it will only get better in the future."

Brother Li nodded with a smile, "Ah Le, as long as you follow the right path, it will be the greatest joy for our family!"

"Second brother, I haven't done anything bad before!" Li Changle didn't expect that his second brother, who used to be in a bad mood whenever he saw him, would say such a thing.

"I didn't do anything bad, but I didn't do anything good either."

Brother Li nodded again and again, "Aan is right. The happiest thing about coming back this time is to hear them talk about your fishing trip. When Aan and I first heard it, we were stunned and thought they were talking about someone else."

"Hahaha!" Brother Li laughed. "Big brother even asked Ah Dong if he made a mistake."

Li Changle didn't feel strange at all when Brother Li asked such a question. When they left, he was still a lazy guy!

Pretending to be sad, he said, "Oh, that's too hurtful. Are you still my brother? Besides me, who else in the village is called A Le?"

"Hehe! I still believe it, but it feels a little sudden!" Brother Li picked up the bucket and poured the remaining water in the bucket over Li Changle's head which was covered with soapberry foam.

"That's good. When Ah Huan returns from his civilian job and finds a job, our family will only get better and better."

Li Changle and Li Changan nodded heavily, "It will definitely get better and better."

"Ah Le, everyone says you are lucky. Let's go fishing together tomorrow morning."

"I'm going to Lucheng to visit my mother-in-law tomorrow morning. When I come back, we'll go to Shuilu Zhang to drive the fishing boat back and go out to the deserted island to fish in the sea."

"That's fine. We'll go visit my mother-in-law's house when we get back."

"They all went to my mother-in-law's house. My mother must be jealous."

The three brothers were laughing and joking beside the well. Mother Li, who was washing fish on the steps, and Father Li, who was helping to make the traps, listened to their three sons' laughter, with the corners of their mouths raised and the fine lines on their faces spread out like ripples on water.

Li Changle, who was the first to finish washing, ran into the yard in her plastic sandals, "Mother, have you had lunch yet?"

"No! The meal is ready, just waiting for you to come back." Li's mother picked up the slaughtered yellow croaker and said, "You wanted to eat it last time but didn't. I'll make two today so you can enjoy it."

"Let's have a drink at noon!" Li Changle looked at Father Li, "Dad, just bear with it. When you get better, I'll go buy a jar of aged wine and come back to drink it slowly with you."

"Why buy aged wine? You have too much money to spend, right?" Father Li thought for a moment and said, "Wait until you build the new house, and then you can buy whatever wine you want."

"Dad, when the time comes, each of us brothers will buy a jar for you to drink!" said Brother Li happily.

"Why are you still standing there when you're all wet? Go back and change into dry clothes." Father Li waved at the three of them as if he was driving ducks.

"Brother-in-law, what good thing happened to you that makes you smile so happily?" Uncle Wang came to the yard carrying a pair of pig's feet and a piece of meat.

Father Li quickly stood up with the help of the wall. "Just come and have fun. Why are you carrying so many things?"

Uncle Wang said with a smile: "Pig's feet are good for health, and the kids like spareribs."

After settling the issue of the partnership with Wang Agen, he felt that the sky had become a lot brighter.

Father Li glared at him, thinking that Li Changle's erratic personality was just like him, "A Ping and A An are back too, let's have a drink together."

"Oh, you're all back!" Uncle Wang hung the meat on the bamboo pole and came forward to help Father Li sit down. "Brother-in-law, I think Ah Le has really become a useful person now. You should be relieved now, right?"

After a pause, he continued, "I told you before that men grow up slowly, was I right?"

"It's hindsight!" Father Li glanced at him, "Who was it that kept saying that Ah Hua and I spoiled a good child? He even said that if we sent him home and let him teach him, he would definitely change a lot in half a year."

"A Le doesn't want to butcher pigs with me, so I can't do anything about it!" Uncle Wang pulled a stool and sat next to him, looking at him cheerfully, "You know that A Le lent me money, right? I'll give him the deed."

Father Li nodded and shook his head after hearing this. "What a fool you are! You are his uncle, and it is only natural for him to help you since he has the money. Why do you need a deed?"

"If it weren't for Ah Le, I would have been controlled by that monkey. It's only right that I give the shares to Ah Le." Uncle Wang took out a piece of paper from his pocket and said, "Ah Le and I will split the profits 40% and 60%, he gets 40% and I get 60%, and we'll share the dividends once a month."

"He said when he came back that day that he agreed to give you the money because he was afraid that you would not accept his money and be taken advantage of by Wang Gen, that monkey. You listen to me and put it away quickly."

Uncle Wang thought that Father Li was worried that he would lose money by partnering with him, so he explained, "Brother-in-law, let me tell you, the meat stall business is really good. I have made more than three hundred yuan in the partnership with that monkey for a few months.

If Ah Le and I become partners, we will definitely make money. Besides, he is my nephew, and I would rather suffer a loss than let him suffer a loss. "

"I know you make money. You are his uncle. If I don't trust you, who else can I trust?" Father Li said, "Just listen to me. Use the money first, and then return it to Ah Le when he needs it."

Of course he believed in his brother-in-law's character. Over the years, the only one who did not despise their family's poverty was this brother-in-law.

Now that he is in trouble, Ah Le happens to be there again. As the old saying goes, the mother's uncle is the most important, and the uncle will ask for 40% of the share when borrowing money. If others find out, they will talk about you in the back.

Besides, Ale knows nothing about the meat stall business and can't help at all. Over time, it will not be good to just take shares and get dividends.

"That doesn't make sense. We agreed to be partners with him!" Uncle Wang stood up and said, "I won't talk to you anymore. I'll go find A Le." Father Li had no way to deal with his brother-in-law. He had to use his crutches to go to the ditch and call Mother Li back to talk to him.

As soon as Uncle Wang walked to the door of Li Changle's house, he saw Li Changle coming out after changing his clothes. "It was dark after Wang Gen and I split our shares that day. Today, I sold two pigs before coming here."

"Wow! Business is good!" Li Changle pulled a bamboo chair over and asked him to sit down, then poured him a glass of water. "Big brother and second brother are back, and mother is washing the yellow croaker. Let's drink together later."

Uncle Wang paused for a moment while holding the water cup, and said happily: "We have yellow croaker, we are in for a treat today!"

"We found a lot of mantis shrimp and black porgy today. I remember my aunt-in-law likes them the most. Bring two kilograms back later."

"I just remember your aunt-in-law and what your uncle likes to eat. How come you can't remember it?"

"Do you like turtle eggs and seahorses?" Li Changle winked at him, "I have both!"

Although Uncle Wang is a generation older than them, he is not old-fashioned at all and often jokes with them. Mother Li often says that they are disrespectful.

"Eat the firewood!" Uncle Wang gave him a look, then picked up the water cup and drank a few sips of water. He wiped his mouth and took out the deed from his pocket, "I came here today to deliver the deed, 40% to 60%..."

"Uncle," Li Changle interrupted him hurriedly, "You really don't need it. I'll lend it to you for a few months. Return it to me when you're able to make ends meet."

"Who do you think your uncle is? You helped me out of kindness, but I refused to give up my share of my own nephew. How can I face people and do business in the future?"

"If I lend money to my uncle and ask him for 40% of the shares, what kind of person am I? You are my uncle, so how can you bear to see me being stabbed in the back? Anyway, I don't want it, or you can go and borrow money to pay me back."

Uncle Wang glared at him, "You little brat, you want to eat firewood, right?"

"Uncle, we really can't take the shares." Zhou Ruonan came out of the kitchen and said, "We don't need the money right now. You listen to Ah Le and use it for a few months before paying us back."

Mother Li strode in with the fish in her hand. "Ah Hui, just listen to An Nan. If you keep saying that, I won't acknowledge you as my brother."

Seeing that everyone else said this, Uncle Wang had no choice but to back down. "Ah Le, I'll give you 2% interest and return the money to you by the end of the year. If you need it during the term, come and get it from me."

"One cent!" Li Changle knew that if he didn't charge any interest, he would really go to other places to borrow money and pay him back. "You are my uncle, I would be embarrassed to charge you one cent."

Uncle Wang felt that his kindness to his nephew was not in vain, "Okay! I will shamelessly take advantage of you today."

Li Changle smiled and said, "We are one family and we don't have different opinions."

After the uncle and nephew had agreed, Uncle Wang asked Zhou Ruonan to get a pen and paper and write a promissory note before they sat down together to chat.

After a while, the eldest and second brothers Li also came. The nephews and uncles sat together chatting and bragging, while Zhou Ruonan, the mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law were busy adding dishes in the kitchen.

Steamed yellow croaker, braised hairtail, blanched mantis shrimp, sword shrimp, stewed pork ribs with glutinous corn and winter melon, and braised pork.

Li Changle asked Li Xiaohai to go to Chen Yongwei's house and call the grandparents and grandchildren to come together. The two families sat at two tables, peeling shrimps, drinking old wine and chatting.

People living by the sea are subject to heavy humidity, so they always drink a few sips of this drink to drive away the cold air every time they come back from the sea.

Li Xiaotao took a bite of the pork ribs and drank two sips of the soup. "Brother, sister, pork ribs stewed with corn are delicious. Let mother do the same in the future."

"My father taught my mother to make this. It tastes delicious, right?" Li Xiaozhou said to him proudly.

"It's delicious. Uncle San is the best at eating. The food cooked by Auntie is also delicious. My mother cooks, ah..." Li Xiaotao glanced at Mrs. Li and swallowed the rest of his words.

The adults at the table burst out laughing.

Mrs. Li rolled her eyes at him and wanted to scold him, but when she saw Uncle Wang drinking with Li Changping, she endured it and made a mental note to settle the matter together later.

Mother Li said happily: "Among the children in the family, Tao is most like Le in his gluttonous nature, while Xiaohai is sensible and obedient, and his nature is just like Mother."

It is said that a child's character can be seen from his eighties when he was three years old. Xiaohai was a very sympathetic child and was so sensible that it made people feel distressed.

"Grandma, who do I look like?" Li Xiaozhou asked hurriedly.

Mother Li looked at him lovingly, "You, you started talking early. You're only a year old, but you're already talking a lot. Just like your dad, you always want to snatch everything from Xiaomei. The two siblings are like black-eyed chickens. They fight when they see each other, and ask about things when they don't see each other."

Li Xiaomei quickly complained, "Grandma, Xiaozhou even stole my water gun yesterday!"

Li Xiaozhou: "I just played with it for a bit. My brother said that you can't steal my sister's things, so I returned it to you."

"Then you can't steal my things in the future, otherwise I won't help you beat Lao Wuyou."

"Okay, I'll give you my conch to play with later."

"Okay, I'll give you my stones to play with too!" The two little ones became friends again.

(End of this chapter)