Chapter 196: Don’t Let Your Brother and Sister-in-Law Know You’re Back

The Qingming Festival had passed only a month ago. Logically, if anyone had come to pay their respects during the festival, the grass on these two graves could not possibly look so different from the surrounding ones.

The weeds on these two graves were so lush that they obscured the mounds entirely; at a glance, one couldn’t even find them.

However, Yun Huizhou found it difficult to say anything. After all, there was always the chance they had simply been too busy to come during Qingming.

Though he found an excuse in his heart, Yun Huizhou knew it was fundamentally unreasonable.

Even if they were busy during Qingming and couldn’t make it, what about before or after?

One look at these graves told him they had been neglected for at least a year.

He looked toward Lian Li and was about to speak when he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps.

He immediately turned his gaze toward the direction of the sound.

Lian Li heard the footsteps at the same time. One listen was enough to tell that these were the steps of someone who did not know martial arts. He said, “It might be someone from the village.”

“Mm,” Yun Huizhou said. “Should we go ask about the situation? Perhaps your brother and sister-in-law simply don’t live here anymore.”

The corner of Lian Li’s mouth twitched. If they didn’t live here, where else could they live? Move to the town?

The town wasn’t far from the village, and the original host’s parents had left behind a blue-brick house, which was better than many houses in town.

Unless some accident had occurred, the original host’s brother and sister-in-law would never leave this place.

Though he thought this, he also understood that it was better not to speak recklessly before knowing the specific circumstances.

“Let’s go take a look. I’ll ask about my brother and sister-in-law while I’m at it.” Lian Li had calmed down from that inexplicable surge of anger, and the grief that didn’t belong to him had vanished without a trace.

After speaking in a cold, indifferent voice, he took the lead and walked toward the direction of the footsteps.

Yun Huizhou followed behind him. After a few steps, they saw the owner of the footsteps.

It was a woman who looked to be in her forties, wearing clothes made of coarse cloth. She carried a basket in her hand containing some wild vegetables.

Suddenly seeing two men, the woman was startled. But when she saw Lian Li’s face clearly, an expression of extreme surprise appeared on her face.

“Auntie Liu.” Lian Li quickly matched the woman with a person from his memories.

The original host’s personality hadn’t been particularly likable, but he wasn’t the mischievous type either.

Furthermore, the original host’s parents were very good people and were well-liked in the village. Consequently, most of the village elders didn’t necessarily love the original host, but they bore him no ill will.

“The Lian family’s second son?”

There was a hint of disbelief on the woman’s face. She hesitated where she stood for a moment before walking up to Lian Li. She examined Lian Li’s face meticulously before speaking again.

“It really is you. You’ve come back.”

Lian Li replied, “Yes, I came back to see my parents.”

Auntie Liu uttered a few “ohs” and then looked at the two broken wooden tombstones Lian Li was holding in his arms.

“The stones are broken?”

“Yes. When I came back today, I found them snapped off not far away.” As he spoke, Lian Li deliberately let a hint of hesitation show on his face. “And… I see the weeds on my parents’ graves and the surrounding area are exceptionally thick…”

“It’s only right that they’re thick.” A hint of disdain surfaced on Auntie Liu’s face. “Ever since you left, no one has come up to look at your parents’ graves.”

“How can that be?” Lian Li put on a shocked expression. “What about my brother and sister-in-law?”

Auntie Liu curled her lip. “They kept grumbling that your parents favored you, so if anyone was to tend the graves, it should be you. When you were in the village, everyone knew you’d come up every few days to check on your parents, so they never came. Later, after you left, they said that since even you weren’t going anymore, they certainly weren’t going to go. But everyone in the village knows—it was them who hounded you away.”

Lian Li’s brow twitched slightly, but he immediately restrained himself. Just as he was about to probe further, Auntie Liu suddenly slapped her forehead and said to him, “Once you’re done paying your respects to your parents, leave quickly. Don’t go back to the village. If you want to fix these stones, it’s best to find someone in town and bring them here directly to do the repairs. Whatever you do, don’t let your brother and sister-in-law know you’re back.”

“Why is that?” Lian Li asked.

It was one thing for him to not want to deal with the original host’s brother and sister-in-law, but it was quite another for a villager to tell him not to return to the village and to hide his presence from them.

The latter clearly implied that something had happened.

Yun Huizhou had obviously thought of this as well. His gaze fell upon Auntie Liu, waiting for her to explain the reason.

When he looked at someone without any expression, he could be quite intimidating. Auntie Liu was clearly startled by his gaze.

“This… this gentleman is…?” Auntie Liu looked at Yun Huizhou, her eyes filling with a bit of fear—especially when she saw the blade in Yun Huizhou’s hand. She even began to stutter.

Lian Li said, “He is a great hero. Don’t be afraid, Auntie Liu.”

“Oh, oh, a great hero.” Auntie Liu gave a couple of dry laughs.

“Auntie Liu, you just said not to let my brother and sister-in-law know I’m back. Why is that?” Seeing the topic about to veer off, Lian Li quickly pulled it back.

Auntie Liu looked left and right. After confirming there was no one else around, she leaned in close to Lian Li and whispered, “It’s a good thing you left back then. When they first realized you were gone, your brother and sister-in-law were so anxious. They searched everywhere and even mobilized the villagers to help them look.”

Lian Li was afraid of appearing too indifferent and failing to stay in character, so after hearing this, he deliberately showed an expression of surprise mixed with a hint of joy.

Seeing his expression, Auntie Liu’s words came to an abrupt halt. She seemed hesitant, as if struggling over whether or not to say what came next.

Yun Huizhou saw this and knew there was clearly something more. He had to make her explain it clearly; otherwise, what if Lian Li was being set up?

Thus, he spoke up, “Why does Auntie Liu have such an expression? Has something happened?”

Even though Yun Huizhou’s tone was already very gentle, Auntie Liu was still a bit intimidated by him—especially by the blade he held.

Lian Li realized by now that the original host’s brother and sister-in-law must have been up to no good again. Because of the joy he had just displayed, Auntie Liu was likely afraid that telling him the truth would make him sad and miserable, hence her hesitation.

Consequently, he reined in his expression, replacing it with a look of vulnerability tempered by strength. He said to Auntie Liu, “Auntie Liu… is it because my brother and sister-in-law were looking for me for some other reason? They don’t actually want me back, do they? Please tell me. No matter what it is, I can accept it.”

Lian Li was naturally good-looking, and after over a year of being well-nourished, his temperament had changed significantly. He was much more handsome than before.

Looking at Auntie Liu like this, even if she feared he would be heartbroken, she couldn’t bear to let him actually go back and jump into a tiger’s den.

She sighed softly and continued, “At the time, we almost thought your brother and sister-in-law had come to their senses. After all, you are his biological younger brother.”

“But do you know what happened? A few days later, a middleman from the town actually ran to our village to cause trouble for them. He demanded they pay back money—twenty taels of silver!”

As Auntie Liu spoke, she held up two fingers. Twenty taels wasn’t much to the current Lian Li, but for the people of a small village like this, it was a massive sum of money.