1987 My Era

Chapter 577, King vs. King, First Strike Wins

The twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.

According to custom, Li Heng would carry a rooster, meat, and fish, along with two packets of sugar and two bottles of fine wine, to the Xiao family early in the morning.

Xiao Han finally returned and cleared her throat, asking, "Mr. Li, you are the man, and according to custom, you have come to offer New Year's sacrifices; I am the woman, would you like to follow custom and spend the New Year at your Li family's house?"

A chill ran down Li Heng's spine.

That cunning wife must have heard something, which is why she deliberately suggested spending the New Year at my home.

But you can be a coward, but you can't be a coward when it comes to words.

He immediately extended an invitation: "Sure, come upstairs with me after lunch."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Han turned to her mother, who was preparing lunch, and asked, "Mom, Li Heng tricked me into coming home for the New Year. Do you think your daughter should be fooled?"

Li Heng: "..."

This daughter-in-law is too mischievous.

Wei Shiman was taken aback, then looked at Li Heng with a serious expression: "Are you really planning to take Hanhan home for the New Year?"

Then she added, "If you bring it, I don't object in principle."

Clearly, although Wei Shiman verbally said she didn't object, she actually did have some objections in her heart.

If the daughter goes to the Li family for the New Year, it's like overturning the table, which will be detrimental to the reputation of the Xiao, Li, and Chen families.

At the same time, Wei Shiman was also thinking of Li Heng. Her daughter was quite destructive, and at this critical juncture, it was better to keep things quiet.

Li Heng and Xiao Han both understood the implied meaning and knew the implications.

Before Li Heng could answer, Xiao Han pouted pitifully and said, "Oh well, I'm not even married into the family yet, and Mom is already feeling sorry for you."

Besides, in two years I really will be spending Chinese New Year at Old Li's house, so I should spend more time with my dear parents during these two years.

Wei Shiman then realized that her daughter had been playing with Li Heng, and breathed a sigh of relief, smiling:
"Once you two have settled down in Shanghai, your dad and I can come and celebrate the New Year with you."

After her mother entered the kitchen, Xiao Han smiled sweetly at Li Heng and asked, "How many days will you be staying in Singapore?"

Li Heng replied, "I'll go on the fifth day of the lunar new year and return to China on the eighth."

Xiao Han counted the days; it had only been four days. She thought that with Teacher Yu accompanying her the whole time, her honey should behave himself and wouldn't have any improper thoughts about Zhou Shihe.

She knew that Yu Shuheng was currently at the Li family's house.

But Teacher Yu wasn't the person she was most worried about. On the contrary, she hoped that Teacher Yu would spend the New Year at the Li family's house and stir up the mess as much as possible.

Chen Zijin's base of support is being eroded, which will make them even more aligned with him.

She has analyzed the chessboard and knows that Teacher Yu does not consider herself her primary rival in love. Teacher Yu's primary rival is definitely Song Yu, and the second should be Zhou Shihe.

Therefore, she doesn't need to be too aggressive at the moment; she should simply restrain her strength and wait for the situation to change.

On her chessboard, Zhou Shihe represents the Qin state, which is the strongest on paper and must be contained in advance.

Song Yu was from the state of Qi, and her personal strength was no less than that of Zhou, but her family background was a weakness, and her personality was not assertive enough. Her advantage lay in the fact that she had won Li Heng's greatest love.

This greatest love is often also the original sin, which can be used to force all the blame to be directed at Song Yu.

Teacher Yu is, of course, from the State of Zhao, which boasts many famous generals and a formidable reputation, capable of holding her own against the State of Qin before the Battle of Changping. However, Xiao Han is not particularly optimistic about her fate.

Because Teacher Yu currently has all the advantages—timing, location, and support—yet he still hasn't managed to win over Honey, it's clear he's just a paper tiger. If Zhou Shihe doesn't intervene in the future, things will be fine; but if she does, a tragedy like the Battle of Changping might occur.

In short: Song Yu is too "kind," and Teacher Yu is too "benevolent."

This is not a time of peace, but a time of war and conflict where people fight for power, and kindness and benevolence often become the victims.

In her deduction, the wheat ear represents South Korea, and is the easiest one to deal with.

Chen Zijin was from the State of Yan. Despite the dramatic events of Jin Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin (referring to his first love and first night), he was ultimately dragged down by the Chen family and unable to strengthen himself.

As for Xiao Han herself, she naturally belongs to the State of Chu. There's a saying in history that goes like this: "Even if Chu has only three households left, it will surely be Chu that destroys Qin."

These eight characters, though brief, are powerful enough.

After lunch, Li Heng stayed for another three hours until his eldest sister, Li Yan, secretly came to find him, at which point he left the Xiao family home around 4 p.m.

At this moment, Li Heng was writing couplets for the Xiao family, while Xiao Hai, Wei Shiman, Xiao Han, and Xiao Qing were watching from the side.

"Boom boom boom!"

"Boom boom boom!"

There was a knock at the door. When Wei Shiman opened it, she found that it was Li Yan, a rare guest. She immediately invited her in and poured her some tea.

However, Li Yan had been secretly sent by her mother to call her younger brother, so she didn't have time to drink tea. As soon as she entered the room, she anxiously said to her brother:
"Brother, you should go home quickly, Mom needs to see you urgently."

These are the exact words Tian Run'e taught her eldest daughter, because she was afraid her eldest daughter wasn't very bright and would say things wrong in the Xiao family.

So Tian Run'e repeatedly instructed her that all she needed to do was have her eldest daughter say this one sentence.

Li Heng was stunned, but when he saw that it was his older sister who came to find him, instead of his parents, his heart skipped a beat and he had a bad feeling.

He didn't ask any more questions. After calmly finishing writing the Spring Festival couplets, he put down his brush and said, "Uncle and Aunt, Hanhan, I have to go now."

He omitted calling Xiao Hai and his wife "Dad" and "Mom" because he didn't want his older sister to know why he was at the Xiao family home. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, but rather that she was naive and easily revealed everything. This had happened many times in the past, and he needed to learn from it. Xiao Han smiled sweetly and said crisply, "Okay."

Wei Shiman seemed to understand, and personally saw him to the door, adding, "Come over and visit whenever you have time."

“Yes, done.” Li Heng replied.

Watching Li Heng and Li Yan leave, Xiao Han thought to herself: My honey left in such a hurry, Chen Zijing, is that you? Is it you who's back? I hope you can hold off Yu Shuheng for a little longer, and test the limits of the Yu family's daughter for us…

After leaving the town government's residential compound, Li Heng finally couldn't help but ask his older sister, "Sister, what's the matter that made you rush over to see me?"

Li Yan doesn't mince words and speaks her mind: "The Chen family is back, Zijing and her sister-in-law are back. Mom and Dad have to entertain guests and can't leave, so they asked me to come and call you."

Li Heng was stunned, standing still, his mind blank.

Li Yan tugged at his sleeve: "Brother, what's wrong? Don't scare me."

Li Heng gradually came to his senses and pretended to be calm, saying, "It's okay, let's go back first."

On his way home, he ran into Yang Yingwen's mother.

Yang's mother was on her way to town, intending to visit the Xiao family. Upon seeing him, she asked, "Li Heng, I was just looking for you, but you're not home. I heard Ying Wen is working for you, is that true?"

Li Heng retorted, "Auntie, who told you that?"

Yang's mother was not lying: "I went over the mountain to Shiqiaopu this morning and found Xiao Feng's house. Xiao Feng couldn't stand my nagging and told me."

"I see," Li Heng nodded. "Where is Auntie going?"

Yang's mother said, "Go to town to find Xiao Han."

Li Heng asked one more question: "Did Auntie need to see Xiao Han about something?"

Yang's mother said, "Yes, Xiao Han and Ying Wen have known each other for a long time and have a good relationship. I want to ask her for help to see if she can persuade Ying Wen to come back as soon as possible."

Li Heng shook his head: "Sigh, I'm afraid it's a bit difficult. Yingwen might not listen to any advice."

He really wanted to say: What are you bringing Yingwen back for? To get beaten or scolded by your wife? In the past, we often didn't have enough to eat.

She's doing well in Beijing now, living a happy and self-reliant life. I've seen her several times, and she's much more cheerful than she was at home. Why do you want to persuade her to come back?
He said, "Yingwen is indeed working for me. What do you want her to do at home now, Auntie?"

Knowing it would be difficult to get her daughter back, Yang's mother hesitated for a moment before saying, "My husband is probably sick. He coughed up a lot of blood last night."

Li Heng was surprised and quickly asked, "Have you seen a doctor? Do you need me to help you contact a major hospital?"

Mother Yang shook her head, "That stubborn person is incredibly headstrong. She absolutely refuses to go to the hospital, only insisting on seeing Yingwen. I have no choice. Sigh, I wasn't good to her before, and now I have to see her. Sigh..."

Yang's mother sighed and left, her tone full of complex emotions.

Li Heng stood by the roadside, watching Yang's mother disappear at the end of the road before continuing his journey home.

...

Shangwan Village, Li Family.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Chen Zijing, without even going inside her own house, carried the large and small bags of gifts and headed towards the Li family's gate.

As she entered the courtyard, she greeted Tian Run'e, who was sharpening a kitchen knife at the gate, with a beaming smile: "Mom, I'm back to see you."

When she saw the Chen family return and Zijing appear, Tian Run'e was completely stunned. Her mind was buzzing, and she felt as if the sky had fallen!
Not only did Tian Run'e feel like her sky had fallen, but Li Jianguo in the main room felt the same way!
Yu Shuheng was also in the main room at this time, helping to peel ginger that would be used for the New Year.

Hearing the noise outside, Yu Shuheng subconsciously looked towards the door.

Just then, Chen Zijing also looked over as if she sensed something.

In an instant, two pairs of eyes collided.

The air suddenly became unusually quiet.

The two women looked at each other through the door, neither of them speaking for a moment.

Looking at Yu Shuheng, who exuded an air of scholarly refinement, Chen Zijing frowned slightly, thinking to herself: A few days ago, Xiao Han called her, asking if she was coming home for the New Year? If not, Xiao Han said she wanted to visit the Li family…

Although she had already guessed that Xiao Han's call to her must have a deeper meaning.

Little did he expect that Xiao Han would outmaneuver him so ruthlessly…

Yu Shuheng was also quite surprised: she was able to stay at the Li family home for the New Year because Uncle Li and Aunt Tian said the Chen family wouldn't be coming back this year, and she made that decision after weighing the options. But now…

After a long standoff, Chen Zijing glanced at the flustered and helpless Tian Run'e, calmed herself down, and then continued to walk in with a smile on her face.

Stepping across the threshold, Chen Zijing ignored Yu Shuheng and asked Li Jianguo, who was also flustered, "Dad, it's been more than ten days since I last saw you. How are you feeling?"

With a "Mom" in the courtyard and a "Dad" upon entering, Chen Zijing took the initiative, giving Yu Shuheng no chance to react and seizing the moral high ground first.

P.S.: Well, after thinking it over, I still need to discuss this with the experts: Last March, I mentioned that my lower back was hurting badly. Besides the kidney stones, it was mainly caused by a herniated disc. The doctor told me to focus on treatment, but I was afraid it would affect my updates, so I got some medication and went home. I didn't expect my condition to worsen recently. It's gotten to the point where I can't stand or sit for long periods of time, and I can't even turn over in bed. So I had no choice but to come to the hospital again today.

The doctor advised me to treat myself with medication, acupuncture, and rehabilitation exercises simultaneously. Having learned my lesson in March, I dared not resist this time and obediently followed the doctor's instructions. I've already scheduled a two-week treatment period. So, I'd like to ask you all for a heads-up: my updates will be inconsistent for the next two weeks. I can only guarantee daily updates, without fail, but the frequency will depend on the day's situation.

In two weeks, I will resume daily updates of 10,000 words until the book is finished. During this two-week period, I will not be asking for monthly votes; I'm too ashamed to ask.

I hope everyone can understand. I'm sorry.

(End of this chapter)