The 99th Divorce

At the mention of Li Jianyue, Li Jianqian’s mood deteriorated.

 It had been a long time since he had last seen them…

 He missed them very much.

 Li Jinnan realized it and quickly steered the topic away to his own childhood stories.

 “When I was young, Big Brother and Second Brother would take me to play among the bamboo trees in the backyard,” he said. “Later on, whenever Nanny Li came out to chase us off, the two of them would run off like the wind, leaving me all alone.”

 At the mention of the past, Li Xiao sighed emotionally.

 With barely suppressed laughter, he said, “Back then, your nose would be all runny from crying while the nanny dragged you back. Your mom was so mad! I was frequently busy among the troops. It was left to your Grandfather to grab hold of each of you and give you all a good beating.”

 “Not at all! Grandfather only beat them. He didn’t beat me. At most, I was punished to copy books.”

 Li Jinnan aired his grievances. “I must say, though, that I would have much preferred for him to give me a beating instead. I was so annoyed about having to copy books!”

 “If not for the fact that your grandfather made you copy so many books, your handwriting wouldn’t be as nice as it is today,” Li Xiao said.

 “Their handwriting isn’t too bad either,” Li Jinnan said. “If I hadn’t practiced, I wouldn’t be much worse than them.”

 “That’s where you’re wrong,” Li Xiao said. “Your second brother was born with beautiful handwriting. I shan’t even mention your big brother. He was only ever skilled with weapons. You weren’t too different yourself, but you always needed a good beating before you’d learn your lesson.”

 Li Jinnan felt a little awkward and protested, “Dad, can you let me retain some dignity in front of my wife?”

 Ye Youyou’s lips turned up in a smile.

 Li Xiao, on the other hand, burst out in hearty laughter and said, “Regardless, all three of you brothers were spirited. Three days without a beating, and you’d all be tearing the house down. That went for all of you.”

 …

 Ye Youyou didn’t say much throughout the meal.

 Because she managed to hear many stories of Li Jinnan’s childhood, she wasn’t without gain.

 However, Ye Youyou observed something during the meal.

 The child didn’t look too happy.

 Li Jianqian simply concentrated on eating his meal and didn’t say anything.

 It was obvious from his facial expression that he was in a bad mood.

 After the meal, Ye Youyou brought the child before her. As she squeezed his hand, she asked, “What’s wrong? Are you in a bad mood?”

 Li Jianqian shook his head when he heard the question.

 When Ye Youyou saw that, she said, “Give me a moment.”

 Ye Youyou walked back to the bedroom and retrieved a small gift that she had bought while she was doing her grocery shopping earlier in the day.

 It was a crystal ball that was very attractive. Light refracted through it from all directions, making it extremely sparkly.

 “I’m not sure if you’ve ever heard of the story of the crystal ball,” she said. “There was once a witch who had her three sons turned into different kinds of animals…”

 Ye Youyou looked at him and gently told her story. She said, “At long last, the crystal ball broke the magic spell, and he lived happily ever after with the princess.”

 As she spoke, she waved the crystal ball in her hand and put it into his palm. She said, “I don’t know why you’re upset. However, the day will come when your spell will be lifted and all your unhappiness will be taken away.”

 “Thank you, Aunt,” Li Jianqian held on tightly to the crystal ball. As he looked at the myriad of his reflections in the ball, he said, “I miss my sister.”

 He looked up with reddened eyes and said, “Although she’s very dumb and stupid, and she’s always causing trouble for me, I’ve never been apart from her for so long.”

 Li Jianqian’s lips quivered, but he quickly suppressed his tears and continued. “I heard that twins possess mutual telepathy. I mustn’t let her see me make a fool of myself.”