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Lu Shan’s heart ached when she heard that. She held Guan Lei’s hand and said, “Ah… You’re a good child.”

Guan Lei offered Lu Shan a strained smile and explained, “My uncle is exaggerating; my life isn’t so miserable.”

“Look at him,” Li Zhe immediately said. “You see how he is. He’s very sensible.”

!!

Lu Shan nodded, tears welling in her eyes, “Yes. Guan Lei is a sensible child!”

“Hah, what am I saying? Let’s not dwell on such things while we’re eating. Let’s talk about something more pleasant.” Changing topics, he continued, “Xixi, how about I tell you how long it took for Lei’er to stop peeing in his pants? Let’s see…”

Guan Lei was at his limit. “Uncle!” His voice was urgent and loud, scaring everyone at the table.

“Tsk!” Li Zhe snorted. “Don’t be rude; we’re at the dining table. Must you be so loud?”

Li Zhe smiled apologetically at Shen Xi and her parents. “Lei’er is very thin-skinned, so he always gets embarrassed when I bring up old times.”

Guan Lei tried his best to quell his anger. “Uncle! Shouldn’t you be feeding the pigs at this time? If Auntie comes back and sees the pigs haven’t been fed, she’ll give you a good beating.”

Li Zhe almost choked. When did he get married? And why was he stuck feeding pigs?

“Yes, yes. You’re right,” Li Zhe laughed drily. “Lei’er only ever has best intentions at heart. He worries that the pigs back home will go hungry if we don’t return soon.”

Guan Lei was on his feet, tugging Li Zhe by his arm even as the latter was still speaking. Dragging Li Zhe with him, Guan Lei said to Shen Xi and her parents, “We’ll take our leave; there’s still plenty of things we need to do back home.”

“Don’t go! We haven’t even finished eating. I’m sure you can spare us some time to finish this meal,” Lu Shan persuaded.

Guan Lei swiftly declined. “My uncle has diabetes; he can’t overeat. He needs his insulin. He probably left it at home again.”

Li Zhe’s eyes widened. This brat had cursed him with ill health! Just as Li Zhe was about to defend himself, he was forcefully hauled out the door and pushed toward the worn-out tractor.

Guan Lei glared at Li Zhe in a warning. “Get in. We’re leaving. If you don’t do as I say, I’ll make sure Li Industries loses all its contracts this coming year. Let’s see how’d you’d like having nothing to eat!”

Li Zhe knew Guan Lei was not making an empty threat, so he quickly got into the driver’s seat and bid the Shen family farewell.

Shen Xi waved goodbye to Guan Lei, who sighed in relief.

The tractor groaned to life, the sudden change causing Guan Lei to fall off the tractor and into the loamy earth.

“Li Zhe!” Guan Lei growled with his teeth clenched.

Being embarrassed in front of Shen Xi infuriated Guan Lei. Nothing would please him more than dragging Li Zhe out of the tractor and giving him a good beating.

Li Zhe did not expect such a thing to happen. He had just learned how to maneuver a tractor. Li Zhe looked over his shoulder, meeting Guan Lei’s furious gaze sheepishly. As the tractor’s rumbles grew more intense, he shouted, “Hold on tight!”

Guan Lei scrambled back on, clutching the seat in despair. Now was not the time to lash out at Li Zhe. He could only swallow his anger and allow Li Zhe to drive the tractor away from the site of his embarrassment.

Lu Shan shook her head and said, “That poor thing. He works so hard, and for what reason…?”

“Yes, he is pretty hard-working,” Shen Yan agreed.

Shen Xi looked at her parents in confusion. “Mom, Dad, what are you talking about? Who is so hard-working?”

Shen Yan and Lu Shan shared a look but did not explain themselves to Shen Xi. They merely led her back into the house to finish their meal.

Once he was sure Shen Xi had re-entered the house, Guan Lei hopped off the tractor and waited for Li Zhe to stop.

Li Zhe noticed the absence of his passenger, and he pulled over, patting his chest as he asked, “Why’d you jump off? What if something happened to you?”

Guan Lei pointed at the rickety tractor, scowling, “Are you saying I’d injure myself by jumping off a tractor slower than a turtle?”

Li Zhe knew Guan Lei was exaggerating, but he decided to play along. “It’s still a vehicle. Jumping out of a moving vehicle is dangerous!”

“You are just here to make things difficult for me, aren’t you?” Guan Lei was so angry he nearly lost all access to his higher faculties.

Innocently, Li Zhe replied, “You were the one who told me not to drive anything fancy or wear branded clothes. Wouldn’t that mean I’d have to pretend to be poor? I’ve played my part well, don’t you think?”