A Little Jade in Goddess Gorge

Chapter 37: The Little Aunt

Soon after, Li Mo helps Yu Xiao to join the rest of the family in the kitchen. She tried her best to walk straight but her legs still betrayed her and she could only wobble around with his support.

"Finally getting up?" Li Xiang Yu was sitting around the dining table sipping porridge but couldn't help but making sarcastic comments. "It's almost noon and none of you girls made anything for breakfast. If I'm not here, wouldn't these brothers starve? 

"Older sister, leave her alone. Haven't you been a bride before?" Li Xiang Cao knows her sister's temper so she tries to persuade her.

Aiya. This sister of hers is so useless. When they were a bride years ago, wouldn't there be a mother-in-law that they need to serve in the morning? Her nephews no longer have their mother, so what is wrong with her taking that role for a while?

Yu Xiao saw Bai Lan also scramble around getting this and that in the kitchen. She looked like a bullied daughter-in-law.

Ara... why she is also walking funny?

Li Xiang Yu suddenly slammed the table and shocked Yu Xiao from her thoughts. "Eldest, now that you're here, you need to go and get justice for your little aunt."

"Big aunt, what is the matter? If there is anything we could do, of course we will get justice." Li Mo hurriedly come and appease his aunt. 

Li Xiang Yu just got an opportunity to talk, so of course she talks wide and far. Li Xiang Cao feels uncomfortable and tried to stop her many times, but she only got a scolding.

The little aunt, Li Xiang Cao, more than a decade ago, she fell in love with a scholar in the city and married him despite everyone's objection. It was supposed to be a wonderful love story, but who knows that the scholar's family meet downfall soon after. The scholar blames Li Xiang Cao for it, and treated her harshly from then on. After many years of marriage, they have no children, which of course he also blamed Li Xiang Cao. The Li family knows her family situation. However, a married daughter is like spilled water. Even if they know, what can they do about it?

Now the Li brothers were told that a few months ago, Li Xiang Cao's husband brought back a woman from the outside, and she is now pregnant. Li Xiang Cao's life went from bad to worst.  Years of decline have brought her husband's family to the point that she is like a servant to her husband, but now she has to serve the other woman too. 

Li Xiang Yu slammed the table again, "If it's not because of me getting her drunk and force her to talk, your little aunt will be bullied to death by those cheating couple. I don't care, all of you brothers need to go over there and support your aunt."

Li Mo feels uncomfortable, "Big aunt, wouldn't that won't be appropriate? Uncle is still our elder after all. What do you want us to do?" 

"Who told you boys to go and break his leg? But you are all strong young men, you can just go and made him feel that you could do that, so he will behave himself."

Yu Xiao couldn't hold her laughter. This big aunt has a harsh mouth, but she really protect her family like a tiger. She likes the woman. 

"What is so funny?" Big aunt feels unhappy that she suddenly laughed. Is this Yu girl laughing at her? 

"Nothing, aunt. It is great to have you around to defends this family. The brothers are really lucky." 

Li Xiang Yu coughed and her face turns red. Usually, no one will understand her good intention, even her own family only hurriedly persuade her to calm down and shut her mouth. "Enough talking, sit down, and eat. The porridge will get cold.

When they are eating, Yu Xiao noticed Bai Lan is still going back and forth to the kitchen to get more dishes, hot water, and so on. 

Li Yan's heart can't bear to see her struggles, he tries to persuade her to sit and eat, but the big aunt harshly said "What about it, she is now also Li family's wife. What is wrong with serving her husbands and the family?"

With this sentence, Yu Xiao understood that last night, Bai Lan also consummated her marriage. That bad boy, Li Yan, probably waited for his big brother's marriage to respect him, right?

Aiya if Bai Lan is busy in the kitchen, how could she just sit here and eat?

She gets up and went to the kitchen to help her. "Sister-in-law, let me get that."

"It's okay, it's okay. Sister-in-law, I can do it." Bai Lan tries to grab the bowl back from Yu Xiao.

"Aren't we sisters now? Don't treat me like an outsider." Yu Xiao smiles and continues to help her.

How could Li Yan and Li Mo allow their wife to struggles? They also went to the kitchen to help. With a lot of hands, soon there is nothing else to do and they could all sit down and eat.

"Well, little aunt, what will you do in the future?" Yu Xiao asked worriedly, in this ancient times it is very hard for women without the protection of their husbands. However expecting that the cheap man could take care of her would be a bit much.

But who knows that everyone turns silent, they don't know how to manage this. They can't let Li Xiang Cao return to the Li family. What about her future life? Even if the brothers are willing to raise her for a lifetime, the villagers' gossip can also drown her.

"That..." Li Xiang Cao knows that the situation is not good, but she can't help but remembering all the good times she had with that man. At that time, Shen Runsheng was really nice to her, and even taught her to read. 

Li Yan also said, "Little aunt, you should consider this matter clearly."

Li Xiang Cao looked at Li Yan with some sorrow.

Li Mo also feels entangled, the little aunt Li Xiang Cao is actually only four years older than him.  Because of the death of his grandmother, little aunt has been living with his mother. Although she is older than him, her soft temper made her often bullied in the village, even Li Shu had to protect her a lot when he was a child. To be honest, they called her little aunt, but they felt that she was similar to a sister.

Later on, their mother passed, and the little aunt was picked up by the big aunt and later married. Her relationship with the brothers slowly faded.

But today, this news makes him feel sad. The innocent and kind girl should not be bullied like this.

"Little aunt." Li Mo also finally decided, "You can stay with us."

"Ah?" 

Li Shu also said, "Yeah, just stay with us, isn't it just a pair of chopsticks? Little aunt, let us raise you."

Li Xiang Cao was very moved, tears fell on her face however she still shook her head. "I know that all of you brothers are very good for me, but I really want to try again."

"Little aunt."

Li Yan earnestly said, "Little aunt, you make your own decision today, but if in the future that man still treated you badly, you can come back at any time, we brothers still able to take care of you, and you will not be hungry."

Li Mo also supported this, "Little aunt, you remember, if you have any difficulty, this is also your home."

Li Xiang Yu is very satisfied with her nephews. "Good. Good. After this, you send her back and rough him up a bit. Make sure you don't send your aunt back there to be bullied. If you don't know what to say, let me know and I will go clean him up."