Chapter 244: Chapter 244: How Much Money Are You Planning to Give Me?
Li Aiguo secretly gritted his teeth, his resolve hardening. This Su Qing had to be dealt with properly. It wasn’t just because of the Li family, but also because he could tell this damn girl clearly held a grudge against him. If this wasn’t handled well, who knew if she’d cause trouble for him in the future!
Any threat had to be nipped in the bud.
Once the three of them were seated in the main room of Su Qing’s house, Zhao Youcai looked at Li Aiguo and said, "Alright, spill it. You haven’t cared about Su Qing for all these years. Why show up all of a sudden today?"
Li Aiguo gritted his teeth again. ’Is he interrogating a criminal?’
However, seeing the unfriendly look in Su Qing’s eyes, Li Aiguo knew better than to lose his temper. Instead, he let out a heavy sigh and said, "Captain Zhao, it’s not that we haven’t cared for the child all these years, it’s just that we were stretched too thin. Back then, my mother was gravely ill. I rushed over to bring my little sister back to see our mother one last time. But who would have known that we’d be robbed on the way? In the chaos, my little sister took a fall and hit her head. Ever since then, she’s been... slow and simple-minded."
"What did you say?" Su Qing immediately asked. "My mom’s head was injured in a fall?"
"Yes." Li Aiguo sighed and looked at Su Qing. "Qingqing, it’s not that your uncle hasn’t wanted to care for you all these years. It’s just... you know how hard life in the city is. I have your aunt, your cousins—a whole big family to take care of. And while your maternal grandmother survived that major illness, her health has been poor ever since. She needs medicine, and that costs money. Then there’s your mother. Even though she hurt her head and became slow, she’s still my sister. I couldn’t just abandon her. The burden of this whole family rests on my shoulders alone. It’s been tough for me too. That’s why I simply couldn’t look after you these past few years."
Su Qing pursed her lips. She didn’t believe a word Li Aiguo said. After all, back then, Li Aiguo had specifically ordered Tao Qingshan to drug her original self. It was obvious Li Aiguo never intended to take her with him.
Besides...
Tao Qingshan had also mentioned that the original owner’s mother and Li Aiguo didn’t have a good relationship. She wouldn’t even let Li Aiguo get close to her child. With such a strained relationship between the siblings, would Li Aiguo really have cared for her mother so diligently all these years? ’Yeah right, as if I’d believe that.’
Zhao Youcai frowned at Li Aiguo. "Li Wan injured her head in a fall? Then why didn’t you say anything when you came to transfer her household registration back then? If you had just said something, you wouldn’t have let everyone misunderstand Li Wan for all these years. Don’t you know? Everyone thought Li Wan had abandoned this girl, Su Qing."
Li Aiguo wiped his eyes and sighed. "Everything was so chaotic back then, I couldn’t think straight. I couldn’t keep track of everything. It’s only now that things have finally settled down. That’s why I rushed over to find Qingqing, thinking I’d take her to see my little sister."
"You want to take Su Qing to see Li Wan?" Zhao Youcai asked.
Li Aiguo nodded. "Yes. They’re mother and daughter; they can’t go on without seeing each other. Besides, I’ve realized now that I can’t let Qingqing keep misunderstanding my little sister."
After hearing Li Aiguo out, Zhao Youcai said nothing. He looked at Su Qing. She was a girl with her own ideas now; it was up to her to decide.
Li Aiguo also turned to Su Qing. "Qingqing, are you willing to come with me to see your mother?"
"You really want to take me to see my mother?" Su Qing asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"Yes." Li Aiguo nodded quickly, then sighed. "I just didn’t expect you to misunderstand me so deeply. The moment we met, you..."
Beat him up! And so viciously, too. The more Li Aiguo thought about it, the more furious he became, but he had to maintain a benevolent expression on his face.
"Never mind. It’s my fault for not handling things properly back then, causing you to suffer for so many years. It’s only right that you resent me." Li Aiguo wiped his eyes again, looking deeply pained. "Uncle doesn’t blame you."
Su Qing scoffed internally. ’You think you have the right to blame me? You deserved it. If anything, I let you off easy.’
Outwardly, however, Su Qing put on an act as if she had misunderstood him. She sighed and said, "So that’s how it was. I got it all wrong. I really thought I’d been abandoned."
As she spoke, Su Qing lowered her head and pretended to wipe away tears. "I’ve suffered so much all these years, of course I resented you all. I was only ten, and I was tormented by the Old Su Family. All these years... WAHHHH..."
Su Qing managed to squeeze out a few tears, her wronged expression pitiful enough to break one’s heart.
Zhao Youcai’s heart naturally sided with Su Qing. He turned to Li Aiguo and said, "Su Qing’s uncle, the child has indeed suffered a great deal over the years. Your oversight back then, even if it was because you had a lot on your plate, was a real disservice to this child from you, her relatives. Also..."
Zhao Youcai noticed Li Aiguo had come empty-handed and frowned. "You haven’t looked after this child for so many years. Now that you’ve finally come, you show up empty-handed? Didn’t you ever stop to think if a child living all alone might be lacking things, if her life might be difficult? It’s not my place to say, but no matter what, your life must be better than that of a lonely, helpless child."
Li Aiguo cursed internally. ’Lacking things, my ass! That damn brat has already bought a house in Beijing! The money I have on hand isn’t even enough to buy a house in Beijing.’
Of course, the money Li Aiguo had was enough to buy a unit in a communal apartment building in Beijing. However, Li Aiguo had his eyes on a courtyard house, which was much better than a communal apartment and naturally much more expensive. The money he had wasn’t nearly enough for that.
But Li Aiguo couldn’t very well tell Zhao Youcai, ’I know this girl has money. I even know she bought a house in Beijing. She’s not poor at all!’ If he said that, wouldn’t it confirm he’d been spying on Su Qing all these years?
That was a detail Li Aiguo would never expose about himself.
"Ah, well, it’s just that, you see, I haven’t seen her in so many years, I don’t know what Qingqing likes these days. So I figured it would be better to just give her some money. That way, she can buy whatever she needs," Li Aiguo said with a quick laugh.
Su Qing looked up at Li Aiguo. "Uncle, you’re so kind. I really have been short on money lately. How much were you planning to give me?"
Li Aiguo was speechless. ’Does this girl have to be so blunt? Who asks for money so shamelessly?’
Su Qing didn’t care what Li Aiguo was thinking. This man had harmed her original self, indirectly causing her tragic life and death. She was determined to make him pay dearly. Thinking he could get away with his wicked deeds so easily? ’Not a chance.’ Even if Li Aiguo hadn’t come looking for her, she would have found an opportunity to go after him eventually.
Now that he had shown up on her doorstep, it was perfect. It saved her the trouble of hunting him down.
"What, was that just an empty promise, Uncle?" Seeing Li Aiguo’s stunned expression, Su Qing blinked her eyes innocently and asked.
