Meanwhile, outside Li Jirong's room door, Li Chunhua anxiously bit her nails, not knowing whether she should intervene or not. She could hear her father shout a few times, and there was also the sound of beating and whipping a few times. Since she couldn't see what had happened, and her brother barely made any noise, she was distraught and scared for him.
"What to do? What should I do?" Li Chunhua paced back and forth while mulling over her options. She doubted she could be of any help if she barged in, and her brother had repeatedly warned her not to come in under any circumstances.
Li Chunhua thought of calling her mother for help, but perhaps that was a bad idea, considering how her father was furious right now.
But then, what would happen to Li Junjie?
Li Chunhua was astonished when she eavesdropped on their conversation. Li Jirong had always prioritized Li Junjie's needs above anything else. The twins had long since accepted the fact that their father would never treat them as precious as he treated their brother. However, no one could guess that such care and attention came with a price.
She vaguely remembered that Li Junjie had turned colder after his 5th birthday. Everyone thought it was because nobody attended his birthday party; thus, he had given up on socializing, but the truth had always been uglier.
'Something is wrong with our family.'
Li Chunhua recalled that her sister mentioned that a few times. Did Li Caiyi also know about this? How many things did her siblings keep secret from her?
"Ha, I'm not the one to complain about keeping a secret." Li Chunhua tapped her forehead lightly while letting out a self-deprecating laugh.
Knowing things were different than understanding things. Li Chunhua knew their family was different from other ordinary families out there. However, it didn't matter for her because no matter how 'bad' her family was, they were still 'her' family, the only place she could take refuge.
However, after she understood many things, she realized how shallow her perspective was. The severity of 'her' family's abnormality slapped her in the face hard, and her eyes finally opened wide.
"Ugh!"
Li Chunhua jerked her head at the sound of her brother's groan and quickly pressed her ears to the door. There was fighting noise, followed by a heavy grunt coming from inside. It sounded like a wild brawl.
"Oh no. Brother Jie is already hurt so much!" Li Chunhua became even more panicked and bit her nails harder. It reopened the biting wound from the other day and caused it to bleed again.
After a series of grunting and harsh slamming and beating sounds, Li Chunhua finally couldn't take it anymore. She was scared, but she couldn't possibly leave her brother fighting with their violent father like this.
She turned the doorknob and was ready to barge in when a hand enveloped hers and held it in place. Li Chunhua raised her head automatically and was surprised to see Meng Renshu gently smiling down at her with his index finger pressed to his lips.
"Shh. Xiaohua, let me take care of this. You should step back, or you'll get hurt."
"B-brother Renshu? Why are you here?" Li Chunhua was so surprised she stuttered her words.
"Xiaohua, we're here."
From behind her, Li Caiyi walked over with a frown on her face. She grabbed ahold of Li Chunhua's shoulder before pulling her back to a safe distance from the door.
"Xiaohua, we should stand back and let Brother Renshu handle this. We can't do anything to stop Father and Brother Jie now."
"Xiaoyi! But Brother Jie is hurt! Father beat him so hard, and Brother sounded like he was in pain." Li Chunhua said in a cracked voice, almost breaking into tears.
Li Caiyi's frown deepened. She exchanged glances with Meng Renshu, and only after the latter gave her a nod of confirmation did she speak, "I see. You have held on well."
"No, I can't do anything. I can only stand like an idiot. I'm so useless!" Li Chunhua covered her face with her hands.
"Xiaohua, don't blame yourself. It's a good thing you didn't jump in recklessly, or you'll get hurt, and Junjie's effort will be wasted." Meng Renshu stroked Li Chunhua's head and spoke in a coaxing manner. His tone was so patient and comforting that it calmed Li Chunhua down.
"Brother Renshu, please stop them. If you need help, I'll come in immediately." Li Caiyi said.
"Thank you, but I won't let anything happen to you two. You two should accompany Auntie. She must be worried sick right now."
Li Caiyi wanted to wait there, but looking at Li Chunhua's condition, it seemed she had to calm down her sister and her mother first. Nothing she could do even if she remained there anyway, so she nodded her head. "I understand. Brother Renshu, please be careful."
"I'm happy you worry about me but don't be. Save that for Junjie." Meng Renshu chuckled before opening the door, stepped inside, and closed it again with a bang.
The twins could barely take a glimpse of what happened inside the room. But judging from the mess, it seemed the fight was pretty fierce. Li Chunhua clasped Li Caiyi's hand and squeezed it hard.
"Xiaoyi, should we call the police? Will Brother Renshu and Brother Jie be alright?"
Li Caiyi couldn't answer her sister immediately because even she didn't expect this to turn out into such a huge mess.
It was a good thing that she came here with some help. No matter how reluctant she was, Meng Renshu was probably the best option she got right now. Among all the people she knew, only Meng Renshu's words could possibly have any hope to get through to those two.
Li Caiyi came closer to the door, and she could hear some voices overlapping at the same time, but she couldn't clearly make out who said what. However, she could tell that the fight seemed to have stopped. She sighed in relief. Bringing Meng Renshu here was the right choice.
"Xiaohua, I think we can leave the matter here to Brother Renshu. The fight seems to have stopped."
"Really? Thank goodness." Li Chunhua heaved a sigh of relief. Her expression gradually loosened, and her trembling stopped. Li Caiyi frowned when she looked at her sister's bleeding finger before she took it to inspect them.
"Did you chew on your finger? That's a bad habit." She reprimanded her sister.
"I know, but I just can't help it…."
"Let's fix this in Mother's room. I'll fetch the first aid kit tool first." She said helplessly before pulling Li Chunhua to follow her.
"But Xiaoyi, how can you come here with Brother Renshu? Did you call him to help us?" Li Chunhua asked as she followed her sister's step.
Li Caiyi didn't answer and only hastened her steps.
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