Once Li Guojun realized that his father had pulled out a substantial amount of money, he couldn't contain his envy and frustration. He and Wang Xiuhua began to demand answers from Li Junsheng.
"Dad, where did you get this money? Don't you know your eldest granddaughter wants to learn the piano but doesn't have the funds to buy one?"
"Why is it that you're willing to give money to the second son but not to your eldest granddaughter? Isn't it a bit biased?"
Wang Xiuhua chimed in, "Exactly! We just asked you for a bit of money to send your granddaughter to piano lessons, and you said you had none, but when the second son asks, you have plenty. Isn't this favoritism?"
"Is that any way for an elder to act?"
Li Guojun and Wang Xiuhua confronted Li Junsheng, clearly displeased. They would have pushed him if he weren't so much older than they were.
Li Junsheng found it amusing!
Favoring his second son? In his previous life, he had favored his eldest more than anyone. But what did that lead to?
Once they had squeezed out all the usefulness from him, when he grew old and sick, they didn't think of taking care of him. Instead, they cast him aside to the second son or mistreated him, eager for him to leave.
They were just two ungrateful wolves!
Even the eldest's children inherited their parents' ungratefulness. They resented their grandfather for his old smell, threatening to send him to the doghouse to sleep with the dogs!
This was the eldest son he had favored so dearly!
In contrast, when Li Guowang saw his father being pushed around, he rushed over to support him, worried he would fall.
Li Junsheng's two sons were very different. The eldest was most like Ma Yulian and won her favor often, while the second son resembled him closely, diligent and honest. Perhaps due to Ma Yulian's dislike for him, she took it out on Li Guohua.
At this moment, noticing Li Guohua's conflicted expression, Li Junsheng's resolve hardened.
He was no longer the weak Li Junsheng of the past; when it came to his grandson's life, he wouldn't let Li Guohua return the money now.
Turning to his eldest son, he rebuked him sternly, "Guojun, have you really lived this long without wisdom? Is your daughter's piano lessons more important than Xiao Wei's life? If I were biased towards Guohua, would I have let him stay in my home?"
"Don't come in here with your nonsense. It's my money, and I can choose to give it to whoever I please!"
The anger that Li Junsheng directed at Li Guojun was evident, clearly creating discomfort in the crowd gathered around them.
Many nearby had been watching the scene unfold, and they began to murmur their opinions.
"Guojun's heart is too cold; he's only thinking about his own daughter. That boy is his nephew, after all."
"I've seen him grow up alongside Guohua. Li Junsheng's favoritism is blatant, but Guojun hasn't had to deal with a thing. He's almost thirty and still expects his dad to foot the bill."
Ignoring the spectators' whispers about Guojun, Li Junsheng turned back to Li Guohua and urged, "You fool! What are you waiting for? Take the money and rush Xiao Wei to the hospital now!"
He shoved his son gently. "You don't need to worry about them!"
Ji Xiaocui understood the pressure behind her father-in-law's generous gesture. Tears pooled in her eyes, but she wasn't sure what to say.
Previously, she had been displeased with Li Junsheng's favoritism towards the eldest, but now, her feelings of resentment dissipated.
Li Guohua, overwhelmed with gratitude, knelt twice in front of Li Junsheng. "Dad, thank you for letting us use the money to hospitalize Xiao Wei. I know it's not easy for you to save up such amounts, and you can count on me to pay you back!"
He stood up, pulling Ji Xiaocui and their child with him as they rushed to the hospital.
Watching them leave, Li Junsheng felt complex emotions flooding through him.
In his previous life, he had been blind to his son Guohua's sensitivities, while continuing to favor his eldest.
Two hundred yuan meant a significant promise from Guohua, while for Guojun, whatever amount he was given was merely taken for granted, even believed to be insufficient!
It turned out the ones least appreciated often possessed the most filial piety.
Perhaps Guohua was motivated to earn his father's recognition and affection, much like the old saying goes, "Abuse breeds loyalty!"
Guojun, raised in comfort and entitlement, had become accustomed to dictating his father's behaviors, and as he approached his thirties, it was unclear if he could ever change.
Lost in thought, Li Junsheng was jolted back to the present when Guojun's voice broke through his contemplation.
"Dad, how could you give Guohua that much money just like that? You're getting old and confused, unable to see who truly treats you well. We live together; we take care of you! You should reserve your finances for me!"
"What has your brother done for you? You're cunning in your calculations—while you're receiving care from us, you still secretly stash money for him. We all saw it today!"
"Who knows how much money you've given him while we weren't home? I always wondered why our household finances were so tight; it must be because you keep giving him money!"
The indignation in Guojun's tone made Li Junsheng's expression darken.
That little brat! What nonsense was he spewing?
What was this bit about being taken care of?
He was only fifty years old and perfectly capable of caring for himself; he worked hard every day and still prepared meals and cleaned up for Guojun's family.
When had he ever relied on his eldest son for help?
Guojun had never once offered to even bring him a basin of water for his feet!
He had been focused on keeping his job at the factory and depending on Li Junsheng's salary for his own living!
How could he stand there and say such absurd, difficult-to-hear things?
Li Junsheng could hardly contain his rage any longer.
"Smack!"
Without a second thought, Li Junsheng slapped his eldest son in front of everyone.
The loud crack of the slap echoed, drawing gasps from those present, and the noise felt like thunder in the quiet air.
Li Guojun stood there, frozen in shock, his eyes wide and reeling from the hit. He had never been struck by his father before.
Even Wang Xiuhua stood there, taken aback, completely stunned by what had just happened.
Just then, Ma Yulian, beaming and returning from Chen Dazhu's home, happened to witness the scene where Li Junsheng had just slapped her eldest son.
Her fury exploded as she yelled, "Li Junsheng! How dare you hit Jun'er?"