Li Zigang listened to his father's words and went out to fetch something.
Li Ziqing's heart tightened. She couldn't imagine what Li Dashan would give her.
Chen Xiao was also a little curious. Li Dashan and his son seemed completely different from Li Dahai's family.
Before long, Li Zigang returned, holding a biscuit tin, an old style from many years ago.
The biscuit tin was made of metal and looked very high-class, but no matter how high-class it was, it was still just a biscuit tin.
Li Zigang handed the biscuit tin to his father, and Li Dashan opened it.
It was filled to the brim with bank passbooks.
Bundles were tied with rubber bands, neatly arranged.
"What is this?"
Li Ziqing seemed to have guessed something.
"This should have all been your family's property."
Li Dashan's answer coincided with Li Ziqing's guess.
"When your parents met with misfortune, it was because the enemy's strength was too great. Alas, your uncle was incompetent and couldn't help them."
"Later, I was misled by Dahai's nonsense and announced a severance of ties with your family. We also took the opportunity to seize your family's property. Dahai's argument at the time was that as long as the green hills remain, there will be firewood to burn. If we keep this money, there will be a chance to turn things around in the future."
"I never expected that he would say one thing but think another."
"Of course, I'm not telling you this to shift the blame to Dahai, nor do I want to renege on my debt. The mistake was mine, and I admit it, I admit it all."
"Ziqing, you can hit me or scold me, your uncle won't complain."
"However, I haven't touched a single cent of the property I received from your father over the years. Apart from cash, I sold all other assets and converted them into cash. All the money was deposited into the bank, which is what you see before you."
"It totals eighty-five million yuan."
Hearing this, Chen Xiao felt like laughing.
If the eighty-five million yuan from back then had not been put into the bank but used to generate more wealth, it would have conservatively multiplied tenfold.
If it had all been invested in real estate, it would have multiplied more than tenfold.
Li Dashan, however, had deposited the money into the bank, which was equivalent to watching the money depreciate while doing nothing.
It had to be said that this approach was so foolish it was laughable.
But Chen Xiao couldn't bring himself to laugh.
Because Li Dashan, at least, had maintained his stance for decades.
He had every reason to use that money to improve his living conditions, but he hadn't.
Even though his current life was destitute, and his son had to work as a delivery driver to make ends meet.
Li Ziqing sighed softly, "Why did you go through all this trouble..."
"This is the fate I deserve."
Li Dashan said with a wry smile, "I failed as an elder brother. Your parents' deaths, even if not directly my fault, the stigma of kicking them while they were down is something I can never wash away."
"I dare not spend a cent of this money, because it burns my hands. I have been waiting for you to return, and I knew you would return."
"Uncle is incompetent and cannot avenge your parents, but Uncle knows that you definitely can!"
Li Dashan's expression was excited, almost frenzied.
Even though he knew that Li Ziqing was facing the five great families of the imperial city, his belief remained unshaken.
"I am returning this money to its rightful owner today, complete and intact. If it can help you even a little, then I will have the face to meet your parents in the afterlife."
Li Ziqing hesitated whether to accept the money.
If she accepted it, it would mean she had forgiven Li Dashan.
But did she have the right to forgive this person who had kicked them while they were down on behalf of her parents?
Yet, if she refused, she felt a pang of sympathy... People's hearts are made of flesh, and Li Ziqing was no exception.
Finally, Li Ziqing made a decision: "Alright, I will accept this money."
Upon hearing Li Ziqing's words, Li Dashan's previously dejected face actually showed a hint of color.
It was as if a very heavy burden had been lifted.
"Good, good, that's great... cough, cough, cough..."
Perhaps due to excessive excitement, after saying "good" several times, Li Dashan began to cough violently, as if he were about to cough up his lungs.
Seeing this, Li Zigang quickly and familiarly gave his father medicine.
"Dad, don't get excited. Today is a joyous occasion for our family. You should lie down and rest for a while."
After taking the medicine, Li Dashan finally stopped coughing. He waved his hand, his mood cheerful, "It's fine. With this matter settled, my heart is at ease. I have no regrets now. Gangzi, the one I am most sorry for now is you..."
"Alright, Dad, don't say such things, it's too inauspicious!"
Li Zigang, seeing his father speaking more and more outrageously, quickly interrupted him, stopping his words.
Not long after taking the medicine, Li Dashan fell asleep under its effect.
Li Zigang carefully covered his father with the blanket and looked at Li Ziqing, saying softly, "Let's talk outside."
Li Ziqing nodded and walked out of the bedroom.
"Ziqing, thank you. My father doesn't have many days left. By accepting the money today, you have relieved him of a great worry."
Back in the living room, Li Zigang calmly said as he poured water for Chen Xiao and Li Ziqing.
"What illness?"
Li Ziqing asked.
"He has too many illnesses, mainly lung cancer and diabetes, along with a host of complications. There are some illnesses I can't even remember the names of..."
Li Zigang said, scratching his head.
"Oh..."
Li Ziqing nodded, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "I still have one thing I don't understand. In my memory, your family lived well back then, and you had quite a bit of property. Even without my father's money, your lives shouldn't be this destitute."
"Heh heh..."
Li Zigang smiled helplessly, "My mother took the family's money and ran."
Li Ziqing: "..."
Chen Xiao: "..."
"My mother never liked my father's weak and indecisive personality. Living together, we didn't have much in common. Moreover, for so many years, my father was unwilling to touch his second uncle's money, which led to increasing conflict between them."
"Later, she met someone new and quietly transferred the family's assets, absconding abroad with the money."
As Li Zigang spoke, he had a smile on his face, as if he were recounting someone else's story, someone completely unrelated to him.
"Don't you blame her?"
Li Ziqing, seeing that Li Zigang spoke of his mother without any resentment or anger, couldn't help but feel curious.
"I don't blame her."
Li Zigang shook his head. "And she didn't expect my father and me to be so destitute. She thought that if she took all the family's money, my father would then use his second uncle's money."
"Unfortunately, what she thought was just her own assumption."
"She lived with my father for eighteen years, but she knew absolutely nothing about her husband..."