Super Soldier in the City-Chapter 2116 - 2179: I Want to Adopt Her
After the meal, Li Yifei took the little girl back to the car to let her sleep for a while. She hadn’t slept since last night. Li Yifei then found a local to inquire about the girl’s situation. Although the person didn’t know much, he took Li Yifei to ask others and that was how he came to know about the girl’s circumstances.
The overall situation was as she described: both her parents were gone, and her grandparents had passed long ago. She had a few relatives, but none recognized her. If that wasn’t bad enough, the girl’s family originally lived in town, not on the mountain. The mountain had their old house, which had been uninhabited for ten years. The house in town was shared by her uncle and family, alongside her grandparents. After the grandparents died, the middle room was taken by her aunt. When her mother passed away, her aunt took their home too, claiming that her mother was an outsider and had no right to the family house. The aunt also said the girl was a cursed child who would bring misfortune if she stayed, so they forced her to move to the mountain, giving her only one bag of rice a month without any vegetables.
After asking around, Li Yifei understood the situation. Although she had relatives, it was as though she had none. Li Yifei then made a decision.
The residents welcomed Li Yifei warmly, each sharing tales of the girl’s hardships. Li Yifei noted them all down and asked, "If she doesn’t have any other family, can I adopt her?"
"That would be wonderful, Mr. Li. I thank you on her behalf. She’s had such a hard life!" a resident said, gratefully.
Another woman sighed and said, "The child’s life is truly hard. She used to go to school and was at the top of her class, as my son told me. But after her mother got ill, she couldn’t attend anymore. I often see her picking wild vegetables in the mountains. Such a young girl, all by herself in the mountains. Sometimes when I go picking, I bring her along!"
"Yes, I bring her too. She’s kind-hearted and has sharp eyes. Sometimes I can’t find anything, but she can pick a lot and even shares with me, even when I don’t want her to," added another woman.
"Such a young child alone in the mountains, encountering snakes or graveyards, it’s such a pity," an elderly man sighed upon hearing this.
Anyway, Li Yifei made his decision. If he hadn’t met her, it would be different, but since he did, why not adopt her? Of course, there are countless sufferers in this world, and Li Yifei can’t possibly help them all.
This was fate; Li Yifei decided to embrace it. The little girl, sleeping soundly in the passenger seat, had no idea that her fate had already changed. A billionaire had not only rescued her but also decided to adopt her.
Li Yifei quickly found the local leadership, specifically the town mayor, and explained the situation, asking if they could issue a statement. Although he didn’t necessarily need it, since the mayor was there, they might as well provide one.
Understanding the situation, the mayor didn’t hesitate to write a statement. Just as he was about to hand it over, a woman suddenly rushed over, her expression unfriendly. She glared at Li Yifei and shouted at the mayor, "Wang Gui, what do you think you’re doing?"
"Sister Li San, what am I doing?" the mayor replied.
"I heard someone wants to take my niece away?" Sister Li San asked, pushing out her chest unhappily.
Hearing this title, Li Yifei immediately understood who this woman was. From what the residents had described earlier, he already had a poor impression of her. Her attitude now only solidified his view.
The town mayor chuckled, pulling Li Yifei aside to introduce him, "This is Mr. Li. He brought people to rescue your niece yesterday, and we all need to thank him. Without him, all you’d see now would be a corpse!"
Sister Li San pursed her lips and said nothing. The mayor continued, "Mr. Li learned of your niece’s situation and decided to adopt her. That’s why he asked me to write this statement. It’s a good thing that can give your niece a better life!"
"Bah!" Sister Li San sized Li Yifei up, almost spitting at him. The mayor immediately glared, sternly saying, "Sister Li San, don’t make trouble. This Mr. Li is not someone you can be disrespectful to."
"Heh." Sister Li San crossed her arms, her gaze unfriendly as she surveyed Li Yifei again, then spat, saying, "A big boss?"
Li Yifei smiled and said, "No."
"What, like adopting my niece?" Sister Li San said.
Li Yifei nodded and said, "Yes."
Mayor Wang Gui said, "You know what Mr. Li did. He came here with his men and saved so many people. He says he wants to adopt your niece. That’s your niece’s good fortune. With Mr. Li, she can live well, have food to eat, go to school, and live in a nice house."
"Ha! Sounds so noble!" Sister Li San spat, looking like a shrew, her thick lips curling, and said, "What, Wang Gui, have you already decided for me?"
Wang Gui knew this woman was difficult. When she threw a tantrum, she could even strip in the street. Back when she wanted her niece’s house, neighbors tried to advise her, even stopped her, but she cursed the entire street alone, and after that, no one said a word.
Li Yifei’s smile faded as he looked at Wang Gui. The latter quickly said, "It’s not about deciding for you. You already pushed that child out of the house. The house is yours now. A little child living in such a place, and you and your husband aren’t taking care of her at all. So letting your niece go with Mr. Li is a very good decision."
"Screw you!" Sister Li San immediately started cursing. Of course, this profanity was aimed at Wang Gui. Following, Sister Li San pointed at Wang Gui and continued to curse: "F***ing Wang Gui, who the hell do you think you are? What, is my niece your niece? What the hell gives you the right to decide for me, you old hag."
Upon being cursed by Sister Li San, Wang Gui also couldn’t keep his face straight. He frowned and rebuked, "Sister Li San, don’t talk nonsense. I’m not deciding for your niece, but you have no right either. A person like you shouldn’t be putting on a facade. Mr. Li being willing to adopt your niece is her good fortune. It also saves you a lot of trouble."
"Let me tell you, this niece of mine, I’m not giving her away!" Sister Li San raised her eyebrows and angrily said, "Dare to decide for me, my ass, what nonsense."
Wang Gui glanced at Li Yifei, seeing his unchanged expression, he felt a bit relieved. He dared not offend Li Yifei. As for being cursed by Sister Li San, it wasn’t surprising at all. Doing work in the village or town, getting cursed is quite common. Some uncultured men and women would often come to curse him when encountering issues, and the things they said were often worse than this.
"Sister Li San, I’ll say it again, your niece having the chance to be adopted by Mr. Li is very fortunate. The child following Mr. Li will have a bright future," Wang Gui persuaded.
"Ha ha, I spit on you! You damn officials, is there a good one among you? Such kindness for no reason, adopting? I think it’s a rich man’s quirk, what, likes to play with young girls?" Sister Li San bared her yellow teeth and continued to speak foully, "Wang Gui, not afraid to tell you, I will sell my niece."
Clearly an adoption, how did it become a transaction? Just as Wang Gui was about to correct her, Li Yifei spoke: "How much are you planning to sell for?"
The once angry-faced Sister Li San suddenly changed her expression upon hearing Li Yifei’s words. She looked him over from head to toe, seeming to find him reasonable, with a hint of excitement in her eyes. Why did she come running here, offending the mayor and cursing people? What was it for? To get rid of the little troublemaker, she’d be happy to, and making a fuss was just a way to get some money before the little troublemaker left.
In terms of the small town’s income, diligent work could earn about forty to fifty thousand a year, not difficult though somewhat tiring. But Sister Li San’s husband was without skill or capability, and Sister Li San herself was lazy to the extreme, spending the entire year playing mahjong, never lifting a finger for housework. Even when her husband returned from work, he’d have to cook for himself.
This is beside the point, in short, Sister Li San was after the money. If the little troublemaker could get lost, she’d be eager to set off some firecrackers to celebrate. Pushing her niece to live in the old house up the mountain had already earned her open and secret criticism from many neighbors. Now if the little troublemaker could get lost, such remarks would surely decrease significantly.
If she could also scoop up some money, wouldn’t it be even better? Under this goal, did things like face really matter? Sister Li San didn’t care, especially as only Wang Gui and that Mr. Li were here, she wasn’t worried about others finding out. Even if Wang Gui spread the word later, she could just deny it.
Li Yifei spoke a single sentence, immediately pinpointing Sister Li San’s scheme. Wang Gui’s body shook, eyes flashing with extreme anger, itching to slap this shameless woman.
Suppressing his anger, he heard Sister Li San say, "Raising a young girl to this age isn’t easy. These past years, both her parents died, relying on me and her uncle. Now you say take her away just like that? Sigh, though it’s well-intentioned, this matter still isn’t right. My niece is considerate, she even said at New Year she’ll earn money to support me in the future..."
"Do you have any shame? Sister Li San, have you ever taken care of that child? You shameless one, not arguing with you, and you think you’re in the right?" Hearing this, Wang Gui couldn’t hold back, directly pointing at Sister Li San and shouting. His outburst stunned Sister Li San, who dared act so shamelessly because she was sure of Wang Gui’s good temper. This mayor had been in town for two years, always easy to talk to and never losing his temper, yet now he was shouting at her, nostrils flaring and eyes glaring.
