Ch 19: The Scumbag’s Daily Wife-Doting Life [QT]

Before taking the exam, Xie Li had already submitted his university application choices.

His first and only choice was Capital University.

There was no second option.

During the month spent waiting for the admission notices, Xie Li remained fairly calm because he already knew what the outcome would be. Every day, he either carried little Donggua around the village or took Li Tiantian into town to shop, using it all as a way to ease the tension left behind by the college entrance examination.

Ironically, the person who became most invested after initially opposing Xie Li taking the exam was Li Jianguo.

After finally accepting the matter, he became obsessively concerned about it.

When he heard Xie Li had applied to only one university, he did not dare scold him directly, so he could only stew in frustration himself, so anxious he nearly lost his appetite.

“Why hasn’t it arrived yet? Did it get lost on the way?”

As the expected date for the admission letters approached and still nothing came, Li Jianguo practically turned into a statue waiting by the road. Every day he rode his bicycle to the town post office to ask about updates.

Thanks to Xie Li, the other educated youths who had taken the exam no longer needed to exert effort themselves and could simply wait for the newest information from him.

Fortunately, the admission letters did not keep Li Jianguo anxious for too long. Though delayed by several days, they finally arrived.

There were three letters in total.

Besides Hu Dezheng’s and another educated youth’s letter, the thickest envelope belonged to Xie Li.

Li Jianguo retrieved the letters from town and spent the entire ride home suppressing his excitement. He first delivered the other two letters before finally cycling back home to find Xie Li.

“Hurry and open it!”

On the way back, Li Jianguo had desperately wanted to open the envelope himself and see what was inside, but he did not dare touch something so precious and important in his eyes. Now that he had finally handed it over, he impatiently urged Xie Li aloud.

The moment Xie Li saw the postal stamp on the envelope, he already knew the result. A smile appeared on his face.

Hearing Li Jianguo’s urging, he opened the letter.

As expected, he had been admitted to Capital University.

The admission notice itself looked rather simple, consisting of only a single white sheet of paper. On it was the formal admission announcement stamped with the red seal of Capital University.

Beneath the notice, however, was a handwritten message from the university president.

The words were earnest and heartfelt, filled with careful encouragement sentence by sentence. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. The passage was not especially long, but from the lines themselves one could clearly feel the writer’s appreciation and expectations toward him.

Below that were various reminders and enrollment instructions for incoming students, all handwritten as well. The handwriting was bold and powerful. Though hurried enough to appear slightly rough in places, the sincerity behind it remained obvious.

At the very bottom lay a separate personal letter.

Xie Li frowned slightly. Just as he was about to pick it up, Li Jianguo’s excited voice burst out beside him.

“Good! Good! GOOD!!”

Li Jianguo was so happy he could barely speak. When he reached the final line, despite not being the sentimental type, he nearly burst into tears on the spot.

Too prideful to let others notice, he hurriedly wiped his eyes and called for Li Tiantian.

“Come look! Xie Li got into Capital University!”

Xie Li paused.

Not wanting to ruin everyone’s excitement, he temporarily set aside the personal letter untouched and instead handed the admission notice to Li Tiantian, planning to celebrate with the Li family first before reading the other letter later.

In the original owner’s memories, it seemed he had also once received such a letter…

Meanwhile, Li Jianguo continued enthusiastically calling Li Tiantian over to look at the admission notice.

Li Tiantian’s face brimmed with anticipation. Handing little Donggua over to Wang Cuihua, she cautiously leaned closer to look, behaving as though if she stared too hard, the admission letter might suddenly sprout legs and run away.

“He really got in?”

“Could there be any mistake?” Li Jianguo’s short mustache trembled proudly. “A’Li never stopped studying these past two years. Wasn’t getting accepted completely normal?”

At this point, he had completely transformed into a bragging father-in-law.

Li Tiantian could not be bothered arguing with him and instead looked toward Xie Li for confirmation.

Xie Li smiled faintly.

“Yes. I got into Capital University.”

Li Tiantian’s eyes immediately brightened, a joyful smile blooming across her face. But after a brief pause, she suddenly thought of the important question and asked nervously,

“Then… does that mean you’re going to the capital?”

Li Jianguo also froze upon hearing this.

“If A’Li goes to the capital, will Tiantian go with him?”

Of course she would.

If Li Tiantian did not go, Xie Li would never feel at ease. And Li Jianguo likely would not feel reassured either.

Xie Li lowered his voice and promised,

“Don’t worry. I won’t leave Tiantian behind. My family is from the capital. Once I reconnect with some acquaintances there, we’ll definitely be able to settle down.”

The Xie family still owned property in the capital, but after enduring the chaos of those turbulent years, the old family residence had been left badly damaged and completely unlivable.

If Xie Li returned to the capital, it would be better to find another place to live first.

Then, after the Xie family members gradually returned to the capital one after another, he would bring Li Tiantian to meet them.

Having made up his mind, Xie Li immediately asked Li Tiantian for all the family savings and began calculating their finances, estimating future living expenses in the capital while also considering whether he should sell another ginseng root after returning there.

…

The admission notice arrived only a few days before the New Year.

The Li family ended up celebrating an extraordinarily lavish New Year’s Eve.

Because the admission letter arrived before the new year began, Wang Cuihua believed it was an excellent omen. In her excitement, she slaughtered the family’s fattest pig and enthusiastically hosted a massive pork feast with open tables flowing continuously through the day, all to celebrate Xie Li’s university acceptance.

A great many people attended.

Most were villagers from Xiaoxipo itself.

The villagers did not truly understand how prestigious Capital University was. They only heard the educated youths say it was the best university in the entire country, and that alone made them ecstatic and proud enough to rush over and “share in the good fortune.”

Deep down, they also carried a subtle sense of smugness.

Why was it that none of the educated youths from neighboring villages got into Capital University, while someone from their village did?

Wasn’t it because their village produced exceptional people and possessed outstanding fortune?

After all, their village had produced three university students, and one of them even entered the nation’s most prestigious university.

Another portion of the guests consisted of educated youths from nearby villages. Whether they had passed the exam or not, they all came to attend the feast and personally see the admission notice from the country’s top university: Capital University.

After seeing it, they became both envious and awestruck.

The final small group consisted of guests specifically invited by Li Jianguo.

Li Jianguo had been suppressing his emotions for a very long time.

Did people really think he did not know?

When the college entrance examination first resumed, the brigade leaders from neighboring villages all secretly mocked Xie Li behind his back after hearing he planned to take the exam. Not one of them believed he could succeed.

A Buddha fought for a single stick of incense. A man fought for his pride.

How could Li Jianguo possibly tolerate watching those people continue feeling smug?

He had carefully researched the country’s famous universities, intending to help Xie Li investigate them thoroughly, only to later discover that Xie Li had already firmly chosen Capital University.

Capital University was unquestionably the number one university in the country!

Li Jianguo had been terrified Xie Li’s ambitions were too high and that aiming too far might cause him to fail completely.

Now that the results were out and Xie Li had succeeded without stumbling, Li Jianguo finally felt truly vindicated from the bottom of his heart.

And now, he intended to slap those people across the face with it.

He invited several fellow brigade leaders out for drinks. Sitting at the same table, every sentence he spoke carried some seemingly casual bragging hidden inside it, making the other brigade leaders increasingly sour-faced with jealousy and resentment.

Honestly, it suited Li Jianguo’s personality perfectly.

If he had truly been someone with excellent social skills and broad popularity, then after his death, Li Tiantian would not have ended up with absolutely nobody willing to help her.

“Xiao Sun, didn’t your aunt’s cousin’s son also take the college entrance exam? How’d he do?” Li Jianguo asked drunkenly.

The brigade leader from Tangzhuang Village darkened immediately.

That cousin of his could barely read a single character, yet his aunt stubbornly believed her son was a once-in-a-generation genius and insisted on sending him to take the exam. In the end, the boy could not even obtain a recommendation letter.

Later, the family even came begging him to use his connections to pull strings. Furious, he directly cursed the cousin out and completely severed ties with that branch of the family.

Now Li Jianguo was deliberately poking at his wound.

After another gulp of alcohol, Li Jianguo became even more intoxicated and immediately shifted targets.

“Captain Zhang, I heard seven or eight educated youths from your Taohua Village took the exam. You guys must’ve had great results, right?”

He sighed theatrically.

“Our village’s educated youths lacked ambition. Only five of them even bothered taking the exam, and just three got in. Ai… so disappointing!”

Captain Zhang from Taohua Village silently drank his alcohol without responding.

Still unsatisfied, Li Jianguo attacked the final victim.

“Old Li, stop just drinking and eat some food. Didn’t your son graduate high school? Why didn’t I see him take the college entrance exam?”

The brigade leader from the neighboring village remained expressionless, acting as though he heard absolutely nothing.

Feeling utterly refreshed, Li Jianguo burst into loud laughter and, within mere moments, successfully offended everyone seated at the table.

Xie Li: “……”

Truly, ancient wisdom never lied. If you insist on courting disaster, disaster eventually arrives.

Because of this grand celebratory pork feast, the news that Hu Dezheng and another educated youth had also been admitted to university was completely overshadowed by Xie Li.

Fortunately, Hu Dezheng did not care much about that.

Holding his admission notice, he stormed directly into the Qian household, received a severe beating, then emerged bruised and swollen yet grinning from ear to ear.

A few days later, news spread that Qian Lanxiang had broken off her engagement.

Putting the pieces together, Xie Li found time to visit the educated youth dormitory and congratulate Hu Dezheng for finally getting what he wanted.

Hu Dezheng accepted the congratulations without false modesty, looking completely smug and triumphant.

“You chased after Qian Lanxiang. Have you figured out what to do with her after returning to the capital?” Xie Li casually asked.

Hu Dezheng nodded.

“I actually wanted to discuss that with you…”

It turned out he planned to hold a wedding banquet with Qian Lanxiang before spring arrived, officially marry her, then bring her back to the city together with him.

But his family home almost certainly would not have enough room for them to live there, meaning they would need to rent a place outside.

“The university I got into provides monthly subsidies. Fifteen yuan a month, not including grain coupons. I’ve already calculated things. If the rent’s cheap enough, the remaining money should be enough for Lanxiang and me to live on.”

In other words, Hu Dezheng wanted to rent a courtyard together with Xie Li.

That way they could save money while also allowing Qian Lanxiang and Li Tiantian to look after one another.

It was a mutually beneficial arrangement, and Xie Li saw no reason to refuse. After thinking briefly, he quickly agreed.

“I’ve gained a whole new respect for you, Dezheng. You finally have a bit of a real man’s spirit now.”

Knowing Xie Li referred to his previous indecisiveness, Hu Dezheng smiled awkwardly.

“Stop making fun of me. Since we’ve agreed, I’ll go tell Lanxiang about it.”

Xie Li froze briefly before realizing he too needed to speak with his father-in-law and mother-in-law.

Originally, the plan had been for Li Tiantian and Donggua to remain in the village.

Later, after Xie Li repeatedly guaranteed their future, Li Jianguo finally agreed to let Li Tiantian follow him while leaving little Donggua behind.

Xie Li absolutely refused.

He argued against the idea three separate times and stubbornly refused to leave Donggua in the village.

This separation would last at least a year, perhaps two or three.

By then, Donggua might not even remember him anymore.

Besides, the educational opportunities in the capital differed enormously from those in the countryside. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. Xie Li even planned to give Donggua a strong foundation early and later enroll him in extracurricular programs like youth arts and hobby classes.

Eventually Li Jianguo compromised and agreed to let both Li Tiantian and Donggua go.

However, Wang Cuihua still worried constantly and wanted to follow them to the capital to help care for her pregnant daughter and little grandson.

The moment Li Jianguo heard that, his expression immediately worsened, his mood becoming visibly depressed.

Now, however, with Qian Lanxiang going too, Wang Cuihua no longer needed to accompany them.

…

After the New Year, Xie Li brought Li Tiantian and little Donggua, while Hu Dezheng brought Qian Lanxiang. The five of them boarded a train together bound for the capital.

The train stopped constantly along the journey to replenish coal and water. It took a full five days before they finally arrived.

Traveling with a child made the trip extremely inconvenient.

Fortunately, little Donggua behaved remarkably well. Once fed and satisfied, he obediently slept. With Hu Dezheng and Qian Lanxiang helping care for him, things never became too overwhelming.

Li Tiantian, however, suffered terribly.

Both her pregnancies had previously gone smoothly, but because she could not tolerate the smell of coal smoke on the train, she experienced severe morning sickness for the first time and spent most of the journey vomiting miserably.

If Xie Li had not learned some traditional Chinese medicine techniques and massaged pressure points for her while secretly adding spirit spring water into her drinking water, she would have suffered even more.

Five days later, the moment they stepped off the train, Li Tiantian finally recovered from her near-death state.

“Let’s first find a guesthouse so Tiantian and Donggua can rest properly. Comrade Qian can help look after them while Dezheng and I go find a house.”

Xie Li proposed the idea with concern.

Li Tiantian weakly nodded in agreement.

Qian Lanxiang, distressed over her friend’s condition, naturally had no objections either.

So the five of them hired two rickshaws, arrived at the nearest guesthouse, settled the women and child inside, then Xie Li and Hu Dezheng headed out.

Capital University was not far from Hu Dezheng’s university, only twenty or thirty minutes apart. To Li Tiantian and Qian Lanxiang, who had grown up in rural villages, that distance already felt significant. But to Xie Li and Hu Dezheng, it barely counted as a journey.

For Li Tiantian’s convenience, they selected a quiet little courtyard located near Capital University. The monthly rent was ten yuan. Xie Li personally paid both the deposit and the first three months’ rent upfront.

Because the house was somewhat old, Xie Li spent even more money afterward repairing and renovating it. Only after everything was properly cleaned up did they bring Li Tiantian and the others over from the guesthouse.

One major reason he put in such effort was because he hoped Qian Lanxiang would take good care of Li Tiantian.

Li Tiantian’s pregnancy had already begun showing slightly, and Xie Li did not want her doing heavy work. He planned to pay Qian Lanxiang ten yuan every month to help care for her.

At first Qian Lanxiang firmly refused the money, but after Xie Li repeatedly explained it was meant for groceries and household expenses, she finally accepted it.

Only afterward did Xie Li and Hu Dezheng separately head to their universities to officially enroll.

“Classmate, where’s your admission notice?”

As soon as Xie Li entered the university grounds, he spotted the student volunteers handling new student registration and stepped forward.

Hearing the question, he took out his carefully preserved admission notice.

“Let me see. Which department are you in?”

The senior student helping with registration blinked as she accepted the notice. Unfortunately, she failed to hold it properly, and the papers scattered across the ground.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, classm…”

Embarrassed, she bent down to gather everything. But the moment she picked up one particular letter and saw the name written on it, her eyes instantly widened in shock.

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