Chapter 112: Where There Is a Stepmother, There Will Be a Stepfather

Li Sheng smiled and said, "Of course, you’ve grown up now; you’re already a man." Then he added, "Next time I go out on a trip, I’ll take you along so you can see the world."

This was something his wife had told him: reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles. Since farming is not the only path, someone like Li Kai shouldn’t be confined to the small world of the Fengshou Brigade.

After all, Li Sheng was a long-distance truck driver, and his experiences were quite different from those of ordinary rural children. He fully agreed with his wife’s words.

That was why the two brothers had this conversation.

Previously, Tang Xin had suggested it, but Li Sheng refused; he didn’t want his wife to suffer hardships on the road.

The younger brother was different. Boys should broaden their horizons and see more of the world.

Hearing this, Li Kai was overwhelmed with joy and immediately asked, “Big brother, really? Is it true?”

Li Sheng smiled and nodded. “I was wrong before, didn’t see far enough. Everyone has their own future. I shouldn’t impose my standards on you. This time when I go out, I’ll keep an eye out for opportunities that suit you.”

Naturally, Li Kai was very happy. He knew his big brother’s character; he wouldn’t say such things without being sure.

But Li Sheng then added, “Of course, when I’m not home, you’ll be the man of the house. Take good care of our parents, and help look after your sister-in-law and the younger siblings.”

Li Kai thumped his chest in promise, determined to fulfill the task, looking every bit the responsible adult.

What Li Kai didn’t know was that his big brother’s words were not just empty promises — he had a plan.

Of course, this was largely thanks to his good sister-in-law, and it was Tang Xin’s suggestion.

Previously, Li Sheng had only worked within the transport team, mainly helping to deliver goods out in exchange for supplies they needed.

At that time, everyone still had a collective mindset, with no thoughts of operating individually.

Tang Xin knew better than to push too far; after all, the real market wouldn’t open for at least another seven or eight years.

But nobody is without personal ambition. While helping the transport team, it was impossible not to smuggle some personal goods.

Many in the transport team did this, but their resources were limited, and they had no surplus goods to trade.

Tang Xin was different—she had a golden advantage: an all-purpose spatial farm.

This was the perfect way to find an outlet for the goods stored in her farm’s warehouse.

Besides, she was lazy and had no desire to run around outside struggling to survive. More importantly, she wanted to test Li Kai’s true abilities.

So she suggested to Li Sheng that since there were two drivers taking turns, they could bring along an assistant.

With three people working together, they could do more. Tang Xin hinted subtly, and Li Sheng immediately understood. The brigade leader was more favorable toward their family now.

Also, sharing the profits would avoid any objections.

The extra assistant naturally had to be Li Kai. If it were an outsider, people might worry about the apprentice surpassing the master, but Li Sheng only wanted his younger brother to do well.

Teaching Li Kai to drive was just nominal; Li Sheng and his partner were the real drivers, and the assistant could handle errands.

As the saying goes, traveling thousands of miles is better than reading thousands of books. Although Li Sheng hadn’t studied much, his extensive travels gave him broad knowledge.

Tang Xin explained a little more, and Li Sheng immediately agreed that her idea was excellent.

He knew well that due to regional differences between north and south, many common items where they lived were far more valuable elsewhere.

Likewise, some local specialties from other places were rare treasures here.

The second brother was quite clever; he just hadn’t traveled before or seen much of the world. After a few trips, he’d understand everything.

By then, he’d be mature enough to start his own family, easing the burden on their parents, especially with younger siblings still to care for.

That night, their mother-in-law prepared a sumptuous dinner, including regular vegetables and a special dish of stir-fried cured sausage with dried salted fish.

She soaked the dried cured meat all afternoon, tore the fish into strips, then fried fragrant spices like Sichuan peppercorns and star anise in oil.

Next came scallions, ginger, and garlic, stir-fried until aromatic. The sausage was fried until it released oil before adding the fish.

Soy sauce, salt, and a pinch of sugar were added, then simmered on low heat to let the flavors meld.

The sweet and savory taste was so delicious that Tang Xin found herself eating half a bowl more than usual.

When packing, she also prepared some cured fish and meat to give to the other driver traveling with Li Sheng.

After all, if they wanted to cooperate long-term, maintaining good relations was essential.

Meanwhile, the brothers Li Sheng and Li Kai were chatting happily, but Li Xiyue pouted, her lips pursed like a little oil lamp.

It was true—favoring sons over daughters. The big brother only talked about taking Li Kai out to see the world, never mentioning her.

Her sister-in-law didn’t speak up for her either.

Before, they had coaxed her with promises of getting city jobs and marrying a city man, but never once considered taking her to the city. How could she have a chance to marry a city dweller?

But she didn’t stop to think: Li Sheng’s routes were treacherous, often through poverty-stricken backwaters. What good would it do to take her along?

Putting aside Li Xiyue’s resentment, Li Jiang and Li Hai were unhappy that their big brother was going out again.

Little Gu Nan sighed deeply, his expression heavy with weariness.

Tang Xin laughed quietly, glad to have her worries lightened enough to pay some attention to the little one.

“Gu Nan, what’s with that face? Did your father hit you?”

Gu Nan sighed softly, “Not yet, but it’s not far off.”

Everyone in the Li family was puzzled.

Gu Old Three wasn’t the kind to hit his child impulsively, so Fang immediately said, “Gu Nan, don’t tarnish your father’s name by talking nonsense.”

Gu Nan, imitating an adult’s serious tone, said, “I’m not making it up. My father is planning to find me a stepmother. They say that once there’s a stepmother, there will be a stepfather too. A stepfather can never be as good as a real dad, so he’ll just hit me instead.”

At first glance, it actually made some sense, so the Li family was stunned.

Tang Xin suddenly recalled that the original story did have such a plot.

Because the original author disliked the concept of stepmothers, even though Gu Old Three and Gu Nan were minor characters, the stepmother in their family was described in detail.

According to the story...