Substitute Driver's Notes

"Old Li, are you crazy? How dare you talk about your wife like that? I'm going to tell my mom."

You don't even need to look to know that Little Dog's Leg is back.

"Dad, what did you do to make Mom angry? Just coax her a little, right? A real man can bend and stretch, right?"

Yes! My daughter is so considerate. Everything she says is agreeable, and she knows her father is a real man.

"Where's my mom?" the son persisted.

Li Wei ignored him, turned around and asked seriously, "Do you have a lot of homework today? Did you get into a fight with any classmates?"

Little Li put down his schoolbag, put his hands behind his back, looked around the room, and came back with a stern face. "Where's my mom?"

Li Wei scolded his son: "I'm asking you about your homework."

The son stepped back a few paces, looking Li Wei up and down suspiciously: "Why are you asking so many questions?"

"When did I become unacceptable to even ask about your studies? Are you trying to take advantage of me?"

Li Qiwu suddenly realized: "You drove your wife away? Why didn't you take me with you?"

Li Siyu said with a smile, "That's called abandoning your husband and children; your mother doesn't want you anymore."

Li Qiwu burst into tears, choking back sobs as he said, "You don't want me anymore? Why? I didn't do anything wrong."

Li Wei angrily scolded his daughter: "What kind of nonsense are you learning at school? You've even abandoned your husband and children. Your mother misses your grandmother, so she's going home to visit her. She'll be back in a few days."

Li Siyu pouted: "Don't give me that. Mom always takes my little brother with her when she goes home. You're not telling the truth, are you? I don't care if your uncle comes to have a heart-to-heart talk with you."

"Tch, your dad's afraid of your uncle? He's 1.76 meters tall and I'm 1.81 meters tall, he weighs 160 kilograms and I weigh over 180 kilograms, why would I be afraid of him?" Li Wei said dismissively.

The son sobbed, "My uncle could beat eight of you. No, I'm going to call Mom."

"You traitorous little brat, do you believe I can beat you eighty times? You want a beating? Don't you dare make any more phone calls," Li Wei scolded his son.

"Waaah, what kind of skill is it to bully a child? If you're so capable, why don't you go and fight your uncle one-on-one?"

Li Wei's forehead veins throbbed. If this kid didn't look just like him, he would have seriously wondered if they'd been switched at birth at the hospital. Is there really such a thing as idolizing one's uncle?

What does a little brat know? These days, if someone marries a beautiful wife and then beats her brother-in-law to a pulp, does that mean they don't want to live a good life anymore?

Li Siyu quickly comforted him, "Little brother, don't cry. It's okay, it's okay. Mom will never abandon you. She loves you the most, right? Dad's cooking is pretty good too. Dad, why don't you go cook?"

"Okay," Li Wei replied, standing up. "What would you like to eat, honey?"

Li Siyu waved her hand: "You decide what to do! Little brother, let me tell you something." Then, the two siblings whispered something to each other, and soon the boy stopped crying and started laughing.

Li Wei shook his head, deeply feeling that being a father was not easy; the older the children got, the less obedient they became.

I went to the kitchen, quickly cooked two dishes, and called the children over to eat.

My son came over, looking at the dishes on the table with disdain, and muttered, "Is this all? Why did you put so much soy sauce in this stir-fried bok choy? And how are we supposed to eat the potato shreds cut so thick?"

The daughter sat down first, picked up her chopsticks, and said to her frowning brother, "It's alright, let me try it first to see if it's good. Hmm! It's cooked through, it's not bad."

Li Qiwu sat down in dissatisfaction, picked up his chopsticks, took a bite, stood up, and spat it into the trash can: "Did you kill a salt seller? It tastes awful."

Li Wei felt his patience was running out, so he suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "If it's a little salty, you can just eat less of it. You can reheat it tomorrow morning."

Li Qiwu ignored him, rolled up the pancake and took a big bite, no longer picking at the dishes in front of him.

Li Wei sat down angrily, muttering as he rolled up a pancake, "I'll starve you, you bastard."

After a quick meal, the siblings continued doing their homework. Li Wei quietly sat outside watching, and saw his daughter pull out snacks from somewhere and feed her brother.

The siblings whispered to each other as they ate and did their homework. The daughter would occasionally check her brother's workbook, pointing and commenting, keeping herself very busy.

Daughters are better; they can coax their younger brothers and also take care of their father's pride by not being picky eaters.

Before nine o'clock, the siblings finished their homework, murmured to themselves, and played around while watching TV for a while. Li Qiwu checked his watch, stared seriously at Li Wei, and asked, "How am I going to sleep tonight?"

"What kind of question is this?" Li Wei pointed impatiently at the bed: "Close your eyes and sleep."

Tears welled up in Li Qiwu's eyes: "When is Mom coming home?"

"How should I know? Reply if you want, don't."

"I want to call my mom."

"Go ahead and call! She definitely won't answer." Li Wei said, taking out his phone and handing it over.

Li Qiwu ignored him, took the phone, and skillfully dialed the number.

A miracle occurred: Li Wei secretly dialed the number that had been unanswered, and it connected instantly.

Li Qiwu took the phone and went to another room, where the mother and son began to whisper to each other.

Li Wei looked outside and felt that the woman was watching him from not far away. Otherwise, why would she not answer his phone when he called, but answer his son's phone immediately?

After a while, Li Wei impatiently approached his son, snatched the phone, and yelled, "Phone calls are expensive, can you say less? Hurry up and come back."

A message came through Dudu, instructing the other party to hang up. Li Qiwu, expressionless, changed into his pajamas with his sister and went to wash their face and feet.

When Li Wei arrived, his son had already dried himself off and said to Li Wei, "Hmph! Your uncle will be coming to see you soon."

Li Wei snorted, "What are you doing coming over in the middle of the night? Does he not want to sleep, but he can't let others sleep either?"

Li Siyu looked at him strangely and said, "My uncle often stays up late. He's a policeman and needs to catch bad guys."

"Dad isn't a bad person. He'd better try to do something to me."

"Dad, be more careful! Is there anything wrong with him standing up for my sister? My brother will protect me when he grows up, right?"

"When I grow up, I'll beat anyone who dares to bully my sister to death."

Li Wei was furious: "Where did you learn all this nonsense? How old are you, brat? You're already acting like this!"

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Li Siyu gave him a look that said, "Little brother, let's go to sleep. Dad, go open the door."

After saying that, the siblings ran back to their bedroom in a flash, got into bed, covered themselves with the blankets, and fell asleep instantly.

Li Wei muttered, "It's ten o'clock and they're still coming to cause trouble. They're not human."

Upon opening the door, Lu Feng was indeed standing there, looking exhausted but still polite, and asked in a low voice, "Brother-in-law, where's the child?"

Li Wei glanced at the bedroom: "Just lay down."

"Oh! Then come outside with me and have a chat."

Li Wei waved his hand and offered him a cigarette: "Come in and let's talk."

Lu Feng didn't take it, but pulled out a pack of good cigarettes: "Let's go, don't let the smell bother the kids, I got these from the beginning."

"No, it's too late."

Lu Feng entered, picked up the key, and pulled Li Wei up, saying with a smile, "Don't be so polite with me."

Li Wei was shocked and clung to the door frame, refusing to let go: "I won't go, or I'll call for help."

"You dare to shout like that? You've got some nerve, haven't you? You even dared to hit my sister. If I don't teach you a lesson today, you won't know why the flowers are so red."