Are you suggesting I inherit three wives' households? I'll marry my eldest brother and bec

Chapter 217 Judgment

Shen Li quickly added, "When my second brother heard that I had a car accident, he rushed over without stopping. He went straight to the hospital as soon as he arrived in Beijing, without even having time to pack up."

Lu Cheng looked down at himself, his heart sinking – he'd been so focused on Shen Li's injuries that he'd completely forgotten he was going to meet his future mother-in-law; this disheveled state was likely to leave a bad impression. He stammered, "Auntie, I…"

Mrs. Shen waved her hand, interrupting him, "I understand, you're very kind. Is there a place for you to stay tonight?"

Lu Cheng nodded quickly: "Yes, yes."

"Okay, then you should go back and get ready to rest," said Mrs. Shen.

"Okay, okay," Lu Cheng quickly agreed.

Mrs. Lu quickly apologized, "Mrs. Shen, please forgive my rudeness."

Looking at Lu's mother, Shen's mother had already made a judgment: upon hearing that her daughter was injured, she immediately followed her son to the scene. Although she looked disheveled, it was clear that this family truly cared about Lili.

Looking at Lu's mother, Shen's mother had to admit that a mother with such a handsome son must be quite good-looking herself.

It seems my daughter is attracted to someone else's looks.

Oh well, as long as the child is happy.

She's not entirely without merit; she's quite good-looking, so her future grandson will certainly be just as good.

Seeing Lu's slightly restrained demeanor, Shen's mother said, "I heard that Lili was injured, and you rushed over all the way here. Thank you for your thoughtfulness. Go and rest first, we can talk about it another day."

That evening, after settling his mother in, Lu Cheng brought her some late-night snacks to the ward.

At this moment, Shen's mother was still in the ward. Looking at Lu Cheng, who was dressed neatly and properly, she thought to herself: "His appearance is outstanding even in the capital."

Shen Li looked at Lu Cheng, her tone slightly reproachful: "Why are you here again?"

Lu Cheng placed the fruit aside. Now that the weather is getting cooler, the price of fruit has gone up. Seeing that he bought some expensive varieties, Shen's mother felt even more favorably toward him.

Lu Cheng turned to Shen's mother: "Auntie, you should go back first. I'll take care of Lili. I heard you have classes during the day, so I can keep an eye on things here."

Mrs. Shen waved her hand: "It's alright, I'll go back later."

She couldn't let the young man and her daughter be alone in a room; they weren't married yet! Besides, relationships are so unpredictable these days. What if her daughter suffered some hardship and they didn't end up together? That would be such a loss. She had to help her daughter make the right choice.

Lu Cheng understood Shen's mother's concerns and didn't want to force the issue—after all, they weren't officially together yet.

Seeing this, Shen Li quickly advised, "Mom, you're working so hard running back and forth every day. Go home and rest early. I'll be fine on my own at the hospital."

Shen's mother joked, "So now that you have a boyfriend, you don't need your mother anymore?"

"No, I'm just worried about your health."

Finally, Shen's mother stayed for another hour before leaving, and before leaving, she specifically called Lu Cheng over.

Shen Li couldn't help but laugh when she saw Lu Cheng's reluctant expression as he left.

As someone with more experience, how could Shen's mother not understand the little feelings between the two young lovers? But she just couldn't let them be alone—they weren't married yet!

After Shen's mother left with Lu Cheng, Lu Cheng intended to take her home, but Shen's mother insisted on not doing so. Only after watching Lu Cheng get into the car did she turn around and leave with peace of mind.

Shen Li was left alone in the ward, and it was inevitable that she would feel a little bored. She had been sleeping day and night before, but now she couldn't fall asleep at all.

She didn't actually like having her family stay with her all the time. Firstly, it was a VIP ward where medical staff could take care of her at any time; secondly, she didn't like strangers disturbing her.

Just as she was about to lie down and rest, there was a sudden knock on the door.

Shen Li looked towards the door: "Who is it?"

"It's me..." Lu Cheng's voice came from outside the door.

Shen Li couldn't help but chuckle. She lived alone and felt insecure sleeping at night, so she made sure to lock the door.

"Okay, I'm coming."

Shen Li got up and got out of bed—she could walk slowly now, but her movements were a bit slower.

She opened the door and looked at Lu Cheng with a smile: "You're using a feint to your advantage while secretly plotting something else."

Lu Cheng entered the ward, closed the door behind him, helped Shen Li back to bed, and carefully covered her with a blanket: "I can't bear to leave you alone, I'll stay with you at the hospital from now on."

Shen Li nodded and replied, "Okay."

Although there was a sofa in the ward, Lu Cheng was tall and the sofa was hard, so he definitely wouldn't be comfortable sleeping on it.

"Come up and sleep," Shen Li invited.

"No need, I'm afraid I'll bump into you."

"It's okay, I'm feeling much better now. I want to hold you while I sleep; it makes me feel more at ease."

Seeing Shen Li say this, Lu Cheng finally climbed into bed.

Shen Li gently moved into his arms and nuzzled against his chest: "Second brother, you smell so good."

Lu Cheng smiled and looked down: "If you like it, smell it more."

Back at the Shen family home, after washing up, Shen's mother lay in bed and asked Shen's father, "Has the investigation into Lili's car accident been completed?"

Father Shen nodded: "Yes, it was done by the second branch of the Ming family."

Shen's mother looked puzzled: "Why would they do that?"

Mr. Shen patiently explained the whole story, and Mrs. Shen finally understood.

Mr. Shen continued, "Let's call off the marriage with the Ming family. No matter how good Ming Xiangyang is to Lili, the Ming family's background is too complicated."

Madam Shen nodded in agreement, then added, "The Lu family has come to the capital."

"The Lu family? Which Lu family?"

"It's the family that took in Lili, the family of the missing Xu sister. They rushed over as soon as they heard Lili was injured. I've met Lili's boyfriend; he is indeed very handsome."

Mr. Shen took a breath, his tone pragmatic: "What's the use of being good-looking?"

Shen's mother retorted with a smile, "If you're good-looking, your future children will resemble your parents."

Mr. Shen glanced at his wife, then asked, "What's the child's educational background? My son-in-law can't be someone who's not presentable."

Shen's mother hesitated for a moment: "I don't know, I'm afraid her education level isn't high."

Mr. Shen was quite open-minded: "It's alright. If you don't have a high level of education, you can gradually improve your skills. Starting from the bottom is also a good thing."

Mother Shen joked, "You say you don't like him, but aren't you already making plans for your son-in-law?"

Mr. Shen stubbornly retorted, "I'm not helping him plan; I'm doing this for my daughter. I haven't taken good care of her for the past twenty years; if she doesn't find a reliable partner in the future, wouldn't I feel even more guilty?"

Mrs. Shen smiled and conceded, "Alright, alright, you're right."

In the days that followed, Lu's mother and Lu Cheng took on the responsibility of caring for Shen Li together.

Shen Li stayed in the hospital for a month. Before being discharged, she heard that Ming Qihua had been sentenced to the maximum term of imprisonment—15 years for instigating others to intentionally cause injury.

The compensation is 10,000 yuan, plus all hospitalization expenses.

It was 1983, right in the middle of a crackdown on crime. Previously, instigating someone to cause minor injury resulted in a sentence of three to six months; causing serious injury resulted in five to seven years. Now, the sentence for minor injury has been increased to six to twelve months, and for serious injury, it's ten to fifteen years.

Shen Li's injuries were more serious than minor injuries, but not enough to qualify as serious injuries. However, obtaining a certificate of serious injury was not difficult for the Shen family—which was why she was able to rest and recuperate in the hospital for a month without worry.

Fifteen years in prison has basically ruined Ming Qihua's life, but it's all his own fault.

If Shen Li hadn't been lucky, he probably would have been dead long ago.