On the way to escape famine, my parents divorced

Chapter 498 Qin Tao's willingness to coax men and endure disgust to lie with them was all for a purpose.

(Thanks to the daughter of the person who chases the sun for casting 7 monthly votes.)
Li Shigui looked at Qin Tao in shock: "Mother! How could you say such a thing!"
Father, do you know how much he suffered to find us?
His hair has turned completely white!

Even if his hair turns white, so what?

Faced with the accusations in Li Shigui's words, Qin Tao suddenly raised her voice, "Who knows the suffering I've endured?"
Does he know?

Qin Tao's eyes held resentment, fear, and grievance.

"Back then, your father was conscripted into the army. How did we, a widow and her orphan, survive these past eight years, traveling from Lijia Village in Henan to Jinzhou City in Andong?"

Qin Tao couldn't hold back any longer as she said this, and tears silently streamed down her cheeks from the corners of her eyes.

“Sister Li was only just turned sixteen back then, but you’re already sixteen.”

But there are three of us in the family. Can you carry water and chop wood? Or can Li'er and I do it?

I had considered hiring someone to help with the farming, but then... money always runs out eventually, and I... I had no choice but to..."

Qin Tao couldn't continue speaking; she gripped the hem of her skirt tightly with both hands.

Li Shigui certainly knew what Qin Tao was going to say.

When Qin Tao was in Lijia Village, Henan Province, after Li Wangtian left, she did try to fetch water at first. But she had never fetched water at home before she married Li Wangtian, let alone after she married him!

How could Qin Tao possibly do those physically demanding jobs?

If he can't even carry water or chop firewood, then there's no way he can farm.

That was an unattainable fantasy for Qin Tao!
Li Chunli was pampered from a young age; compared to other girls of the same age in Lijia Village, she was truly spoiled as she grew up.

As for Li Shigui, although he was a boy, he was sent to a private school to study from a young age.
Carrying water, chopping firewood, catching insects to feed chickens, weeding the fields, etc. These are things that boys in the village learn to do from a young age. Where has Li Shigui ever done them?
You just let him chop wood; he doesn't even know how to hold a wood-chopping knife properly.

Otherwise, Li Wangzheng, Li's uncle, wouldn't have specifically instructed Li's mother and her scumbag father before leaving, asking them to help Qin Tao more after he and Li Wangtian left.

However, at first, the scumbag father really had the desire but not the courage to do anything to the beautiful Qin Tao; at most, he would secretly and subtly glance at Qin Tao a few more times.

Or, when they were alone together, he would say a few teasing words to Qin Tao, just to satisfy his urge to banter.

The scoundrel father's cowardice allowed that bastard Li Wangren to get there first.

However, it was also because Qin Tao's money was dwindling day by day, and she was afraid that she would have no money to spend in the future.
After all, she still had to support two children, Li Shigui and Li Chunli, and Li Shigui was an educated man, which meant that expenses were considerable.

Therefore, after Li Wangren's repeated probing, Qin Tao thought that Li Wangren's father was Li Youfu, the patriarch of the Li clan.

Li Wangren was literate, so he could be considered a scholar to some extent;

He was so willing to give Qin Tao gifts and money;

With a mix of reluctance and consent, Qin Tao began an affair with Li Wangren.

Who knew that when Qin Tao really became pregnant, Li Wangren, that heartless bastard, even though he wanted a son, because at that time he and Yu Zhenniang only had Li Yueniang, a young girl, by their side;
But after he learned that Qin Tao was pregnant with his child, he still implied in his words that Qin Tao should voluntarily have an abortion!
Li Wangren genuinely liked Qin Tao's body and her gentle, flattering manner. He didn't want Qin Tao to give birth to an illegitimate child and ruin his reputation!
Therefore, when her scumbag father forced her, Qin Tao seized the opportunity to plot against him.

Although the child was lost later;

Before Qin Tao could even think of a way to get revenge on Li Wangguang and avenge the child;

Li Wangguang fell into the sea! On the same day, Li Wangren also died!

That night at sea, Qin Tao didn't know whether she should cry or laugh.

She felt a sense of satisfaction, but when she was with Li Wangren, she had also given her heart!

Even if it was just to make the child she had with Li Wangren legitimate, Qin Taohua's time and attention towards Li Wangguang were genuine!

Unexpectedly, overnight, two people, one of whom was dead beyond any doubt;

The other one fell into the sea; it was practically the same as being dead.

As for why Qin Tao later married Chen Hengrong, a silk merchant who was more than ten years older than her?

It's all because Liu Shu died!

Correct!
It's because Liu Shu, the former heir of the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion, died!
Qin Tao then plotted to marry Chen Hengrong!
After Liu Shu's death, Li Chunli moved out of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion with Mao'er and Fu Ge'er. They were settled in a courtyard behind the mansion along with the old Zhenbei Prince and Liu Shu's other concubines.

Because the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion belongs to the Zhenbei Prince, and the new Zhenbei Prince is Liu Tan!
Although Li Chunli and Liu Shu have two children together, Liu Tan is not the kind of person who would have malicious intent towards women and children.

Jiang Huijun is a high-society lady who knows how to maintain appearances; she would never treat Li Chunli and the other women and children badly.
But if the Prince of Zhenbei is Liu Cong, then it is understandable and in accordance with etiquette for the son to live with his own father.
But the one who became the Prince of Zhenbei was Liu Tan!
According to etiquette, the elder brother-in-law has no obligation to support his widowed sister-in-law!

Not to mention, Li Chunli was just a concubine!
She can't even get the title of "sister-in-law"!
Therefore, it was inevitable that Li Chunli would move out of the Prince's Mansion with her child after Liu Shu's death.

Although Li Chunli and her family of three, including Mao'er and Fu Ge'er, received a monthly allowance based on the number of people in their household, living with so many women and children was truly cramped and unbearable.

After all, for Li Chunli, it's difficult to go from extravagance to frugality, but easy to go from frugality to extravagance!
Compared to the lives of ordinary women and children, Li Chunli and her family certainly lived a good life.

Where else can you find such a good thing: receiving a monthly allowance without doing any production?
However, when Liu Shu was still alive, Li Chunli was the only woman in Liu Shu's harem with a formal title. Even though she was just a concubine, Li Chunli still enjoyed a period of prosperity and financial security.

As the saying goes, "When one person attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven."

Qin Tao and Li Shigui both benefited from Li Chunli's status and prestige because Li Chunli was Liu Shu's concubine.

Qin Tao had once enjoyed the money given by Li Chunli, as well as the flattery from outsiders that Li Chunli received when she became a concubine of the Prince's son.

At that time, Qin Tao would never have thought about finding a man.

You should know that in Qin Tao's eyes, a woman has to pay a lot when she finds a man; she has to humble herself, bear children, and maintain her appearance.

Correspondingly, if you put in the effort, you will definitely get something in return!
Qin Tao received Li Wangtian's protection, had a safe place to live, and didn't have to do heavy work or take care of her in-laws.
Qin Tao received money from Li Wangren, which enabled her to support her own child.
Besides money, Qin Tao also wanted to legitimize the birth of her unborn child with Li Wangguang.

At the same time, the whole village fled famine, which allowed her, Li Chunli, and Li Shigui to leech off Li Shiyue's family.

Do you understand?
Qin Tao's willingness to coax men and endure disgust to lie with them was all for a purpose.

To reap a harvest, you must first sow a seed!
This is why Qin Tao allowed Li Chunli to catch up with Liu Shu's carriage in the freezing cold and willingly sell herself to become someone's maid!
In Qin Tao's eyes, there must be a reward for the effort she has put in!

but!

When Qin Tao no longer needs a man to provide her with the fame, fortune, and wealth she desires, she naturally no longer needs a man!
Furthermore, when Li Chunli was at the height of her fame as the concubine of Liu Shu, the heir of the Prince's Mansion, Qin Tao was thinking of using the Prince's Mansion to send Li Shigui to study at the Prince's Mansion School and then take the imperial examination to become an official!
However, Liu Shu is dead!
Thank you to the daughter who chases the sun for casting 7 monthly votes.

Thank you so much for your continued support and encouragement!