Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Kang Li the Great Deceiver Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Kang Li the Great Deceiver Holding two autumn coats, Kang Li approached her mother in front of the stunned gazes of her family. As she spoke, she stuffed the womenâs coat into her motherâs hands and then shoved the menâs coat into her fatherâs hands. âDad, this oneâs for you. You and mom stand up and try them on, see if they fit.â
Before Captain Kang and his spouse could react, Kang Li returned to the table and started distributing âgiftsâ to Big Brother Kang and the others.
A few minutes later, every member of the Kang Family in the hall held the clothes and shoes that Kang Li had âboughtâ for them, yet no one spoke for a while.
âDad, mom, whatâs wrong with you all?â
Kang Li blinked her clear, lively fox eyes, feeling puzzled. âBig Brother, Elder Sister-in-Law, Third Brother, Third Sister-in-Law⦠wonât anyone say something?â
She called out to each family member one by one, but everyone was still recovering from her recent spree of âgift-giving.â
With a resigned smile, Kang Li finally said, âThe day after tomorrow, Iâll be heading to North City, so I thought of giving each of you a gift before leaving. Actually, these things didnât cost much, and as for why, my brother knows. Brother?â
Guoan snapped back to reality and nodded at the family, âLi Bao ran into a lady at the department store. That lady said she felt a connection with Li Bao, and when she heard Li Bao wanted to buy some clothes for her familyâ¦â
Kang Liâs tall tale, as relayed faithfully by Guoan, managed to hoodwink Captain Kang and the others as well.
âLi Bao, is what your brother said true?â
Gently stroking the high-quality, pure-colored blue and black check coat in her hands, Cai Xiufen turned her gaze to Kang Li.
âOf course, itâs true! Mom, you donât know, Auntie Tang is such a nice person. Since I bought a lot, she even let her daughter knock a dollar off the total!â
Kang Li said without a hint of guilt.
âThis deal sounds too good to be true. Based on the prices you mentioned, thatâs incredibly cheap! Also, this Auntie Tang, even if she found you appealing, wouldnât haveâ¦â
Before Cai Xiufen could finish her sentence, Kang Li interrupted with a laugh, âMom, I know what youâre going to say, but my brotherâs telling the truth.
I felt the same doubts as you when I left the department store, thinking that Auntie Tang was overly kind to me. But after much pondering, I realized the reason â itâs because your daughter has a beauty that charms everyone. People love me wherever I go, flowers bloom in my presence, everyone just adores me!â
âMom, maybe itâs just as Li Bao described.â
The unwitting endorsement from Guoan was like divine assistance.
âMom, Li Bao has always been loved since she was young, I believe what she and my young uncle said.â
This was Elder Sister-in-Law Kangâs voice.
âMom, I believe what Li Bao said too. In my view, anyone who has ever dealt with our Li Bao couldnât help but like her.â
Third Sister-in-Law Kang followed up after Elder Sister-in-Law Kangâs support.
Before long, other family members were also chiming in one after another to back Kang Li, eventually dispelling any doubts Cai Xiufen had.
âAs long as they werenât stolen or acquired through deception, we shouldnât overthink it. After all, these are gifts from Li Bao to our family.â
Glancing at the coat in his hands, Captain Kang added.
âThatâs right! I assure you I didnât resort to any deceit or theft, so everyone can feel at ease accepting the gifts I brought!â
The sparkle in Kang Liâs fox eyes was full of mirth. She spoke, pausing for a moment, then her expression turned serious and solemn as she addressed Captain Kang and his spouse:
âDad, mom, thank you for all your kindness to me over these past years, and thanks to my brother and sisters-in-law, and my nephews as well, for spoiling and loving me. I know I can be a bit willful and delicate,