The crying was shrill and piercing, carrying a wild, unreasonable energy of someone throwing a tantrum. It seeped in through the cracks in the doors and walls, making Wang Lanhua's eardrums ache.
Frowning, she quickly pulled her nipple from the baby's mouth, hastily tugged at her clothes to cover her chest, and got up to rush out of the room.
Grandma Shen was also startled by the commotion. She hurriedly grabbed a headscarf from the head of the bed and hobbled after her, calling out, Slow down! Slow down! The wind is strong outside, wrap up your head!
Wang Lanhua couldn't care less about that. As soon as she stepped out the door, she saw Liu Cuilan sitting under the shade of a tree in the courtyard, slapping her thighs and wailing.
Her hair was as messy as a chicken's nest. She cried and cursed at the same time, spit flying everywhere, and white foam even gathering at the corners of her mouth.
Why is my life so bitter! That shameless slut! Leaving her paralyzed husband in bed without a second thought, running off to another family's house to fool around!
I can't live like this anymore! I'm taking my daughter away today. From now on, even if you kneel down and beg, she won't live with your Li family anymore!
The villagers who had gathered to watch the spectacle surrounded the courtyard, pointing and gossiping at Liu Cuilan.
Wang Lanhua's face instantly darkened. She rushed over in a few strides, grabbed Liu Cuilan's arm, and hissed urgently, What are you doing? Can't you talk properly? Do you have to scream your lungs out and make a fool of yourself!
Grandma Shen also hurried over to smooth things over, forcing a smile and coaxing, Lanhua's mother, it's so hot today. Let's go inside and have a sip of water first. Whatever the matter is, we can talk about it slowly.
Unexpectedly, Liu Cuilan violently shook off her arm. Grandma Shen stumbled, let out an Ouch, and fell hard on her bottom.
Drink what? I, Liu Cuilan, didn't come here today to drink water! I came to take my daughter away!
She yelled stubbornly, standing up from the ground to pull Wang Lanhua. Let's go! We're going home right now! Li Chuntao has already slept in some wild man's bed, we're not staying with him anymore!
Mother...
Li Xiaolian, holding her bawling younger brother like she was lugging a heavy toad, stumbled out of the house.
Mother, my brother is crying from hunger...
Grandma Shen was helped up by the spectating neighbors. Before she could even steady her feet, she saw the baby in Li Xiaolian's arms about to slip to the ground. Frightened out of her wits, she stumbled forward and caught him.
Oh, my little ancestor! Why are you so clumsy, girl! What if you dropped him? Great-grandma will hold you, great-grandma's got you!
Seeing Liu Cuilan pulling at Wang Lanhua, Li Xiaolian ran behind Wang Lanhua, tugged at the hem of her clothes, and burst into loud sobs.
The little infant in Grandma Shen's arms cried even harder, his voice almost going hoarse.
Agitated and overwhelmed by the crying of the two children, Wang Lanhua lost all patience with Liu Cuilan and fiercely threw off her hand.
Let go! You're so annoying! You come here to make a scene every few days. Will you only be satisfied when you've torn this family apart?
Let me tell you, don't come to me with your messy affairs anymore. I don't want to get involved, and I can't!
After saying this, Wang Lanhua took the baby from Grandma Shen's arms, turned around, and marched back into the house.
Liu Cuilan was stunned by her attitude.
In the past, no matter how much she acted up, Wang Lanhua had always coaxed her with gentle words. How could she say such heartless things today?
Her heart skipped a beat. Now, the only trump card she had to control Li Chuntao was Wang Lanhua.
If Wang Lanhua turned her back on them, and Li Chuntao was truly determined to leave, what would happen to the paralyzed Wang Jieshi in bed? Who would serve him and clean up his waste?
Liu Cuilan quickly followed her into the room, her tone softening a bit. "Lanhua! How could you say such a thing? Wang Jieshi is your own brother! You can't just ignore him!"
"Back then, to help Wang Jieshi get a wife, you gritted your teeth and married into the Li family to suffer all these grievances. If Li Chuntao just packs up and leaves, wouldn't all your suffering be for nothing?"
"If Li Chuntao goes off to live happily with that wild man Zhou Zhijun, won't your brother starve to death?"
"Lanhua, just come back with me for a trip and persuade her! She will definitely listen!"
"As long as she serves Wang Jieshi well, won't both our families be able to live in peace?"
Liu Cuilan didn't dare to wail loudly anymore, so she could only speak softly.
Wang Lanhua sat on the edge of the bed without saying a word. She lowered her eyes to look at the child in her arms, listening to the gulping sound of him swallowing milk.
After the little guy ate and drank his fill, he stopped crying. Wang Lanhua carefully placed him on the inner side of the bed before looking up at Liu Cuilan.
"Where can Li Chuntao go? Without the household register, if she wants to get a marriage certificate with Zhou Zhijun, there's absolutely no way."
"But she went into town with Zhou Zhijun yesterday! When she came back, she moved right into Zhou Zhijun's house! She is dead set on cutting all ties with our Wang family!" Liu Cuilan stamped her feet in anxiety, her eyes turning red again.
Wang Lanhua gritted her teeth. "How can she be so shameless! What does she mean by living in Zhou Zhijun's house? Isn't this obviously having an illicit affair?"
Wang Lanhua's chest heaved with anger. "They are cracking down hard on this right now! Why don't you go to the commune and report her?"
"Those people at the commune are all blind! They don't care at all! They even said Li Chuntao isn't a daughter-in-law of the Wang family, that she is single and can live wherever she wants!" Liu Cuilan told Wang Lanhua everything that happened last night in detail.
Hearing this, Wang Lanhua immediately exploded. Slapping the edge of the bed, she cursed, "She's not a Wang family daughter-in-law? What they're saying is utter nonsense! I exchanged myself for her, how is she not a Wang family daughter-in-law? This is completely lawless!"
"Exactly! Even the police station is siding with them! I really had no other way, that's why I came to beg you!"
Liu Cuilan leaned closer to Wang Lanhua and lowered her voice, "Lanhua, come back with me today! Just tell Li Chuntao that if she doesn't go home to serve Wang Jieshi, you will come back home with me! She will definitely be scared!"
She sighed again and advised with a bitter face, "If she really leaves, later when Xiaohong gets married and Xiaoming takes a wife, who will take care of Wang Jieshi, a paralyzed man? As his older sister, could you just ignore him then? You will definitely be dragged down by it!"
"As long as Li Chuntao doesn't leave and dutifully serves Wang Jieshi, everyone will have an easier time. If she leaves, no one will have any peace... Lanhua, just come back with me this once!"
Every word Liu Cuilan said made perfect sense. If Wang Jieshi really had no one to take care of him, in the end, he would still become a burden to her as his older sister.
Wang Lanhua frowned and only spoke after a long while, "I'm still doing my postpartum confinement. What if I go out, catch a chill, and it leaves me with a chronic illness? I'll go after my month is up!"
"Then it will be too late!" Liu Cuilan slapped her thigh in a panic. "By the time your month is up, it'll be way too late! Who knows, the seed might have already sprouted by then!"
Just as they were talking, Grandma Shen came in carrying a large porcelain bowl, a fawning smile plastered on her face. "Lanhua's mother, drink some dandelion tea to quench your thirst and cool your internal heat!"
Liu Cuilan had been wailing for a long time, and her throat was so dry it was practically on fire. She took the bowl and gulped it down to the bottom in one breath.
"Get me another bowl!" She wiped her mouth and handed over the empty bowl.
Grandma Shen hurriedly scooped up another bowl and brought it over. As she handed the bowl over, she tried to soothe her, "Lanhua's mother, please calm down. That girl Chuntao has been sensible and obedient since she was little. I don't believe she'd dare to run away, so just put your mind at ease!"
"Sensible and obedient? I certainly haven't seen it!" Liu Cuilan slammed the bowl heavily onto the counter with a loud clatter.
"It's always the quiet ones that bite the hardest! She usually looks so meek and silent, I never expected her to dare do such a scandalous and shameful thing!"
Her voice unconsciously rose another octave as she pointed right at Grandma Shen's nose and scolded, "Li Chuntao was spoiled rotten by you! She has absolutely no upbringing!"
Grandma Shen wasn't someone to be trifled with either, but for the sake of her grandson and great-grandson, she could only force a smile and nod. "You are right, you are right! I will definitely give her a good talking-to from now on!"
Liu Cuilan gave a cold snort, then looked at Wang Lanhua. "Lanhua, you must come back with me today! You have to get Li Chuntao back home for me!"
Wang Lanhua frowned, her tone stiff. "I told you, I am in my postpartum confinement and cannot go out! We will talk about it after the month is up!"
"Wang Lanhua—" a woman's voice suddenly rang out from outside the door.
Hearing the voice, Grandma Shen quickly ran to the door to look.
When she saw the newcomer, her face instantly drained of color, and the rag in her hands dropped to the floor with a thud.
