The moment Liu Cuilan spoke, a heavy weight pressed down on Wang Lanhua’s chest, making it hard for her to breathe.
She had to get this off her chest—otherwise, she felt like she might suffocate from the frustration.
Li Dazhuang stood at the door of the inner room, overhearing Liu Cuilan stirring up trouble again. He couldn’t help but speak up, “It’s freezing out there. Lanhua’s not going! The baby’s still little and nursing!”
Liu Cuilan shot him a fierce glare. “Li Dazhuang, are you even a man? My daughter’s been ruined by Li Chun Tao, and you just stand there doing nothing!”
Wang Lanhua couldn’t swallow her anger. She wanted to go testify, but the cold was biting, and she was more worried about the baby in her arms.
Suddenly, she looked up at Liu Cuilan with a cold tone, “Let Xiaohong go. She’s always stuck to Li Chun Tao. She must know all the dirty deeds they’ve done!”
Liu Cuilan slapped her forehead. How had she not thought of that?
Before, Wang Xiaohong had always defended Li Chun Tao, but ever since that night, something seemed to have changed in her.
“I’ll go find Xiaohong as soon as I get home. You have to go too! The more people, the stronger our case!”
“I’m not going. Secretary Wang promised to handle this. I’m staying home and waiting—that’s enough for me!”
“Lanhua! I’ve run over twenty miles for this, and this is what you say to me?
All this effort, who is it for? Isn’t it for you sisters...”
Liu Cuilan’s lips were worn from arguing, but Wang Lanhua firmly refused to go. She was so angry she kept slapping her thigh, “Forget it, I wasted my trip for nothing!”
Li Dazhuang scowled and snapped back, “Don’t come to Lanhua with problems anymore. If she gets sick from anger, the baby will suffer!”
Liu Cuilan was furious. “Li Dazhuang, I’m Lanhua’s own mother! What’s wrong with me coming to see her? You have no right to say anything!”
Li Dazhuang was too tired to argue and turned to the kitchen to prepare lunch.
Liu Cuilan sat in Wang Lanhua’s inner room, never stopping her tirade. She cursed Li Chun Tao and Zhou Zhijun for their scandalous behavior, then ranted about Li Dazhuang being worthless, and even scolded Grandma Shen for not teaching her grandchildren properly—a family without discipline.
Grandma Shen lay in bed, unable to bear it any longer. She propped herself up and got out of bed, her face dark as she marched into Wang Lanhua’s room, showing Liu Cuilan no respect at all.
“Liu Cuilan, watch your mouth! Is it appropriate to curse and rant in someone else’s home?
If you want to stay for dinner, keep quiet. If not, leave now!”
In the past, Grandma Shen wouldn’t dare speak to Liu Cuilan like this, fearing she’d cause a scene and drag Wang Lanhua out of the Li family.
But ever since Wang Lanhua had a son, Grandma Shen was certain she would settle down with Li Dazhuang.
Liu Cuilan had lost her grip on the Li family, so Grandma Shen spoke to her firmly.
Liu Cuilan knew in her heart that Wang Lanhua had already rooted herself in the Li family and wouldn’t listen to her anymore.
But knowing that was one thing—admitting defeat was another. She snapped back, “This is my daughter’s home! I can say whatever I want! If I want to stay for dinner, I will, and you can’t stop me!”
She sat on the bed, striking a defiant pose, “Today, I’m going to say it straight!
Li Chun Tao’s been stealing men, Li Dazhuang’s rude and ungrateful, and you, as the nanny, how did you raise them? I’m ashamed for you!”
Grandma Shen was already feeling tightness in her chest and struggling to breathe evenly. Liu Cuilan’s words struck a nerve, making her cough violently. She leaned against the wall, coughing until her face flushed red and her neck thickened, nearly fainting.
Li Dazhuang, hearing the commotion from the kitchen, rushed over and steadied Grandma Shen. “Grandma, it’s not worth getting angry over someone like her. Calm down!”
Liu Cuilan sat on the bed without moving, a smug smile creeping across her face as she muttered under her breath, “That old hag thinks she can still compete with me? I’ll make her furious!”
Li Dazhuang was already boiling with anger, and hearing her insult Grandma Shen made his blood boil even more. His face turned bright red, and his fists clenched tightly, making a cracking sound. “What did you say? Say it again!”
Although Li Dazhuang was usually honest and mild-mannered, once riled up, he had a temper too.
Seeing his fierce expression, Liu Cuilan felt a chill down her spine and quickly backtracked. “I was talking about Old Woman Zhou! That old hag is covering for her useless grandson, letting them get away with all sorts of shameful things!”
“Shut up!” Li Dazhuang shouted again, his eyes red with anger.
This time, Liu Cuilan completely wilted, pouting and mumbling softly, “If you don’t want to hear it, why be so nasty?”
Li Dazhuang buried his head in his work, preparing the meal. He served bowls of food to Grandma Shen, Wang Lanhua, and Li Xiaolian, placing them by the bedside.
Finally, he served himself a bowl and squatted by the doorway, eating heartily without paying any attention to Liu Cuilan.
Having run over twenty miles, Liu Cuilan was starving, her front pressed against her back with hunger. She hurried to the kitchen to scoop some food.
Lifting the pot lid, she found all the noodles were gone, only half a bowl of broth remained.
Fuming, she was about to curse again but saw Li Dazhuang approach with a dark expression. The words caught in her throat and she swallowed them back.
In the end, Liu Cuilan ate the half bowl of broth with a piece of hard, stale bread—so tough it could have knocked out a dog—and left in a huff.
Along the way, she cursed every ancestor of the Li family until she felt somewhat relieved.
By the time she got home, it was completely dark.
The Wang brothers, Wang Haihu and Wang Hailong, were still snuggled under the covers, not even bothering to heat up any soup. Seeing this, Liu Cuilan shouted at them again.
Cold, hungry, and with her legs weak from exhaustion, she could only drag herself to the kitchen to make some soup.
Sitting by the stove, the flickering flames cast warm light on her gaunt face, finally bringing her a bit of comfort.
Thinking back on the past few years, her nose tingled and her eyes grew moist.
What kind of life had she been living these past years? Her husband died from illness, the next man she found ended up in prison.
Her son was left disabled, and Li Chun Tao had run off with someone else; even her twin children treated her like an enemy.
Even her most beloved eldest daughter, Wang Lanhua, no longer listened to her! Now she still had to fight for justice for her eldest son while taking care of the two lazy Wang brothers.
Life had been unbearably hard. Tears streamed down her cheeks, dropping onto the firewood by the stove.
But no matter how bitter it was, she still had to continue pursuing the matter of Zhou Zhijun and Li Chun Tao.
Tomorrow, she planned to go to the commune to find Secretary Wang. Wang Lanhua didn’t want to go, so she decided to send Wang Xiaohong instead.
Wang Xiaohong was always hanging around with Chun Tao and Zhou Zhijun; she knew all the messy details between them better than anyone.
After finishing the soup, Liu Cuilan didn’t even pause to rest; she immediately set off to find Wang Xiaohong.
Wang Jieshi lay motionless on the bed, and under the dim kerosene lamp, Wang Xiaoming was reading, but there was no sign of Wang Xiaohong anywhere.
“Where’s Xiaohong?” Liu Cuilan asked softly as she approached Wang Jieshi’s bedside.
Wang Jieshi, like a wooden statue, kept his eyes closed and said nothing.
Wang Xiaoming knew full well that Liu Cuilan never came without a purpose—there was bound to be trouble. “Here to stir up trouble again? Better leave quickly; I’m about to blow out the lamp and go to sleep!”
“How do you know I’m here to cause trouble? I just have something to say to Xiaohong!”
“What good could you possibly have to say?”
Wang Xiaoming roughly pushed her out the door with a bang, slammed it shut, and even bolted it.
Fuming, Liu Cuilan lifted her foot to kick the door, but thinking of Wang Xiaoming’s fiery temper, she swallowed her anger and turned away dejectedly.
The bitter winter cold was so harsh that water froze on contact. Liu Cuilan shivered, her breath visible in the air.
She stuffed her hands deep into her sleeves and hunched her shoulders, trudging slowly toward her home.
As she walked, she suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure hurrying toward the workers’ quarters.
Her heart skipped a beat. She crouched low and followed quietly, careful not to make a sound.
