Wang Hao was terrified:
"Honey, don't say things out of anger, really, don't say things out of anger.
"We are husband and wife. This is our home, the home of our family of three. You are the lady of the house, and no one can drive you away."
"Honey, calm down. Let me talk, let me handle this."
"What did you say? What do you want to say?" Wang Meijuan refused to accept it:
"Today, we must make it clear in front of the Lin family. Lin Wanyi cannot call the shots in this house.
"She must apologize to me, apologize for what happened yesterday, otherwise this matter is not over."
"How else do you want it to not be over?"
Wang Hao suddenly flew into a rage:
"My family is almost ruined by you, how much more do you want?
"Wang Meijuan, you are married off, do you understand? Stop acting crazy in my house.
"Get out!"
"You're telling me to get out?"
Wang Meijuan clutched her chest, panting:
"Mom, Dad, you have to judge this for me.
"This is the home I grew up in. What right do they have to tell me to get out!"
Wang Jianguo finally threw away his cigarette butt and slapped Wang Meijuan hard: "Have you acted cheap enough?
"You do nothing good all day, just like your mother, spreading gossip everywhere.
"Since that's the case, take your mother with you, and both of you get out!"
Liu Chunlan was trembling with anger:
"Wang Jianguo, I am your wife. Your wife.
"I married you at eighteen, bore you children, and this is how you treat me?
"Fine, I'll leave. I'll leave right now and give this house to that old woman. Let's see if you two can sleep in the same bed."
Wang Jianguo slapped her too:
"Full of nonsense! Get out, get out right now!"
A room full of onlookers chatted and laughed while cracking melon seeds.
Liu Chunlan pretended to go to the room to pack her things.
Wang Meijuan followed her in, indignant:
"Mom, why should you leave? Why should they drive you away?
"Are we really going to let Lin Wanyi run this house? Really let her take over like a dove occupying a magpie's nest?
"You can't leave, Mom, you can't leave."
Liu Chunlan didn't want to leave at all. She was waiting for Wang Jianguo to come and coax her.
Waiting for Wang Hao to coax her.
Or anyone to come and persuade her.
She was waiting for a way to step down gracefully.
Unfortunately, she waited for half an hour and no one came.
Instead, it was Wang Xiu'e who said loudly:
"Liu Chunlan, aren't you leaving? Why aren't you out yet?
"Just how many things do you have to pack?"
Pack my foot. Liu Chunlan came out empty-handed, put on a thick cotton-padded jacket, and slipped on snow boots:
"Fine, I'm leaving. Wang Jianguo, don't beg me to come back."
She and Wang Meijuan left together.
The two of them trudged through the calf-deep snow, stumbling along while crying:
"Mom, what do we do now? If you really leave, you're just making room for Lin Wanyi.
"She'll be even more arrogant in the Wang family from now on."
"Hmph!"
Liu Chunlan's eyes were filled with deep hatred:
"Impossible, I can't leave. I'm going to ask your uncle for help. That is my home, and I will never give it up to anyone."
The two walked for a full two hours before arriving at Liu Dabing's house.
But as soon as they entered, they heard miserable screams coming from inside:
"Ah! Dabing, stop hitting me, stop! I'll die if you hit me again."
Liu Dabing held a leather belt in his hand and lashed it fiercely at Zhao Pei:
"You cheap thing! How many years has it been? Over twenty years, and you still haven't learned to behave.
"I just slept in another woman's bed, what are you yelling about?
"Even our son doesn't care, he hasn't said anything, and you dare to scream at me? Watch me beat you to death today!"
Zhao Pei rolled on the ground, desperately shaking her body:
"Stop hitting me, I'm begging you, please stop."
Liu Chunlan came in and watched for a long time. She didn't persuade Liu Dabing, let alone stop him.
She sat on a chair, watching Zhao Pei get beaten, feeling incredibly comfortable and satisfied in her heart.
Damn it.
Beat her, it'd be best if she was beaten to death.
Otherwise, why should she be the only one suffering such grievances?
Wang Meijuan also remembered the times Li Jun hit her.
Once, he even knocked out one of her teeth, but she didn't dare to resist at all.
Beating women was all too normal here.
It was even normal to trade one's wife to someone else to be their wife to make money.
Listening to Zhao Pei's screams, both Wang Meijuan and Liu Chunlan felt an inexplicable excitement.
Beat her well.
Hit her, keep hitting her!
Liu Dabing finally got tired and then noticed Liu Chunlan and Wang Meijuan.
He narrowed his eyes and asked Liu Chunlan, "With such heavy snow, what are you doing here?
"Why is Juan'er here too?"
Liu Chunlan started crying, with snot and tears streaming down:
"Brother, you have to stand up for me. That Wang Jianguo is simply inhuman.
"He definitely has his eyes on Lin Wanyi's shameless mother.
"Brother, I've been bullied so miserably by them."
Wang Meijuan was still adding fuel to the fire:
"Uncle, Mom is right. Lin Wanyi has been arrogant lately, and now that her mother is here, she's even more arrogant.
"Uncle, you must help my mom. Now she has a home but can't return to it."
The more Liu Dabing listened, the angrier he got. He lashed his belt across Zhao Pei's face again:
"Damn it, that old fart Wang Jianguo has quite a temper, actually daring to bully someone from our Liu family.
"Chunlan, let's go. Your brother will go with you to get even."
He put on his clothes, ready to go settle the score with Wang Jianguo.
As they left, Liu Chunlan deliberately glared at Zhao Pei, who was nearly beaten to death on the floor.
She couldn't help but curl up the corners of her mouth.
What made her happy was seeing another woman worse off than her.
Along the way, Liu Chunlan kept crying and crying.
By the time she and Liu Dabing returned, the villagers had all left.
Lin Wanyi and Li Suhua were busy in the kitchen, while Wang Hao was drinking with Lin Jiajun in the living room.
Liu Chunlan was furious.
She pointed at Wang Hao, heartbroken and angry:
"Haozi, it's snowing so heavily outside, don't you care at all about how I'm doing out there?
"You can still drink wine and eat food?
"Wang Hao, I don't have a son like you."
Wang Hao took another sip of wine and suddenly said loudly:
"I don't have a mother like you either. Other people's mothers do everything they can for their sons' own good.
"But you? You try every possible way to break up my family.
"Why, Mom? Tell me, why exactly?
"Why can't you stand to see Wanyi and me living a good life?"
Liu Chunlan saw stars. She grabbed Liu Dabing's hand:
"Did you hear that, Brother? Did you hear what he said?
"I'm going to be angered to death by him."
Liu Dabing walked up to Wang Hao, grabbed his wine glass, and smashed it onto the floor.
The glass shattered into pieces, with shards everywhere.
Wang Hao also stood up:
"Uncle, this is my house. It's not right for you to come to my house and smash things during the New Year, is it?"
"What do you mean, your house?"
Liu Dabing grabbed Lin Jiajun's glass and smashed it too:
"A mother's brother is the highest authority in the family, how many times have I told you?
"In this family, I am the highest authority, and you all must listen to me."
Wang Hao sneered:
"And what if I don't?"
"Heh, Wang Hao, you really are rebelling against the natural order. Do you believe I'll beat you to death today to vent your mother's anger!"
