Chapter 129 Obedience

But Lu Qiming didn't; he didn't call for help at all.

Instead, he suddenly turned his head and glared at her fiercely, scolding her.

"Who let you in! You didn't even knock before coming in!"

His expression didn't seem like one of deep grief, but rather like someone had stumbled upon his secret.

Lu Shuixian didn't think much of it at the time, assuming that her father had been ill for a long time and had a strange temper.

She never expected that the one who would actually take action would be her own father.

If Lu Qiming really did all of this.

Then all the illogical parts suddenly make sense.

Everyone in the village knew that her mother, Yang Juanhua, was timid and afraid of trouble.

I remember one year when a funeral was held in the village, the mourning hall was set up at the entrance of the ancestral hall, and everyone went there to pay their respects and burn incense.

She was the only one who refused to get close, insisting on taking a longer route through the back of the mountain, saying she was "afraid of having nightmares at night."

How could someone who wouldn't even dare to pick up paper money hang himself?

Such a person wouldn't even be able to sleep if they attended a funeral, let alone commit suicide.

How could anyone possibly muster the courage to end their own life?

Unless... she was forced into it.

Or perhaps it wasn't suicide at all.

But here's the problem.

Why would a father harm his own mother?

Even if a couple has been married for decades and their feelings have faded, they still have their children by their side.

Can he really be so heartless as to send his wife, with whom he has spent so many years, to her death?

Lu Qiming stared coldly at Yang Juanhua, who was suspended in mid-air.

There was no sadness or regret in his eyes, only a kind of almost twisted pleasure.

He clenched his teeth, which clicked loudly.

"Yes! That old bastard is right! I want to kill her! I wish she had died ten years earlier!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Shuixian felt as if her head had exploded.

With red eyes and a trembling voice, she questioned, "Dad! My mother has been married to you for decades. You've been bedridden all these years, and she's taken care of you every day, feeding you and tending to you for over ten or twenty years. What did she get out of it? Just a thank you from you?"

"How could you do that? She's your wife! The mother of your children!"

Shen Cuifen stood to the side, almost bursting out laughing.

Did Yang Juanhua serve Lu Qiming?

Isn't she always busy in the kitchen?

Which meal wasn't served by her?

In which winter didn't she wipe Lu Qiming's body and change his diapers?

If you tell a lie too often, some people will actually start to believe it.

"Pah! What nonsense are you spouting! You've served me for over ten years? You're just like your mother, always talking nonsense, not a single word of truth! You two are a bunch of liars! You've been playing the victim for decades, really thinking you're virtuous wives and loving mothers?"

Lu Qiming felt his blood rush to his head, his face flushed red, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

He swung his hand violently, making the bed rattle, and roared, "Since I became paralyzed, only Cuifen has taken care of me! Every day she brings me tea and water, wipes my body and bathes me, feeds me and takes care of my bedpan, even taking care of my excrement and urine! Without her, I would have starved to death in bed long ago! How could I still be alive today?"

“And you and your daughter? How many times a year do you come back? You show your face during holidays, take a few photos, and then say, ‘I’ve served my dad for so many years’? And you still have the nerve to cry and wail here? You’re just putting on an act! Utterly hypocritical!”

Shen Xuelin and Song Qiaoying stood at the door, dumbfounded.

They exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.

This was the first time they had ever heard of such a thing.

In the past, when people talked about Lu Qiming's paralysis, they would say how hard Yang Juanhua worked, how loyal she was, and how she supported the family.

But now, hearing Lu Qiming say this, the truth is completely the opposite?

The real caregiver was actually Shen Cuifen?

Because they had long resented the Lu family for their snobbishness and meanness.

The Shen family has almost completely cut off contact in recent years, and since they don't interact regularly, they naturally don't know these inside stories.

Listening to this now, I feel a chill run down my spine.

Even if they come, they'll just drop off their things and leave.

When Shen Cuifen returned to her parents' home, she never mentioned how miserable her life was in the Lu family.

She would always smile and talk about trivial everyday things, such as how much grain the Lu family had harvested this year and how many osmanthus flowers had bloomed in the yard.

But behind that smile, only she knows how many silent tears she shed in the dead of night.

If they had known their daughter was suffering like this, they would have taken her home long ago.

Whenever the mother thinks of her daughter facing harsh words, hunger, and cold alone, her heart aches as if it's being cut by a knife.

The father clenched his fists, filled with remorse.

Shen Cuifen smiled and gently shook her head.

That smile wasn't one of relief, but rather a calm that had finally learned to feign.

"It's alright, it's all over now."

How can the past truly be the past?

Those scars still ache faintly within the flesh.

But she no longer wanted to speak out, nor did she need them to seek justice for her.

In the past, she thought that forbearance was kindness and that giving would be rewarded.

She remembers washing her family's clothes in the dead of winter, her hands cracking and bleeding from the cold, and no one offering her a cup of hot water.

She remembered saving her own food rations to nourish her mother-in-law, only to be met with complaints that she was wasting firewood.

She once believed that good deeds would be rewarded, and that as long as she did enough, she would one day be treated with sincerity.

And what was the result?

All I got in return was betrayal and hurt.

The husband, Lu Weidong, spent most of his time away from home indulging in pleasure and never cared about the family's livelihood.

Her mother-in-law, Yang Juanhua, made things difficult for her in every way, and would beat and scold her at the slightest provocation.

Even her younger sister, Lu Shuixian, relied on the family's pampering to boss her around and showed her no respect.

From now on, she will no longer be soft-hearted towards those who treat her badly.

The submissive and obedient Shen Cuifen of the past is dead.

The one who survived was a woman who knew how to protect herself.

The elderly couple felt a pang of sadness, tears welling in their eyes, filled with deep regret.

Ultimately, it's because they failed in their responsibilities as parents.

They had hesitated when the marriage was arranged.

But seeing her daughter's resigned expression, she assumed it was submission.

Only now do I understand that it wasn't submission, but a silence born of despair.

He only cared about his own peace and quiet, leaving his daughter to shoulder everything alone.

They were afraid of causing a scandal, being laughed at by their neighbors, and losing face for their relatives.

But it was precisely this "dignity" that caused their daughter to suffer in hell for more than a decade.

Actually, the one who felt most wronged was always Cuifen.

She was the most sensible child in the family, and from a young age she knew how to help her parents with housework.

Even after getting married, she still missed her hometown and would often secretly slip money back to her family during holidays.

But what she received in return was day after day of torment and humiliation.

“Mother-in-law and father-in-law, don’t worry. Cuifen has always been filial, and I will not mistreat her.”

Lu Qiming's voice was calm and steady.

Looking at the two elderly people in front of him, he felt a pang of guilt.

Lu Qiming could also see that the Shen family was upset, so he quickly added a sentence.

This time, he would stand by her side, even if it meant offending everyone else.

“I have made up my mind that all the land deeds and farmland in the family will be left to Cuifen.”

"Not a single penny will be given to Lu Weidong, Yang Juanhua, or Lu Shuixian!"

"Even Lu Zhonghe and Lu Zhongping shouldn't even think about getting involved!"

He knew that these children had long forgotten what family ties were, and only self-interest remained in their eyes.

"Dad! Are you crazy?!"

Lu Shuixian screamed.

She stood up abruptly, her face flushed, and her finger trembled as she pointed at Lu Qiming.