Chapter 19 Don't Think I'm Afraid of You

"You're not worried about me at all, and you even dare to laugh it off? Listen to me, and remember these words!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiuwei's smile finally vanished completely.

She paused for a moment, then suddenly sat up in bed.

He then opened his arms and hugged his mother tightly, whispering, "Mom... I understand, I will listen to you."

So what exactly caused that claim to come about in the first place?

Lu Xiuwei still doesn't fully understand, and can only vaguely guess at the general idea.

Now that Lu Xiuwei has heard Shen Cuifen say it herself, all she feels is heartache for her mother.

A complex mix of emotions surged into my heart like a tide.

Her mother, a woman who should have been cherished.

"Mom, are you really planning to divorce Dad?"

Shen Cuifen nodded firmly.

He then sighed, his brows furrowing deeply.

Her gaze fell on the gray sky outside the window.

"Leave!"

She gritted her teeth and uttered the word, her eyes filled with a resolute determination.

“However, this year is a crucial time for Xiuye’s high school entrance exam, and I’m afraid this matter will affect her. I’ll go and complete the formalities after the exam.”

Lu Xiuwei clenched her fists, her emotions somewhat agitated.

She could understand her mother's concern for her younger sister's studies.

But the thought of her having to suffer for several more months made my heart clench.

"I wish we could leave sooner."

This was the voice in her heart, but she couldn't speak it aloud, nor could she control reality.

She was also afraid of interfering with Xiuye's studies.

But she hoped even more that her mother could be freed from her suffering as soon as possible.

However, in this complicated situation, she was just a child, a daughter who had not yet fully grown up.

But she didn't know what to do for a moment.

He could only gaze silently at his mother's face, his eyes filled with worry and reluctance.

"Xiuwei, don't worry," Shen Cuifen gently patted her daughter's hand, comforting her with a soft but firm voice, seeing her daughter's worried face. "Mom won't let them bully me anymore. It's only a few months, time will pass quickly."

After hearing these words, Lu Xiuwei nodded and leaned on Shen Cuifen's shoulder.

That was the place that gave her a sense of security from childhood.

“Mom, if you get a divorce, just leave. Xiuye, Fuquan, Zhongping, and I are all grown up and can support ourselves. Even Fuhua is ten years old, so don’t worry about him.”

She looked up at Shen Cuifen and carefully uttered these words.

She knew her mother wouldn't abandon the children.

Every time Lu Xiuwei saw her mother being beaten, she wished she would leave the family.

But she also knew that her mother couldn't bear to part with her children.

Women, once they have children, their hearts are filled with longing, and no matter how painful or bitter it is, they will try to endure it.

Even when she was beaten and scolded time and time again, she would just swallow it down secretly with tears streaming down her face.

Shen Cuifen gently tapped Lu Xiuwei's arm.

"Leave? Where can I go?"

She countered with a question, her voice trembling slightly, but she still refused to back down.

"I've worked hard in this house for over a decade, why should I be kicked out!"

She paused, her eyes reddening slightly, but she gritted her teeth and continued speaking.

"If anyone's going to leave, it should be those heartless bastards! I'm not leaving!"

Why should I?!

When she first married into the Lu family, this was just a dilapidated mud house.

Despite the harsh conditions at the time, she never complained.

During the day, they are busy with farm work, cooking, and laundry; at night, they have to mend clothes and take care of the children.

Even the stove was a makeshift structure made of straw, and cooking a meal required extreme care to prevent it from being blown over by the wind.

No one helped her back then, and she never complained about how hard life was; she only thought about trying her best to make a living.

Over the years, Shen Cuifen has been the sole breadwinner for the entire family.

Every day before dawn, she gets up and gets busy, going out to do farm work before the sun rises.

Back home, they still had to feed the pigs and raise the chickens, so they were almost never free.

On the other hand, what about Lu Weidong?

Eight out of ten times, he lies in bed pretending to be sick.

They said they felt unwell and couldn't move.

It's really just laziness; he just wants to avoid work.

These eight rooms in the house were built by Shen Cuifen.

She knows best how much sweat she shed and how much hardship she endured during those days!

How can we just hand over such a hard-won family fortune to someone else!

She would never agree to it, she would never agree to it!

"Besides," Shen Cuifen coldly swept her gaze across them and continued, "if I really ran away, what good do you think would happen to you and Xiuye? Your three younger brothers are still alive, so where could you possibly escape to? You'd still have to marry some old bachelor, or spend your life with some idiot or cripple."

Lu Xiuwei heard these words.

Because she knew in her heart that what her mother said was the truth, an inescapable reality.

Given the current situation, it's almost impossible for me to truly leave this family.

"Then... what should we do?"

Lu Xiuwei became anxious, her voice trembled slightly, and her brows furrowed.

"Mom, how about the three of us leave together and hide away from here?"

At this point, Lu Xiuwei could only come up with this one solution.

Although it didn't seem like a clever approach, she couldn't think of any other way to go.

Looking at her daughter's anxious eyes, Shen Cuifen slowly shook her head.

She then took her hand, gently comforted her, and said to her word by word, "Lu Xiuwei, Mom is going to tell you the truth today: when you encounter difficulties, don't always think about hiding or dodging; that won't help."

“You must remember that ‘running away’ is never the solution. From now on, you must learn to face things bravely. Mom will always be by your side. With me here, I will not let anyone bully the three of us.”

"That house... I built it with my own hands. I would rather die than let anyone take it away!"

"Mom, you're right, I've remembered everything. I won't run away from you anymore, and I'll protect you and won't let you bear so much alone anymore."

As night deepened, the wind outside grew stronger.

Shen Cuifen instructed her daughter to make sure the door was closed properly and to check all the windows to make sure no one sneaked in at night.

Afterwards, she went back to her room to rest.

She has important things to do first thing tomorrow morning.

However, the moment she pushed open the door to the room...

He froze on the spot.

The room was ransacked; all the wardrobe drawers were open, and the bed was overturned.

Lu Weidong stood in the center of the room, glaring at her, reeking of alcohol.

"Where did you hide the household registration booklet, you old hag! I'll let you off this time, but if you dare to act tough with me again, I'll teach you a lesson! Don't think I'm really afraid of you!"

"Hand over your household registration book! And give me my money too! Hand it all over!"

After a few glasses of baijiu, Lu Weidong felt his courage had suddenly grown considerably, and he began to speak recklessly.

Shen Cuifen didn't say a word, but slapped him twice across the face.