"What? You dare to lay a hand on your father-in-law?"

Aunt Li's eyes widened in surprise.

"This is outrageous!"

"that is!"

"Old Su, what do you say we do? We'll stand up for you!"

Fifty a month? My God!

Grandpa Wang clicked his tongue in amazement.

"That's almost a month's salary for me!"

"Absolutely!"

Aunt Li spat.

"This isn't marrying a wife, it's marrying a thief!"

Li Jinhua's face turned deathly pale; she was surrounded and couldn't escape.

Just then, Su Mingqiang suddenly darted into the crowd, grabbed Li Jinhua's arm, and ran out.

He was tall and strong, and in no time he broke through the neighbors' encirclement, escaping the yard with his wife.

These days, many people argue and talk about divorce, but in reality, very few actually get divorced.

Su Jianguo stood at the gate of the courtyard, watching his eldest son drag Li Jinhua away as they stumbled and ran off, a cold smile creeping onto his lips.

The neighbors were knocked off their feet and staggered about. Several elderly women almost fell and were slapping their thighs and cursing.

"This Su Mingqiang is really getting more and more outrageous!"

Aunt Zhang rubbed her sore shoulder and spat on the ground.

"Ladies and gentlemen!"

Su Jianguo suddenly raised his voice and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to the crowd.

"Thank you all for upholding justice today!"

Aunt Li waved her hand.

"Old Su, your wife is outrageous; she needs to be disciplined!"

"that is!"

Grandpa Wang, leaning on his cane, chimed in.

"What kind of logic is it for a wife to bring money back to her parents' home? In the old days, she'd be drowned!"

Su Jianguo shook his head with a wry smile.

"What a misfortune for our family! We've become a laughingstock for everyone."

"Old Su, don't take it to heart."

Aunt Zhang patted him on the shoulder.

"Everyone has their troubles sometimes. Make Mingqiang write a guarantee tomorrow, and if he dares to do this again, send him straight to the police station!"

Everyone offered words of comfort, and Su Jianguo thanked them one by one.

After the neighbors left, the courtyard finally returned to peace.

Wang Xiulan was still standing at the door of the main room, wiping away tears, with her two daughters supporting her on either side.

The third brother, Su Mingfu, squatted in the corner, clutching half a wooden stick in his hand, clearly intending to help as well.

The second son, Su Mingde, stood there with his head down, seemingly lost in thought.

"Please come inside."

Su Jianguo sighed and took the lead into the main room.

The table was a mess, with spilled soup dripping down the edge.

Wang Xiulan silently picked up a rag and began to clean up, while Su Yufen quickly went over to help.

"dad.."

Su Mingfu hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Su Jianguo waved his hand.

"Third brother, just say what you have to say."

"Could my brother... really be getting a divorce?"

Su Jianguo sneered.

"Divorce? Is he willing to give up that fifty yuan a month?"

These words, though harsh, hit the nail on the head.

The room fell silent instantly, with only the crisp sound of bowls and chopsticks clattering together.

"dad."

Su Mingde, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke.

"I think you went a bit too far in handling this matter, brother."

"oh?"

Su Jianguo raised an eyebrow and looked at his second son.

Su Mingde pushed up his glasses.

"Even if my sister-in-law is wrong, she's still family. You did this in front of so many neighbors..."

"Second brother!"

Su Yufen suddenly interrupted him.

"I don't like hearing that! When my sister-in-law was bullying Mom, why didn't you stand up for her?"

Su Mingde's face stiffened.

"Big sister, that's not what I meant..."

"Then what do you mean?"

Su Yufen slammed the rag heavily onto the table.

So, it seems like our dad shouldn't interfere?

Seeing that another argument was about to break out, Su Jianguo coughed heavily.

"Alright, stop arguing! Old woman, come with me to the inner room."

Wang Xiulan lowered her head and followed Su Jianguo into the inner room.

The door closed.

Wang Xiulan glanced at the door subconsciously.

She is indecisive, a typical southern woman, and has a rather soft personality.

Like today, they almost came to blows at the dinner table, but she didn't say a word the whole time.

At home, she listens to Su Jianguo in everything; the title of "head of the household" is perfectly embodied in her.

She wouldn't object to anything at home, as long as Su Jianguo made a decision.

In her past life, she was like this; she worked hard and never complained, never wanting to eat or dress well.

He wore tattered clothes that his relatives didn't want, and ate simple meals his whole life, never eating out.

Su Jianguo first looked at himself in the mirror.

Well, it's only 1983 now, and he's only 53 years old, the prime of his life. At the steel rolling mill, he's a level 6 electrician. He doesn't usually get into any trouble, so he doesn't look that old. He's still quite robust, except that he has more wrinkles on his face and more than half of his hair has turned white.

Of course, Su Jianguo was very satisfied with his body.

This is much better than him lying in bed, completely paralyzed and unable to move.

Looking at his wife in front of him, Su Jianguo was glad that he had been reborn in this era. If it had been a few years later, he would probably have regretted it to death.

In his past life, it was because he gave all his money to his eldest son to buy a truck that his family's life became very difficult.

The husband and wife, who had never worked outside the home in their lives, had no choice but to start doing odd jobs.

The boss even found a good job for me, painting in the paint shop, saying it pays well.

Finally, a few years later, the old woman developed lung cancer and died in agony.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!