Li Hanzhong slept until after six o'clock in the afternoon. When he opened his eyes, the room was empty.

He called out "Mother of my child" a few times, but no one paid him any attention.

He called out to his son Masuda, and his daughters Daimo and Haruzuki, but no one responded.

He scratched his head, got up from the kang (a heated brick bed), and went to the outhouse to relieve himself.

I had just pulled up my pants and come out of the outhouse when I heard the door being pushed open, and the cheerful chatter of my mother and her children.

"Where have you been...? Where did you buy so much stuff?"

Holding a radio, sunglasses, and a bunch of exquisite boxes in his arms, Li Zengtian didn't say anything, but looked at his mother, Wu Tianmei.

Wu Tianmei quickly walked a few steps to Li Hanzhong's side, reached out and took his arm, "I told you, don't be angry, the kids just saw their grandfather..."

Li Hanzhong flew into a rage and slapped Wu Tianmei across the face, yelling, "Who the hell told you to go see that old bastard!"

Wu Tianmei's hair was disheveled, blood was flowing from the corner of her mouth, and five high finger marks appeared on her cheek. Her ears were ringing, probably from being hit and developing tinnitus.

Li Zengtian, Da Tao, and Chun Yue dropped what they were holding and rushed to help their mother.

Li Hanzhong cursed, "Ignore her!"

Li Zengtian glared angrily, "What's the use of hiding at home like a coward every day! Everyone in Huichuan County knows you're not my grandfather's biological son! Everyone knows your real father is Qian Shiren! What are you so angry about! Will being angry change who your real father is?"

The eldest daughter, Da Tao, mustered her courage and said to Li Hanzhong, "Dad, rumors are flying everywhere now. Even if you keep hiding and refusing to acknowledge my grandfather, I, as your grandfather, will no longer treat you as my own son."

Chunyue also said, "Dad, my grandfather said that as long as we go to Hong Kong, we can live in a mansion, ride in a car, and have a nanny to cook for us!"

Wu Tianmei spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, and mumbled, "Husband, I'll suffer with you in the village, but you have to think about our three children..."

Li Hanzhong's last psychological defenses were gradually broken down. He slumped to the ground, burying his head in his hands, like a sad ostrich.

————

In the end, Li Hanzhong's family decided to go to Hong Kong with Qian Shiren.

Because Li Zengtian and his two siblings were determined to go to Hong Kong, Li Hanzhong and Wu Tianmei, who were worried about their children, decided to go with them.

Before leaving, Li Hanzhong secretly went to see his mother, Zhao Sufeng.

Zhao Sufeng was sitting in the kitchen cooking. In the sweltering heat, the stove fire made her sweat profusely, and her face was flushed.

These were chores she wasn't supposed to do. Ever since her daughters-in-law joined the family, she hadn't really been in the kitchen.

However, after Li Hanzhong's background was exposed, his second daughter-in-law would sneer whenever she saw him, and she would complain to her second son every day that she had such an unfaithful mother-in-law, and that she was ashamed to go out.

She gets a headache or a sore butt every time it's mealtime, so she just can't cook.

Her great-grandmother disliked Zhao Sufeng and, together with her grandson's wife, tormented Zhao Sufeng. As a result, Zhao Sufeng ended up taking care of all three meals a day for the Li family.

Li Hanzhong squatted down in front of Zhao Sufeng, looked up at her, and said softly, "Mother, I'm going to Hong Kong. Come with me!"

Zhao Sufeng sat on a small stool, stretching out her withered hands and gently stroking her son's face, just like when he was a child.

"My son, in what capacity should I go?"

Li Hanzhong was speechless for a moment. Qian Shiren said that he had a wife, and his mother had not yet divorced Li Zhaowang.

"Mom, just think of it as going to enjoy a good life with your son, okay?"

Li Hanzhong's tone was somewhat urgent.

Zhao Sufeng sighed softly, "My son, I'm already this old, I've lived through all kinds of life, so I won't go."

She used to fantasize countless times about Qian Shiren achieving great success and returning home in glory to pick up her and her son.

She even worried at that time about what would happen to her second son and daughter if she passed away...

But now, she feels that she has aged rapidly in these short days.

If her heart hadn't still been beating, she would have felt that it had turned to ash, merged into nature, become a tree, a flower, a cloud...

Li Hanzhong shed two tears, while Zhao Sufen bent down, grabbed a handful of red corn kernels, and threw them into the stove.

The flames suddenly leaped and burned fiercely.

Li Hanzhong and his family soon left Huichuan County with Qian Shiren.

Li Zhaowang's second son quickly occupied Li Hanzhong's house and moved his eldest son in.

The thorn in Li Zhaowang's and his parents' side has finally been removed.

Good thing they're gone, good thing they're gone!

If Li Hanzhong doesn't leave, they will keep thinking about the cuckolding Zhao Sufeng put on Li Zhaowang.

They're gone, so it's as if none of this ever happened.

Li Zhaowang's family was relieved, but Zhao Hairen and Qin Lingdi almost vomited blood.

They worked hard to spread the news everywhere, and even went to the Wu family to persuade Wu Tianmei's brother, Qian Shiren, who had promised to give them three thousand yuan.

Unexpectedly, Qian Shiren simply packed his bags and left with Li Hanzhong and his family without paying them a single penny for their hard work.

Zhao Hairen was furious, so he brought Qin Lingdi and his mentally challenged son Zhao Dezhu to make trouble for Zhao Sufeng.

Without Zhao Sufeng's intervention this time, Li Zhaowang, along with his nephews and nieces, gave Zhao Hairen and his family of three a sound beating.

Zhao Hairen was initially defiant, but after being beaten until his face looked like a pig's head and he could even spit out a tooth when he spoke, he finally realized he was scared.

A large crowd of villagers gathered in front of Li Zhaowang's house to watch the commotion. Zhao Hairen crawled over and begged the villagers for help, but no one paid him any attention.

Some people laughed and mocked him, saying, "Shameless bastard, I don't know you."

"How come you don't recognize him, Brother Ba? This is Zhao Erjie's money-grubber from her village! He only knows how to spot money!"

"They've completely abandoned all sense of propriety and shame! Ugh—it's disgusting!"

"..."

The woman's curses, the sounds of fists hitting flesh, wails, cries, and the chatter and laughter of those around her drifted over. Just then, Luo Hongkai, who happened to be passing by, said to Liu Jiangsu, "Do you want revenge?"

Liu Jiangsu smiled slightly, "Hasn't someone already helped me apply for it?"

Luo Hongkai said indignantly, "They got off too easy!"

Liu Jiangsu took his hand and said, "Let's go quickly. Xiang Dong and the others are catching water scorpions in the river. I haven't had any in a long time, and just thinking about it makes me crave them."

"Didn't Xiangdong say he'd make you deep-fried scorpions tonight?"

"Yes, let's go help and catch as many as possible."

"..."

The two walked hand in hand, chatting away, slowly making their way towards the Baiyang River. The wailing behind them grew fainter and fainter until it was no longer audible.