Chapter 236 Looking for a beating
You have all your limbs, your legs aren't broken, right? Can't you walk a few steps by yourself? You're so heavy, it's making my shoulders hurt!
Zhao Lin was indeed in a lot of pain, and her ankle was tingling. But she knew that if she appeared even weaker, her son would soften.
So she gritted her teeth, lowered her voice, and said with a hint of pitifulness and pleading, "Anguo, you know I save all the good things for you. Your clothes, your meat, everything is given to you first. But now your father has brought Zhou Xiuli back. Don't you understand? Is there any place for us two in this house anymore?"
She paused, took a breath, and continued to incite in a low voice: "Think about it, she doesn't have a job now, she just stays at home all day, eats three meals a day, and your dad pays for it all. Who does that salary go to? When she kicks me out one day, can you still live peacefully under her nose? Will you still have your own house, and a hot meal for yourself?"
Hearing his mother's words, Zhou Anguo's heart skipped a beat, as if he had been struck hard by something.
He had initially just found it troublesome, but his mother's words pierced his heart like needles.
He remained silent for a moment, his eyes flickering, his fingers unconsciously tightening around the edge of the stove lid.
Finally, he took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and reached out to support his mother's swaying body, muttering in a low voice, "Mom, that's enough... I'll help you. But don't keep saying that. Zhou Xiuli is still your aunt, and she's still my aunt. My dad and she aren't like that. Don't always think so badly of people."
Zhao Lin snorted twice, her tone icy and filled with suppressed anger: "Don't be stubborn. I'm telling you this now, if it really comes to that, you'll understand who your real mother is. Blood is thicker than water, and that's not just something you say. You'll only know what true feelings are when you experience the bitterness of it."
Zhou Anguo gave a vague reply, his face full of impatience and perfunctory attitude: "Oh, Mom, stop talking about these unfounded things, it's so upsetting. Just rest. We're already struggling to make ends meet, and you're still thinking about all sorts of things, causing chaos at home. What's the point?"
Dr. Mao, the village clinic doctor, was awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door. Still half asleep, he got out of bed, put on his coat, and went to open the door.
A cold wind, mixed with dampness, rushed into the room. He shivered and saw that it was Zhao Lin standing at the door, pale-faced and unsteady on his feet. He immediately understood what was going on.
He quickly helped her inside, poured her a cup of hot water and handed it to her, while asking about the situation and then carefully examining her injured leg.
"Your leg is broken, you need to get it treated right away."
His brows furrowed into a deep frown. "Don't move around too much these next few days. You absolutely must use crutches, otherwise your bones might become dislocated or not heal properly, and you'll be limping the rest of your life. That will be a huge problem."
As he spoke, he helped Zhao Lin lie down on the examination bed, then raised his voice and shouted, "Wife! Come help me!"
Before long, Dr. Mao's wife came out from the inner room, wearing an apron and holding a towel in her hand. She walked quickly to the bedside, squatted down, gently lifted Zhao Lin's injured leg, and began to massage it little by little.
Zhao Lin lay there, staring at the gray roof, his throat feeling as if something was blocking it.
She bit her lip, finally unable to hold back her sobs, tears welling up in her eyes but refusing to fall.
Her voice trembled as she said, "Zhou Nuli just got home today, and before he could even properly enter the house, he came up and slapped me! That slap made my ears ring, and I couldn't even stand up straight... I really can't take another day like this! I really can't hold on any longer..."
Upon hearing this, Dr. Mao's wife paused in her actions, her mouth agape in disbelief: "Li Nu wasn't like this before! He was such a well-behaved child, always blushing when he spoke to people. How did he suddenly become so violent? Did he get upset outside and take it out on you? But you can't hit people, she's his own mother!"
Zhao Lin sneered, his voice extremely low, as if afraid of being overheard: "He brought his sister Zhou Xiuli back this time... Do you know what kind of person that girl is? Since she came back, there hasn't been a moment of peace in this house."
The woman paused, then immediately leaned closer, glancing warily towards the door. Once she was sure no one was there, she whispered, her ear almost touching Zhao Lin's, "Do you remember last time? She went to the village committee, claiming in front of the whole village that you stole her chicken. It turned out that her dog had dragged the chicken into the kitchen and eaten it. But she insisted on having you judge her case, and in the end, she even caught you red-handed—it was actually evidence she had hidden herself to frame you! You really forgot? Everyone in the village knows you were framed!"
Zhao Lin certainly hadn't forgotten; that scene still felt like a needle pricking her heart.
Zhou Nuli forgot.
Back then, Zhou Xiuli pointed at her nose and cursed her as a "slut" and "shameless" in front of the whole village, her spittle almost hitting her face.
Any mother would have flipped the table on the spot, but why was it Zhou Nuli?
Instead of defending his mother, he lowered his head and admitted his mistake, saying, "Mom is getting old and her memory isn't good. I'll be more careful next time."
He didn't dare say a single word in defense of him!
"Sister-in-law, what else do you think I should do?"
Zhao Lin closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face. "I can't fight city hall. I'm just barely surviving now, eating loudly and walking slowly, afraid of upsetting her. But if I go to her and complain, wouldn't I be asking for a beating? He's my son, and I don't want to put him in a difficult position, but I'm not made of clay either!"
Upon hearing this, Dr. Mao's wife felt a lump in her throat, wiped away her tears, and squeezed Zhao Lin's hand tightly, saying softly, "The child is so big now. You might not be able to survive even if you leave. Look at how many women outside, raising children alone, can still support their families. Life may be tough, but at least you can live with dignity and not suffer this humiliation."
“There are so many divorced women now. Although there aren’t many in our village, look at Lijiatun, which is three miles away. Half of them are single mothers. Their husbands work away from home and don’t come back for years. They don’t send money back, and they don’t even make a phone call. Then one day they suddenly come back, and without saying a word, they throw out a divorce certificate, abandon the children, and leave without even eating a hot meal!”
"Tell me, what kind of logic is this? Women work so hard to raise children and take care of the elderly, and what do they get in return? Cold faces, fists, and a single sentence, 'You're not good enough,' which completely negates their abilities! Are we supposed to live on our knees for the rest of our lives?"
Zhao Lin's lips twitched into a cold, bitter smile, a smile that sounded like self-mockery mixed with a desperate accusation: "Sister-in-law, do women get to decide these things? Zhou and I have been together for so many years, and all I've done is rely on him to be my husband and my mother. I don't dare think about anything else. I'm illiterate, I have no skills, I even get lost when I travel far... Where else can I go besides this home?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
