Chapter 91 Domestic Violence: It's Either Zero Times or Countless Times
"Dad, what's wrong?"
Noticing that Tang Jianguo's expression was off, Tang Mingmei walked towards him with a worried look, and the baby in her arms also made a timely whimper.
Tang Jianguo quickly said he was fine, and at the same time, when he looked at the delicate baby in his daughter's arms, his heart softened instantly.
"Your younger brother looks just like you when you were a child."
Upon hearing the name, Tang Mingmei subconsciously frowned and corrected her, "Her name is Li Xin, Xin meaning flourishing and joyful."
The two families were having dinner together when the parents asked if the child had been named yet, and the father-in-law told them this name.
Considering that it was a rare occasion for the two families to sit down and have a meal together, she didn't want to make things too awkward, so she simply expressed that she didn't like the name.
But to my surprise, my father actually listened to him.
Fortunately, the child's name has already been registered; it will be Li Xin.
There was a bit of a twist of fate involved in getting this name.
When the child was three months old, the neighborhood committee came to collect data, and the child's name had to be filled in.
Li Dazhu's father mentioned the name he had previously given: "It's called Daidi, Li Daidi."
Tang Mingmei was already in a bad mood, and hearing the name again almost drove her crazy. She was determined to fight to the death and resolutely disagreed with her daughter choosing this name.
Finally, Li's father became enraged and said he would give up.
If they don't care, they don't care. Who cares about names like that?
Tang Mingmei immediately named her daughter Li Xin.
She had thought of names for her daughter before, such as Lan, Juan, Fang, etc., all the popular girl names at the time. But when the staff of the neighborhood office asked her, she immediately said Li Xin.
In that instant, all she wished for was that her daughter would live a life of joy and peace.
Just like Tang Mingli.
The staff at the neighborhood office also thought the name sounded nice, and seeing how crazy the mother was, they registered the name Li Xin.
The child's name was decided just like that, and it's not easy to change it now.
However, her in-laws usually ignore her and make her take care of her younger brother.
She was very unhappy that her parents had taken the name to heart.
Seeing his daughter so agitated, Tang Jianguo quickly admitted his mistake: "Yes, yes, her name is Li Xin. It was my fault; I shouldn't have called her Dai Di (meaning 'brother') so casually, it just came out of my mouth." He then couldn't help but tease the child: "Your mother chose this name, do you like it?"
The child cooperated by making a "woof" sound and kicking its legs, which the adults interpreted as a sign of affection.
What right do babies who can't even speak have to speak?
After the two elderly people played with the child for a while, Li Hong got up to make dinner.
Before leaving, she gave her husband a look, and Tang Jianguo, understanding the situation, followed her.
Once outside, Li Hong lowered her voice and said to her husband, "Mingmei said she's coming back to stay."
Tang Jianguo thought his wife was going to say something to him, but it turned out to be this. So he said to her, "If you're coming back to stay, then stay. Can't you, as her mother, let your daughter come back to stay for a few days?"
“She didn’t say she’d stay for a few days; she said she’d come back to stay.”
Tang Jianguo was confused, and it took him a while to understand what his wife meant.
Is the daughter going to stay at her parents' home for an extended period?
If she hadn't completely fallen out with her in-laws, given her pride, she would never have done such a thing.
What does it mean to live with one's parents' family for an extended period?
Putting everything else aside, the gossip from her neighbors over time could drive her crazy.
After a brief silence, Tang Jianguo said to his wife, "You go ahead and do your work. I'll talk to Mingmei."
Li Hong nodded; that was exactly what she meant.
Although she often longed for her daughter to be by her side, she felt no joy at all if her daughter really fell out with her in-laws and came back to live with them for an extended period.
Back in the living room, Tang Jianguo played with the child while casually asking, "Why did you suddenly decide to come back and stay here?"
In the past, Tang Mingmei might have kept it a secret, but this time she was truly determined.
She told her father, "Li Dazhu hit me."
"What?"
Tang Jianguo was furious. All his words of advice to his daughter vanished after hearing that Li Dazhu had hit someone.
He could tolerate Li Dazhu and his family treating his daughter badly, but he absolutely could not accept his daughter being beaten.
"That bastard, he actually dared to hit you."
Tang Jianguo stood up, looking like he was going to settle scores with Li Dazhu.
Tang Mingmei quickly stopped him: "Dad, don't be impulsive, and it's too late now. If you really want to settle accounts with him, I'll go with you tomorrow."
She deeply regretted it; she was so angry at the time that she only wanted to leave with her daughter. Now that she's calmed down, she regrets not slapping him back immediately.
So if her father really intends to go find Li Dazhu, she will go too.
She couldn't swallow her anger without slapping Li Dazhu twice.
His daughter's defiant attitude left Tang Jianguo at a loss for what to do.
Let's listen to her for now. It's too late today, and if we go, we might have to walk back.
Li Hong brought in a plate of stir-fried vegetables and noticed that the father and daughter looked strange. She assumed they hadn't discussed the matter of her daughter coming back to stay, so she asked her husband, "What's wrong? It's rare for our daughter to come back. Can't we talk things out?"
Tang Jianguo couldn't hold back his words any longer and told his wife irritably, "That bastard Li Dazhu actually hit Mingmei."
"What?" Li Hong slammed down the plate of vegetables, quickly took off her apron, and said angrily, "That bastard Li Dazhu dared to hit my daughter! I'm going to settle the score with him."
He then rushed out of the house without a second thought.
Tang Jianguo knew his wife had a fiery temper, but he didn't expect her to be so impulsive in this matter, so he quickly chased after her.
Tang Mingmei felt somewhat uncomfortable carrying the child, but she was worried about him, so after thinking about it, she followed after him.
-
On the other side, the Li family.
Tang Mingmei spoke with the child in the room, and Li Dazhu, who was not in the mood for dinner, ate a few bites and went back to his room to lie down.
At this time of day, he would usually hear his child crying and his wife yelling, which annoyed him greatly.
He should have been happy to hear neither of those voices today, but he found that things weren't as he expected, and his feelings were actually quite complicated.
Of course, he didn't believe Tang Mingmei wouldn't come back.
Women who are married and have children usually throw tantrums when they go back to their parents' home; how many of them actually dare to stay there and not go back to their husband's home?
Even if she wanted to, her family wouldn't agree; people would gossip about it.
Li Dazhu had a fairly good understanding of his mother-in-law's personality.
He may be domineering and have a sharp tongue, but he's traditional at heart and wouldn't do anything outrageous, so he wouldn't actually encourage his daughter to get a divorce.
As for that father-in-law, although he dotes on his daughter, he's too spineless. He's good at bluffing, but it would be difficult to get him to actually charge into battle.
After analyzing the situation, Li Dazhu basically concluded that his wife would slink back in a few days, or his mother-in-law would come over and hint to him to pick her up.
He should be at ease, so why does he still feel inexplicably uneasy? It's as if something bad is about to happen.
Half an hour later, Li Hong and Tang Jianguo appeared before him, and Li Dazhu finally understood why he had been inexplicably panicked.
Looking at Tang Mingmei holding the child, Li Dazhu could not hide his dissatisfaction.
Tang Mingmei sneered and handed the child to her mother: "Mom, can you hold the child for me for a moment?"
Li Hong took it instinctively, unaware of what her daughter intended to do.
After handing the child over to her mother and freeing her hands, Tang Mingmei could no longer hold back. She mustered all her strength and slapped Li Dazhu across the face.
She really used all her strength, so the slap was even louder than when he hit her before.
Everyone was stunned, including Li Dazhu himself.
...
Tang Mingli learned a month later that Li Dazhu had hit Tang Mingmei, and that Tang Mingmei had slapped him back.
At this time, Tang Mingmei had already returned to the Li family.
She stayed at her parents' home for almost a month, but eventually returned to her husband's home.
Although Li Hong sighed, she said in a tone of great accomplishment, "I was the one who persuaded them to go back. I did a lot of work on both sides over the past month before they finally agreed to compromise."
Tang Mingli really didn't know what to say about her aunt.
Today, he suddenly showed up at the Fu family's house, saying he wanted to visit her. After sitting down, he started talking about all the things that had happened to Tang Mingmei recently. She thought he was there to complain, but it turned out he was there to show off his achievements.
In Tang Mingli's view, Tang Mingmei, who was so proud, was willing to be talked about behind her back and openly tell others that she was not doing well after getting married, but she still wanted to take her child back to her parents' home to live for a long time. What a determination she made! In the end, her own mother actually tried to persuade her to stay.
It's no wonder that throughout history, most married women have chosen to endure the torments of marriage.
In such a secular environment, resistance is considered unconventional and extremely difficult.
Li Hong, unaware of Tang Mingli's thoughts, continued to tell her about what happened at the Li family's house that day when Tang remained silent.
"Your uncle and I stormed over to the Li family's house in a huff, intending to settle scores with Li Dazhu. But then Mingmei slapped him, and now we don't know what to do. Your sister's mother-in-law is really awful. She didn't say a word when her son hit my daughter, but now that her son has been hit by my daughter, she's jumping up and down. Luckily, I'm not one to be trifled with either. Although the scene was chaotic that day, the Li family didn't get the slightest advantage."
The one who starts it is the one who's scum. Li Dazhu hit her first, and even though Tang Mingmei slapped him back later, and her aunt and the Li family made a scene, Tang Mingli still felt that Li Dazhu, that scumbag, was in the wrong.
Abusive men are worse than animals.
Tang Mingli was furious. She couldn't agree with Li Hong's words, so she disappointedly reminded her, "Domestic violence is either zero times or countless times. Since Li Dazhu hit my cousin once, it can't be just once."
Li Hong was in high spirits when she heard this and her smile vanished instantly.
She had never heard such a thing before; everyone always said that a prodigal son who returns is more precious than gold.
But she also knew this niece well; she wouldn't scare people for no reason.
"Where...where did you hear all this from?"
Tang Mingli really wanted to roll her eyes at her.
Where did you hear that?
Countless women who have been victims of domestic violence have bravely stood up and told the world their stories.
Some people just won't shed a tear until they see the coffin. They'll only cry and regret it when Tang Mingmei gets beaten up again.
No, maybe crying is inevitable, but whether or not I'll regret it is another matter.
Tang Mingli did not answer, which reassured Li Hongxin somewhat, who concluded that the statement was nonsense.
She said, "How could a man not cherish his wife after she's run away with him once?"
"Oh, right." Li Hong's eyes lit up, and she said to Tang Mingli, "Actually, there's another thing I came here for today."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
