The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.
The old locust tree in the courtyard was still covered in dew, and Guan Wenru stood at the entrance of courtyard number one, pushing her worn-out bicycle.
"Goodbye, Mom!" He Yi, He Qi, and He Sheng, carrying small cloth bags, followed behind He Yanzhi and waved to Guan Wenru in a clear and cheerful voice.
He Yanzhi held He Sheng's hand with one hand and straightened He Yi's crooked backpack strap with the other. He turned back and smiled at Guan Wenru, "Drive carefully on the road. If anything happens, just call the regiment."
"Okay, you guys should get to school early too."
Guan Wenru waved and watched the four figures of the father and sons turn the corner before steadying his bicycle again and looking into the courtyard.
At this time, Hua Xiaoyu would usually be pushing her stroller out by now.
Just then, Hua Xiaoyu walked out of the yard with her head down, her steps much slower than usual, and she gripped the handlebars of her bicycle tightly.
Guan Wenru quickly called out, "Good morning, sister-in-law! Did you not sleep well last night? You're two minutes later than usual today!"
Hua Xiaoyu paused for a moment before slowly raising her head, forcing an unnatural smile. "Good morning, Wenru... The kids were a bit noisy last night, so I got up late."
As she spoke, she deliberately brushed her hair to her cheek on the right side, avoiding eye contact with Guan Wenru and staring intently at the ground.
Guan Wenru's heart skipped a beat.
Hua Xiaoyu is usually very cheerful and always looks people in the eye when she speaks. How could she be so evasive?
She quickly leaned her bicycle against the wall, walked over briskly, and reached out to grab Hua Xiaoyu's arm. "Sister-in-law, what's wrong? You look so pale. Are you feeling unwell?"
"N-nothing!" Hua Xiaoyu hurriedly took half a step back, trying to avoid her hand.
But Guan Wenru was quick and had already circled around to her right.
The skin behind Hua Xiaoyu's ear, not covered by her hair, was bluish-purple, with faint red finger marks visible at the edges.
"Why are you hiding?" Guan Wenru's tone turned serious. She reached out and gently brushed aside the hair that Hua Xiaoyu was hiding behind her face, making it clearer now.
Hua Xiaoyu had a coin-sized bruise on her left cheek and a faint scratch at the corner of her eye, clearly indicating that she had been beaten.
Guan Wenru's brows furrowed instantly, her voice as cold as frost, "Zhang Desheng hit you?"
"No...no!" Hua Xiaoyu hurriedly raised her hand to brush her hair back, her fingertips trembling. "It was me...it was me who went to the kitchen to heat up porridge last night. I slipped and fell, and my face hit the edge of the stove. It's nothing serious, it will be gone in a couple of days."
"You fell?" Guan Wenru sneered, lightly touching the skin around Hua Xiaoyu's bruise with her fingertip.
Hua Xiaoyu flinched in pain.
Her tone grew even harsher, "Sister-in-law, do you think I'm blind or heartless? The injuries from the fall are all bruises and welts, how could there be fingerprints? And this mark behind your ear, it's clearly from someone pinching your chin while grabbing it. Did Zhang Desheng have a fight with you yesterday?"
When Hua Xiaoyu's lie was exposed, her eyes instantly reddened, and tears welled up in her eyes, but she held them back from falling.
She tugged at Guan Wenru's hand, her voice low and pleading, "Wenru, let's... let's go first, we can talk on the way, let's not let anyone see us here, it's not good for our image."
Guan Wenru felt both angry and pained as she looked at her reddened eyes.
However, I also know this isn't the place to talk.
The courtyard gate is frequented by acquaintances; if others were to see Hua Xiaoyu's injury, who knows how much gossip would spread.
She bit her lip, reached out to straighten Hua Xiaoyu's hair and cover the bruise, then helped her move towards the bicycle. "Okay, we'll talk on the way, but remember, sister-in-law, this can't just be left like this. Domestic violence isn't as simple as 'falling down'!"
Hua Xiaoyu didn't speak, but just lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously picking at the black paint on the bicycle.
The two quickly pedaled their bicycles forward.
Once they left the military region, Guan Wenru slowed down and rode alongside Hua Xiaoyu.
Hua Xiaoyu raised her hand to wipe away her tears, and as her sleeve brushed against her cheek, she subconsciously avoided touching the bruises.
“Wenru, actually… Zhang Desheng didn’t mean to hit me.”
Hua Xiaoyu's voice was choked with sobs, "Last night, it was his mother who started it. During dinner, Da Ya put a piece of pickled vegetable on my plate, and that old hag said in a sarcastic tone, 'Girls are useless, they only know how to serve others. If it were a boy, he could be helping out in the fields by now.' She also stared at Xiao Ya and said, 'Another money-losing girl, it's a waste of food to keep her.'"
As she said this, tears welled up in her eyes again, and she wiped them away forcefully. "I couldn't hold back anymore, so I argued with her for a bit, saying, 'Everyone talks about gender equality now, what's wrong with girls? My three daughters are all sensible.' But she kept saying nasty things, and even reached out to hit Daya, saying that Daya 'dared to glare at her.'"
In a fit of rage, I raised my hand and shoved her, only to hit her right in the face.
Zhang Desheng came out from the inner room and saw what was happening. Without asking any questions, he slapped me across the face and cursed me for being "unfilial, daring to lay a hand on an elder." So I fought back, and neither of us came out on top!
So, if we're talking about domestic violence... she also abused him.
Guan Wenru's grip on the handlebars tightened, her knuckles turning white. "He hit you, and you're still making excuses for him?"
“I’m not trying to make excuses for him…” Hua Xiaoyu’s voice lowered, and her eyes dimmed. “After all, I was the one who started it. No matter how wrong his mother was, she’s still an elder… I was thinking of just pretending this never happened, so the children won’t be scared.”
But I feel so suffocated! Wenru, you know, my life is so meaningless! His mother calls them "money-losing goods" in front of the kids every day; who knows what she does to them when I'm not home!
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