Jinxia arrived at her parents' home, where Aunt Liu was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) doing needlework.
The sky outside was overcast. Aunt Liu, wrapped in a patched cotton-padded coat, smiled and said, "You still know how to come back. I thought you had forgotten about coming back."
Jinxia sat on the edge of the kang and said, "Mother, this time it's because of my brother's loan. He took 50 coins from Qiudong last time, saying he would pay it back when the shop had business, but I went there twice and my brother said he didn't have the money. What should I say?"
Aunt Liu stared wide-eyed in surprise: "When did this happen? How come I didn't know?"
“This happened a few months ago. Now my brother denies it, and I have no choice but to come to you to ask for it back.”
When did Jinxia become so confused and ignorant? She knows that Niuwa hasn't lived with the old couple for a long time, yet she still says such things.
Aunt Liu said with a stern face, "I didn't know about this when you lent it to your brother. I knew that lending money to your brother was a waste of money, but you still lent it. Now you want your father and me to pay it back? What, have you become so heartless? Don't you know what kind of life your father and I are living now?"
Jin Xia couldn't hold back any longer. Seeing that there was no hope of getting this little bit of money, she said, "In that case, I'll go back. Mother, just pretend I was never here."
Aunt Liu grabbed Jinxia's braid: "You heartless thing, I'm asking you, did Qiudong ask you to come and collect this money, or did Lizheng and his wife ask you to come and collect it?"
"This matter has nothing to do with Qiu Dong, nor with my in-laws. I just urgently need this money. No matter what you and my father think, the Yu family must not know about this!"
Upon hearing this, Aunt Liu immediately slapped her across the face: "You heartless wretch! How did your Aunt Jin and I raise you back then? And now you want to give it back? What, are you going to abandon Qiu Dong? Do you think we old folks' faces are your backsides, that you can slap us however you want?"
Jin Xia didn't expect things to develop so quickly, and it immediately reached Aunt Liu's ears.
She hesitated for a long time before saying, "Mother, it's not like that. I just feel sorry for the two children and don't want them to be motherless."
"What were you thinking back then? Now you can't bear to part with these two children, but what about Qiudong and this child? Are you willing to part with them? Lizheng and his wife have been so good to you, how can you say such a thing?"
Outside the door, Old Liu slammed the door shut, grabbed a stick, and shouted, "What? Such a thing actually happened? I, Old Liu, would rather go to jail than let you do something so shameful!"
Jin Xia couldn't dodge in time, and a stick landed on her body. She clutched her arm and grimaced, saying, "Why? Why can't I choose the lifestyle I like? Why do you have to make all the decisions for me?"
Old Liu got angry. He swung the stick in his hand and hit him. Aunt Liu noticed that Old Liu's face had turned red and he was trembling all over. She then said, "Quick, old man, calm down. Don't let Jin Xia make you sick. We old folks still have to live our lives."
At this moment, Old Liu couldn't help but shout, "Get out of my way! I'll beat this shameless wretch to death today! What a disgrace! The Li Zheng couple have always treated us well, and now this rebellious daughter has done such a deceitful thing. I'll beat her to death!"
Aunt Liu knew she couldn't do it alone, so she quickly climbed onto the wall and shouted anxiously, "Auntie, come and help! My old man is about to beat Jinxia to death!"
"What? Jin Xia? Isn't she Qiu Dong's wife? How can you hit Jin Xia?"
Aunt Liu said anxiously, "It's hard to explain in a short time. You have to come over here quickly so I can go and take a look. Otherwise, someone might die."
There was no one at home, so Liang Shuyan called out to Dashan and Zhao Heng: "You two, hurry up, put down what you're doing and come with me to your Aunt Liu's house to help mediate the fight."
When they arrived at Aunt Liu's house, they could hear a series of crackling sounds coming from the crack in the wall, accompanied by a woman's scream. Liang Shuyan knew that Old Liu was furious.
Aunt Liu hurriedly opened the door, and Liang Shuyan rushed forward with Dashan and Zhao Heng. They saw Jin Xia lying on the ground, holding her head in her hands, her forehead covered in blood. She tried to get up, but couldn't.
Liang Shuyan stepped forward and quickly called out to Old Liu, "Old Liu, what are you doing? Jin Xia is already married. How can you hit her like this? What happened?"
When Old Liu saw Liang Shuyan and her children, he put down what he was holding and said, "Sigh, I've really made a fool of myself in front of her aunt. This unfilial daughter of mine has done such a thing. She'll be dragged out of the Yu family and thrown into the river."
Liang Shuyan roughly understood what was going on. She helped Jin Xia up from the ground and said, "Jin Xia, what are you planning to do? This matter cannot be known by anyone. Otherwise, the Yu family, Qiu Dong, and your in-laws have all treated you well."
Jin Xia's eyes turned to Liang Shuyan, fierce and filled with an extremely sinister light.
"It was you. You were the one who told my mother, and then she tricked me into coming home, wasn't that right?"
Liang Shuyan shook her head: "No, that's not true. I don't remember anything about it. Why would I tell your parents? Why would you think that?"
Jin Xia shoved Liang Shuyan aside and said maliciously, "You heartless wretch, how could you do such a thing? And now you're pretending to be a good person?"
Aunt Liu stepped forward and pushed Liang Shuyan away, slapping Jin Xia across the face. Jin Xia was so angry that her face turned purplish-blue. She tried to leave, but unfortunately, her legs were injured and she had difficulty walking.
Zhao Heng snorted coldly: "Be polite to my aunt. Let me tell you, everyone knows you want to betray Qiu Dong. Don't think everyone else is stupid and didn't see that you have such a vicious heart!"
After Zhao Heng's warning, Jin Xia fell silent, sitting on the ground without saying a word. Jin Dashan then chimed in: "You suffered all kinds of humiliation at your ex-husband's house. It was only after your mother came to my house and discussed it that you were rescued. Your marriage to Qiu Dong was also a matter of mutual consent. Now, however, you want to abandon Qiu Dong. How can you be so despicable?"
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