Ruan Cuizhi tossed and turned for a day or two, but she didn't sleep much the next morning and got up before dawn. Maybe she felt that going back to her parents' home would cause trouble to her family, so she got up early to feed the pigs and chickens, washed the dirty clothes and cooked breakfast.
When Ruan Zhigao, Liu Xinghua, Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie got up, she took care of all the chores at home. So the three of them had nothing to do, so they washed up, woke up Ruan Zhigao and went straight to have breakfast.
Ruan Jie asked if they should go and call Ruan Changsheng.
Ruan Zhigao thought that he must be very tired these days, so he didn't let Ruan Jie call him and let him continue to sleep.
Because of this, Liu Xinghua said to Ruan Cuizhi at the dinner table: "I asked you to stay at home not to serve us here, haven't you served us enough over there? If you are tired, just sleep more, don't rush to do everything for no reason."
Ruan Cuizhi smiled and said, "I'm used to it. I feel uncomfortable if I don't do something."
Ruan Zhigao looked at her and said, "Don't do anything today. Just rest at home for a few days."
Ruan Cuizhi said: "That won't work. I still have to go to the production team to work."
Even if she came back to stay for just one day, she didn't want to just lie down and eat for free.
Liu Xinghua rolled her eyes and said, "If you dare to go, I will turn against you."
She had been wronged at her husband's house, and had to walk such a long way back from the mountains, without getting much sleep. Now she had to wash clothes, feed pigs, cook, and go to the production team to work. Why did they call her back to her parents' home? Was it to make her suffer more?
Seeing Liu Xinghua's serious expression, Ruan Cuizhi smiled and said, "Okay, I'll take a rest for two days."
As juniors who had no say, Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie did not speak during the meal. After the meal, they went out together with Ruan Zhigao.
As usual, Ruan Zhigao went to organize the members to go to work, Ruan Xi went to the old tailor's house to practice painting, and Ruan Jie went to find the girls in the village to collect firewood and cut grass for the pigs. After finishing their housework, they would go to the production team to help with the work.
After dinner, Liu Xinghua didn't let Ruan Cuizhi work anymore and sent her into the house to sleep.
It was rare for Ruan Cuizhi to calm down, and she was really tired. She fell asleep soon after lying on the bed.
She was no match for the young man Ruan Changsheng at her age. After a good sleep, Ruan Changsheng immediately regained his energy. Ruan Cuizhi calmed down and rested for two days before she no longer felt tired from overdrawn energy.
After she had recovered her strength, she went to work in the production team no matter what.
Ruan Changsheng went to the commune and brought Ruan Cuizhi back to her parents' home overnight, but Ruan Cuizhi didn't even bring her child with her when she came back. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that there was something wrong, so many people gossiped about her behind her back.
The women were weeding in the rice fields. They approached those who were closest to Sun Xiaohui and asked her with shining eyes, "Hey, why did your sister-in-law come back suddenly? Was she bullied by her husband's family?"
Sun Xiaohui replied, "Oh, it's nothing serious. She was beaten a few times by her husband. Only the girls in the Ruan family are so delicate that they can't be touched. I didn't know what happened when they brought her back with such a big fuss."
The woman grabbed a handful of muddy grass and straightened up to rest for a while. "Her man has been here a few times before. He looks quite honest and doesn't look like a violent person. Why would he hit her?"
Sun Xiaohui also stood up to rest. "It's probably her own fault. Why did they beat her for no reason? Why didn't they beat me? Let me tell you, the two old people in my family love girls the most. They hold them in their hands and spoil them!"
Another woman asked, "So, she's not going back, so she's waiting for her husband's family to pick her up?"
Sun Xiaohui smiled, "I heard that they are preparing for a divorce."
"Divorce?" The women who heard this stopped what they were doing and turned to look over.
This is really strange talk. They have never heard of it in their entire lives. How can one get divorced after getting married?
Sun Xiaohui said: "Anyway, that's what I heard. Who knows if it's true or not. Life in town is better than in the mountains. How could she bear to leave? She still has four children. If she dares to do this, everyone can drown her with a mouthful of spit."
The woman said: "I'm afraid it's just to scare her in-laws."
Sun Xiaohui: "I'm telling you, aren't they afraid of her bullying? If it were my daughter, I would beat her to death if she did this. She runs back to her parents' home after being touched by a man, and then comes back to bother her family. I have to send her back in the middle of the night and apologize to him. Only the two elders in our family can do such a thing. Instead of helping to persuade her and letting her live a peaceful life, they add fuel to the fire and let Xiao Wuzi make a big fuss. The daughters of their Ruan family are all valuable, and whoever marries them will be unlucky."
As they were talking, they saw Ruan Cuizhi coming from afar. Sun Xiaohui and the other women exchanged glances and quickly shut up.
Ruan Cuizhi worked in the production team for two days. The first day was relatively normal. Everyone would greet her politely when they saw her, exchange a few words with her, and say they hadn't seen her for many years.
But by the next day, everything started to feel weird.
Ruan Cuizhi herself could feel that the eyes of many women in the production team seemed to be fixed on her. Not to mention the weird look in her eyes, she also smiled dryly when she greeted her, and then turned around and whispered to each other after the greeting.
She hadn't been back for many years and had become estranged from the people in the production team. Many of them were married from other villages, and she didn't know any of them. So even if she felt something was strange, she couldn't find the right person to ask why.
Logically speaking, there must be something wrong for her to go back to her parents' home alone. But it is normal for her to go back to her parents' home after being wronged in her husband's family or having an argument or fight with her husband, and it doesn't make those people look at her in that way.
She was puzzled in her heart, but couldn't figure out why, so she didn't care much and just buried her head in her work.
Liu Xinghua has gotten older in recent years and her waist is not in good condition, so she rarely goes to the production team to work recently. She always does some washing, sewing, cooking, sweeping the chicken coop and pigpen, and taking care of the family vegetable garden.
There were also old ladies in the village who were older than her, most of whom could not do much work. They would often get together with their needlework baskets, weave baskets and do needlework together, and chat about family matters to pass the days of their old age.
After taking a nap at noon today, Liu Xinghua got up and did some needlework at home when Grandma Zhao and Grandma Li came to her with baskets. The two old ladies went into the house, got out a bench and sat on it, then bent down to pick up the half-sewn sole.
The three of them sat down and chatted, and Grandma Zhao and Grandma Li looked at each other several times while they were talking. Then the two of them cleared their throats at the same time, as if they had reached some kind of consensus.
After clearing her throat, Grandma Zhao looked at Liu Xinghua and asked, "I heard that... Cuizhi wants to divorce Liu Xiong?"
Hearing this, Liu Xinghua's hand holding the needle suddenly paused, and she looked up at Grandma Zhao, "Who said that?"
Grandma Li continued, "Who can tell? The whole team has heard about it. Who doesn't know about it? If it's not you who said it, then your family members said it. It's not a good thing to say. Do you and Secretary Ruan really want Cuizhi to divorce? You've been married for more than ten years and have four children."
Liu Xinghua put the hand holding the needle on her thigh, and a frown appeared between her brows.
The word divorce was only casually mentioned by Ruan Cuizhi's granddaughter Ruan Xi on the night she came back.
Because she felt that what Ruan Xi said made sense and was not just nonsense from a child, she and Ruan Zhigao did not refute her. But they also did not say that they agreed to let Ruan Cuizhi divorce. How did the news of divorce get out?
Could it be that Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie went out and said this again?
Liu Xinghua was confused and said a few perfunctory words to Grandma Zhao and Grandma Li.
She asked this question when the whole family arrived home and sat down to eat in the evening.
She asked Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie first, "Did you go out and tell them that your third aunt wanted a divorce?"
Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie were both stunned when they heard this, and then shook their heads together.
Ruan Xi swallowed the food in her mouth and said, "You and Grandpa didn't agree to this proposal, why would you go out and tell them? Besides, people are gossiping. Even if it's confirmed, divorce is not something you can show off. Why would I go out and tell them about this?"
Even if Ruan Cuizhi really got divorced, she wouldn't tell anyone about it.
If they really get divorced, then this will be her third aunt's scar and she will not touch it.
Liu Xinghua looked at Ruan Changsheng again: "What did you say?"
Ruan Changsheng was speechless: "Why would I go out and gossip about my third sister to others?"
Liu Xinghua thought about it and it made sense. They were all family, and everyone was thinking about Ruan Cuizhi and wanted the best for her. How could they go out and spread such gossip and cause people to gossip about her? She wouldn't say it, and Ruan Zhigao wouldn't say it either.
After hearing this, Ruan Cuizhi understood why the women looked at her like that during the past two days when she was working in the production team, and turned their heads to whisper as if they were gossiping about her.
So, everyone is talking about her wanting a divorce?
While she was thinking about it, Liu Xinghua suddenly slammed the chopsticks in her hand on the table.
There was a loud bang, and not only Ruan Cuizhi, but everyone else was startled.
Ruan Jie asked in a low voice: "Grandma, what's going on?"
Liu Xinghua didn't reply to Ruan Jie's words. She stood up and walked out. When she got outside, she shouted loudly into the main room: "Sun Xiaohui! Get out here and die!"
Sun Xiaohui and her family were also having dinner. When they heard the deafening shout, Sun Xiaohui was so scared that her chopsticks shook.
Ruan Changgui asked her, "What happened?"
Sun Xiaohui lowered her eyebrows and spoke without confidence, "Who knows who has offended her again."
Ruan Changgui glanced at her, stood up and went out, then stood by the door and looked at Liu Xinghua: "Mom, what's wrong?"
Liu Xinghua pointed at him and said, "Call Sun Xiaohui out!"
Ruan Changgui turned his head to look at Sun Xiaohui. Sun Xiaohui put down her chopsticks reluctantly and moved to Ruan Changgui's side.
When Ruan Yuejin and Ruan Yuehua saw Sun Xiaohui stand up, they also stood up and followed her.
Sun Xiaohui looked at Liu Xinghua outside. Behind Liu Xinghua stood Ruan Zhigao, Ruan Changsheng, Ruan Cuizhi, and two maids, Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie. The scene looked scary, as if they were here to capture her and bring her to justice.
She cleared her throat, looked at Liu Xinghua and asked, "What's wrong now?"
Liu Xinghua stared at her fiercely: "Were you the one who went out and said that Cuizhi wanted a divorce? Wasn't it you?"
As she spoke, she was about to hit Sun Xiaohui, cursing, "I'm going to tear your stinky mouth apart today!"
Sun Xiaohui was so scared that she hid behind Ruan Changgui and kept denying, "I don't know what you are talking about! How do I know whether Cuizhi will divorce or not? I don't even know why she came back, how can I say it?"
Ruan Changgui stopped Liu Xinghua and testified for Sun Xiaohui: "Mom, you must have wronged Xiaohui. We didn't even hear what you said in private. Where can we tell? Even if someone said it, it was said by someone who knew the truth!"
Liu Xinghua didn't hit Sun Xiaohui, so she said to Ruan Changgui: "You are protecting her, right?"
Ruan Changgui said: "I'm not protecting her, she really didn't say it."
Liu Xinghua was so angry that she gritted her teeth and wanted to hit Sun Xiaohui.
Ruan Cuizhi came up and pulled her, "Forget it, Mom, let's go back and eat."
There was indeed no point in making a fuss without evidence. Liu Xinghua stood there for a moment, suppressing her temper, then turned around with a sullen face and went back to the side room.
The others followed her in, and now they naturally understood why Liu Xinghua had asked who went out and said that Ruan Cuizhi was divorced. Probably, the news has spread in the village.
Liu Xinghua sat down and ate a few mouthfuls of porridge, then said, "It must be Sun Xiaohui!"
Ruan Cuizhi said: "Just say it, it won't hurt you."
As much as she was afraid of being laughed at before, she doesn't care now. Anyway, the illusion of a harmonious family that she had maintained for more than ten years by enduring humiliation has been shattered, so the rest doesn't matter anymore.
Seeing Ruan Cuizhi say this, Ruan Changsheng said, "Since it's all spread, I think we might as well just get a divorce."
Ruan Zhigao looked at him, "It's easy for you to say that, but what will we do if we really leave the four children? If we don't leave them, they will only talk about it for a while, but if we leave them, they will point fingers at your third sister for the rest of her life! We don't care, we are all going to be buried soon, but can your third sister bear it?"
Ruan Xi stirred the porridge in the bowl and suddenly asked, "So you're going to let Liu Xiong beat you for the rest of your life?"
Ruan Zhigao looked at Ruan Xi again, "What do you mean by letting him beat her for life? Just let him touch my daughter again! This matter must be explained. Liu Xiong must change this bad habit!"
Ruan Xi looked at Ruan Zhigao and said, "I'll make a bet with you. Liu Xiong can't change. This has become a normal part of his life. There is only one way to make him change this habit. The third aunt is stronger than him. As long as he can't beat the third aunt, he will suffer a loss if he fights. He will definitely change, but is it possible?"
Ruan Zhigao looked at Ruan Cuizhi and couldn't utter a single word.
Not to mention being stronger than Liu Xiong, Ruan Cuizhi couldn't even be a simple tough guy.
After a moment he said, "Let your fifth uncle treat him."
Ruan Xi: "Fifth Uncle has already treated her this time. When Liu Xiong comes to take Third Aunt back in a while, you will know whether it is effective or not. Of course, because of this lesson, he will be honest for a while, but he will never change."
Liu Xinghua felt depressed after hearing this and said, "Forget it, let's talk about it later."
Ruan Cuizhi was holding the bowl beside him with her head down, and she didn't say a word.
After washing up at night, Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie were lying on the bed. She suddenly said, "I haven't seen you for a few years. Xiaoxi, you have grown up."
Ruan Xi blinked in the dark, "He only knows a little bit."
She seemed to think Ruan Xi was the right person to talk about this, and asked, "Do you really think your uncle won't change?"
The incident did not happen. Ruan Xi knew that what she said was just a possibility, and it was a possibility that would destroy people's hopes, which no one wanted to hear.
She didn't want to repeat this over and over again, so she asked Ruan Cuizhi, "Third Aunt, what if he changed?"
Ruan Cuizhi was stunned by her question.
Ruan Xi took a deep breath, "Is all you want from your husband is for him not to hit you? When two people live together and walk hand in hand for a lifetime, don't they need to care about each other's well-being? Only you know what kind of person he is, how he treats you, and how your life is. Even if he gets rid of this worst bad habit, he is not a bad person, isn't he a scumbag?"
Ruan Cuizhi lay in the night, not speaking for a long time.
Ruan Xi was silent for a moment, then continued, "When you meet a scumbag, isn't the best way to stay away from him? Why spend time and energy hoping that he can change? Getting entangled with him, wasting time, and even ruining your life. Is it true that after getting married and having children, no matter how bad or painful life is, women have no choice but to accept their fate?"
Ruan Cuizhi didn't say anything, so Ruan Xi didn't continue talking either. After all, her words were out of tune with this era. After she cleared her mind, her eyelids began to twitch. She heard Ruan Jie had fallen asleep next to her, so she soon fell asleep.
Ruan Cuizhi was lying at the other end of the bed and hadn't fallen asleep for a long time.
Ruan Cuizhi went to bed very late at night but still got up early the next morning.
After breakfast, he still put on his backpack and put on his straw hat, ready to go to the production team to gather and work.
But when she was about to go out, Liu Xinghua grabbed her and said to her: "Don't go out with the crowd these days. Stay at home and do needlework with me. I don't need the work points you earn."
Ruan Cuizhi knew that Liu Xinghua was doing this for her own good and was afraid that she would be criticized by others if she was surrounded by people. Those people would look at her with that kind of eyes and whisper unpleasant things to her.
But she didn't care. She just said, "Mom, I can't stay idle at home. It's okay. I'll just pretend I didn't see it. Anyway, they won't say anything to my face, and I can't hear it. So what if they hear it? It won't hurt."
She used to be afraid that people would laugh at her for not living a good life, and she wanted others to think that she was living a good life, so she endured it for the sake of face.
In the past, she thought that compared to being beaten from time to time in the Liu family and having to swallow all the bitterness by herself, what she could not accept more was the rumors.
Before I had this experience, I was afraid of people gossiping about me behind my back. Now that it has really happened, I just don’t feel that way.
She even suddenly realized that the dignity she had worked so hard to maintain before was nothing but self-deception.
Now, as long as her family doesn't think she is embarrassed or ashamed, she doesn't care what others say.
She cared about her family, so she said to Liu Xinghua, "I'm sorry, Mom, I've caused you so much trouble. You have to take care of my food and shelter, and the villagers talk about me because of me."
Liu Xinghua glared at her and said, "I'm not afraid of what others say. If anyone dares to say nonsense in front of me, I will tear her mouth apart! If you say anything about whether it will cause trouble or not again in the future, I will be really angry."
Ruan Cuizhi smiled and said, "Okay, I won't say anything."
But she did not listen to Liu Xinghua and stay at home, but joined the crowd.
She can't let herself be idle. If she helps with more housework, she will feel more comfortable.
Tianfeng Commune, Liu family.
Because Ruan Cuizhi went back to her parents' home, Liu Xiong's mother and father moved in to live with Liu Xiong. Mainly Liu Xiong's mother came to wash clothes, cook, and help take care of little Hu.
The three girls are not young anymore, so she doesn't need to worry about them and they can help with the work.
But she also felt tired of taking care of a little tiger. After all, children aged four or five are just disobedient. They play with whatever they see, mess up whatever they see, and make trouble everywhere. It is a lot of worry for her.
She used up all her strength to take care of the whole family, young and old, but after a few days she couldn't stand it anymore.
Seeing that Liu Xiong's injuries had healed a lot, she urged him to go to the mountains to pick up Ruan Cuizhi.
Liu Xiong refused to go and just said, "If she comes back on her own, I won't bother with her. If she wants me to go to the mountain to pick her up, no way! Her brother came and beat me up like this, and I still go to pick her up with a licking face? Is it possible?"
"I'm not letting her kowtow to me and apologize. That's too easy for her!"
"She has the guts to stay in her parents' house for the rest of her life and see if people will scold her to death!"
His mother was angry: "If you don't go, you will take care of this family by yourself, I won't take care of it. There are so many things in this family, do you expect me to do them for you? If you don't go, I will give up!"
Liu Xiong was very stubborn: "Da Ni and Er Ni are already so old, what do you need to take care of? Let San Ni take care of Xiao Hu Zi, and let Da Ni and Er Ni do all the housework. Without Ruan Cuizhi, the earth will not turn?!"
His mother was so angry that she wanted to hit him: "Liu Xiong, just do it!"
The eldest Ni is twelve years old, the second Ni is ten years old, and the third Ni is seven years old. They are still children. Normally, it is okay to ask them to help with things, but if you ask them to take care of the whole house, who knows what a mess the house will be in.
They don’t know how to live, and school is about to start, so they have to go to school.
Liu Xiong's mother thought about it and felt that it would not work unless she forced him, so she packed up and moved out in anger.
Then, on the night she moved out, Dani and Erni were cooking in the kitchen and accidentally set fire to the pile of dry straw behind the wood stove. Because the fire was not put out in time, it spread and burned most of the kitchen. It was the neighbors who came and put it out.
When Liu Xiong came back and saw the mess in his house, he was so angry that he almost fainted.
Dani and Erni cried and said to him, "Dad, let's go and bring mom back."
Liu Xiong said angrily: "Why are you answering the phone? Your mother is dead!"
"She should either get back here on her own!"
"Or don't come back!"
As time approaches the end of August, there is a hint of autumn in the mountains.
Ruan Cuizhi stayed at her parents' home for seven or eight days. At first, she felt uneasy because she felt sorry for her family because of the rumors in the village. But the longer she stayed, the less psychological burden she felt.
Apart from thinking about her four children every day, wondering whether they were doing well, whether they had enough to eat and sleep well, and feeling a little guilty for abandoning them like this, she didn't have much else to miss.
Life in the mountains is slow. She has her parents by her side, a younger brother who protects her, and two lovely nieces who are busy. This kind of harmonious and happy atmosphere of the family together is something she hasn't felt for a long time.
Because of her parents' unconditional protection, she lived a more secure life in her mother's home.
I haven't felt so relaxed and at ease since I got married.
Liu Xiong didn't come to pick her up, so Liu Xinghua said, "It's good that he doesn't come. If he does, call me out!"
If he had come to pick it up earlier, it would mean that he knew he was wrong and still had sincerity and attitude.
I haven't seen you for such a long time, who wouldn't understand what it means?
He was stepping on Ruan Cuizhi's face, and also on the faces of everyone in the Ruan family.
Even if he comes after a while, he will probably not be able to make a living there, so he will have to take Ruan Cuizhi back to take care of him and his four children!
How can we expect a man like this to change his bad habit of beating his wife?
Ruan Zhigao was so angry at Liu Xiong that he cursed him with gnashing teeth: "Fuck him, even if Cuizhi stays at her mother's house for the rest of her life, she will never go back to Liu's house and suffer the grievances of that bastard!"
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