Du Yuhan knew something was wrong when she heard Du Lianjiao's voice from inside the house. Without thinking, she rushed out of the house and used a bowl to scoop bird eggs from the boiling pot of water, one at a time, otherwise her family wouldn't have any to eat.
Du Lianjiao turned around and saw Du Yuhan scooping bird eggs with a bowl. She got anxious and shouted, "Hey, what are you doing? Put the bird eggs down!"
Du Yuhan glared at her and said, "If you keep spitting, I'll throw boiling water on you."
Du Lianjiao was startled by Du Yuhan's sinister appearance and dared not argue with her anymore. She anxiously called out to Liu Cuilian, "Mother, come quickly, or all the bird eggs will be gone."
Hearing her youngest daughter's shouts, Liu Cuilian slipped on her shoes and ran over, calling out, "Where are the bird eggs?"
The people in the other rooms also put on their clothes and shoes and ran towards the second room. When they heard there was food, they ran faster than anyone else.
When Du Lianjiao saw her mother arrive, she became more assertive. She pushed Du Yuhan aside and pointed to the pot, saying, "Mom, look, these are bird eggs they secretly boiled. They didn't even tell you they were going to give them to you."
Du Yuhan knew that a big commotion was inevitable this time, so she quickly took the few quail eggs she had just fished out into the house and handed them to her younger brother, Du Haifeng, saying, "Hurry up and give them to the brothers to eat. Once they're in their stomachs, no one can take them away from them."
After saying that, she left the inner room; she had to help her mother fight. This time, she wouldn't hold back.
Liu Cuilian, after seeing the bird eggs in the pot, scolded Wang Yuqiao: "You shameless thing, you're secretly eating special food behind everyone's back. How dare you!"
Your father and I haven't eaten meat in ages, and instead of sharing bird eggs with us, you steal them to eat? Do you want to die?
Hearing the old woman's sharp words, Du Yuhan stepped forward to stop her, saying, "What are you saying, Grandma? I found these bird eggs when I was gathering firewood. The porridge you gave us in the second branch of the family was so thick you could see a person in it, and my brothers were crying from hunger. What's wrong with me cooking them a few bird eggs? This has nothing to do with my mother, so you don't need to scold her."
When Liu Cuilian heard Du Yuhan dare to talk back to her, she said, "You brat, you have no right to speak here. Get out of here."
Du Lianqiao couldn't stand it anymore. He came out of the inner room and said, "Mother, don't scold them. I asked Yuqiao to cook it. The children were starving, and we had no other choice."
Upon hearing that even the usually quiet Du Lianqiao was talking back to her, Liu Cuilian plopped down on the ground and began to wail and throw a tantrum, "What sins have I committed? All the younger generation are talking back to me and eating alone. Heaven, please come and kill these unfilial bastards!"
Then Liu Cuilian's signature crying tone began, the same old routine. Every time Liu Cuilian threw a tantrum, it was the same thing.
The other branches of the Du family also rushed over when they heard Du Lianjiao's shouts, hoping they might be able to catch a bird's egg to eat.
In their minds, this good stuff wasn't something the second wife should eat.
In particular, Liu Cuilian's children all believed that the second wife was just a servant to them. She should do more work, eat less, and never even think about good food.
The neighbors were drawn by Liu Cuilian's wailing. It was still dark, and many families, like the Du family, had just finished eating two meals and were ready to watch the spectacle.
Seeing his stepmother crying and making a scene in his room, Du Lianqiao decided not to hold back any longer and said, "Mother, please stop making a scene. Let's go to the main room and have a proper talk. I also have something to ask you and Father."
After saying that, Du Lianqiao walked out of the house and headed towards the main room.
Du Yuhan watched as Du Lianjiao scooped all the bird eggs out of the pot and followed the old lady to the main room without stopping her. Once inside, she asked her younger brothers to fetch the brigade leader, the party secretary, the accountant, the women's director, and several other respected elders from the village.
After arranging things, she went to the main room with her mother, afraid that her father would suffer because he was bad at talking.
At this point, Du Yuhan was no longer the delicate, timid, and weak woman she once was. Instead, she had become a strong woman who had built a successful career and developed a mental fortitude that was unmatched by ordinary people.
She was no longer afraid of these monsters and demons, but instead stood on high ground and looked down at these clowns.
Upon arriving at the main house, Liu Cuilian took the initiative to complain to the old man, Du Dachuan. Du Lianqiao let his stepmother speak first without saying a word.
Before long, Du Haifeng and Du Haichao also invited the people that Du Yuhan had arranged for them to invite.
When Du Yuhan saw that everyone who was supposed to come had arrived, she quickly invited them into the house.
Du Dachuan and Liu Cuilian were somewhat surprised to see that all the important figures in the village had arrived.
Du Lianqiao was the same, but looking at his daughter Du Yuhan's behavior, he knew that it was his daughter's doing.
His daughter was trying to make him decide to separate the family property.
Du Lianqiao felt ashamed. He was a grown man, yet he lacked the courage of a little girl. What did it matter if he was accused of being unfilial? He was willing to risk everything to make his wife and children's lives better.
Seeing that his stepmother Liu Cuilian was silent, Du Lianqiao said, "Today I invited the village leaders and some elders here so that they could be our witnesses."
Our second branch of the Du family has always been bullied. We always get the least food. The porridge we're given is so thin it's practically water. My children are starving every day.
Everyone in the village, young and old, could see how my children fared compared to the other families.
I wanted to be filial and settle things peacefully, but my stepmother wouldn't give our second branch of the family any way to survive. I had no choice but to ask for a division of the household property; otherwise, my children would starve to death.
Upon hearing that the second wife wanted to divide the family property, Liu Cuilian cursed, "You want to divide the family property? No way, you unfilial thing!"
Du Lianqiao, having gone all out, said, "I also want to ask my stepmother, why did you arrange for Yuhan to marry a disabled person? Wasn't it just because they offered a high dowry?"
Du Lianqiao stopped calling her "mother" and started calling her "stepmother" to force herself to sever ties with them and stop being weak.
Liu Cuilian didn't expect the second wife to know about this and argued, "What disabled person? That's a city person. After Yuhan marries into the family, she will be on a government-subsidized food supply. I'm doing this for Yuhan's own good."
Du Lianqiao sneered and said, "Then why don't you let Lian Jiao marry him?"
Liu Cuilian retorted, "Lian Jiao is still young and not of marriageable age yet."
Du Lianqiao was trembling with anger. "Lian Jiao is still young? She's a few months older than Yu Han! Let everyone see. Yu Han is still a child. Compared to her, Lian Jiao looks like an adult. Lian Jiao should be the one to marry into the family."
Liu Cuilian immediately became agitated, "Bah! My Lianjiao is destined to marry into a good family and enjoy a life of happiness. How can she go and serve a cripple?"
At this point, everyone inside and outside the house understood perfectly well: Liu Cuilian was going to sell Du Yuhan for a dowry. It just wasn't her biological daughter, so it wouldn't do. The crowd looked at Liu Cuilian with utter contempt.
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