The fire was quickly put out. The neighbors were familiar with the area and borrowed a tricycle. They worked together to carry Chen Xiangbei up. Old Chen also sat in the back. The blood on his face had dried up a little, but it was still sticky.
Chen Xiangnan jumped in front of the tricycle and rode with great effort. Except for Old Lady Xia, everyone else followed him to the hospital.
Half of the people in the house had left, and the remaining neighbors finally had time to ask Old Mrs. Xia what had happened.
"Aunt Xia, how could such a big thing happen during Chinese New Year?"
"When we came in, we saw you were being held down. Did you set the house on fire?"
"You said that beating and swearing at people is fine, and kicking your boss out is fine, but you can't kill or burn people."
"No matter how useless your children are or how much they make you angry, you can't just beat them up like this on a nice day like this."
"Xiangbei is such a pitiful child, lying on the ground, freezing cold. I don't know where he was injured."
"Then you didn't see Old Chen's head. He was bleeding profusely and was busy putting out the fire. I was really afraid he would just collapse."
"Yue'e, what you did was really wrong. Do you still want to live with Lao Chen?"
"Let me tell you, there are always quarrels between husband and wife, but apart from the Xiao Ma family, everyone else has gone through this. You've been together for so long, why are you suddenly unable to hold it back?"
"That's right. Lao Chen is not the type of person Lao Ma is. If it was Lao Ma who beat you up every day, we would definitely not say a word to help him today. We would definitely stand on your side, but he is not like that."
"Old Chen, you're already a good man here. I give you your salary as soon as I say it, and you help with the housework on weekdays. We're all watching. If my man can do what Old Chen does, I'll wake up laughing in my dreams."
"Even if the kids and Old Chen upset you during Chinese New Year, it's Chinese New Year after all. Just bear with it and it will pass. A harmonious family brings prosperity. Don't take some things too seriously on the first day of the new year."
They chattered and tried to persuade her one by one, constantly throwing words at her, thinking they were good for her, completely ignoring what had happened and why Old Lady Xia was crying so hard.
You have to be patient in the New Year. As a mother, you have to be patient. As a wife, you have to be patient. You have to be patient when you are young, and you have to be patient even more when you are old. You have to be patient when you don’t have a job, and you have to be patient even when you have a job. After all, they are women, and they have the obligation to be patient for the rest of their lives.
Old Mrs. Xia wanted to tell them to go away, but when she opened her mouth, no sound came out.
Old Lady Yin noticed her movements and was annoyed to death by her words. She scolded Old Lady Xia on her behalf, "You have so many family matters to deal with, and yet you're telling others how to behave. It's really laughable to hear you. You're so indifferent and like to endure. Then I, Yin Donghua, wish you to endure till death in the new year. Why don't you get out of here? You don't have the right to criticize other people's family affairs."
"Yin Donghua, we mean well. Xia Yue'e is no longer a good woman after what she did today. Old Chen was beaten like that by her, and his son is lying on the ground. Any man would not be able to live with her."
"What a sin! Your own husband is dead, do you want Yue'e to be alone and helpless like you? You keep calling her a good sister, but now that you see her like this, you must be happy."
"I think you're just jealous of Yue'e's thriving family and how well her husband treats her. So now that you see them arguing, you're eager for her to break up with Old Chen."
"Aunt Yin isn't that kind of person, so don't talk nonsense. But if Aunt Xia really broke up with Uncle Chen, it wouldn't be good for her. Not only would she be gossiped about, but it would also be so difficult for a woman to live on her own."
"That's right. We all know Donghua's personality. She's not a vicious person. She was just worried when she saw Yue'e crying like that. Don't throw dirty water on her. I remember you asked her to take care of your grandson when you were busy."
"Aunt Yin, don't be too anxious. Please persuade Aunt Xia. Uncle Chen and Aunt Xia are not young anymore. They should stop making such a fuss."
"Yeah, there are no divorced people in our compound."
"Get out, get out! I told you to get out." The more Old Lady Yin listened, the more annoyed she became. If she was already so annoyed, her sister Yue'e must be even more annoyed. So she helped the person up and let her sit on a stool. After wiping her tears, she started to kick her out.
Soon, the neighbors left cursing. Old Mrs. Xia lowered her head. It was originally her fault, but Donghua took the blame for her.
Old Lady Yin walked over and sat on a bench with Old Lady Xia, holding her hand tightly. "Those people are just gossipy. Just ignore them."
"Thank you." Old Mrs. Xia said in a hoarse voice.
"What happened?"
Old Lady Xia's eyes were red. "Tell me, what is the purpose of our lives? When we were young, we struggled to get out of my family. When we finally got a job, people kept introducing us to other men. We thought we picked a good man, but after we got married, we started taking care of his family. When we had children, we had to worry about their affairs. When the children grew up, we worried about their marriages, and then about their children's children. Finally, when our health failed, we were rejected by our children, and then we died. This is how our lives went by."
"If I spend my whole life worrying about my life, what's the point of living?"
Old Lady Yin patted her shoulder and said, "What's the point of living? Living is to enjoy happiness."
Old Lady Xia was stunned and said, "Enjoy happiness? How can I enjoy happiness?"
Old Lady Yin said earnestly, "Sister Yue'e, you're the one who can't figure it out. Look at me. I've said before that I'm even more useless than you. I couldn't break free when I was young, and only after I discovered that my son Yin Sheng was promising did I realize that since I'm useless, I must make my promising children know how to be filial to me so that I can enjoy happiness. If I hadn't woken up so late and was too old, I wouldn't even want to rely on my son."
"You're much better off than me. At least you have a job, so you don't have to rely on anyone. Sister Yue'e, you have more choices than I do. If you feel that your children make you unhappy, or that Old Chen makes you unhappy, you can just take the money and walk out. Why bother with them?"
Old Mrs. Xia was confused: "Go out?"
Old Lady Yin nodded heavily. "Yes, if you go out, your salary is more than enough to support yourself. You can rent a house or apply for a worker dormitory from the factory. From now on, you only need to worry about yourself and not others. You can only rely on yourself and not others. How carefree this kind of life is."
She smiled and said, "We women shouldn't be too burdened by reputation. No matter what they say, as long as we are happy, that's all. If you listen too much to others, you will suffer."
"I haven't received much education, so some of my words may sound ridiculous to you. But if I hadn't understood these things, I'd still be digging in the fields, working like a slave for my other sons."
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