Hua Wanjiang was always bullied because no one enlightened him. He was instilled with those ideas by Zheng Shuzhen since he was a child, and he was like a puppet on a string.
But he's not stupid. Now that the flowers have bloomed, he understands these principles, and his heart has begun to change.
He said to Zheng Shuzhen, "Mother, what my child said is also what I was thinking. Yan'er and I are not young anymore, and we have to think about the future of our child. I can be your slave, but not our child. I have lived a miserable and tiring life. I can't let my child be like me, oppressed all my life. I have done enough for you, and I have to do something for my wife and children in the future."
Upon hearing Hua Wanjiang's words, everyone in the room understood one thing: Hua Wanjiang was beginning to slip out of their control.
Zheng Shuzhen had no choice but to resort to tantrums, crying and shouting at Hua Zhongzhi, "Old man, I can't live like this anymore! All these years I've raised an ungrateful wretch! He's not my biological son, no matter how good you are to him, it's useless. You're either bringing up old grievances or blaming me. You can't even distinguish between filial piety and respect for elders. It's obvious you've put me out there. I can't go on living like this."
Hua Zhongzhi was most afraid of his wife acting like this, so he quickly said to Hua Wanjiang, "Eldest son, you are the younger generation, how can you upset your mother? Regardless of right or wrong, apologize to your mother first. What's wrong with going along with the old lady in everything?"
Hua Kai spoke up before Hua Wanjiang could, saying, "Grandpa, some things are just right. We should always be reasonable and speak the truth. We all know what's going on in our family. My grandma said that my dad doesn't treat her like family. But has she ever treated my dad like family? People treat each other with sincerity. So, some things are better left unsaid."
She spoke with conviction because she had no guilty conscience and was not afraid of their commotion; the more they made a scene, the better, since they were in the right anyway.
Zheng Shuzhen was even angrier. She jumped off the kang (a heated brick bed) and said, "I'm going to the village committee right now. I don't believe there's nowhere to seek justice."
Hua Kai said, "Go ahead, Grandma. If you feel the village isn't enough, go to the township, the city, or even the capital. We'll go with you. We'll be right no matter what, and we won't feel guilty. We're not afraid of going anywhere."
Zheng Shuzhen wasn't really going to the village committee, because she knew she was in the wrong and needed a way out, so she looked at her third son, Hua Wanhu.
Hua Wanhu, who had been watching from the sidelines, understood that it was no use saying anything now. The other side had awakened, and if the matter escalated to the village, his family would have no grounds for complaint.
So when he received a look from his mother, he quickly went over to help Zheng Shuzhen up: "Mother, we're all family, what's going on? We don't need your brother's help, sit down and talk it over."
Suddenly, a golden light flashed in Hua Kai's mind. She said to Hua Wanhu, "Third Uncle, I know you are the most filial, but the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Grandma thinks you are doing well, so she doesn't care about you. The grain that she brought back from my house was all given to Second Uncle and Fourth Uncle. You didn't get any benefit, so you think it wasn't much."
After saying that, Hua Kai sighed again and said to Hua Wanhu with a consoling tone, "Third Uncle, don't blame Grandma too much. After all, Grandma still thinks that boys are the bloodline of the Hua family, so she just wants to save more for Second Uncle and Fourth Uncle's family."
Hua Kai knew that Zheng Shuzhen had always hoped that Hua Wanhe's family would have a son, and had caused quite a bit of trouble over the years. Today, she stirred up all the conflicts between them.
Hua Kai has always believed that internal conflicts can dismantle a strong group.
Hua Qingyi, standing to the side, was completely stunned. He had come to learn from his sister, but her skills were simply too amazing. Not only could she save herself, but she could also cause trouble? He would need to study this for several more years.
Of course, Hua Wanhu already cared about this matter, so he understood Hua Kai's unspoken meaning even more. He used to think that since they were all brothers, there were some things that could be left uncompeted for, but not competing for them did not mean that he agreed with his mother's favoritism.
He released Zheng Shuzhen's hand: "Mother, I know you have a problem with me, but whether or not we have a son is not something we can decide. You can't force us to steal a son, can you?"
Zheng Shuzhen had grievances about this matter, but she definitely wouldn't say it in front of so many people now. She could talk about it privately with her third son. If she did it in front of her daughter-in-law, wouldn't that be asking for trouble?
However, she could also see that her third son was a little agitated, so she quickly advised him, "Third son, let's not talk about this for now. I know you're wronged, but some things can't be understood just by looking at them. Can I talk to you about it privately when we have time?"
Hua Kai wasn't about to let this end there. She walked to the light switch by the entrance and turned it on: "It gets dark so quickly. It's so much brighter with the light on. Grandma, people should live in the light too. What can't we say openly? Are you afraid someone will hear us?"
As she turned on the light, the room instantly brightened. The incandescent bulb illuminated the new red floral linoleum on the kang (a heated brick bed), reflecting light and appearing somewhat dazzling.
As Hua Kai spoke, she glanced at her third aunt, Wang Min, who was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), her eyes conveying a knowing look.
Wang Min was already harboring resentment, and the sudden lighting of the light was like igniting a firecracker in her heart.
Her temper flared up immediately, and she said to Zheng Shuzhen, "Mother, I know you've talked to the third son about having a son in private, but is having a son something I can just decide to do? All these years I've been swallowing my anger, and when I come back for holidays I try my best to please you, all because I haven't had a son? But I just can't have one, are you planning to kill me?"
Hua Kai watched the flames ignite within them, and she was overjoyed. "You always ganged up to bully our family. Now it's time for you to get your comeuppance."
Zheng Shuzhen was anxious. Why was things not going according to plan? Why was everyone targeting her?
But she was also afraid that her daughter-in-law would cause trouble. After all, her third son was able to work at the township post office because her daughter-in-law's family had helped him. Her third son was successful, which made her proud. She didn't want to fall out with her daughter-in-law.
She quickly said, "Min, look what you're thinking. I do hope you have a son, but I'm not forcing you. I asked Lao San indirectly to see if you didn't want one or if you really couldn't get pregnant. If you can't get pregnant, let's figure something out together. I was afraid you'd get angry if I asked you directly. Look at me, I meant well but did something wrong."
Although Wang Min knew that her mother-in-law's words were false, she didn't dare to really break ties with Zheng Shuzhen. After all, making a big scene and getting a divorce wouldn't do her any good. However, she did have a lot of grievances and anger in her heart.
She said to Zheng Shuzhen, "Mother, in the future, if there's anything, just say it openly to avoid misunderstandings. Besides, although we don't have a son, this isn't what we wanted either. The third son is your own flesh and blood. You're too biased. How sad the third son must feel. You don't care about us three, but you should at least care about your son, right?"
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