Chapter 41 What exactly happened between you and Chengfa?
Zhong Chengfa, holding his son, listened to Zhong Chengyi's words with an expression of disbelief on his face.
He opened his mouth wide, and after a long while, he stammered, "Mom...Mom really said that? She...she's really so heartless? She doesn't even want her own grandson?"
Zhong Chengyi snorted coldly: "Otherwise what? You think Mom is joking with you?"
"Mom has already told you to get a divorce from your sister-in-law, brother. Just listen to Mom's advice and get a divorce quickly!"
"I think Mom is really determined this time. Her opinion of my sister-in-law is no ordinary one!"
Upon hearing this, Zhong Chengfa's face fell, and he tightened his grip on Zhong Hongqing's arm, his tone filled with displeasure and grievance.
"Isn't it just that a few days ago, Li Hongjuan had a craving and couldn't resist drinking the bowl of fish soup that she had made for her second son's wife, Zhou Mingli?"
"Why is Mom so short-tempered? Is it really worth her holding a grudge against me over such a small thing?"
"They're forcing me to get a divorce, and now they don't even acknowledge their own grandson!"
As Zhong Chengfa spoke, he felt increasingly aggrieved, and his voice rose several decibels.
Zhong Chengyi rolled his eyes: "Then go find your wife! Anyway, judging from Mom's attitude now, you can only choose one: your wife or your mother!"
He patted Zhong Chengfa on the shoulder: "Brother, you really need to figure out which is more important, your wife or your mother!"
He turned to go back after he finished speaking, but Zhong Chengfa grabbed him.
"Third brother, don't go!" Zhong Chengfa's eyes were bloodshot. "You've never been married, you don't understand!"
Zhong Chengyi was being pulled along, his brows furrowed tightly, and he impatiently tried to shake him off.
"Brother, what time is it? Why are you still telling me this?"
Zhong Chengfa clung to him tightly, his voice tinged with pleading: "If I really get divorced, I won't even have anyone who cares about me anymore!"
"Look at Mom's attitude now, she'd love for me to marry into my father-in-law's family!"
"By then, will she still care if I marry someone else? I'm afraid I'll be a bachelor for the rest of my life!"
Zhong Chengfa became more and more excited as he spoke, and his hands were trembling as he hugged Zhong Hongqing.
"I'm finished now, all alone. Who will take care of me from now on?"
Zhong Chengyi was at a loss for words after listening to his older brother's incoherent ramblings.
Looking at Zhong Chengfa's pitiful and pathetic appearance, he felt a surge of anger.
"Then what do you want to do?" Zhong Chengyi finally managed to squeeze out these words through gritted teeth after a long pause.
He sighed and shook off Zhong Chengfa's hand: "Anyway, I don't know what to do. Nephew, here you go."
After Zhong Chengyi finished speaking, he walked into the courtyard without looking back, his back view carrying a hint of determination and disgust.
The courtyard gate creaked shut as he closed it, and silence quickly returned, leaving only Zhong Chengfa and his son Zhong Hongqing.
Zhong Hongqing was terrified by the series of changes and hugged Zhong Chengfa's neck tightly, sobbing softly.
He rubbed his sunken belly with his little hands and said timidly, "Daddy, I'm hungry..."
Zhong Cheng was furious with nowhere to vent his anger, and hearing his son's words only made him angrier.
He glared at Zhong Hongqing with annoyance: "Hungry, hungry, hungry! All you ever think about is being hungry!"
"Who told you not to call me Grandma in the kitchen just now? Huh?"
"If you had obediently called her Grandma, you might be enjoying a life of luxury right now!"
Zhong Chengfa lowered his voice, but it was filled with hostility: "You deserve it! You might as well starve to death!"
Zhong Hongqing was so frightened by his father's shout that he trembled and tears streamed down his face again.
With a sob in his voice, he said pitifully, "Mom...Mom and Uncle all said...they all said Grandma is a bad person...She...she's not my grandma...I don't want to call her grandma..."
The children's voices sounded particularly clear and jarring in the night wind.
Upon hearing this, Zhong Chengfa was so angry that his temples throbbed, and he really wanted to raise his hand and slap this brat twice more!
But looking at his son's red, swollen face from crying and his eyes filled with fear, he ultimately didn't bring his raised hand down.
He sighed heavily, hugged Zhong Hongqing, feeling frustrated and helpless, turned around dejectedly, and disappeared into the night.
As for Li Hongjuan, ever since Zhong Chengfa "sent" her back to her parents' home, her life has been anything but easy.
When she first got back, she forced a smile and lied to her parents.
"Dad, Mom, I was just thinking that I haven't come back to see you in a long time, so I came back to stay for a few days and keep you company."
Her family members weren't stupid either; when they saw her come back empty-handed, their expressions turned sour.
You know, every time Li Hongjuan went back to her parents' home, she would bring back lots of things from the Zhong family.
They took all sorts of things—food, clothes, and other necessities—like ants carrying house, and sent them all back to her parents' home.
This time, the person came back, but there wasn't a trace of anything.
As it turned out, Li Hongjuan's stay was not just for "a few days".
Seeing that she was staying at her parents' house and wouldn't move, her brother Li Dajiang and sister-in-law Wang Hongxiang's displeasure became more and more obvious.
Wang Hongxiang was particularly gossipy, and she would give her attitude both openly and subtly.
"Oh my, is this lady planning to settle down in our family?"
"You eat and drink for free every day, do you think your family's food comes from the wind?"
Li Hongjuan felt aggrieved, but dared not say anything.
To avoid being looked down upon, she had no choice but to work as much as possible at her parents' home.
She did everything she could—washing clothes, cooking, feeding pigs, chopping firewood—and was even more diligent than when she was at her husband's family home.
I was hoping to shut my brother and sister-in-law up and stop them from criticizing me too much.
A few days later, Zhong Chengfa did come to the Li family.
When Li Hongjuan's parents saw their son-in-law arrive, they thought he had come to take their daughter back home, and their faces immediately lit up. They busied themselves with making arrangements.
"Chengfa's here! Come in and sit down! Hongjuan, quickly pour your husband some tea!"
Li Hongjuan's mother smiled so much that the wrinkles on her face spread out.
Unexpectedly, Zhong Chengfa ate lunch at his father-in-law's house with great unease, mumbling a few perfunctory words as he did so.
"Mom, I just came to see Hongjuan and see if she's settling in well. I have some things to take care of at home, so I have to go back now."
After saying that, he didn't even finish his hot tea before slipping away like a greased rag doll.
The smiles on Li Hongjuan's parents' faces froze as they watched Zhong Chengfa's hurried departure.
"What...what's going on?" Li Hongjuan's mother asked, stunned.
Wang Hongxiang curled her lip and said sarcastically, "What else could it be? Probably the couple had a fight and were kicked out!"
Li Hongjuan's father's face also darkened, and he glared at Li Hongjuan: "Hongjuan! Tell us honestly, what exactly happened between you and Chengfa?"
Li Hongjuan felt her face burning with embarrassment under the gaze of her parents, brother, and sister-in-law; she wished she could disappear into the ground.
What could she say? That she was kicked out by her mother-in-law? That her husband was a coward and dared not utter a word?
That would be even more embarrassing!
She could only grit her teeth and continue lying: "No...nothing, it's just...I had a little argument with Chengfa, and I got angry, so I came back."
These words caused an uproar among the bride's family.
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