Chapter Twenty-Three: Driving Li Hongjuan Away
As she wailed, she secretly glanced at Zhang Chunxue's face, hoping to see some change in that icy expression.
Zhang Chunxue didn't even bother to lift her eyelids, clearly she was extremely impatient.
"Is the performance over? If it's over, can you get out now?"
She turned her head, her gaze like a knife shooting towards Zhong Chengfa: "Zhong Chengfa! Are you still standing here like a doorman? Hurry up and pack your ex-wife's things! Let me tell you! I'm here today watching you pack! If you dare to put even a single needle or thread from the Zhong family into her bag, you and your good ex-wife can pack up and get out of here!"
When Li Hongjuan heard Zhang Chunxue utter the words "ex-wife," her mind went blank.
Now she was completely panicked and even forgot to cry.
This old hag... she's serious! She really wants to get rid of me!
Li Hongjuan finally couldn't hold back anymore, and knelt down on the ground with a thud, hugging Zhong Hongqing and bursting into tears.
"Mom! I was wrong! It's all my fault! I'll never do it again. Please, you're so kind, don't send me away!"
She wiped away her tears and rubbed against Zhang Chunxue's feet, saying, "I'll never dare to eat another bite of food again, and I'll never dare to say a bad word about Chengfa again... Mom, isn't it enough that I kowtow to you and admit my mistake?"
If she's really sent back to her parents' home, where will she put her face?
Moreover, once a daughter is married, she's no longer considered part of her family; there's no place for her in her own family anymore!
Zhang Chunxue didn't even glance at her, only coldly saying, "Stop talking nonsense! I'm not some adult, I'm the wicked mother-in-law you're talking about who abuses her daughter-in-law!"
She turned and glared coldly at Zhong Chengfa: "Zhong Chengfa! What are you standing there for? Pack your things and send your wife out!"
When Zhong Chengfa was called out, he shrank back in fright, not daring to look into Li Hongjuan's expectant eyes, hoping she would say something nice to him. He could only reply in a low voice, "Oh... okay..."
Li Hongjuan was so angry that she wanted to punch the wall.
This bastard, does he really intend to send her away?
Zhong Chengfa slowly walked to the kang (a heated brick bed), rummaged through the cabinet and took out Li Hongjuan's clothes, shoes and socks. He also took out the few yuan and two old towels that she had hidden under her pillow and stuffed them all into the tattered cloth bag.
Seeing this, Li Hongjuan panicked even more. Forget about hints now, she quickly stepped forward, grabbed Zhong Chengfa's arm and wouldn't let go, her voice extremely low: "Chengfa, please beg Mom for me! I really can't go back to my parents' home. My sisters-in-law are just waiting to see me make a fool of myself!"
Zhong Chengfa gritted his teeth and muttered under his breath, "Who told you to be so greedy and make Mom angry?"
"You!" Li Hongjuan stared wide-eyed at her husband's cowardly appearance, feeling both anxious and angry, but she had no energy left to make a scene.
She wanted to plead with Zhang Chunxue again, but Zhang Chunxue just looked at her with disgust and indifference.
Thinking about Zhang Chunxue's change in attitude towards her recently, and how she had gone from being a precious daughter-in-law who had given birth to a grandson to being worse off than Zhou Mingli, that little bitch who had given birth to a girl, Li Hongjuan's anger flared up.
She had a bad temper to begin with, but Zhang Chunxue kept her in check at home, so she didn't usually show it. Now that Zhang Chunxue was clearly trying to kick her out, Li Hongjuan got angry.
She stopped pretending.
She turned to look at Zhang Chunxue, venting all her anger on her: "Zhang Chunxue, what do you think you are! You used to favor boys over girls, treating Xiaoxiao like a servant. Now that Xiaoxiao has been admitted to school and praised by the leaders, you're fawning over her? And now you have the nerve to talk about me! What, aren't you afraid of the villagers gossiping behind your back, saying that you change your face faster than flipping through a book?"
"Pah!" Zhang Chunxue didn't bother to pay her any attention. She just swung a stick and slammed it hard against the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). "If you say another word, I'll break your legs next time, so you won't be able to crawl out of this door!"
The sound was deafening, startling all the chickens, ducks, and dogs in the house, who started barking loudly.
Li Hongjuan screamed in fright and jumped up to hide in the corner, not daring to breathe.
Zhong Chengfa dared not delay any longer. He took two steps at a time, stuffed the bundle into Li Hongjuan's arms, and then pushed her toward the gate of the courtyard.
"Hurry up, or you'll really get a beating from Mom, then you'll behave!"
As she stepped out of the hospital gate, the wind howled. Li Hongjuan stood under the locust tree, trying one last time to struggle. She hugged her child tightly and cried loudly.
"What kind of mess is this?! My daughter and I have been kicked out. How am I supposed to face people now? It's all because of your heartless mother. She just wanted to break up our little family. She's just jealous that we're doing well!"
After saying that, she turned around and accused Zhong Chengfa, "You're a good-for-nothing too. All you do is listen to your old woman. If you're so capable, come back to your parents' house with me now and see if you can still come back to eat our meals later!"
Zhong Chengfa's expression was complicated. He kicked a pebble and whispered, "Go back and stay for a few days first, let my mother calm down. I'll find another opportunity to put in a good word for you, and then I'll definitely be able to bring you back."
He paused, then added, "Who told you to be so greedy? Now look what happened, it's all your own fault."
Hearing this, Li Hongjuan breathed a sigh of relief, finally feeling that there was still room for the situation to be resolved.
She wiped the snot and tears from her face, hastily wiped the child's face clean with her sleeve, and said sternly, "Remember what I said today. If you want me to come back, it won't be so easy!"
After saying that, she picked up Zhong Hongqing, stood tall and proud, and swaggered out of the village, preparing to go back to her parents' home in the next village.
After the courtyard gate closed, Zhong Chengfa quietly slipped back into the house and cautiously peeked into the kitchen doorway: "Mom, um... actually, I only drank a small bowl of fish soup. How about we make some noodles for Mingli? Or maybe we can buy some tofu tomorrow..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Chunxue stared at him with a dark expression and slammed a piece of firewood directly onto the cutting board!
"Don't try to fool me! The fish soup was for Zhou Mingli to recuperate and strengthen her body; it wasn't for you in the first place. Now that your wife and grandson have drunk it all, you have to make up for it! Don't even think about going inside to sleep until you've caught at least two crucian carp! If you can't catch any, you'll be guarding the riverbank for me!"
Zhong Chengfa's face turned green, and he shrank his neck and mumbled, "Mom, I... I only tasted a small sip, I really didn't drink much."
Zhang Chunxue didn't even lift her eyelids, her voice as cold as ice: "What your wife ate, what your son ate, the root of the problem lies with you! You have to pay for this!"
She paused, her gaze sharp as she swept over Zhong Chengfa: "Besides, that fish soup was meant to keep Mingli alive. When did it become your place to covet it?"
Zhong Chengfa was so choked up that he couldn't say a word, and his face turned red with frustration.
But his mother was in a bad mood, so how could he dare to argue back?
He resigned himself to his fate, picked up the broken bamboo basket from the corner of the wall, and headed towards the riverbank, looking back every few steps. In his heart, he still cursed Li Hongjuan to the core.
Zhang Chunxue watched his retreating figure disappear through the courtyard gate and let out a heavy snort.
She turned and went into the kitchen, washed the rice and pots, and started tidying up again.
Flames licked the bottom of the pot, and the fresh fish soup bubbled and steamed, its umami flavor spreading little by little.
But after all that fuss, the sun was already setting, and we were about to miss lunchtime.
Zhong Chengren and Zhong Chengyi returned from the fields one after the other, both starving.
As soon as you enter the courtyard, you can smell the aroma of fish wafting from the kitchen, but the dining table is empty.
Zhong Chengren frowned and said impatiently, "Mom, what's going on today? What time is it? The food is still not ready?"
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