Chapter Twenty-Two: Go Back to Your Mother's House!
She got angrier and angrier as she talked, and started hitting him again with a stick.
Zhong Chengfa cried uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face, rolling around on the ground, wailing incoherently, "Mom! Stop hitting me! It really wasn't me! I really didn't know it was soup for my second sister-in-law! It was Hongjuan! Li Hongjuan told me that you were in a good mood today and specially stewed fish so we could have a taste! I... I only served myself a small bowl..."
Upon hearing this, Li Hongjuan's heart skipped a beat. She thought to herself, "This damned Zhong Chengfa has actually betrayed me!"
She hugged Zhong Hongqing, so frightened that she curled up into a ball.
Zhang Chunxue swung the firewood stick even faster, whistling through the air as it struck Zhong Chengfa repeatedly, making him howl in pain.
"Try it? Even if I cooked this fish for everyone, huh? You three devoured such a big pot of fish, soup and all, leaving only scraps at the bottom! You're all full, but what about everyone else? What about Mingli? What is she eating? The leftover dishwater?!"
Zhong Cheng rolled on the ground in pain, crying even louder: "I'm innocent, Mom! I really only ate a small bowl! Just that small bowl! The rest wasn't eaten by me!"
As if suddenly remembering a lifeline, he abruptly raised his head and pointed at Li Hongjuan in the corner: "It's her! It's Li Hongjuan! She went out suspiciously three or four times just now! It must be her! She's the one who stole all the fish!"
Li Hongjuan's face turned completely pale, and her hands, which were holding Zhong Hongqing, trembled like leaves.
Her mind was buzzing. She only remembered that the last time Zhang Chunxue got so angry was because Zhong Xiaoxiao insisted on going to junior high school. That time, she also used a wooden stick to beat Xiaoxiao so badly that she couldn't get out of bed for several days.
That old hag is truly ruthless!
Zhang Chunxue paused in her hand holding the firewood stick, and her fiery eyes immediately turned to Li Hongjuan.
After a little thought, she understood perfectly.
Zhong Chengfa, that blockhead, is a scoundrel, but not very bold. She didn't quite believe he would dare to drink the whole pot of fish soup behind her back.
It's probably because Li Hongjuan, that gluttonous woman, wanted to eat it herself but was afraid of taking responsibility, so she persuaded Zhong Chengfa to join in.
As a result, Zhong Chengfa probably had some sense of propriety and only ate a little, but Li Hongjuan was insatiable. When no one was around, she ate the whole pot of fish soup!
As Li Hongjuan watched Zhang Chunxue walk towards her step by step, the firewood stick waving in her eyes terrified her so much that her legs went weak and she almost collapsed to the ground.
She hurriedly pushed Zhong Hongqing forward, shrieking, "It wasn't me! Mom! It really wasn't me! It was Hongqing! Hongqing was hungry, he was fussing about wanting to eat fish, and I... I had no choice but to give him a few extra spoonfuls..."
“Him?” Zhang Chunxue sneered, the tip of the firewood stick almost poking Li Hongjuan’s nose. “How much can a baby who’s not even three years old eat? Can he chew up a whole palm-sized crucian carp and swallow it whole, bones and all? Can he drink a whole pot of soup to the last drop?”
"Li Hongjuan! Do you think I, Zhang Chunxue, am some three-year-old child who's so easily fooled?!"
"You're such an ungrateful wretch! Your eyes light up at the sight of meat, and you practically devour it all into your insatiable belly! The rice jar at home is about to be emptied by this glutton!"
Seeing Zhang Chunxue clutching the deadly stick tightly in her hand, and then looking at Zhong Chengfa's miserable state, Li Hongjuan couldn't care less about anything else. She let out a piercing scream: "You dare hit me! Zhang Chunxue, let me tell you! If you dare to lay a finger on me today, I'll go to the commune and report you! I'll report you, this mother-in-law, for abusing your daughter-in-law! Let's see how you'll face people in the village after this!"
Unexpectedly, Zhang Chunxue did not immediately bring down the firewood stick in her hand.
She simply stood in front of Li Hongjuan, looking down at her.
"Abuse your daughter-in-law? A daughter-in-law like you, who is cunning, lazy, and even instigates men to abuse their sick and weak sisters-in-law, is someone our Zhong family can't afford to have! Get out!"
Her voice was unusually cold: "Tomorrow, I'll have the eldest son go to town with you and get this divorce done!"
The fear and smugness on Li Hongjuan's face froze instantly. She opened her mouth wide, as if she were seeing Zhang Chunxue for the first time, and couldn't utter a single word for a long time.
Divorce?
How could this be!
Li Hongjuan immediately panicked.
She...she never expected Zhang Chunxue to pull such a stunt!
Zhong Chengfa, who had been huddled in the corner pretending to be dead, suddenly sprang to his feet. Ignoring his pain, he cried out, his face flushed, "Mom! What are you saying! That's my wife! You can't let her go!"
Zhang Chunxue suddenly turned around, her eyes fixed on Zhong Chengfa.
"You want your wife? Fine! Then you can get out of here with her!"
"Get out! Go back to your father-in-law's house and become his live-in son-in-law!"
"From now on, don't ever say you're my son, Zhang Chunxue's son! I, Zhang Chunxue, don't have a son like you who betrays his own side, is heartless, selfish, and treacherous!"
Looking at Zhang Chunxue's ashen face and the undisguised rage and determination in her eyes, Zhong Chengfa knew that his mother was truly furious this time.
He shuddered, and the words he had just wanted to say in defense of Li Hongjuan instantly stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single word.
He was like a chicken with its neck being choked, mouth agape but unable to utter a sound, only his eyes filled with terror.
Li Hongjuan's head was also buzzing, as if countless bees were swarming inside, but she was quick-witted than Zhong Chengfa and soon recovered from the shock of the word "divorce".
She pulled the still-dazed Zhong Hongqing into a tight embrace, as if he had grasped the last straw.
"Fine! Zhang Chunxue! You want me to get a divorce, is that it? Fine, I'll get a divorce! Who's afraid of who! But my son, Zhong Hongqing, must come with me!"
Zhang Chunxue simply gave a faint "oh," her face showing no emotion whatsoever.
"Then what are you standing there for? Pack your things! Now, right now, get back to your parents' house!"
Li Hongjuan was completely dumbfounded.
She thought that by bringing up her son, Zhang Chunxue would at least have to think twice.
This...this old hag doesn't even want her own grandson?!
Her face was filled with disbelief, and her voice trembled slightly: "You...you...this is the only grandson of the Zhong family! Your own grandson!"
Zhang Chunxue said expressionlessly, "Are you done? If you are, then get out!"
Li Hongjuan's heart sank to the ground. Looking at Zhong Chengfa beside her, he was like a gourd with its mouth sawed off, shrinking his neck and not daring to utter a word. He showed no intention of standing up for her whatsoever.
Li Hongjuan's tears streamed down her face instantly. She hugged Zhong Hongqing and cried her heart out.
"My son! You have such a hard life! Your grandma doesn't want you anymore! Your grandma doesn't want us anymore!"
"Listen to what your grandma is saying!"
"They used to say how much they loved you and how much they adored their grandson, but now they've turned their backs on you!"
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