Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Separation

While waiting for Lin Dazhu's reply, Jiang Qiuyue would go to the village entrance to chat with people after dinner every day. She would lock the door before leaving.

But today, when she came back from picking vegetables, she saw that the door lock was broken. Without saying a word, she went to each room and found Lin Sanzhu who was eating with his mouth full of oil.

She said how could the Lin family be so peaceful, it turned out that they were secretly doing something bad. They dared to write a letter to Lin Dazhu to slander her and even stole her meat.

Jiang Qiuyue picked up the broom beside the door and hit Lin Sanzhu hard before he could react. Red and swollen marks immediately appeared on Lin Sanzhu's arm.

"Beat you to death, you thief! Your parents didn't teach you, so I, your sister-in-law, will teach you!"

Jiang Qiuyue exerted all her strength, and Lin Sanzhu jumped up and screamed.

"What are you doing? You can steal eggs, so what's wrong with me eating a little of your meat?" Lin Sanzhu smelled the aroma of meat every day. He really couldn't wait for his elder brother to reply, so he thought about stealing some meat. Jiang Qiuyue couldn't do anything to him.

Today he pretended to have a stomachache and waited until Jiang Qiuyue left the house before he started. As a result, Jiang Qiuyue beat him to death and chased him out of the yard.

At this moment, Lin Sanzhu no longer cared about his face and ran while shouting, "Hurry up, someone! Jiang Qiuyue is going to beat me to death!"

He shouted loudly and happened to pass by a rice field. Hu Haizhi was leading his men to the fields. When he saw Jiang Qiuyue chasing and beating Lin Sanzhu, he hurriedly got up from the field.

Hu Haizhi stopped Lin Sanzhu and asked, "Sanzhu, what's wrong with you?"

Hu Haizhi was shocked to see that Lin Sanzhu's face and body were covered with red marks.

"Captain, please save me! My sister-in-law wants to beat me to death!" Lin Sanzhu complained first. "Look at the wounds on my body! They hurt me to death!"

At this time, people working in the fields came to watch the excitement. Wang Chunhua squeezed through the crowd and heard that it was Jiang Qiuyue who beat her. She slapped her thigh hard and said, "Oh my God, why am I so unlucky to have such a daughter-in-law?"

As she said this, she sat on the ground and burst into tears. The villagers saw that Lin Sanzhu had a bruised face and nose, and they were very suspicious for a moment. Was it really Jiang Qiuyue who was usually gentle and kind who beat him?

Someone questioned Jiang Qiuyue, "Qiuyue, as the eldest sister-in-law, aren't you going too far? No matter what Sanzhu did, you shouldn't have beaten him so hard, right?"

Jiang Qiuyue was no coward, and immediately said, "Sister Zhou, you don't know what Sanzhu did. Not only did he pretend to be sick, he also stole things!"

"You're talking nonsense!" Wang Chunhua jumped up immediately, "Sanzhu is my son, he would never steal anything!"

"Mom, at this point, you're still protecting him?" Jiang Qiuyue sighed, "Everyone can look at Sanzhu's mouth, it's all greasy, and he hasn't even had time to wipe it off."

Everyone looked at Lin Sanzhu, and it was indeed all oil. Lin Sanzhu said he had a stomachache and asked for leave to go home, but now his mouth was full of oil. He was indeed faking illness!

Hu Haizhi said sullenly, "Sanzhu, if you don't want to work, just tell me. You shouldn't lie to me."

"I……"

If Lin Sanzhu said he couldn't work, his parents would definitely beat him, and Jiang Qiuyue would be on guard against him. At this point, he couldn't get away with pretending to be sick, so he simply said, "Then why don't you ask me what I ate secretly? Jiang Qiuyue hides in the house every day to eat meat, and my parents and I can only eat wild vegetables. I was so angry that I pried open her door lock."

"Listen everyone, my brother-in-law took advantage of my brother not being at home and actually pried open my sister-in-law's door lock. How dare I stay in the Lin family!"

Jiang Qiuyue answered quickly. She had never argued with anyone in the village, and the original owner had a good temper. When she cried like this, everyone naturally sided with her. "My little bit of meat was left for Beibei and Nannan. I'm not afraid of being laughed at, but Beibei and Nannan have never eaten meat and eggs before. Even during the Chinese New Year, my mother-in-law wouldn't let them have a bite. It's fine for me as a mother not to eat it, but the children need to grow up."

When talking about children, everyone was moved. Everyone in the village saw that Lin Beibei and Lin Nannan were indeed thinner than other children of the same age, and it was obvious that they were malnourished.

Jiang Qiuyue wiped her eyes and said, "I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have secretly hidden meat for the child to eat. But I really had no choice. My mother-in-law took all the living expenses that Dazhu gave me before. It was only because I was injured this time that she left me the living expenses."

She took a step back to advance, and her words made even the most sentimental people cry, "In the end, the children didn't get to eat much, as Sanzhu ate all of it. As the eldest sister-in-law, I first wanted to teach Sanzhu a lesson about doing this, but he scolded me for... being a shrew."

"Jiang Qiuyue, you are talking nonsense, I didn't call you a bitch!"

"Listen everyone, he scolded me again!" Jiang Qiuyue looked at the captain, "I think I really can't stay at home any longer, why don't we just split up."

When it comes to splitting up the family, Wang Chunhua didn't even think about the way everyone looked at her. She rushed out and pointed at Jiang Qiuyue, even wanting to hit her, "Think about splitting up the family? Dream on, I'm not dead yet!"

The more ferocious she was, the more the villagers believed what Jiang Qiuyue said.

It was already hot in the afternoon, and Lin Sanzhu and Wang Chunhua's commotion made Hu Haizhi even more annoyed, "Wang Chunhua, you guys are such bullies!"

"That's right. Qiuyue pays for living expenses every month, but you don't even give the children meat to eat. This is not Qiuyue's fault. If it were me, I would have stopped doing it a long time ago. If anyone abuses my children, I will fight her to the death!"

"Sanzhu is indeed wrong. He is already 20 years old, but he is still so ignorant that he competes with his two nephews for food. He is not afraid of being laughed at if he tells others about it."

"How could he be afraid of being laughed at? Look at him, he is full of slickness, even prying open my sister-in-law's door. I think he has more intentions than that!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone started to think in the wrong way.

Lin Sanzhu felt wronged. He just wanted to be hateful to Jiang Qiuyue, thinking that Jiang Qiuyue couldn't do anything to him. Who knew that Jiang Qiuyue would hit him? He ran away because he was in so much pain.

He was about to defend himself when someone slapped him hard on the back of his head. He turned around and saw that it was his father, and his anger was suppressed.

"Appoint your sister-in-law. You did a good job beating her. She's such a grown-up, yet she's still snatching meat from the kids!" Lin Fugui was a face-saver. He could see that everyone was on Jiang Qiuyue's side, so he had to hold back his anger, otherwise the villagers would blame him even more.

He and the others laughed and said, "It's no big deal, don't worry, my family treats everyone equally, there is no place where we refuse to let children eat meat."

Lin Fugui wanted to change the subject and didn't want to be discussed anymore, but Jiang Qiuyue didn't give him that chance.

Jiang Qiuyue originally wanted to split the family, but since the Lin family didn't make trouble, she couldn't find a reason. Now Lin Sanzhu has given her a good opportunity, and she must seize it.

Seeing Lin Beibei and Lin Nannan running from a distance, Jiang Qiuyue walked over and squatted down holding the child, "Poor little one of mommy, your uncle insisted on snatching your meat to eat, and I couldn't do anything, it was mommy who was useless. But your grandfather said that everyone is treated equally at home, and I don't agree with this. Beibei Nannan, before this month, have you eaten meat?"

Lin Beibei said no, "Grandma said I was a bastard and unworthy of eating meat, and she also forbade my sister and I to eat eggs."

The young man deliberately spoke loudly, then looked at his grandfather, "Grandpa, how can you lie? This is not good!"

Such a young child would not lie. Now everyone is more convinced of how the Lin family treated Jiang Qiuyue and her son in private.

Especially the phrase "little bastard". If Wang Chunhua hadn't said it herself, even a five-year-old child wouldn't know this word.

For a moment, the villagers looked at the Lin family with contempt.

Wang Chunhua glared at him and said, "You are such a heartless person. You eat my food and use my things, why are you still making accusations?"

She wanted to pull Lin Beibei, but was stopped by Jiang Qiuyue.

"Mom, don't hit Beibei, he's still young. If you want to hit someone, hit me." Jiang Qiuyue stood in front of the two children. The villagers couldn't stand it anymore. Aunt Niu rushed out and said, "Wang Chunhua, I've heard you beat and scold Qiuyue and her son. Today I couldn't help it. Everyone, what Qiuyue and Beibei said just now was all true. She, Wang Chunhua, and Lin Fugui didn't treat Dazhu as their own son, and they were trying to waste Qiuyue and her son's time!"

In the past, they lived in the same village and were neighbors. Aunt Niu wanted to help Jiang Qiuyue and her son, but she couldn't tear her face with Wang Chunhua and the others. Today, she couldn't help it. If she didn't speak up for Qiuyue, Qiuyue and her son would be bullied to death.

With Aunt Niu's testimony, the villagers became even louder in denouncing the Lin family.

When everyone was tired of cursing, Jiang Qiuyue said weakly, "Captain, you've seen it too. How can I dare to take the children back after seeing this?"

Hu Haizhi was embarrassed and asked, "Even if we want to split up the family, without Dazhu here, will he agree?"

Jiang Qiuyue thought that if Lin Dazhu didn't agree and let him live with the Lin family, she and her two children would not want to live with the Lin family.

"Didn't the radio say that women hold up half the sky? I can make the decisions about my family's affairs. As for Dazhu, he doesn't live at home, so how can he understand my suffering?"

Only then did everyone realize that Lin Dazhu had not been home for six years, and they felt even more sorry for Jiang Qiuyue and her son.

Auntie Niu finally saw Jiang Qiuyue stand up, and she said to the captain, "Captain, don't hesitate. You don't know how cruel Wang Chunhua is. If she really lets Qiuyue and her son live with them, will you be responsible if anything happens?"

"Niu Dali, take care of your wife!" Lin Fugui couldn't stand it any longer. "When did it become your turn to interfere in our family affairs?"

Niu Dali curled his lips, "You guys are so ugly, otherwise my wife would be so angry. I advise you to do some good things and separate the family when it's time. Otherwise, when you die, people will step on your grave and call you an old man."

"Who are you talking about?" Lin Fugui was reluctant to talk about life or death, so he rushed over to fight, but was stopped by the captain.

Hu Haizhi took a deep breath and said, "Uncle Lin, I think you should divide the family property between Qiuyue and the others. You know what is going on in your mind, so I don't need to say any more unpleasant words. We all live in the same village, and it won't look good if the quarrel continues."

Everyone in the village cares about their reputation. What happened today is enough to embarrass Lin Fugui and his group. If a fight really breaks out, their village will become famous throughout the town.

The captain had said so, and the villagers were staring at him to express their opinions. Lin Fugui was so angry that he felt suffocated, but he had no choice but to agree.

"Old man, you are confused!" Wang Chunhua refused to divide the family, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she was frightened by the old man's eyes.

Lin Fugui kicked his younger son in annoyance. It was all the fault of this little bastard. It would have been fine if he had just stolen the meat, but how dare he make such a big fuss?

Lin Sanzhu felt aggrieved but didn't dare to say anything. He knew that he was in trouble this time and his father would definitely settle the score with him when he got home.

Since the family was going to be divided, the accounts had to be settled clearly. Jiang Qiuyue asked the captain and some uncles and relatives of the Lin family to go back together.

Arriving at the Lin family compound, Jiang Qiuyue asked the children to go back to their rooms. "Since we are going to divide the family, I won't hide it from you. These years, I have given my parents 20 yuan a month for living expenses. I don't have a penny in my hands. Dazhu said that part of it is for filial piety to my parents. I don't want all of it. I just want my parents to give me another 200 yuan after deducting the money I have spent on eating at home these years."

She had calculated that Wang Chunhua and her husband had about two hundred yuan in their hands. It was not too much for her to ask for this two hundred yuan. As long as Lin Fugui was afraid of being stabbed in the back, he would have to give her the money.

When Hu Haizhi and others heard the twenty yuan, their eyes widened.

"Uncle Lin, Dazhu gives you so much money every month, but you still starve Qiuyue and the child. You are really going too far!" Hu Haizhi felt aggrieved for Jiang Qiuyue. He wondered how Jiang Qiuyue could bear it for so many years?

"Captain, I didn't tell you about this just now because I wanted to save face for my parents. Please keep it a secret for me."

The main reason was definitely not this. Wealth should not be exposed. After the separation, Jiang Qiuyue had to live on her own. If others knew she was so rich, someone would always be eyeing her wallet. Although the captain and his men could not keep it a secret for too long, it was good enough to keep it a secret from some people.

And saying this now makes her seem even more generous and kind.

Hu Haizhi sincerely sighed, "I have to say, Qiuyue, you are really kind. I don't think it's too much. Let's just leave it like this."

"No, Captain!" Wang Chunhua shouted, "We don't have that much money. Even if we did, I still have Sanzhu and my daughter who are not married yet. How can I give it all to Jiang Qiuyue?"

"Why not?" Hu Haizhi frowned and said fiercely, "You used Qiuyue and Dazhu's money to help Erzhu get married. Why, now you want to use their money to help Sanzhu get married?"

Lin Fugui's cousin couldn't stand it any longer. "Fugui, you really bring shame to our Lin family. Even if Dazhu is not your biological son, he is filial to you. You shouldn't abuse the child."

They all thought that Jiang Qiuyue gave them two or three yuan for living expenses. No one could have imagined that it was twenty yuan. Looking around the entire Taohua Village, no family could earn twenty yuan a month.

Being accused by his family members in front of him, Lin Fugui was so ashamed that he gritted his teeth. Wang Chunhua cried and made a fuss, and only when the money came into her pocket did she refuse to give it to Jiang Qiuyue, that bitch.

Jiang Qiuyue sobbed a few times, "Captain, forget it, I'd better go to the town to find the police. I'm really scared. I'm afraid that I can't divide the family today, and after you leave, my parents will come to take revenge on me and the children."

"Lin Fugui, can you please say something, or do you really want to drive him to death?" Hu Haizhi didn't want the incident to spread to the town. "You can embarrass yourself in the town, but Sanzhu stole something today. Send him to labor reform for a while. It just so happens that you don't know how to teach your children!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Chunhua was so scared that she dared not make any noise. Lin Sanzhu even begged his father with trembling legs, "I don't want to go to labor reform, Dad. I have already told Xiaomin that I will marry her at the end of the year."

Which is more important, money or son?

Lin Fugui looked at Jiang Qiuyue with eyes that made him want to eat her up, but he could only grit his teeth and swallow, "Okay, I'll pay you."