Chapter 11 The Complete Separation of the Family
Seeing this, Liu Guifen also yelled and rushed over to hit Wan Shuhui: "You slut, you whore who's slept with ten thousand men, how dare you hit my man! I'll fight you to the death... Ah—"
Hearing her cursing her mother with foul language, Cheng Ying raised her hand and slapped her twice. "Shut your stinking mouth! What kind of filthy thing are you? You and your old beast have been bullying my mother for so many years. You think my mother will still let you bully her like before? Do you think I, as her daughter, am powerless to stop you?"
She was a trained professional, and with each slap, Liu Guifen's face became red and swollen.
Liu Guifen was so angry that she jumped up and down, wanting to fight Cheng Ying to the death. Cheng Ying kicked her to the ground twice, and she couldn't get up. The couple from the third branch of the family came over to take sides, but Cheng Ying didn't bother to look at them. She slapped the couple twice each, and they immediately became obedient.
Huang Cuizhi had initially intended to intervene, but seeing Cheng Ying's stance, she stopped, lay down on the ground, and began to resort to the usual tactics of a country old woman, throwing a tantrum and wailing, "This is outrageous! How dare a junior hit an elder! Cheng Ying isn't even human, she's an animal! You officials, are you just going to let her hit and bully your elders...? That postman job is my grandson's, what right does a little brat like her have to do that job...?"
A group of cadres stood coldly in the courtyard, watching her throw a tantrum without saying a word.
The village secretary, a man nearing forty with receding hair named Xiang Zhengguang, couldn't help but scold Cheng Yiguo, "Uncle Cheng, quickly tell Auntie and Jianli to stop making trouble. So many county officials are watching. Aren't they ashamed of themselves for causing such a scene? Just do as Cheng Ying asked, pay back the money you owed the second wife, and redistribute the second wife's property, land, livestock, and equipment. If you keep making trouble like this, do you really want to go to court, jail, and have your house sold to pay off the debt?"
Cheng Yiguo was also furious, feeling that Cheng Ying was a traitorous scoundrel who dared to turn against their elders and plot against the Cheng family's old house.
But he knew very well that Cheng Ying was no longer the same as before, and if they didn't do as she wished, she was capable of anything.
He closed his eyes and shouted, "Enough! All of you, shut up!"
As Huang Cuizhi and the others fell silent, Cheng Yiguo took a deep breath and said, “Secretary, leaders present, everything else Cheng Ying mentioned is easy to handle, but her third point—that my wife and I take care of our second child’s daily needs—is ridiculous! Our second child is sick, so they should be taken care of like children. How can we expect our elderly and frail parents to take care of our child? This is going against the natural order.”
"Who caused your second son to become like this? Isn't it you and your wife who indulged your other children and grandchildren, leading him to this state? In the end, it's you two who owe your second son. It's not a given that Cheng Ying made you take care of him." Xiang Zhengguang couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up, "As parents, you can't just enjoy all the good things Cheng Erge has done for you over the years and then sit back and reap the benefits without giving anything in return."
Cheng Ying interjected at the opportune moment, "If you don't want to take care of my dad, that's fine too. Just give my mom fifteen yuan a month for care, and let her take care of my dad for you. If you don't want to pay, then you can take care of my dad for the first half of the month, and we'll take care of him for the second half."
Huang Cuizhi jumped up: "What kind of daydream are you having! You want us old folks to pay for taking care of your dad? You might as well just rob a bank!"
Cheng Jiantong used to give her 15 yuan a month as a token of respect, which she used to subsidize her first and third wives who had given birth to sons. Now, asking her to take out so much money every month to support her second wife is practically asking her to die!
Cheng Ying wanted to hear those words. She glanced at Cheng Jiantong, whose face was ashen, and said with a half-smile, "Dad, did you hear that? In your mother's eyes, you're not even worth fifteen yuan."
Cheng Jiantong kept his head down, so his expression couldn't be seen. However, his two hands, hanging at his sides, were clenched into fists, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged out, revealing his mood.
The deputy county head looked coldly at Cheng Yiguo and said, "Old Master Cheng, you are a disgrace to your reputation as a veteran and revolutionary. You haven't learned a single bit of the spirit of the People's Liberation Army. Instead, you are so cruel and abusive to your daughter-in-law and granddaughter's family. You have enjoyed so many welfare benefits from the country for so many years since you retired, which has completely tarnished the honor of being a veteran. I have seen through your family's affairs. From today onwards, your family will follow what Comrade Cheng said: pay back the money that should be paid, divide the family property that should be divided, and take care of the people that should be taken care of. If you haven't done the above in three days, your whole family can expect to go to jail and face lawsuits. This house of the Cheng family will also belong to Comrade Cheng, and she can do whatever she wants with it."
Once he made that decision, it was a done deal; the matter was settled, and there was no room for negotiation.
Cheng Yiguo's family was so angry that they were trembling all over. They wanted to argue or defend themselves, but they couldn't.
As soon as the deputy county head waved his hand, the remaining seven or eight policemen in the courtyard rushed forward to arrest them.
Since ancient times, ordinary people have never met officials. Even though the Cheng family had served in the military for three generations and had some connections in the army, they were still uneducated and ignorant country folk. When they saw the police coming to arrest them, they were genuinely afraid.
Despite their resentment, Cheng Yiguo's family had no choice but to swallow their pride and accept Cheng Ying's demands under pressure from so many leaders. In front of the leaders, they first returned 100 yuan to Wan Shuhui, and then, under the leadership of the commune and village cadres, they carried out a redistribution of the family property.
They gave the second family some pots and pans, several dozen kilograms of coarse grains, three kilograms of fine grains, a pig, two chickens, two ducks, and some other miscellaneous items, and moved them into the second family's house.
Then, at Cheng Ying's insistence, the Cheng family was forced to sign IOUs promising to repay all the money within three days, and the matter was temporarily put on hold.
Cheng Ying stood in the courtyard, bowed solemnly to the leaders and villagers, and pretended to wipe away non-existent tears from her eyes, saying, "Leaders and fellow villagers, thank you for speaking up for justice for my family today. I was young before and did some things that were ignorant and offended you all. I sincerely apologize to you. In the future, if you ever need my help, just let me know, and I will help you as much as I can without delay."
Cheng Ying was born very beautiful, perfectly inheriting the best features of her parents. She had big double eyelids, curled eyelashes, a high nose bridge, and rosy lips. Even though her skin was tanned to a honey color due to years of training in the army, compared to Cheng Xue standing next to her with her snow-white skin, it was clear that Cheng Ying's skin was originally snow-white. If she stayed at home for half a year or a year without being exposed to direct sunlight, her skin would also become snow-white, making her a renowned beauty in the surrounding area.
Now, dressed in a military uniform with her hair cut short, she looked at everyone with teary eyes, her expression stubborn and determined, instantly igniting a sense of justice in the villagers.
People in this era genuinely support and love the military. Regardless of whether they had any past conflicts with Cheng Ying, as a soldier, even now a retired soldier, she suffered such unfair treatment in the Cheng family. People couldn't help but feel sympathy for her plight and said that if the Cheng family bullied her again, she should just go to them and they would definitely help her.
With the villagers' support, Cheng Ying felt more confident. She politely saw off the villagers who had come to join in the fun, and then thanked the county leaders, inviting them to dinner at the commune's state-run restaurant.
The deputy county head waved his hand and refused, "We won't eat. Comrade Cheng, you just returned from the army not long ago. According to regulations, you can go to the county's armed forces department and apply for a suitable job in the county. Judging from your appearance, are you going to take over your father's postman job? Are you sure you want to be a rural postman? That's a tough job."
Although postmen were considered government employees and had a secure job in the eyes of ordinary people, they still had to deliver mail every day, rain or shine, and bear the responsibility for lost letters and packages. Especially for rural postmen who traveled rural routes, climbing mountains and wading through rivers, encountering snakes, insects and wild animals alone was common. Most men couldn't endure such hardship, so when Cheng Ying, a woman, took the job, the deputy county head was genuinely worried that she wouldn't be able to withstand the sun and rain.
“I’m determined to work as a postman.” Cheng Ying said earnestly, “My father wasn’t a good husband or a good father, but he was a good rural postman. In the more than 20 years he worked as a postman, he never made a mistake in delivering the letters and packages. The expectations and trust that the villagers had for him are priceless. I want to continue the trust that the villagers have in my father and live up to the expectations of every villager who waits for their letters and packages.”
Cheng Ying knew, of course, that being a rural postman was a tough job, and with her current experience as a veteran, she could actually have better choices and a better life.
In her past life, she chose to join the army, get promoted, and pursue a better path.
But no one knows how much effort and hard work she has to put in to get promoted. For example, when she first joined the army, the high-intensity training every day made her scalp tingle and her whole body was covered in injuries. Her hands and feet were covered in thick calluses from all the training. She even stopped having her period. She was in a state of high concentration every day, her whole body was tense, and she never relaxed.
Every mission carries many potential dangers. Injuries and bleeding are minor issues; what's truly life-threatening is death. In her past life, Cheng Ying witnessed many of her comrades, who shared meals, lodging, and training with her, dying in front of her, their bodies mangled and bloody, and she was powerless to do anything to save them.
Having experienced it time and time again, she had been left with severe post-traumatic stress disorder from war. Although she held a high position in her previous life and seemed to be doing well in the eyes of others, only she knew that the path she had chosen was actually extremely painful for her.
She was too tired. All she wanted was to rest, be an ordinary person, and live out her life quietly.
In this life, she doesn't want to follow the same path as in her previous life and become a rural postman. It's just a job choice she's considering for a different life, not simply for her father's sake.
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