Around 3 p.m., when the shop was quiet, Xia Baozhu was writing down her future plans at the counter.
The door opened, and a middle-aged man with the appearance of an old farmer walked in. He was wearing a dark blue cotton-padded jacket and military green trousers, and his face and hands were etched with the marks of time. He had a reserved and cautious expression.
Following behind was a timid, twenty-year-old youth, good-looking, somewhat resembling Xia Baozhu, but looking like a greenhorn.
Xia Baozhu quickly recognized the two men: Xia Zhaodi's father, Xia Gangtie, and her younger brother, Xia Laifu.
"Why are you here?" Xia Baozhu asked calmly, taking off her mask.
"Zhao Di, it really is you." Xia Gangtie looked at Xia Baozhu in disbelief. Apart from her appearance being that of his eldest daughter, everything else was different, especially her eyes, which made him very uncomfortable.
He suddenly had a bad feeling; things wouldn't go as smoothly as he thought.
"Big sister, you really opened this shop? Is it for me?" Xia Laifu's innocent tone made Xia Baozhu want to punch him.
"I own this shop, why should I give it to you? If you want to open one, go ahead and do it yourself." Xia Baozhu's words were cold and harsh.
Xia Laifu gaped, looking like he'd seen a ghost, and immediately complained to his father, "Dad, look at my older sister, she's got money and doesn't care about us anymore!"
"Xia Zhaodi, I'm asking you, have you really divorced Minghui?"
Xia Gangtie was no longer as cautious as when he first entered the door. After confirming that Xia Baozhu was his daughter, he immediately changed his attitude, his tone became authoritative, and he stared intently at Xia Baozhu, trying to exert pressure on her from the perspective of paternal authority.
"Yes, is there a problem?" Xia Baozhu put the plan in her hand into the drawer, looked up at Xia Gangtie, and did not back down at all.
"Why didn't you discuss such an important matter with your family?" Xia Gangtie slammed his fist on the counter, his voice sharp and stern.
The noise spurred San Gou out from behind. He rushed out quickly, knife in hand, shouting, "Who dares to cause trouble in this shop? Grandpa's got a knife to show you!"
Xia Laifu was so frightened that he quickly retreated behind his father, but he soon realized what was happening and pointed at San Gou, saying, "You fatso, my sister is the boss here. If you dare to insult my father, you'll be packing your bags and leaving."
San Gou was dumbfounded, and he looked at Xia Baozhu embarrassedly.
"Xiao Zheng, close the outside door first, and we'll be temporarily closed. I'll reopen the door after I've sorted things out."
"Okay, Sister Xia." San Gou immediately hung the "Closed for Business" sign outside the door and then closed the door.
"Xiao Zheng, go and get busy in the kitchen."
"Okay, Sister Xia, call me if you need anything." San Gou took the knife and went back.
It seems that Sister Xia doesn't get along well with her family, otherwise she wouldn't have stayed away for the Chinese New Year.
"What are you doing here?" Xia Baozhu asked impatiently, looking at Xia Gangtie, who was becoming arrogant.
When faced with his eldest daughter who was no longer afraid of him, Xia Gangtie found that his old methods were no longer effective.
In the past, when he got angry, his two daughters would be so scared that they wouldn't dare to breathe. Now, she's really gone too far.
"Xia Zhaodi, how dare you talk to your father like that!" Xia Gangtie slammed his fist on the counter again, making a loud noise.
San Gou turned his head again uneasily.
"Speak properly, don't bang on my counter. Do you have the money to pay for it if you break it?"
Xia Baozhu raised her voice; she couldn't stand men who seemed honest and unassuming on the outside but were domineering and tyrannical at home.
To put it bluntly, this is a case of someone who lacks ability and uses their limited skills to bully the weak, deriving pleasure from bullying their wife and children and temporarily experiencing the feeling of being powerful.
"I'm asking you a question! How dare you speak to your father like that?"
Xia Gangtie never imagined that one day his daughter would look at him with such disdain. He was so angry that he almost pushed his hat off, and he raised his voice again, his throat practically bleeding from shouting.
"Xia Zhaodi, how dare you speak to your father like that? You're asking for trouble!"
Xia Laifu got excited too, rolled up his sleeves, and followed his father in shouting, trying to intimidate Xia Baozhu with his imposing manner.
His sister is a woman, and as long as his father makes a move, he can scare her half to death, and the shop will be his.
"That's how I talk." Xia Baozhu picked up a rolling pin from the side, which was her go-to weapon, mainly for dealing with clueless thugs.
The rolling pin lashed out at Xia Laifu with lightning speed.
Xia Laifu was caught off guard and his arm was suddenly slapped, causing him to immediately cry out and clutch his arm.
"Dad, she hit me so hard!" Xia Laifu cried, tears streaming down his face. It hurt much more than when he accidentally fell from the tree.
"You've really gone too far!" Xia Gangtie's anger flared up, and he reached over the counter to hit Xia Baozhu.
Xia Baozhu also slapped his arm without any mercy.
A searing pain, like being struck by a boulder, swept through his body, causing Xia Gangtie and his son to hug their arms and jump up and down in place.
"Fine, Xia Zhaodi, you just wait!" Xia Gangtie realized that Xia Baozhu was no longer the same person she used to be. Not only could he not control her, but she also dared to hit him!
Throughout history, how many daughters have dared to hit their fathers?
This is not just unfilial, it's utterly rebellious!
He had previously doubted what his in-laws said, but now it seems that they were not only not exaggerating, but also underestimating the situation.
Xia Gangtie came today after receiving a call from his in-laws in the city. He thought it was good news, but to his surprise, the caller told him that his daughter was getting a divorce.
He hurriedly brought his son to the city, first visiting his in-laws' house and listening to Wang Aixiang's complaints.
“Your daughter is too lazy. She does nothing at home and goes out to play from early morning to late at night. We don’t dare to say anything to her, because if we offend her, we will get beaten.”
“No one in our family escaped her beatings. My son Mingguang was beaten so badly that his head was bleeding and his back was covered in bruises that haven’t faded yet.”
Xia Gangtie felt that Wang Aixiang's description didn't sound like that of the eldest daughter. Zhao Di's temper was similar to that of a clay figurine, and she would never hit anyone.
But when his in-laws said that, Xia Gangtie, who already considered himself inferior to city dwellers, felt even more ashamed and kept bowing and apologizing.
"It's all my and her mother's fault for not teaching her well. When I see her, I will definitely teach her a lesson. Please don't be too angry, in-law."
"How can I not be angry? They've been married for so many years and still don't have children. Minghui is thirty and still doesn't have a child. I feel embarrassed when I go out. And she won't even let Minghui into the house to sleep." Wang Aixiang became angrier as she spoke, as if her family had suffered a great injustice.
“We don’t necessarily want to get a divorce. Minghui told me before the new year that he didn’t want a divorce. But your daughter is different. This marriage is a must.”
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