The fourth son thought for a moment and said, "Mom, I'll go with you first. We'll come back after Dad chases Grandma and Brother Dafu away."
Zhou Lihua thought to herself, "I'm never coming back." "Then Mother, pack some things." Originally, Zhou Lihua wanted to leave immediately, but Old Lady Kong and Kong Dafu were being too bullying.
On the other side, Old Lady Kong was almost out of breath from running: "Da...Da Fu, you...you see if that bastard...um...Zhou Lihua has caught up yet?"
Kong Dafu didn't dare turn back. Zhou Lihua had just charged at him with a knife: "Grandma, let's run first."
Grandma Kong then asked the eldest, second, and third sons to look, but they all dared not.
Finally, when Grandma Kong could no longer run, she looked back. Seeing that Zhou Lihua hadn't caught up, Grandma Kong collapsed to the ground: "Don't...don't run anymore. That bitch didn't...didn't catch up."
Everyone else stopped when they heard that.
As soon as Kong Dafu stopped, he looked at his eldest, second, and third sons and said, "Is your mother crazy?"
The eldest son looked at Kong Dafu and then at Grandma Kong, thinking: If you and Grandma hadn't beaten those two brats, would she have dared to fight you with a knife?
The second son looked at Grandma Kong and wondered: Was it right to call Grandma over?
Third brother: "You're the one who's crazy!"
Grandma Kong: "Stop talking, hurry up and go to the army to find your father. We don't know how Xiangzi from your third uncle's family is doing."
The eldest, second, and third brothers dare not go to Battalion Commander Kong now.
Grandma Kong glared at her three grandsons: "Go on."
The eldest, second, and third brothers didn't move.
Grandma Kong had no choice but to let Kong Dafu go, but Kong Dafu didn't want to go either: "Grandma, let's go together. In case Zhou Lihua catches up... Grandma, if you can't walk, I'll carry you."
Grandma Kong was also afraid that Zhou Lihua would come after them: "Then let's go together."
Battalion Commander Kong was training when a young soldier ran over and said, "Reporting, Battalion Commander Kong, your mother is looking for you."
"My mother? Comrade, are you mistaken? My mother isn't here; she's back in our hometown."
"No. Your mother wants you to leave quickly. She said if you leave late, your third brother's son, Xiangzi, will die."
When the young soldier mentioned Xiangzi, Battalion Commander Kong believed him. After telling the deputy battalion commander, Battalion Commander Kong ran towards the door.
As soon as Grandma Kong saw Battalion Commander Kong, she shouted, "Quick, quick, go home! That slut has gone mad!"
Battalion Commander Kong frowned and ran past Old Lady Kong. Back home, he pushed open the door and asked, "Lihua, are you alright?"
The house was quiet.
Battalion Commander Kong asked again, but still no one answered. He turned and ran into the house, but it was empty. He then ran into the yard, calling out, "Pear Blossom! Pear Blossom!"
When the neighbor, Commander Niu's wife, heard that Battalion Commander Kong had returned, she brought Xiangzi over and said, "Battalion Commander Kong, Lihua has taken your fourth and fifth sons away. She was worried that it wouldn't be safe for the child to stay at home alone, so she sent him to my house."
Battalion Commander Kong's expression changed instantly. "They're gone?!"
"Um."
Xiangzi's tears were still wet on his face: "Second Uncle, I want to go home! I want to go home!"
Battalion Commander Kong was in no mood to care about him: "Sister-in-law, could you please watch over her for a while longer? I'm going to go and bring Lihua back."
"Okay, go ahead."
"Thank you, sister-in-law."
Zhou Lihua, carrying two children and some belongings, walked very slowly. Soon, Battalion Commander Kong found them.
The fifth son cried as soon as he saw Battalion Commander Kong: "Dad, Grandma hit me."
The fourth son's eyes also reddened: "Father, as soon as Grandma arrived, she made Mother kneel down."
Battalion Commander Kong felt very uncomfortable seeing that his two daughters' faces were swollen: "Lihua, come home with me. Fourth and Fifth, come home with your father."
Before Zhou Lihua could speak, the fourth son asked, "Dad, has Grandma left? Grandma hit people really hard."
Fifth Brother: "When Mother tried to pull us apart, Brother Dafu wouldn't let her. As soon as Mother went over, he pushed her away."
Fourth brother: "Yes, Brother Dafu is really bad. When Grandma wants to hit us, he drags us over so she can hit us."
Battalion Commander Kong was furious upon hearing this. He had always treated his nephews well. He never expected... Kong Dafu to repay him like this. "Father knows."
Fifth son: "Dad, Grandma and Brother Dafu are bad people. You should drive them away."
Kong Dafu was easy to talk to, but Grandma Kong wasn't someone you could just send away: "Your grandma will be leaving in a few days. Come on, come home with your father."
The fifth son dared not: "Father, you should send them away right now."
The fourth son was also worried: "Dad, you're not home all day. What if Grandma and Dafu bully us again? Also, Grandma said she wants to find you a daughter."
"What?!" Battalion Commander Kong was immediately taken aback: "Lihua, I have no such intention. My mother is just making things up."
Zhou Lihua glanced at Battalion Commander Kong indifferently: "Even if you have it, it has nothing to do with me. Once I leave that door today, I won't go back in."
Battalion Commander Kong panicked: "Lihua, didn't we agree on this? Lihua, if you leave, the children will be ruined."
This time, Zhou Lihua completely gave up on her eldest, second, and third sons: "Do you know why your mother suddenly came?"
Battalion Commander Kong guessed it: "The eldest, second, and third brothers called them. Don't worry, I'll deal with them as soon as Mother leaves."
Now, Zhou Lihua no longer cares about any of that. "I know that the eldest, second, and third sons look down on me and don't treat me like their mother. But the fourth and fifth sons are still their own sisters, right? When your mother beat the fourth and fifth sons, your three sons just stood by and watched. Sons like that..." Zhou Lihua paused and looked at Battalion Commander Kong: "I don't want them anymore."
Battalion Commander Kong really wanted to hang up the eldest, second, and third brothers and beat them up: "Lihua, you'd better come home with me first. You don't even have a house now..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Lihua interrupted him: "I'd rather live in a shack than go back to your house."
"That won't do."
“Why not? Fourth brother, fifth brother, you two go back with your father.”
Fifth child: "I'm afraid Grandma will beat me."
Fourth son: "Mother, let's go back with Father."
Fifth sister: "Sister, aren't you afraid of Grandma anymore? Grandma said she's going to beat you to death."
Battalion Commander Kong knew that those three brats had broken Zhou Lihua's heart. But if Zhou Lihua left alone this time, then he and Zhou Lihua would truly have no hope. If the fourth and fifth sons went with her, he might still have a chance. "Fourth and fifth sons, you two go with your mother first. Your father will pick you up and take you home after your grandmother passes away."
Fifth son: "Okay. Dad, hurry up."
Fourth son: "What about Mother?"
Battalion Commander Kong glanced at Zhou Lihua, but she ignored him. He then patted the heads of the fourth and fifth sons, saying, "Don't worry, your father won't arrange for you to marry stepmothers."
The fourth brother looked at Battalion Commander Kong and then at Zhou Lihua: "Okay."
Zhou Lihua was also afraid that the children would be beaten if they went back, but... "I have nowhere to live, wouldn't it be bad for the children to stay with me?"
Battalion Commander Kong thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you take the children and stay at Regiment Commander Han's house for a few days?"
"No, thank you. I've already troubled them enough by going into the mountains with me."
"Well..." Battalion Commander Kong looked at the fourth and fifth brothers and said, "Then you two stay with your mother in the shack for a few days. After your father sees your grandmother off, he will take you home."
Fourth and fifth brothers: "Okay."
Battalion Commander Kong picked up the fifth brother and said, "Come on, Dad will build you a shack."
The fifth brother hugged Battalion Commander Kong's neck: "Okay."
Zhou Lihua: "No need, I can build it myself."
Battalion Commander Kong: "You've never built one before. If it's not built sturdily, it'll collapse in the wind. What if it hits Fourth Brother or Fifth Brother?"
"All right."
After setting up the shack, Battalion Commander Kong left. As he walked, he thought to himself, "Soon, I'll know how to deal with those people back home."
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