Zhao Dashu looked at Wang Shi and felt a pang of sadness for some reason. It must have been tough following his elder brother. She looked much older than his wife, with many white hairs in sight.
"Sister-in-law, only my brother knows where Xiao Cui went. Instead of sending people to look for her, we should ask him."
"Zhao Dashu!"
Zhao Dawen was furious. That bastard was too wicked! He was already covered in injuries, wasn't that bad enough? He was still trying to cause trouble. What good would it do him if Wang beat him to death?
Wang glanced at Zhao Dawen and found it extremely boring.
There's nothing to look forward to with that scoundrel. Xiao Cui ran away, so be it. It's not the first time, after all.
From now on, Zhao Dawen will earn money to atone for his sins; he will have to earn back the lost money with his own hands. Under her supervision, she believes that his progress in copying books will be faster than before, and he will be able to earn it back soon.
That's enough, let's leave it at that.
"Pack your things, we're going back to the village."
"Mother, I'm still in school."
"It's up to you whether you stay or leave, just don't ask me for money again. I'm not kidding you. I won't give you a single penny if you stay in the city."
Zhao Dashu nodded in agreement. His sister-in-law did the right thing; not severing ties was already a sign of her kindness.
"Mother, are you really going to ruin my life?"
Wang ignored her eldest son and ordered her younger son to pack his things. Zhao Dawen remained silent, knowing that whatever he said was useless; his wife simply wouldn't listen to him.
She was jealous of her eldest son's loyalty. Jealous women are prone to impulsive and bad deeds; once her anger subsides, she will regret it and send her eldest son to the prefectural city.
Seeing that Wang was about to leave, Zhao Dashu and his family knew that the excitement was over and it was time for them to leave.
"Sister-in-law, you're busy. Let's go home first. If anything happens, come find me at my place." Zhao Dashu suddenly felt a bit of admiration for Wang Shi. She made a quick decision, much more decisive than his older brother.
"Thank you, Third Brother, but we don't have any for the time being. We can't accommodate you here either, so I won't see you off."
Zhao Xiaoyu glanced at her aunt, then at her uncle whose head was still bleeding. Hmm, her uncle's life is going to be miserable from now on, isn't it?
Scumbags deserve to be punished by everyone.
My aunt is awesome!
After Zhao Dashu and his family left, Wang started packing her luggage. There were no pots or pans at home, and she wasn't in the mood to cook. She would just buy some dry food on the way.
Zhao Dawen covered his head with the blanket, saying, "Shouldn't you get me a doctor? I'm badly injured, I'm bleeding."
He was afraid of dying, but even more afraid of being half-dead.
Wang said coldly, "He won't die."
Zhao Dawen: ...
After packing everything up, Zhao Jiadong went out to rent mule carts and carried all the belongings, big and small, home. They rented two mule carts.
Wang and her youngest son shared one car, while Zhao Dawen and his eldest son shared another.
She doesn't want to see either of them now, and she wants to immediately separate the family when she returns to the village.
"Father, how could you be so foolish as to give all the money to my stepmother?"
He had no money; his father was more generous to women than to him.
Zhao Dawen lay half-reclined on the mule cart, the cart bouncing along, and he was in pain all over.
“Your mother won’t let her off easily. She might even sell her. What could I do but tell her to run away? You’ve seen it for yourself, your mother is like a madwoman.”
"Even so, you can't just give her all the money, can you?"
“If we don’t give it to her, it will all end up in your mother’s hands, and your father will get nothing. It’s the same if we keep it with you.”
"Where did the young lady go?"
"I'll be going to the county town soon. I've already told her our address there, and she'll come looking for me then."
"Father, remember to ask your mother for the money when you see her. You can't do without money. If we go back this time, you might have a hard time getting money later."
Zhao Dawen nodded. He also knew that Wang Shi would keep a close eye on him after he returned, making it difficult for him to get the money for copying books. He felt frustrated; a grown man being so tightly controlled by an old woman.
"What do you think about me divorcing your mother?"
“Father, you absolutely mustn’t! If you divorce Mother, how will we face people in the village? What will they say? It will have a huge impact on our reputation. I’m not stopping you from taking a concubine because it’s normal for men to have multiple wives and concubines, but you absolutely cannot change your first wife.”
Zhao Dashu sighed. Even his eldest son didn't support him, so it seemed almost impossible for him to divorce Wang Shi.
“From now on, your stepmother and I will live in the county town, while your mother will live in the village. We won’t be able to live together.”
"It's up to you, Dad. You and Mom can discuss it. We children won't interfere."
Zhao Dawen nodded, feeling much more at ease knowing he had a filial son.
Inside the Wang family's mule cart.
"Mom, have a piece of bread. You haven't eaten anything all day."
He knew his mother was upset, and he was upset too. He had gone to great lengths to find someone, only to find out what had happened.
Dad's unreliable, and my older brother's even more unreliable. Did he get his head stuck in a door? He's actually helping Dad lie to Mom. Is he crazy? Has he forgotten who his father was?
"Your body won't be able to take it if you don't eat. We still have a long journey home, so you should eat something."
Wang knew it wasn't worth being heartbroken over that scoundrel, but she still felt terrible because of him and because of her eldest son.
"If you can't eat, you eat first. Sigh, I know your father well. Your mother is upset because she can't understand your older brother. I haven't treated him badly all these years, have I? How could he treat me like this?"
"My older brother is confused too; I can't understand what he's thinking."
“Son, when we get home, I plan to divide the family property. Your eldest brother is so unreasonable, you can’t continue to support him. I’m afraid you’ll end up like your second and third uncles.”
After we separate, you don't need to study anymore. Your handwriting is passable, isn't it? Just copy books to earn money. From now on, think more about your own family; don't worry about anything else, you can't control it anyway. Do you understand what your mother means?
Zhao Jiadong naturally understood. "Mother, will you live with me after we separate from the family?"
He was afraid that if he followed his older brother, his mother would be so angry that she would die.
“I’ll come live with you when I’m too old to move. I plan to rebuild the house and move out with your father. He can earn money, so your mother won’t suffer.”
The young man understood his mother's meaning: from now on, his father only needed to focus on making money, and he didn't need to worry about anything else.
"That's good, Mother. Hide the silver well. Come find me if you need anything."
Hearing her youngest son's words, Wang's eyes stung with tears. See? Even her youngest son could see through it; not only was his father unreliable, but he was also a traitor who stole money.
I thought I had struck gold back then, but I never imagined I was so blind. All that I gave him was not worth it at all.
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