"Do you have any money in your pocket? Give me some to buy food first."
"Didn't I already move the grain here?"
"I can't make it, I'll buy it ready-made."
Li only had thirty coins on her, which she gave to her eldest son before she left. She also made him a big pot of cornbread and brown rice porridge so he could eat it hot if he got hungry.
When I dragged my tired body home, everyone in the house and outsiders had already left.
With no outsiders around, Li's true colors were revealed.
"Old man, are you out of your mind? Why are you forcing Dazhu like this? Why are you kicking him out?"
"Shut up, are you waiting for him to beat me to death? Didn't you see how he treated me? If you want me to die sooner, just say so."
Li: ...
"He was just angry for a moment, he didn't do it on purpose, can't you just be more tolerant?"
To endure? To endure being beaten?
Old woman, do you want to hear what you've said?
"You can endure it yourself, but I absolutely will not!"
There's no reason in this world for a father to tolerate his son!
"If he stays at home, I can't eat or sleep. If I don't kick him out, will he beat me to death? Li, what am I to you? Do you even have a shred of me in your heart?"
Li was rendered speechless by the rebuttal.
"What nonsense are you talking about? The older you get, the less you know what to do, right? Boss, he didn't do it on purpose. Didn't I stop him? What could I do if he wouldn't let go?"
Zhao Dayong was too lazy to argue with her; the old woman was hard to explain.
Seeing Zhao Dayong with his back to her, seemingly indifferent to her, Li was filled with rage but had nowhere to vent it. Suddenly, she noticed her little girl huddled in the corner.
He grabbed her hair and yelled, "It's all your fault, you little slut! Who told you to go out and find Zhao Dashu? Who told you to go and complain on your own? Huh?"
The little girl clutched her head and cried out in pain, "Mommy, it hurts! I'm in pain! I went to find my third uncle because I was afraid my parents would get beaten. I didn't know who else to ask."
"Afraid we'll get beaten?" Li Shi tightened her grip, her nails almost digging into the little girl's scalp, her voice shrill, "Afraid we'll get beaten, so you go and find someone to deal with your older brother? That's your own older brother, you traitor, I'll beat you to death!"
"You troublemaker! I bet you just want to get rid of your older brother, you wicked hussy! If I'd known you were so malicious, I shouldn't have had you!"
As he spoke, he pinched the little girl's soft flesh hard again, and the girl screamed in pain.
While dodging her mother's clutches, she cried out, "Mother, please stop hitting me! I was wrong, I'll never do it again! Father, Father, help me!"
From then on, whenever her family members fought, she would hide and wait until they were done fighting before coming out, and she would never get involved again.
"Enough!" Zhao Dayong grabbed his daughter. "What's wrong with you? What's wrong with our daughter calling for help when she saw us getting beaten up? What did she do wrong? I think you're not thinking straight right now. You'll be satisfied when the boss beats you to death, right?"
"She made the eldest son move away, move away!" Li roared.
"I was the one who kicked him out. With a face that looks like he wants to eat me alive, why would I dare keep him? Li Chunhua, if you keep causing trouble, get out of here. Look at the mess you've made of this house!"
"Go look at yourself in the water tank. What's the difference between you and a madwoman now? Do you even have a trace of your former self? I can't take it anymore! Either you change your dog-like temper and treat your daughter better, or you get the hell out of here!"
Tears streamed down Li's face. "You're kicking me out for that brat?"
"It's not because of the girl that I'm kicking you out. You're obsessed with the eldest and third sons now. All you care about are your daughters-in-law and grandsons. They're living their own lives. What good is it for you to worry about them?"
I've told you hundreds of times, ignore the boss, ignore them, do you listen?
You feel sorry for the eldest son being kicked out, huh? Why didn't you feel sorry for me when he beat me up? Li, do you even have a shred of compassion for me? Are you like an unfilial son, thinking my existence is an obstacle to your lives? You just want me to leave!
But have you ever thought about how miserable your life would be after I'm gone, without me to support you? One day you'd be lying in bed like your mother, just asking if you could have a bowl of hot water.
Even now, it's still impossible to tell who's useful and who's not. Didn't you hear the third brother's warning to us? Only the second brother and the girl are somewhat useful in the family; the other two are complete idiots.
Especially the eldest brother. Even if the third brother is bad, he has his bottom line. He won't lay a hand on us, right? The eldest brother is completely black-hearted. What do he think of anyone but himself?
I was thinking of you, hoping that even after I left, you would have a better life. But what about you? You're so clueless!
If no girl came to see Lao San today, who knows what would have happened? And you still hit her? How dare you hit a child? Didn't you know she saved you?
You're like a rabbit in front of the boss, never daring to show any anger. You're a bully at home, only picking on the weak. Should I scold you? Let me tell you the truth, if you continue to be so clueless, you'll suffer the consequences later!
Zhao Dayong's words startled Li Shi, who then awkwardly sat back down on the kang (a heated brick bed), staring at the ground in silence for a long time.
The little girl glanced at Zhao Dayong, sobbing. She hadn't expected her father to speak up for her.
She carefully moved to a corner, trying to minimize her presence. If she could, she really didn't want to share a room with her parents.
But she dared not speak up, for if she did, her mother would surely scold her for deliberately driving away her elder brother in order to take over his room.
My body is in so much pain, I can tell there are bruises without even looking.
The little girl bit her lip, vowing that she would never interfere in her parents' arguments again!
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