Chapter 5

Shen Mancheng only felt a buzzing in his head, as if a piece of his face had been ripped off, burning with pain.

There were some things that, if left unsaid and not dwelled upon, could be ignored as if they didn’t exist.

But once they were pointed out, he felt as if his face had been trampled on the ground.

“Qingyun Wife!” he glared at Yin Xiaoman, furious that she had dared to say such things in front of outsiders.

Before he could even express his anger more clearly, the two girls nearby had already exploded in outrage.

“This is unacceptable, it’s driving me crazy! Does this family have no heart at all?! Xiaoman, how can you let them bully you like this? What kind of people are they? Are they landowner bullies? How is it that we’re in the new society and they’re still exploiting women like this?”

Liang Xiaoyu was the first to speak out.

“It’s not just about exploiting women, it’s bullying the families of soldiers! I remember Xiaoman’s husband is in the army, right? Bullying the family of a soldier is a serious crime! This can’t be left like this!”

Li Fang was even more furious, grabbing Yin Xiaoman’s arm and trying to pull her out.

At this moment, Shen Mancheng was truly frightened.

If this matter got reported to the Village Committee, it could cause big trouble!

Not to mention, these new Educated Youth were all young, and at the age where they loved stirring up trouble.

They didn’t care about the prestige or face he had built up over the years in the village.

With them around, the things his eldest daughter-in-law had done would definitely be exposed.

As the saying goes, the dead are to be honored, and moreover, the Yin couple had always had a good reputation in the village.

Now, both of them were dead. Before they passed away, they had promised to marry their daughter to his family, hoping for a place to stay.

If the villagers were to find out, it wouldn’t be as the eldest daughter-in-law had claimed—that Yin’s daughter returned to her family because of a petty quarrel. Instead, it would be known that she had been driven out of their home, leaving without even a meal to take with her.

Before leaving, they hadn’t forgotten their promise, and even brought back the children of their son’s ex-wife…

In that case, the eldest daughter-in-law wouldn’t just be criticized; she would have a hard time facing the people in the village.

Shen Mancheng wasn’t worried about Liu Chunxia; he was just embarrassed by the situation!

After all, he was a military family member. With a young son, he was usually given respect when he went out.

These family matters were of no concern as long as the door was closed, but if they were exposed to outsiders and pointed at, he couldn’t stand it.

And if, because of this, the eldest daughter-in-law was labeled as a troublemaker, a bad influence…

Then his whole family would suffer the consequences!

“Qingyun Wife, you may argue with your sister-in-law, but you can’t speak carelessly!” Shen Mancheng hurried over to stand between Yin Xiaoman and the two Educated Youths, blocking their view of her and desperately trying to signal with his eyes.

The meaning was clear: family matters should stay private; this couldn’t be blown out of proportion.

But how could Yin Xiaoman fall for that?

She didn’t even lift her head to look at him. She simply covered her face with her hand, quietly sobbing, occasionally letting out a muffled sob.

It was clear she had endured so much injustice, bearing humiliation and hardship like a small wife.

Dabao and Erniu didn’t fully understand what the adults were saying, but they did grasp one thing: their mother was crying because she had been bullied while trying to get food for them.

They remembered the scene from that day when their family split. Their mother had been so angry she was shaking all over, leaving the house without taking anything. 

But even then, she didn’t forget to take them with her.

She was so different from their real mother in their memories.

Thinking about this, the two children immediately forgot the cold stares they had received after moving out these past few days. They felt even closer to this mother.

Dabao took a step forward, standing protectively in front of Yin Xiaoman, glaring at Shen Mancheng with a vigilant look. His expression was just like that of a little animal guarding its home.

Erniu, on the other hand, wiped her mother’s face with her small hands, her voice trembling with tears as she coaxed, “Mom, don’t cry, don’t cry, Erniu and Brother won’t eat, we’ll give all the food to you, let’s go home.”

Each word she spoke seemed to strike the heart, making it feel like it was breaking.

Liang Xiaoyu and Li Fang couldn’t help but shed tears, unaware of how they had started crying along with them.

Nearby, Zhang Jinfeng suddenly broke into loud sobs.

“My second son, I’m so sorry! I haven’t taken care of this family properly!”

Saying this, she abruptly turned and quickly walked toward the house on the east side.

“I’m going to beg Zhuang’s mother! Please, let her show some mercy and give Xiaoman and the kids something to eat! I won’t eat anymore, let me starve to death! I can’t let my second son’s family go like this!”

Her words were so powerful that everyone around them couldn’t hold back, nearly all of them on the verge of tears.

Shen Mancheng only felt his whole body trembling.

He couldn’t tell if it was from anger or hatred.

He grabbed his sickly wife, who was shaking with each step, and pulled her aside, muttering under his breath, “I’m going!”

Shen Mancheng strode toward the east wing and, with a loud “bang,” kicked the door open.

Everything fell silent inside the east wing.

It was clear that the people inside were startled by the force of the kick.

Then, they saw Shen Mancheng rush in, saying nothing, as he swung his fists at his eldest son’s back, landing several heavy blows.

The punches were filled with fury, and the sound of Shen Qingsong’s muffled groans could be heard even from a distance in the courtyard.

Next came Liu Chunxia’s sharp scream: “Dad, what are you doing?!”

“Shut up!” Shen Mancheng shouted at his eldest daughter-in-law in a tone harsher than ever before.

After that, he slammed the door shut behind him, and chaos erupted inside—shouting and crashing noises could be heard, though it was unclear if it was Shen Mancheng beating his son again, or if the son and daughter-in-law were fighting amongst themselves.

The commotion lasted for a long time. The people outside listened with bated breath, too frightened to move.

After a few loud thuds, followed by Liu Chunxia’s desperate wailing, Shen Mancheng finally emerged from the house.

He walked straight up to Yin Xiaoman and stuffed a handkerchief bundle into her hand.

With a tone of feigned dissatisfaction, he said loudly, “Your sister-in-law is just being childish. How could she want your money? You’re still young, and you take a quarrel between sisters-in-law so seriously? Enough, take the money and keep it. If anything happens in the future, come to your parents, we’ll stand by you!”

Though he spoke in this way, the look in his eyes when he glanced at Yin Xiaoman clearly conveyed a plea.

Since his purpose had been achieved, Yin Xiaoman didn’t want to stir up more trouble.

She took the handkerchief bundle, turned to Shen Mancheng, and gratefully said, “Thank you, Father,” before looking toward Liang Xiaoyu and the others.

“Liang Educated Youth, Li Educated Youth, you’ve seen the situation at home. I think this house might not be suitable for two young girls like you…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine, we’ll find another place.”

Not wanting to make her feel awkward, the two girls quickly interrupted her.

Afterward, they couldn’t help but turn back and try to comfort her, “Xiaoman, don’t overthink it. It’s not your problem, it’s just that we don’t want to live here. We’ll go to the village committee and see if we can find another family to stay with.”

Having seen Liu Chunxia’s unruly behavior, the two girls now wished they could be as far away from her as possible. Who would want to be close to her and deal with her temper every day?

After saying this, they quickly took their leave. It wasn’t until their figures disappeared from view that Shen Mancheng finally let out a long breath.

“Father, we’ll go back now.”

With the matter settled, Yin Xiaoman didn’t want to stay any longer. She grabbed both children, ready to leave, but then heard Zhang Jinfeng’s voice calling from behind, “Wait!”

They all turned around and saw her rushing out of the kitchen, carrying a large bag of grain on her back.

Due to her small feet, she stumbled a bit, making others unable to help but feel anxious for her.

Dabao, quick on his feet, dashed over and took the bag of flour from Grandma’s hands, bowing deeply to her before trying to carry it on his back.

But Yin Xiaoman reached out from behind and took the bag from him.

She set the bag aside, then gently pressed down on Dabao’s head, signaling him to say, “Thank you, Grandma.”

Dabao froze for a moment, his face instantly turning bright red. His little mouth opened slightly, but not a single sound came out.

“No need, let’s go, go back quickly, no need for thanks between family,” Zhang Jinfeng said anxiously, waving her hands in front of her, worried that the wife would make things difficult for her grandson.

But Yin Xiaoman remained unmoved.

She pressed down gently on Dabao’s head again and repeated, “Say, thank you, Grandma.”

Her voice was soft, but her tone left no room for disagreement.

Dabao’s ears had turned a deep shade of purple.

“Say thank you, Grandma!”

Erniu, clasping Yin Xiaoman’s neck, looked at her brother anxiously. She followed up immediately, repeating the words.

Her little head leaned forward, as if trying to nudge her brother’s face, with a look that seemed to fear he wouldn’t listen and upset their mother.

“Th-thank you, Grandma!”

Dabao strained to force out the words, and once he said them, he quickly averted his eyes, fearing Yin Xiaoman would ask him to do anything else. Without another glance at her, he dashed toward the door.

He didn’t even bother to grab the bag of flour left behind.

The figure, running away, looked rough and somewhat frantic, finally shedding the mature composure and heaviness that had always surrounded him.

Instead, he showed the innocence that a child of his age should have.

Yin Xiaoman couldn’t help but smile faintly.

She placed Erniu on the ground, picked up the flour bag from the floor, and put it in the basket on her back. As she was about to bid farewell to her in-laws, she raised her eyes and saw the mixed expression of sadness and joy on their faces.

“Dabao can speak now?” Zhang Jinfeng’s voice trembled, her gaze unfocused as if she were in a dream.

“Yes, he could speak all along,” Yin Xiaoman explained calmly.

After saying this, she hoisted the basket onto her back and was about to leave.

“Xiaoman, wait a moment!”

Shen Mancheng called out to her, then quickly ran back to the kitchen, emerging with a clay pot he had found somewhere.

To her surprise, the clay pot was filled with more than half a jar of white flour!

He thrust the pot into Yin Xiaoman’s hands. “Take this! Go home and make some dumplings for the kids. If it’s not enough, I’ll bring more!”

His voice was shaking with excitement. “Dabao can speak now! You’re the hero of the old Shen family! Eat, don’t worry, eat first, and I’ll bring more! Before the New Year, I’ll bring you meat!”

He rambled on, but his eyes, his wrinkles, and every part of him radiated an undeniable sense of gratitude and joy.