Chapter 20: Kicking Her Out, Zhuang Meifeng Gets Beaten

Lu Zhongming let out a cold snort. “You think getting divorced is like planting cabbage? You think you can just say divorce and it happens?”

If they divorced, what would happen to Tianjie? A stepmother could never compare to one’s real mother. For Tianjie’s sake alone, he couldn’t let his eldest son get divorced so easily.

No one in the family brought up Zhuang Meifeng anymore. Only the young Lu Tianjie cried a bit after not seeing his mother for a while, but later Zhao Menglan coaxed him with food, and he was fine again.

Ever since Zhuang Meifeng left, Zhao Menglan had been cooking three good meals a day. Even Wu Laidi had gained weight; her face had become chubby, and her belly had grown noticeably. As she smacked her lips, she thought to herself that her foolish eldest sister-in-law must’ve been kicked in the head by a donkey—abandoning the good life just to go back to her parents’ home and live off the wind.

She had never been reliable anyway. Wu Laidi had several older sisters and only one younger brother. She had seen early on how her parents favored boys over girls. Normally, she avoided going home if she could.

Compared to the good life in the Lu Family, Zhuang Meifeng’s return to her maiden home was nothing short of a disaster. At first, she was treated decently for two days because of the Lu Family’s reputation, and she was still able to eat some coarse cornbread.

But when the Zhuang family saw that no one from the Lu Family came to check on her, Father Zhuang and Mother Zhuang immediately changed their attitude. They started yelling at her all day long, ordering her around like a servant. In just a few short days, Zhuang Meifeng had lost a lot of weight.

She looked even more sharp-tongued and bitter. Worried that she would embarrass them by hanging around, Mother Zhuang forbade her from going out, keeping her at home doing chores every day.

Seeing Zhuang Meifeng freeloading at home, the family incited Zhuang Tiedan to drive her out. Zhuang Tiedan learned a few lines and ran up to her. “Auntie, when are you leaving? You’ve eaten all our food.”

If she ate everything, there would be nothing left for him. Zhuang Tiedan was selfish too. He punched Zhuang Meifeng with his fists, signaling her to hurry back to her own home.

Zhuang Meifeng was heartbroken by Zhuang Tiedan’s actions. “Tiedan, how could you say that? This was once your aunt’s home too, remember? Just a few days ago, I brought you a big basket of eggs. What you said really broke my heart.”

When Father Zhuang and Mother Zhuang came back, Zhuang Meifeng tried to tattle on the boy, thinking her parents would scold their grandson properly. To her surprise, Mother Zhuang just snorted coldly. “What did Tiedan say that was wrong? He’s absolutely right. You’re already married. Living or dead, you belong to the Lu Family. You have nothing to do with the Zhuang Family anymore.”

“Mom—” Zhuang Meifeng staggered back two steps, her eyes brimming with tears.

Mother Zhuang glared at her with disdain. “Don’t call me mom. Just look at you, pathetic and useless. If you have nothing better to do, then hurry up and leave. Don’t just hang around the house.”

“Mom, it’s not like I don’t want to go back.” Zhuang Meifeng already regretted it deeply. Had she known that bringing those eggs would get her kicked back to her maiden home, she would never have done it. What hurt her even more was her parents’ attitude. When you had money, you were a treasure. Without money, you were nothing.

“If I hadn’t stolen those eggs from my mother-in-law for you, maybe you’d still be surrounded by those gossipy women from the village right now.” Zhuang Meifeng, furious and not thinking clearly, blurted it out. The words had barely left her mouth when a slap landed across her face.

Mother Zhuang glared viciously at her daughter. “I told you to steal them? Did I? You deserved to be kicked out.”

When she mentioned the incident with Zhuang Tiedan setting a fire, Mother Zhuang became even angrier. She couldn’t bear to get mad at her grandson, so she took it all out on Zhuang Meifeng instead. The rest of the Zhuang family stood by, indifferent, watching Zhuang Meifeng get beaten with cold eyes.

Even Zhuang Tiedan’s mother didn’t say a word. The whole family was cold-hearted to the extreme.

Zhuang Meifeng didn’t dare to fight back against her mother. When Mother Zhuang punished someone, it wasn’t just for show—she beat her daughter black and blue.

Afterward, she threw down the stick in her hand and spat on the ground. “Pah! Stupid girl, growing wings now, huh? Talk back again and I’ll break your legs.”

If it weren’t for the fact that Zhuang Meifeng was already married out, Mother Zhuang would’ve loved nothing more than to rip her mouth open for talking nonsense. As if the Zhuang Family ever needed help from this useless girl?

All her other daughters could bring back money or coupons. Only Zhuang Meifeng didn’t bring back a single grain of food and had even eaten several days’ worth of their rations. Thinking of this made Mother Zhuang even angrier, and she kicked her. “Stop pretending. Get up and work. Go tidy up the firewood in the yard.”

Meanwhile, the Zhuang family’s youngest son was lounging around with his wife. He stood up lazily. “Mom, I’m full. I’m going back to sleep. Don’t call me.”

Mother Zhuang’s face lit up like a blooming flower. “Alright, Mom won’t bother you. Want to eat chicken later? I’ll have your dad go check the Xiancheng Supply and Marketing Cooperative.”

“Whatever, as long as there’s meat.”

Zhuang Meifeng lay on the ground like a dead dog, unmoving. She had cried until her voice was hoarse. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t understand how things had come to this. She desperately wanted to go back…

—

Meanwhile, Ye Qiu was busy in the kitchen. Seeing that her mother had brought out the meat, Lu Zhinan curiously tiptoed and asked in his childish voice: “Mom, what are you making for dinner?”

“Isn’t milk meant for drinking?” Lu Zhinan and Lu Zhibei had been drinking milk often. If Ye Qiu weren’t worried about them becoming picky eaters, she would have fed them meat and milk three times a day.

Even with reduced portions, the two children were already used to having a glass of milk every day. Seeing his mom cooking, Lu Zhinan volunteered to help tend the fire.

His little body wasn’t even tall enough to reach the stove. Ye Qiu couldn’t bear to make such a young child work, so she motioned for him to go play somewhere else. But Lu Zhinan refused to leave, following her wherever she went.

“It can be made into something to eat too. I’ll make honey milk pudding for both of you later. Your dad sent us some money a few days ago, so I’m making some food to send back to him.” Ye Qiu understood that if you wanted the donkey to work, you had to feed it well.

Hopefully, Lu Huaichuan would stay away longer, keep sending money, and this little bit of food could be considered a reward for his contributions.

Lu Zhinan only half understood. “Mom, did Dad send a lot of money this time?”

“Hm? Why do you ask?” Ye Qiu was curious.

“Because you’ve never talked about sending food to Dad before.” Lu Zhinan was clever beyond his years. “If Dad gave a lot of money, then you can buy lots of pretty clothes.”

“You think I’m wasteful for buying so many clothes?” Ye Qiu laughed and asked teasingly, only to see her eldest son suddenly turn serious, trying hard to keep a straight face. “Mom’s not wasteful.”

“Mom looks pretty when she dresses up. When I grow up and make money, I’ll buy clothes for Mom too.”

What a thoughtful little sweetheart. Ye Qiu’s face bloomed with a loving smile. She bent down and scooped her eldest into her arms, showering him with kisses. “My little baby, how are you so sweet, huh? Mwah mwah—”

Lu Zhinan blushed shyly and even promised his mom: “Mom, when Dad comes back, I’ll ask him for money to buy you new clothes.”

Ye Qiu: ……

No need for that, son. We can’t just keep milking one cash cow dry—there’s a limit even to harvesting chives.

Outside, Lu Zhibei was happily playing. When he turned around and saw his mom hugging his eldest brother so affectionately, he sprinted in on his short legs with his arms wide open. “Mom, I want a hug too.”