Chapter 16: Demanding Money

With no other choice, she returned home.

Lin Wan was in the courtyard, helping Lu Zhengting mend a torn notebook with glue. Seeing her return, Lin Wan stepped forward, brandishing the broken stick.

Old Madam Lu immediately retreated, hiding behind the gable wall of the east wing. If Lin Wan dared to strike her, she was ready to flee.

Just then, Lu Bao’er arrived with Old Man Lu and Lu Dage. “Grandpa, Father!” she shouted. “Third Aunt came back and started hitting Grandma!”

This time, she had learned her lesson. The moment she saw Lin Wan return, she ran to find help, dropping her usual excuses about being tired or hot. She went straight to the fields.

The men entered the courtyard to find Old Madam Lu cowering in a corner. As soon as she saw them, she collapsed to the ground as if all the bones in her body had vanished. With her support restored, she resumed her tirade, accusing Lu Zhengting of hiding money and Lin Wan of shoving her under the cauldron to beat her. Still dizzy, she screamed at the top of her lungs, “They’re trying to burn me alive under the cauldron!”

Her face and hair, smeared with soot, made her appear pitiful. Old Lu, rarely losing his temper, roared, “Third brother!”

Ignoring the taboo against an eldest uncle striking his brother’s wife, Lu Dage lunged forward to slap Lin Wan.

But Lu Zhengting was already standing beside her. He seized his eldest brother’s wrist, twisting with such force that the man’s face contorted in pain. “Ahhh! Third brother, let go! Let go!”

Lu Zhengting glared coldly at him. “Eldest brother, who were you planning to hit?”

In this family, as long as a man protected his wife, no one dared lay a hand on her.

“Third brother, your wife dared to strike Mother! Are you just going to stand by? Or did you hit her too?” Lu Dage shouted.

Lin Wan snapped back, “You could scream until your throat bleeds—he wouldn’t hear a word!”

Lu Zhengting’s gaze remained icy. “Anyone who touches a single hair on my wife’s head will have their hand broken.”

Lu Dage stomped in pain. “Let go! Let go! No one touched her! Can’t even scold her anymore?”

Lu Zhengting shoved him back, making him stumble. “If Lin Wan does anything wrong, I’ll take responsibility. But if anyone dares to bully her behind my back…” His voice was slow, cold, and menacing. “I’m deaf, I can’t hear. I’m crippled, I can’t walk. If I ever found out…”

“Third brother, stop! No one’s bullying your wife,” Lu Zhengheng quickly interjected, trying to ease the tension. He couldn’t understand how his usually quiet third brother had suddenly become so firm. Having a wife really changes a man.

Lu Dage rubbed his bruised wrist, swearing silently. Damn it! Third Brother is too ruthless!

Seeing Lu Zhengting dare to hurt her eldest son, Old Madam Lu immediately began wailing, clutching her body and crying out about aches and pains.

Lin Wan sneered, “Acting? Give me the stage!”

Feigning extreme grievance, she declared, “Old Madam has spoiled you all rotten! Isn’t being a doctor a good thing? Eight work points a day, plus other benefits! But Old Madam insisted on sabotaging it. When third brother tried to stop her, she beat him mercilessly. Look!” She brandished the broken stick in her hand and began sobbing like Little 39, her tears flowing freely.

Gua’er, emboldened by the canned food and malted milk powder from her third aunt, bravely presented her collection of evidence.

Lu Zhengze couldn’t help but ask, “Mother, why did you beat third brother again? What did he do wrong?”

The memory of that year was still vivid. Third brother had been beaten so severely that even Lu Zhengze had been terrified. After marrying, when Old Madam ordered him to hit his wife, he had only pretended to comply.

Even Old Man Lu, shaken by the incident, had never truly beaten his sons again.

Lu Zhengze strongly disapproved of Old Madam Lu’s renewed violence against Lu Zhengting, feeling both angry and helpless. After all, she was still his mother, and he couldn’t openly defy her.

But his words made Old Man Lu uneasy, and Lu Dage fell silent.

Seeing their hesitation, Lin Wan immediately began to exaggerate, bursting into tears. “Even on my way back from my mother’s house, I was thinking of all of you,” she sobbed. “I found fifty cents on the road, and I thought, ‘This could buy half a pound of meat!’ So I rushed back to share it with you. But when I arrived, I found Old Madam beating my husband! It’s outrageous! I dedicate my whole heart to this family, and this is how you treat me? Let’s go to the Production Brigade and have the cadres settle this!”

Her words struck a chord with Lu Zhengze and his wife. What a kind sister-in-law. Even when finding money, she thought of us first.

No longer afraid of the old women’s scolding, Lu Dasao and Lu Ersao hurried forward to support Lin Wan, urging, “Sister-in-law, don’t be so upset.”

Old Madam Lu seethed with rage. That wicked daughter-in-law beats me, and now I’m the one in the wrong? She immediately pointed at Lu Zhengting, accusing him of hiding secret savings and demanding he and Lin Wan reveal their stash.

Before Lu Zhengting could speak, Lin Wan retorted sharply, “Old Madam, you need to speak with conscience and evidence! Third Brother gives you his entire monthly earnings. How dare you accuse him of disloyalty? Who’s the one treating their own son like dirt here?”

“Zhengxia saw it!” Old Madam Lu stomped her foot. “He gave you money—hundreds of yuan! You took it all to your family!”

Old Man Lu and Lu Dage’s eyes immediately reddened at the mention of “several hundred.”

But Lu Zhengheng remained skeptical. “Mother, third brother sends his 40 yuan salary directly to the post office every month, and eldest brother collects it. Even the 5 yuan the Production Brigade gives him is usually taken by you. Where would he get that kind of money? You must have misheard.”

Hearing Lu Zhengxia’s name, Lin Wan seized the chance. “Zhengxia and I are competing for the doctor’s position. Everyone knows she’s jealous of me. But I never imagined Old Madam would turn against her own daughter-in-law, listening to Zhengxia’s provocations and coming back to tear up my books and sabotage my job. If she claims third brother gave me hundreds, does that mean he owes me that amount now? Shouldn’t she make up the difference?”

Who’s the real traitor here?!

Relentless, she advanced to grab Old Madam Lu. “Come on, let’s confront her and make her pay up!”

Old Man Lu quickly intervened. “Don’t go! Airing family dirty laundry in public will only bring shame.”

Lin Wan sneered. “If I don’t make a scene today, will you let them harass me tomorrow? Or beat my husband? It’s better to settle this now!” She pushed Lu Zhengting forward. “Let’s go ask her directly.”

Old Man Lu and Lu Dage rushed to stop them. They suspected Zhengxia had stirred up trouble, knowing Old Madam’s temper. But even if confronted, Zhengxia would deny it. Without witnesses, nothing could be proved.

Lin Wan then revealed the bruises on Lu Zhengting’s body—arms, shoulders, and back. She even tore off his short-sleeved shirt to show the extent of his injuries.

Old Man Lu sighed heavily. “Enough. Your mother listened to gossip and mistook a club for a needle. She didn’t mean any harm. No parent in the world doesn’t love their children, and no child resents their own mother. Blood is thicker than water. Let’s just leave it at that.”

Lin Wan glared. Smoothing it over again? That’s why this old woman never learns—because you always sweep her malice under the rug.

“Third brother’s leg and ear are in terrible pain,” she said coldly. “He needs a specialist at a major hospital. We have no money; we’ve given all our subsidies to Old Madam Lu.”

“Pain my ass! That deaf-mute idiot is just faking it…” Old Madam Lu snapped.

Old Man Lu glared at her until she fell silent. He ordered her to give their son ten yuan for a doctor.

But Old Madam Lu refused. “We don’t have the money. Xiao Si and Xinlian are studying in the city. Tuition, books, clothes, food—do you think those are free? We can barely make ends meet.”

Lin Wan’s voice turned icy. “Fine. We won’t touch what came before my marriage. From now on, we’ll save for Third Brother’s medical expenses.”

Forget the past? As if! I’ll make that old woman and Lu Xinlian cough it all up eventually. Just you wait.

This time, not only Old Madam Lu but even Old Man Lu grew anxious.

Lu Zhengze ventured, “Third Brother’s treatment also…”

“Shut your stinking mouth! No one ever died from pain!” With the men back to support her, she instantly transformed back into her inflated, venomous self.

“What’s going on here? What’s all the commotion?” Lu Zhengting’s grandfather, Lu Changgui, and the production team leader of Dawan Village, Lu Changfa, arrived together, their voices carrying from a distance.

Lu Mingliang trailed behind them, darting behind Lin Wan and Lu Zhengting the moment he saw them. He had been sent by his third aunt to fetch them.

Lu Changgui glared at Old Man Lu with a look of disappointment. “You two should be setting a better example for the younger generation,” he scolded. “This daily chaos is disgraceful!”

Old Madam Lu immediately launched into her familiar tirade, wailing and repeating her accusations, especially about how Lu Zhengting and Lin Wan had beaten her and shoved her into the stove pit.

“That wicked daughter-in-law tried to burn me alive under the pot!” she shrieked.

Before she could finish, Lin Wan presented the evidence of her abuse.

Seeing his third aunt signal him, Lu Mingliang sprang forward and vividly recounted how Old Madam Lu had torn up Lin Wan’s books and assaulted his third uncle. Compared to the old women’s repetitive, shrill, and irritating ranting, the ironclad trio of Lin Wan, Lu Zhengting, and Mingliang proved far more convincing.

Lin Wan sobbed softly, acting as if she were too wronged to live. Lu Zhengting remained silent, not arguing; the bruises on his shoulders and arms spoke for themselves.

Lu Changgui, the eldest son, had long held a grudge against his younger brother and his wife, convinced that Old Madam Lu was mistreating her daughter-in-law. No matter what the old lady said, no one would believe that Lu Zhengting would ever strike his own mother.

Tears streamed down Lin Wan’s face as she wailed, “That heartless Lu Zhengqi ran away on our wedding day! If I went back, would I even survive? Thank goodness third brother was kind enough to marry me. I know people gossip behind my back, even my own mother-in-law! I’ve endured it all, but now third brother’s leg is hurting, and when I asked for money to take him to the hospital, the Old Madam said no one ever died from leg pain and refused to give us any money. If anything happens to him, I… I won’t want to live anymore!”

Old Madam Lu watched Lin Wan perform her signature act, nearly bursting with rage. How could this wicked daughter-in-law twist the truth so shamelessly? She stomped her feet, jumping up and down, howling her denials.

But in such situations, the loudest voice doesn’t necessarily win. On the contrary, when arguments escalate, the one who shouts the loudest and hurls accusations often repels onlookers. Unless they’re family or deeply loved ones, who wants to witness such a spectacle?

Thus, Lin Wan once again firmly held the upper hand in this battle.

Seeing the expressions on Lu Changgui and Lu Changfa’s faces, Lin Wan knew they sympathized with her and Lu Zhengting. Lu Zhengting’s gaze conveyed unwavering support: “Whatever you do, I’ll back you to the end.”

Emboldened, she pressed her advantage, insisting on using the money to get Lu Zhengting medical treatment.

In truth, Lu Zhengting didn’t need money for treatment at a major hospital, but Old Madam Lu and the others were unaware of this.

Lu Changgui was furious. He had never encountered such a malicious old woman. Refusing to treat her own son’s illness while still expecting him to earn money for her?

Lu Changfa chimed in, “Illness must be treated. The military subsidy Zhengting receives is specifically for medical care. We can’t delay.”

Old Madam Lu, of course, refused, trotting out her usual excuses about household expenses and lack of funds, determined not to part with a single penny.

Lu Zhengting finally declared, “In that case, let’s separate households.”

Lu Changgui nodded in agreement. “I think it’s a good idea. If they can’t live together peacefully, it’s better for them to separate.”

Lu Zhengting had been considering separating the household ever since Lin Wan had actively protected him. Today’s incident, where Old Madam Lu rummaged through Lin Wan’s belongings and tore her notebook, only strengthened his resolve to spare them further mistreatment under the same roof.

However, he remained uncertain about Lin Wan’s feelings. Had she truly moved on from Lu Zhengqi? She had always emphasized that their marriage was merely a mutually beneficial alliance, not a genuine partnership. Separating the household would mean they would be living in close proximity, which might make her uncomfortable.

When Old Madam Lu refused to give Lin Wan the money she needed, Lu Zhengting played his trump card.

The mere mention of separating the household struck at Old Madam Lu’s heart, causing her immense pain. As expected, the moment he suggested it, she flew into a rage. “Don’t even think about it! Not unless I’m dead!”

Lu Changfa, a village cadre, adopted a mediating tone. “Separating the household isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The newly independent couple would still contribute five work points daily to the elders. Half of their year-end bonus and any other income would also go to their parents. You wouldn’t be at a loss.”

This rule was a long-standing custom in Dawan Village, designed to uphold parental authority and prevent ungrateful children from neglecting their aging parents. With the support of village cadres, the community had consistently enforced this practice.

Anyone who refused to comply would be denied separate household registration and land allocation for building a house, leaving them with no recourse.

Therefore, this was a strict rule.

The main reason was the deeply ingrained clan mentality in Dawan Village, a tradition stretching back centuries. Some blood ties were so deeply rooted that even the 1960s couldn’t fully eradicate them. Individual freedom and personal desires paled in comparison to the authority of the clan, family, and parents.

Most families managed to muddle through. When conflicts became unbearable, either the parents compromised by relinquishing their privileges, or the children gritted their teeth and accepted the unfairness of separation.

Old Man Lu was actually pleased with the arrangement. After all, his days consisted of working, eating, and sleeping; he had no need for money. The real problem was Lu Zhengting’s disobedience, and the fact that he had been corrupted by instigation. What if he influenced eldest son and second son to rebel against their mother? That would be truly terrifying.

His daughter-in-law’s new role as a doctor had brought benefits to the family, but it also brought frustration. He could still discipline his own sons with beatings and scoldings, but his daughter-in-law was off-limits.

Old Man Lu now understood the stifling powerlessness his wife had felt in recent days.

Old Madam Lu vehemently opposed the separation. She would only agree if her sons and daughters-in-law continued to give her all their earnings, even after establishing separate households.

“Only half? What right does he have? Absolutely not!”

She didn’t see it as her son giving her half his earnings; instead, she felt he was taking half of what was rightfully hers through the household separation—a cruel act of tearing flesh from her bones and draining her blood.

Lin Wan decided to seize control of the situation. “Team leader, Elder Lu,” she said, “the urgent matter isn’t separating households, but getting third brother medical treatment.”

Separate households and still give half the money to that old woman? Dream on! Lin Wan would never agree. She intended to reclaim every penny the old woman had spent previously, and wouldn’t give her another cent in the future.

Lu Changfa pondered for a moment before suggesting, “If we’re truly stuck, we can borrow from the Production Brigade first and repay it later when the military subsidy arrives.”

Repay it with future subsidies? That means she won’t get any of the subsidy later! Old Madam Lu couldn’t bear the thought. In her mind, that money was rightfully hers!

Seeing her still making a scene despite her son’s critical condition, Lu Changfa grew impatient. “It’s settled then. Illness requires treatment. This money was given to Zhengting by the military, and it should be used for his care.”

With the support of the Cadre, Old Man Lu dared not object and urged his wife to quiet down.

Old Madam Lu burst into tears, weeping with heart-wrenching sorrow.

Seeing how heartbroken she was, Lin Wan felt a pang of pity—but decided to make her even more miserable.

“Thank you, team leader and everyone, for the advice,” Lin Wan said. “In that case, we’ll borrow five hundred yuan from the  Brigade Office first. If the subsidy isn’t enough, we’ll cover the rest with our year-end dividend.”

Lu Zhengting had given all his previous earnings to the family, so it was only right that they contribute to his medical expenses now.

Lu Changfa and Lu Changgui agreed, saying it was the proper course of action.

“Absolutely not!” Old Madam Lu jumped up, her face contorted with rage. “Not only are you withholding my future subsidies, but you want me to cough up what I’ve already received? And use the family’s dividend to cover the rest? What right do you have?!”

This was like tearing the flesh from her bones!

Lu Dage grew anxious. “No way! That’s everyone’s money. Second brother, what do you think?”

Lu Zhengze and his wife remained indifferent. After all, the family’s money always went to the old lady, Lu Zhengqi, and Lu Xinlian, they never saw a penny of it. Using it to treat Lu Zhengting’s leg seemed far more appropriate.

“Third brother’s health comes first,” Lu Zhengze said, agreeing to the plan.

Old Madam Lu let out a pained howl, her eyes rolling back as she collapsed to the ground.

Old Man Lu quickly caught her.