Chapter 34: Another Fight

Except for Liu Hongying and Liu Laohei who had experienced hardship in the countryside, Liu Hongshan and Liu Honghe had never lived such a hard life.

After eating cornbread for two or three days, Liu Honghe looked pale. “I can’t take it anymore. Can we switch things up?”

“Cornmeal is the cheapest. In a few months, sweet potatoes will be in season, and we can switch to sweet potatoes then,” Liu Hongying comforted him. “Our family is in this situation now. It’s good enough that we can fill our stomachs. Don’t be picky.”

Liu Honghe couldn’t help but complain, “The stuff you made back then filled my stomach, but it made me hungry quickly. No matter how much I ate, I couldn’t stay full.”

“Just bear with it. Next month, when we get paid, we’ll buy meat,” Liu Hongshan quickly reassured him.

“Of course you’re asking me to bear with it, because you’re the one who needs to pay back the debt.”

“What do you mean, I’m paying back the debt? It’s your responsibility. If you hadn’t insisted on taking Dad’s job, would our family be struggling like this?”

They had both felt that Liu Laohei favored Liu Honghe, and they had resentment in their hearts. They started arguing without a word.

Liu Laohei’s face turned cold, and he slammed his bowl on the table. “Eat if you’re going to eat. What are you arguing about? If you keep arguing, get out!”

In the past, he was the pillar of the family, and when he got angry, everyone would shrink their necks. But now that he was retired, his words didn’t carry as much weight.

Liu Honghe felt like he had been wronged and didn’t give Liu Laohei any face. He snorted, grabbed his cornbread, and prepared to leave.

“Stop right there!” Liu Laohei slammed his chopsticks down and stood up.

“Didn’t you tell me to get out? I’m getting out, aren’t I?”

Liu Honghe still had an impatient expression, which made Liu Laohei’s anger boil over.

“You little bastard, I’ve been putting up with you for a long time. You started making trouble after New Year, and you’ve been at it ever since. You’ve already stayed in the city, can’t you just calm down?”

“What do you mean, making trouble? I’m fighting for myself,” Liu Honghe sneered back. “If I hadn’t been proactive, would you have considered me?”

He didn’t need Liu Laohei to answer. He knew the answer.

Crying children get the milk. If he hadn’t cried or made a fuss, he would have been sent to the countryside to suffer. How could he have stayed in the city and become a worker?

He felt that he had earned this job, that it was his due.

Liu Laohei did have a bit of fatherly love, but not much. He was willing to give up his job because he was afraid of trouble. But no matter what he thought in his heart, since he gave up his job, Liu Honghe should be grateful and take good care of him, not be disrespectful and provoke him.

Liu Laohei clenched his fists and walked over to Liu Honghe in three strides, punching him to the ground. Then, he pinned him down and punched him repeatedly.

“I’ll beat you to death, you disobedient little thing. Today, I’ll let you know who the father is.”

Liu Honghe fought back fiercely, breaking free from Liu Laohei’s grip and trying to run. But Liu Laohei grabbed him again, forcing Liu Honghe to retaliate. He landed a punch on Liu Laohei, sending him stumbling back.

“Little brother, how can you hit Dad?”

Liu Hongshan condemned him, then immediately went over to help Liu Laohei.

He had wanted to beat Liu Honghe for a long time. He had been acting so annoying lately.

Now was his chance.

Two against one, Liu Honghe was completely defenseless. He was beaten all over and in pain, so he started yelling for help.

“Help! He’s going to kill me!”

Everyone in the courtyard heard the commotion and immediately ran over to break up the fight.

Seeing the injuries on Liu Honghe’s face, everyone gasped.

Hu Meili couldn’t help but say, “I’ve been with Liu Laohei for over ten years, and I’ve never seen him lay a hand on anyone except during our divorce. It seems that even honest people can be pushed too far.”

Everyone in the courtyard was trying to persuade Liu Laohei, but Lin Xiangnan ran over to Liu Honghe and asked with concern, “Did they hit you because they couldn’t argue with you?”

Their two houses were separated by a wall, so they couldn’t hear normal conversations, but they could hear most of the arguing.

She didn’t care about right or wrong, she just comforted him, “It’s not always about who has the bigger fists. It’s not always about who’s right.”

“You’re right,” Liu Honghe said viciously, wiping the blood from his mouth.

“Hey, Uncle Liu had no choice. He’s not like he used to be. He used to be able to establish his authority in the family with money, but now he can only rely on his fists. You should be more obedient in the future, otherwise, he’ll hit you again.”

Liu Honghe was still confused about getting beaten up, but after hearing Lin Xiangnan’s words, he understood.

Right or wrong was secondary. The most important thing was not to disrespect Liu Laohei, the head of the family.

This was basically the same as saying he was right.

So, this beating was really unfair.

Seeing the change in Liu Honghe’s expression, Lin Xiangnan couldn’t help but ask with a suppressed laugh, “I didn’t expect that when Uncle Liu told you to get out, you actually dared to leave. Did you apply for a dorm at the factory? Are you not going to eat at home anymore? Are you going to eat at the cafeteria?”

The factory dorms were bunk beds, ten people per room. The conditions were definitely not as good as home, but living in the factory and eating at the cafeteria meant he wouldn’t have to deal with the mess at home.

Eating at home saved money, but it didn’t go into Liu Honghe’s pocket, so he immediately made up his mind.

“I’ll go apply to the leader this afternoon when I go back to the factory.”

Liu Hongying had been silently cleaning up the dishes, but when she heard Liu Honghe’s voice, she couldn’t help but look over.

But as soon as her eyes met Lin Xiangnan’s, she nervously looked away.

She knew she was in the wrong about Zhao Qi, and even though they lived in the same courtyard, she avoided Lin Xiangnan and Hu Meili to avoid trouble.

But while avoiding them, she would still ask other people in the courtyard about Lin Xiangnan’s recent blind dates.

In this courtyard, only Lin Xiangnan was eager to get married, and the men who were trying to get close to her all had good family conditions, much better than those little hooligans who had been bothering her.

She didn’t have a job and had to avoid the hooligans on this street, so she spent most of her time at home, limiting her contact with men. The only source of quality men was Lin Xiangnan.

Not every man was like Zhao Qi, with a powerful and generous mother. She didn’t believe she would lose again next time.

Because she had other thoughts about Lin Xiangnan, Liu Hongying actually wanted to mend their relationship, but Lin Xiangnan would sneer at her every time they met, making her afraid to approach.

Lin Xiangnan was caught off guard the first time she was tricked, and she didn’t expect such a thing to happen to her.

She had seen Liu Hongying’s actions afterwards, and she was disgusted.

The other party only had moral issues, and she couldn’t do anything to Liu Hongying. But she could stir the pot when the Liu family was having trouble.

The Liu family’s life was getting worse, and Liu Hongying wasn’t getting any better either.