Chapter 5

With a loud crash, the clay bowl in Mother Fan’s hand fell onto the table.

A loud gulp followed as Dazhu, Erzhu, Sanzhu, and Sizhu swallowed hard.

“Hu Shi—no, Shuiqing, if you have something to say, let’s talk it out. There’s no need to resort to knives,” Mother Fan pleaded with a trembling voice.

Sun Jinhua, snapping out of her shock, also started to persuade Shuiqing nervously, “Sister-in-law, we’ve been living harmoniously for over ten years. Don’t do anything rash, okay?”

Regret filled Sun Jinhua as she thought about having sent her husband away to avoid the family dispute. She had assumed that as a man, he might soften if Big Ya started crying, making the situation harder to handle. She never imagined that the usually timid Hu Shuiqing would actually grab a knife.

What were they to do now?

Daya, Erya, and the other five children, the closest to Shuiqing, were stunned to see their mother rushing back from the kitchen, holding a knife.

Erya whispered, “Mom, didn’t you say we should resolve things peacefully, not resort to violence, and be civilized?”

But she had to admit, her mom looked pretty formidable holding that knife!

Xiao Fan He suddenly called out, “Mom!”

Shuiqing looked at him.

The little boy softly advised, “Hold the knife firmly.”

Shuiqing immediately gave a thumbs-up, impressed. This kid knew how to focus on the important things!

Daya, worried, asked, “Mom, should I take over?”

After all, this situation had started because of her, but her mother was the one at the forefront now.

Shuiqing waved her off nonchalantly, saying, “You all step back. Let me show you what it means to be both literate and capable! And remember, your mom is skilled both in mind and in body!”

In the past, she had been a strong woman, not just because she was a woman, but because she was strong.

If talking could resolve the issue, there was no need to fight. But if fighting was the only solution, she didn’t want to waste her breath arguing!

“Dazhu, Erzhu, your aunt has gone mad! Stop her quickly!” Sun Jinhua shouted, watching in terror as Hu Shuiqing, with the knife, got closer.

Dazhu’s eyes were fixed on the gleaming knife, his steps retreating. Secretly, he was resentful towards his mother for putting him in harm’s way.

She knew Aunt was crazy, yet she wanted him to step forward!

Wasn’t he the eldest grandson of the Fan family, the most important person? What if he got hurt?

Seeing his brother retreat, Erzhu immediately moved even farther back.

Her sons were unresponsive, so Sun Jinhua nervously tried to negotiate, “Sister-in-law, how about we give Daya and Erya half of a black bread bun each? Whether girls can sit at the table or not isn’t a big deal, right?”

Shuiqing sneered, “If it’s not a big deal, then sister-in-law, you can eat standing up too. Just squat anywhere and eat.”

Growing up in the countryside, she herself used to enjoy eating outside, preferring not to sit at the table. But not wanting to and not being allowed to were two entirely different matters.

Daya and Erya could choose not to sit, but they shouldn’t be forbidden from doing so!

“That won’t work. I’ve struggled to finally earn a seat at the table,” Sun Jinhua blurted out.

Mother Fan, remembering the bitterness of watching her family eat at the table from a distance during her childhood, pursed her lips and criticized, “In farming families, who hasn’t lived like this? Why are you making a fuss? Don’t think just because the village women sided with you earlier that you can get arrogant. Go ask around the village, and see if anyone will help you now!”

Shuiqing slammed the knife down on the old table with a heavy thud, causing it to split in half and fall apart.

Bowls of soup, vegetables, and porridge fell to the ground, and the basket with four or five black buns tumbled over, the buns rolling in the dirt, blending with dust.

Mother Fan’s mouth gaped open, her wrinkled eyes wide in disbelief. Wasn’t her daughter-in-law concerned about her reputation just a moment ago? Seeking the approval of the village women?

She asked incredulously, “Why don’t you go ask around first?”

“Why should I? Isn’t this faster and better?” Shuiqing replied satisfactorily.

Selling Daya was a big issue; whether the village men or women, they would stand by them.

But whether girls could sit at the table was a family matter, a trivial one.

This meant that it was up to the family to decide; outsiders had no say, even if they did, it would be pointless.

She wasn’t foolish enough to seek meaningless alliances.

All she needed was to manage her own family.

Mother Fan plopped to the ground, wailing and pounding her thighs, “Oh, you can’t starve us just because the girls aren’t eating at the table!”

Shuiqing watched her crying and wailing mother-in-law without any intention of helping her up, saying indifferently, “If the girls can’t eat at the table, then no one eats!”

Mother Fan, who had always controlled her timid daughter-in-law, was now in disbelief at her audacity, and wailed even louder.

The ground was a mess, and everyone was still hungry.

Seeing Hu Shuiqing with the knife had shocked them so much that they forgot to eat. Now that they wanted to eat, there was nothing left.

Shuiqing had already eaten half of a black bun earlier, so while not full, she wasn’t starving.

Daya and Erya had quickly finished their porridge, and while it wasn’t much, it filled them with some strength.

The three brothers, seeing their mother holding a knife, weren’t afraid but rather impressed. They quietly finished their food.

Mother Fan’s stomach growled angrily as she shouted, “Hu Shi! How dare you overturn your mother-in-law’s table! What kind of malicious daughter-in-law are you?!”

Sun Jinhua was only hungry and, seeing her sister-in-law offending her mother-in-law, felt secretly pleased rather than angry.

She retracted her smile and suggested to Mother Fan, “Sister-in-law, if you disrespect your mother-in-law, how will you handle things when your husband returns from the city?”

Mother Fan, hearing her youngest son mentioned, felt a glimmer of hope, and wailed louder, “Hu Shi, you wait! When Jin’er comes back, he’ll teach you a lesson!”

“We’ll see who teaches whom,” Shuiqing retorted.

Mother Fan’s confidence wavered as she glanced at the gleaming knife, feeling less sure of her position.

Her heart ached for her poor son.

How had he ended up marrying such a fierce woman?

With Mother Fan’s cries fading, Shuiqing felt a sense of relief. She pulled up a chair and sat down, her tone calm but firm, “Alright, now we can calmly discuss splitting the family.”

Sun Jinhua, surveying the chaotic scene, wanted to ask: where’s the calm?

Mother Fan, still in shock, mumbled, “Split the family?”

Who said anything about splitting the family? Weren’t they discussing whether the girls could eat at the table? How did it turn into splitting the family?