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The elderly lady was astonished to see fury in the eyes of these two children in their early teens. This marked the first time someone within the family dared to openly challenge her authority.
“You two little rascals! Did I not say something? How dare you look at me like that! Is there no respect anymore? I am your elder; why can’t I discipline you?” Although the elderly lady spoke these words, she lacked the courage to physically confront the two children. However, she didn’t forget to intimidate them with her words.
“Grandma, you are indeed our good grandma. I’ll remember your kindness today. Mom, let’s go back to our room.”
The two brothers prepared to support their mother back to their room, but they were halted by the elderly lady.
“Hold on. This is no longer your home. From now on, go wherever you like. I have no extra space for you here. And as for the living expenses, make sure to settle that in the next few days.”
The neighbors found the elderly lady’s words outrageous. This was too much; how could she deny them a house in the division of assets? Even if there were no extra houses, they should at least be given time to find a suitable place to move. In this chilling spring weather, where could this family go?
“Mrs. Wang, you are a product of the new society. Your behavior is unacceptable. Aren’t you pushing your son’s family into a dead end?” A neighbor couldn’t help but comment.
The elderly lady didn’t back down. “Are you accusing me of pushing them into a dead end? Take a look at our situation. We only have four rooms. My husband and I in one, our daughter and younger son each in one. There’s no extra room for them. The children are grown; we can’t let them stay in the same room. If your family has extra rooms, why don’t you offer them a place to stay? Don’t stand there talking without understanding the situation.”
The neighbor who spoke up for the Wang family dared not say anything more after the elderly lady’s retort. Every household had only a few rooms, and with several children in each family, there were no spare rooms for the Wang family.
“Mom, if you want us to move out, at least give us some food and utensils. We need to cook when we’re on our own, right?”
Zhang Lan understood that the elderly lady was determined to drive their family out. However, if they were to live separately, they needed some essentials; otherwise, how could they survive without food? The whole family would be left with nothing.
“Mingyuan, go inside and wake Dad up. Regardless, he is the head of the family, and he should be present for this division of assets.”
Though Zhang Lan was angry at her elder sister and mother-in-law for mistreating her, what irked her the most was her husband. While she and her children were being mistreated by his family, he was inside the house, fast asleep. This was unforgivable; he didn’t seem like a man at all, especially when the crucial moment of dividing assets arrived, and he was drunk.
Wang Mingyuan hurriedly ran into the house to wake his father. The groggy Wang Zhenhe was pushed awake by his younger son, expressing some discontent.
“Dad, wake up quickly! Mom and sister have been attacked. If you don’t go now, it might turn deadly. Grandma is dividing assets and refusing to give us a house.”
Upon hearing that his wife and daughter were attacked, Wang Zhenhe widened his eyes, hastily put on some clothes, and ran outside. In the yard, he saw his wife with bruises on her face and his daughter in tears.
“Daughter, tell Dad who bullied you. I’ll avenge you.”
Wang Zhenhe gently touched his child’s head, but the sound of Wang Qian’s pig-like squeal echoed in the yard.
“Ahh, it hurts!” Wang Qian cried out as Zhang Lan quickly put down the child and touched the back of her head. A large lump, almost the size of an egg, had formed. The pain made Wang Qian wail, tears streaming down her face.
The cries of the children tore at Wang Zhenhe’s heart. Seeing the bruises on the child’s hands, the anger inside him surged. His eyes glared angrily at everyone in the yard. “Speak up! Who bullied my wife and children?”
The neighbors who had been watching silently couldn’t help but cast accusing glances at Wang Mei. This person was ruthless; even the children were beaten like this. The looks directed at Wang Mei were filled with anger and disdain.
“Sob, Dad, Aunt and Grandma both hit us. The bruises on our hands were pinched by Grandma.” Wang Qian didn’t care about the consequences; facing the mistreatment from the old lady, the real Wang Qian had lost her life, and they were now a group of killers.
Upon hearing his daughter’s revelation, Wang Zhenhe, who had just been full of anger, seemed to deflate like a balloon. His spirits plummeted instantly.
“Mom, big sister, what are you doing? We had an agreement at noon. How come you start mistreating my wife and children as soon as I fell asleep? This is just unacceptable.”
Wang Zhenhe couldn’t bring himself to be harsh on his mother and elder sister. Looking at the bruises on his wife and children, he felt unable to bear witnessing it. Regardless, they were his own mother and sister; he couldn’t hit or scold them.
“You troublemaker! You believe that little rascal’s nonsense. Why don’t you mention that she hit your elder sister too? Such a small child daring to do such outrageous things; she’ll be uncontrollable when she grows up. It’s all because your family can’t discipline the children properly; they become unruly at such a young age.” The elderly lady continued her unabashed and disruptive words.
“Zhenhe, the children are in pain. We should go to the clinic; otherwise, if they develop complications, it will be troublesome.”
Zhang Lan, despite her own injuries, hurriedly ran outside, holding the child. The two boys followed their mother closely.
Knowing the financial situation at home, Wang Zhenhe, whose pockets were cleaner than his face, said, “Mom, quickly give me some money. We can’t afford medical treatment without it.”
“A child’s minor injuries are not a big deal. Every child has bumps and bruises. If you have no money, borrow it yourself.”
The elderly lady said with a dark face, and seeing his mother’s attitude, Wang Zhenhe felt a pang in his heart. No matter how hard he tried over the years, his mother never valued him. Now, his children and wife were suffering the consequences.
“Mom, can’t you consider it as borrowing money from me? The children need medical attention.”
His mother said nothing, leading her two daughters into the house without looking back. At this moment, Wang Zhenhe couldn’t help but feel sorrowful. His own mother was disregarding his children’s lives.
“Zhenhe, quickly come to my house and take some money. It’s crucial to get the kids medical treatment,” the elderly lady couldn’t bear it any longer and spoke up.
“Aunt, thank you.” Wang Zhenhe’s thank-you sounded choked up. His own birth mother couldn’t compare to his aunt. With the money from his aunt, Wang Zhenhe rushed to the hospital. On the way, he reproached himself. If it weren’t for his siblings persuading him to drink today, such a thing wouldn’t have happened. If something happened to the children, he felt the desire to die.