Old Madam Li was slapped so hard she spun around in place.

If her sister-in-law hadn’t caught her, she would’ve fallen to the ground.

Half her face felt numb—then tingly—then came the pain.

“Old Lin, how could you hit Shuping?” Madam Wang(Auntie Wang) glared angrily at Lin Yongnian.

Lin Yongnian had a violent temper in his younger years and had hit Shuping often.

He had mellowed out a bit after the kids grew up and they had grandchildren, but now, in front of all these people, he actually raised his hand again.

“Sis, are you okay?” Lin Qiufang asked with concern. “You’re usually so even-tempered—why did things blow up today? You know how my brother’s temper is.”

Her brother took after their father, especially when it came to being harsh with his wife.

He’d lash out with a slap at the slightest displeasure.

Lin Yongnian didn’t feel guilty at all.

Instead, he yelled at Old Madam Li with self-righteous anger, “You had to make a scene on a joyous day like this! Aren’t you ashamed?”

Old Madam Li slowly raised her head and looked at the furious old man.

Lin Guodong glanced at his mother, his expression complicated.

Liu Qin and her brother had gone too far, but his mother shouldn’t have caused such a scene on his second brother’s wedding day.

Now that she’d angered their father, things wouldn’t end well for her.

Old Madam Li shook her head and gently patted Madam Wang’s hand, signaling her to let go.

As Madam Wang released her and was about to speak, Old Madam Li sprang forward like a nimble cat and slapped Lin Yongnian twice across the face before scratching at him wildly.

“Lin Yongnian, you old bastard, I’ll fight you with everything I’ve got!” Old Madam Li was furious, hitting and kicking him relentlessly.

“Ow, ow…” Lin Yongnian shouted in pain. A

s he tried to back away, his left foot tripped over his right, and he fell to the ground.

Old Madam Li pounced and started raining blows on him.

Everyone was stunned for a moment before rushing to pull her away and help Lin Yongnian up.

Meanwhile, her youngest daughter, Lin Xiaoyu, was in the kitchen with an apron on, squatting to wash vegetables.

The kitchen was a whirlwind of activity, so she hadn’t noticed what was going on outside.

“Xiaoyu! There’s a fight—your mom and dad are fighting!” Guo Xiaochun from the courtyard ran into the kitchen.

What?

Lin Xiaoyu looked up, confused.

That couldn’t be right.

Her mom always obeyed her dad, barely even argued with him.

Her dad hadn’t laid a hand on anyone for years. Why were they fighting now?

Especially today—her second brother’s wedding day!

“What are you spacing out for? Go! Your mom went wild—yelled at your future sister-in-law, your dad, even your second brother!”

Was that really her mom?

Lin Xiaoyu quickly stood up, wiped her hands on her apron, and ran out with Guo Xiaochun.

Just as they reached the courtyard entrance, she heard her eldest brother shouting, “Mom, are you crazy? How could you hit Dad?”

Then her second brother said, “Mom, you’ve completely lost it! You hit Qin Qin’s brother, then Dad—do you just not want me to get married?”

“I am crazy! Driven mad by all of you!” Old Madam Li screamed hysterically.

When she was humiliated, when their father hit her, none of them said a word.

But now that she hit him, they all rushed to condemn her.

She was furious, heartbroken—every vein in her body felt like it was boiling over.

Suddenly, everything went black, and she collapsed backward.

“Mom!”

Just before losing consciousness, she thought she heard Xiaoyu calling her.

It felt like a dream—Old Madam Li dreamed of the day her second son’s wife moved in, how she had caused a huge scene and finally saw her sons for who they really were.

She had always believed that her sons changed after getting married.

But the truth was, they had never cared about her.

They took her sacrifices for granted and never saw her efforts as worth anything.

Even though it felt cathartic in the dream, Old Madam Li still wasn’t satisfied.

She should’ve beaten both those ungrateful brats while she had the chance.

She took this dream as Heaven’s final gift before death—yet she could still hear someone crying, “Mom, Mom, Mom!”

Old Madam Li slowly opened her eyes to see a young, soft, slightly chubby face.

A round face, big eyes, full of worry—it was Xiaoyu, seventeen-year-old Xiaoyu.

Honestly, she looked best at this age—chubby cheeks that made her look blessed.

Not like when she was twenty, skin and bones from dieting to stay slim.

Wait—skin and bones?

No normal person dieting should be that skinny.

Old Madam Li suddenly recalled how Xiaoyu looked last year when she visited her in the nursing home.

She was pale, even wore a hat in summer, long sleeves too—each time she came, she looked more exhausted and thinner.

The last time Xiaoyu visited, she begged her daughter to take her home.

Xiaoyu cried too, said she wanted to but didn’t have the means and couldn’t care for her properly.

She got angry then, called Xiaoyu an ungrateful brat and told her to get lost.

Xiaoyu ran out crying, hand over her mouth—and she might have heard retching sounds.

A chill ran down Old Madam Li’s spine.

Could it be that Xiaoyu had been seriously ill?

That’s why she was so thin, so worn out?

And for the past year, when the hospital called, Xiaoyu never answered…

Could it be… Xiaoyu’s already…

She didn’t dare finish the thought.

The idea that her daughter might’ve passed away before her was unbearable.

A hot tear slid down her cheek.

This wasn’t just a dream.

She really had come back.

Lin Xiaoyu saw her mother’s eyelids flutter and called to her. Her mom opened her eyes and just stared at her—then began crying sadly.

Seeing her mom cry, Lin Xiaoyu’s own nose started to tingle, and she joined her in tears.

“Silly girl, why are you crying?” Old Madam Li tried to raise her hand to wipe her daughter’s tears, only to realize she was hooked up to an IV.

She had fainted and been taken to the hospital.

She was the only patient in the ward, and the only one keeping vigil at her bedside was Xiaoyu.

Sniffling, Lin Xiaoyu said, “When I see you cry, my heart aches.”

“Okay, Mother won’t cry. Don’t you cry either.” Old Madam Li sniffled and wiped her tears.

Lin Xiaoyu lowered her head and wiped her eyes.

“Where’s your dad and the others?”

Lin Xiaoyu hesitated and whispered, “They’re at home entertaining guests. After you passed out, Dad had big brother take you to the hospital. I didn’t feel right, so I came with.”

Her mother had collapsed, and yet they still had the heart to continue the wedding.

Lin Xiaoyu thought they were being heartless.

“What about your big brother?”

“He went back to the banquet.” She’d tried to stop him, but he said having her there was enough.

He left, saying her sister-in-law would bring food later.

“Heh…” Old Madam Li let out a cold laugh.

Such wonderful sons—such good sons.

No doubt, after she fainted, Lin Yongnian must have apologized to Liu Qin’s brother, handed over a red envelope, and welcomed Liu Qin into the family.

So after all her outrage and defiance, she still became the family joke. But the resentment in her chest had been vented.

From now on, she thought, if she wasn’t happy, no one else was going to have it easy either.