Chapter 39

The patriarch of the Ge family is named Ge Qiang. He is not tall, and as he got older, he developed a hunched back, which made him appear even shorter. This short stature was passed down to a few of his children, including Ge Changjun and Ge Changyuan, who are both under 1.7 meters tall.

When Ge Qiang entered the house, Huang Guihua hurriedly stepped forward to take what he was holding, then helped him take off his coat and shoes.

Ge Qiang naturally followed Huang Guihua’s lead, and was served on the sofa, with a cup of warm water that was just the right temperature.

Jian Li came out from the back room and happened to see this scene.

Jian Feng and Wang Mengmei also saw it.

Jian Feng silently greeted with “Uncle,” and Ge Qiang nodded in response, then casually grabbed the remote control and switched to a traditional opera program.

Ge Cong, knowing the situation, stood up, and the whole family of children and grandchildren gathered together. Ge Qiang paid no attention to anyone and didn’t ask anything.

Everyone had gotten used to his behavior by now.

In his life, Ge Qiang hadn’t gained much, but he had good luck.

Before marriage, he lived off his parents; after marriage, he lived off his wife. His first wife passed away, and then Huang Guihua, who came with a large fortune, married him and worked tirelessly for him.

After a special period ended, a distant relative from abroad returned to the village, and when they counted the descendants, Ge Qiang was the only one left.

Then, he used his money and effort to send Ge Changyuan, Ge Changjun, and Ge Yaqin to school, and also helped Ge Changjun build connections with relevant departments to start a construction company…

As Ge Yaqin put it, “My dad may not have much in life, but no one has luck like his.”

Indeed, no one could compare.

Ge Qiang’s life was easy and carefree. The hardest part was when he worked at the cotton spinning factory, where just going to work on time seemed tiring. After marrying his wife, he stopped working at the factory and relied on his wife to support him. After his first wife passed away, the second wife continued to support him.

Over the years, he didn’t manage anything at home or outside; he just wanted to live freely. Whether drinking and playing cards outside or watching TV and raising fish at home, he was indifferent to everything.

His children didn’t matter much to him.

When Huang Guihua made him unhappy, he would slap her.

His children, whether biological or not, were treated the same way.

When Jian Feng first lived with the Ge family, he couldn’t tolerate Ge Qiang hitting Huang Guihua and had stopped him several times.

Ge Qiang even hit Jian Feng together with Huang Guihua.

Ge Qiang wasn’t afraid of being criticized. After all, he didn’t have any shame.

Jian Feng had been beaten a few times, and it was useless. Huang Guihua didn’t appreciate it either.

No matter how much she was beaten the day before, Huang Guihua still served Ge Qiang the next day.

She even complained that Jian Feng was too meddlesome.

“You don’t understand, beating is affection, scolding is love.”

Jian Feng couldn’t understand; his biological father had never laid a hand on him. Before he passed away, he managed to tell the factory leader to take good care of his wife and children, only then could he pass away peacefully.

Could kindness, gentleness, and responsibility not compare to violence, insult, and irresponsibility?

Jian Feng repeatedly advised Huang Guihua to divorce him. She and her son knew many people in the cotton spinning factory, and with the monthly subsidy and some work, they could live fine.

But Huang Guihua insisted she couldn’t live without a man.

She attributed the beatings she received to not giving Ge Qiang a son.

After a few years, she finally gave birth to Ge Changjun and Ge Changyuan.

Huang Guihua straightened her back, got beaten less, but still had to serve Ge Qiang.

After Ge Yaqin was born, and their situation improved, Ge Qiang gradually stopped beating her.

Huang Guihua called it “getting through the hard times.”

She had endured the toughest period and could finally enjoy life. When the man stopped hitting her, she was content.

Because of Ge Qiang’s temperament, no child in the family was close to him.

He lay on the sofa watching TV, while the men gathered to talk, and the women worked in the kitchen.

Soon, a big table of festive food was served.

Ge Qiang slurped through his meal, wiped his mouth, and went back to watching TV.

Jian Feng, looking at the table of food, only took a few bites.

After the meal, Huang Guihua hurriedly pulled Ge Changjun to complain, while the others gathered around the TV to watch the Spring Festival Gala.

Jian Li and Ge Cong ignored each other, one cracking sunflower seeds and the other reading a book in the room.

As the son of the third uncle, Ge Cong was much more at ease in the grandmother’s house than Jian Li.

Not long after, Huang Guihua came out with a smile.

Although her eyes were still red, it was obvious that her conversation with her son had gone well.

Ge Changjun’s expression also softened.

As soon as the clock struck midnight, everyone tidied up and went to bed.

The house had four rooms, and each family occupied one. Jian Feng’s family stayed in the smallest room. The narrow spring bed made it uncomfortable to sleep on.

Wang Mengmei couldn’t sleep, and neither could Jian Feng.

Wang Mengmei closed her eyes and said, “Can we not come next year?”

She could tell her husband was in a bad mood after entering.

—-

“After all these years, let others say what they want, with your mother’s attitude, I’m holding her up to cause trouble, as long as she doesn’t mind looking bad.”

The couple were honest people, but they had been honest for so long, Wang Mengmei was burning with anger inside.

They had clearly torn their faces, why bother with putting up this facade?

Is it really necessary?

Huang Guihua might be her mother, but she had never done what a mother should do.

Wang Mengmei said, “Jian Li is growing up, just like Ge Changfeng, so what’s the harm if we don’t come?”

Just as Wang Mengmei thought her husband wouldn’t respond, Jian Feng softly said, “We won’t come next year.”

Jian Feng also felt it was utterly pointless.

He could have spent a nice New Year’s Eve with his family of three, just like the night before.

Why should they endure this hardship tonight?

All night, Huang Guihua kept serving food to her son and daughter-in-law, but treated his whole family as if they were invisible.

He knew this was Huang Guihua deliberately stepping on him.

From childhood to adulthood, Huang Guihua had done this countless times.

It seemed as if only when she treated him badly could Ge Qiang believe that she was truly determined to become a daughter-in-law of the Ge family.

Looking back, it was all so pointless.

Huang Guihua was pitiful, but she didn’t need anyone’s pity.

She had her own set of survival rules.

“From now on, we won’t come.”

—-

The next morning, Jian Li woke up early to collect her red envelopes.

Ge Changjun and Ge Changyuan both gave one, and although Huang Guihua was unwilling, she gave her a thin red envelope.

When Jian Li opened it, there was only fifty cents inside.

She secretly peeked at Ge Cong’s envelope, Huang Guihua had given him fifty yuan!

Jian Li secretly told Wang Mengmei, “Grandma only gave me fifty cents, don’t give her more!”

It was a yearly custom for Jian Feng and Wang Mengmei to give Huang Guihua a little money when they left on the first day of the new year.

It was usually fifty yuan.

Jian Li felt it was unfair.

Her father gave five hundred yuan, but her grandmother never gave her a kind look.

In the end, Jian Feng still gave fifty yuan.

After giving the money, he didn’t mention that he wouldn’t come again, but Huang Guihua had already spoken.

Her words implied that the house was too crowded, so Jian Feng didn’t need to come again.

“Originally, I was afraid people would say you were ungrateful. After all, the Ge family has fed you for over ten years, so if you don’t come, it’s not the right thing. Now you have your own family, so if you don’t come, then don’t. After all, you’re still surnamed Jian.”

No matter what, Huang Guihua had the final say. Jian Feng didn’t say a word, and he took his wife and daughter home.

—-

On the second day of the New Year, they went to her parental home.

Wang Mengmei carried a lot of things, and the family of three went to the bus station and took the earliest bus.

Although there were fewer people during the New Year, everyone still carried a bunch of things with them. Wang Mengmei was actually carrying less than others.

The bus rocked from Taocheng to Wangjia Village. Jian Li felt drowsy from the air inside the bus, but as soon as she got off, the cold air woke her up.

“Big Uncle!”

When she saw her big uncle again, Jian Li was very happy.

Wang Yuedong had been waiting by the roadside for who knows how long, and when he saw Jian Li, he walked over to greet her.

“Sis, brother-in-law.”

“Xiao Li, you’ve lost weight!”

Jian Li, wearing her new clothes, proudly spun around: “Hehe, I have lost weight.”

“Good for you, you look better now. Xiao Shuai keeps talking about you.”

Jian Li didn’t know what she had told Wang Shuai, but now he couldn’t stop talking about her, always saying “my sister says.”

Wang Yuedong told Wang Mengmei to put the things in the car: “Let’s go, the eldest sister has already come back.”

Jian Li jumped high: “I’m taking the car!”

A few days ago, it had snowed. The roads in the city were fine, but the rural roads were muddy, and Jian Li didn’t want to walk.

Of course, Wang Yuedong had no objections and asked Jian Li to sit in the back seat with two boxes of dried goods.

Jian Feng stamped his feet: “It’s really cold.”

Wang Yuedong picked up the conversation: “It snowed heavily a few days ago. The snow was almost knee-deep. The city didn’t have as much snow, right?”

“Not much, just a few snowflakes.”

“How many days of leave can you take?”

“Your sister can stay a little longer, I need to leave before the fifth.”

—-

The bike weaved a path through the muddy village roads, and the trip that usually took about ten minutes actually took half an hour.

As they entered the village, they arrived at Wang Mengmei’s familiar place.

She greeted people as they walked, and occasionally saw other girls who had come home. Since the snow had fallen, they couldn’t ride their bikes, so they were all carrying children and husbands. The better-off families had bags of instant noodles, sausages, and milk tied to their bikes.

It was customary to avoid losing face when returning home on the second day of the New Year.

Wang Mengmei looked around her house and felt that, at least, they hadn’t been overshadowed.

She felt a little more at ease.

As they entered the house, Jian Li jumped down and shouted proudly.

“I, Hu Han San, am back again!”

Then Wang Yun Yun, Wang Shuai, and Qian Ping all came out of the house.

“Xiao Li!”

“Sis! Why are you so late!”

“I’ve missed you so much!”

Wang Mengmei was stunned. Jian Li had always gotten along well with her cousins, but when did she become so popular?

Wang Shuai pulled Jian Li’s hand: “Sis, I’ve got something good to show you!”

Wang Yun Yun didn’t let go either: “I have something good to show you too!”

The siblings, each on one side, helped Jian Li into the house.

Wang Mengmei: …

Forget it, let her be.

Wang Mengmei entered the house and first greeted her mother. Her sister-in-law, Sun Cuifang, was also confused.

“She was still in the yard just now. I heard you came back, so she went inside?”

Wang Mengmei called out twice, but no one answered.

She tried pushing the door, but it wouldn’t open.

Wang Mengmei was speechless.

Her mother, Zhao Chunlan, had heard her come back and locked the door from the inside!