Chapter 5: The Stepmother Gets Beaten

That statement struck a nerve with Lei Honghua. “Splitting up? I tell you, it’s impossible!  Unless I die!!!”

“Qiao Youcai, Qiao Youfu, you two ungrateful brats! When your mother died, it was I who raised you, feeding and clothing you.  You needed your mother then, but now that you’re grown and have your own wings, you want to discard your mother?

Is this how you treat your mother? Aren’t you afraid of divine retribution?  If you want to split up, fine! Get out and don’t expect a single cent from this family!”

Lei Honghua panted, glaring at Liu Afang, “Liu Afang, is it you, this bad-tempered, infertile hen, who instigated this? You’re floating on cloud nine because you’re pregnant.  Being pregnant is nothing; you have to give birth successfully, and even then, you have to be able to raise the child.

You two brothers are ungrateful and unfilial, you deserve to die childless.”

As soon as these words came out, Qiao Youfu and Qiao Youcai’s faces turned pale, and Liu Afang’s face turned deathly white.

Qiao Jiangxin looked at Lei Honghua with hateful eyes. In her previous life, her younger brother, Jiangmu, had several accidents at home scalded by boiling water, falling from a cabinet his health deteriorating day by day.  He died after contracting measles and developing a high fever, even after being sent to the county hospital.

Now, listening to Lei Honghua’s words, Qiao Jiangxin had reason to suspect that her brother’s accidents might have been intentional.

After all, if her father didn’t have a son, her uncle and father would be the old workhorses of the Qiao family for life, working for Third Uncle and Fourth Uncle.

“Lei Honghua, shut your mouth!!!”

Hearing Lei Honghua’s curses, Qiao Jiuwang grabbed her hair and threw her to the ground. He even kicked her hard, knocking her down again as she tried to get up.

Qiao Youcai and Qiao Youfu were his own sons. Lei Honghua cursing them to their faces was like cursing him.

Although Lei Honghua usually favored her own children, Qiao Jiuwang always thought that the eldest and second sons were more than a decade older than the third and fourth, and it was appropriate for them to give way to their younger siblings.

Even in other families, older siblings usually gave way to younger ones. Qiao Jiuwang never saw a problem with Lei Honghua’s preferential treatment.

But Lei Honghua’s scolding made it impossible for him to pretend to be dead. Lei Honghua didn’t consider Youfu and Youcai her children at all.

In this world, what mother would curse her children to be childless?

“Oh my, what’s going on? Why are you fighting?”

“Oh, Qiao, stop it, stop it. Talk things over. Why are you fighting? The children are watching. Hurry and pull them apart.”

Lei Honghua’s cries and screams attracted the neighbors from the two adjacent houses.

With everyone’s persuasion and intervention, the two finally separated. Lei Honghua sat on the ground crying uncontrollably, “Qiao Jiuwang, you heartless beast. I’ve been married to you for almost thirty years, raised these two ungrateful brats, and borne children for you, and this is how you treat me.

Woo woo woo, you’re only taking advantage of the fact that Jianhua and Jianguo aren’t home. Woo woo woo, if you have the guts, kill me! You useless coward, you only know how to beat your wife.”

After scolding Qiao Jiuwang, Lei Honghua began to scold Qiao Youfu and Qiao Youcai, then Liu Afang and Qiao Jiangxin.

Qiao Jiuwang, seeing the people gathered at the door watching the spectacle, his face flushed red with shame, “Shut up, and get back. You’re old enough to know better than to be the subject of gossip.”

“Woo woo woo, what gossip am I afraid of? If there’s gossip, it’s about how the Qiao family doesn’t act like human beings….”

Seeing Lei Honghua’s tantrum, Qiao Jiuwang felt unbearable shame and grabbed her arm, dragging her into the inner room.

Qiao Youfu and Qiao Youcai also reacted and quickly told the onlookers at the door, “Disperse, disperse. It’s just a husband and wife quarreling, nothing to see.”

After the crowd dispersed, Qiao Youfu and his brother sat dejectedly in the yard, listening to Lei Honghua’s crying and Qiao Jiuwang’s voice from inside the house.

Qiao Jiangxin seized the opportunity, “Mom and Dad, we must split this family. Third Uncle went to learn a trade and hasn’t given a penny to the family, yet he takes food from home. Fourth Uncle is irresponsible.

Last year, when Uncle was getting married, they needed 200 yuan, and the family said they didn’t have it. Then they gave him 300 yuan to get a temporary job, but he was fired after only two months….”

“I stopped studying after third grade. Fourth Uncle couldn’t pass the exam, so they used connections to send him. My mother is pregnant, and they don’t even give her an egg to eat.  They’ve taken two chickens from the coop in the last six months for Third Aunt. 

Mom and I take care of all the livestock, and all the eggs are saved for Third Aunt. Why do we do all the work, and Third Uncle and Fourth Uncle get all the benefits?”

Qiao Youcai looked at his older brother with a complex expression. His brother was 38 years old. Last year, someone introduced a 30-year-old widow with a 9-year-old son.  They asked for 200 yuan to support the child, but Lei Honghua flatly refused, then gave Qiao Jianguo a temporary job in town.

Qiao Youfu lowered his head, picking at the calluses on his hands without speaking. The family’s money and grain, everything was in Lei Honghua’s hands.

If Lei Honghua didn’t agree, they would have to leave with nothing. He didn’t mind, but his brother had a family to support, and his sister-in-law was pregnant. Where would they go?

Seeing that her father’s expression had softened, Qiao Jiangxin pressed on, “Dad, have we had any free time all year round? But look at the clothes Mom and I wear. Mom is finally pregnant again, which is a big deal for any family. Look how thin she is?

Fourth Uncle is about to get married. I heard Grandma and Little Aunt talking about using me to exchange for a marriage with Little Uncle. 

Grandpa seems to be softening his stance this time. We must seize this opportunity to split the family. You and Uncle are so capable, even if we suffer a little loss, our lives will improve quickly.

If this continues, we’ll be endlessly supporting Third Uncle and Fourth Uncle’s bottomless pit….”

Qiao Youcai took a deep breath, “Okay, I’ll talk to Grandpa later. I’ve worked like an ox and a horse for this family for so many years, and I think I’ve done my duty to Mom.”

Qiao Youfu sighed, “There’s no such thing as duty or not. When she came to our family, we were both over ten years old, old enough to earn work points and support ourselves.

We haven’t had a moment’s rest in over twenty or thirty years. 

No matter who it is, we wouldn’t be living like this, without a decent set of clothes to wear.”