Chapter 8: A Fight Breaks Out

Early in the morning, before dawn, Lei Honghua got up.

As usual, she went straight to the chicken coop to collect eggs. Her third son’s wife was pregnant, and her fourth son was still growing, both needing nourishment.

Rural life was poor, and these eggs were the only thing the family had to supplement their nutrition.  They couldn’t let outsiders steal them.

Soon, a sharp scream woke up the entire Qiao family, “Ah~, there’s a thief in the house!!!”

“Which shameless, thieving bitch stole my eggs… Ah?? Where’s my chicken?”

Lei Honghua stuck her head into the chicken coop, widening her eyes to stare at a dark shadow in the corner.  There were four chickens left, one had been killed by Qiao Jiangxin yesterday, so there should be three left. Why did it seem like one was missing?

She picked up the bamboo pole nearby and poked around. She wasn’t mistaken; there were only two a hen used for brooding, and a rooster. Where was the other hen?

Lei Honghua angrily shouted at the figure bustling about in the kitchen, “Liu Afang, Liu Afang, you lazy good-for-nothing! Didn’t you lock up the chickens last night? You didn’t even notice a chicken was missing? You useless wretch, go find it! I tell you, if the chicken is gone, I’ll skin you alive!!!”

As she cursed, Lei Honghua’s gaze fell on the unswept chicken feathers on the kitchen floor, “Eh, weren’t the chicken feathers swept away yesterday? How…???”

Liu Afang was extremely nervous, “Mom, the chicken…”

Lei Honghua immediately understood, “Oh my god, this is terrible! Old man, get up! This is outrageous! There’s a thief in the house!  It’s the old saying, ‘A family thief is hard to guard against!’ Your two unfilial sons are secretly emptying the house! They stole and ate the family chicken!”

Her voice was loud and excited.

Qiao Jiangxin, who was still in bed, instantly woke up and rushed out of the room. Qiao Youfu and Qiao Youcai also quickly got out of bed.

In the kitchen, Lei Honghua looked at Liu Afang’s protruding belly and recalled the recent commotion in the house, a cruel glint flashing in her eyes.

If they had behaved themselves, she wouldn’t have had a reason to act. She had been waiting to see if it was a boy or a girl, but the opportunity had presented itself, so she wouldn’t be polite.

A daughter-in-law stealing the family’s chicken and being discovered by her mother-in-law, the mother-in-law, in a fit of rage, lost her composure and accidentally injured her thieving daughter-in-law. No one could do anything about it!

Qiao Youcai and Qiao Youfu dared to mention splitting the family, wasn’t it because Liu Afang was pregnant?

Humph, they wanted to escape her control?  Dream on.

These two bastards would only serve her third and fourth sons their entire lives.

As Qiao Jiangxin rushed into the kitchen, she saw Lei Honghua raising a rolling pin, her face grim, about to strike Liu Afang.

The target was Liu Afang’s belly.

“Mom!!!”

Qiao Jiangxin’s eyes widened in terror, she surpassed her limits and charged towards Lei Honghua.

“Bang!”

“Ah!”

Qiao Jiangxin collided with Lei Honghua like a small cannonball.

Lei Honghua raised her arm, and the blow aimed at Liu Afang’s belly missed. Liu Afang instantly reacted, sidestepped, and instinctively reached out to protect her belly. The rolling pin struck her wrist, where she was protecting her belly.

The shock and pain made her unsteady, and she fell to the side.

“Mom,” Qiao Jiangxin quickly reached out and pulled Liu Afang.

Qiao Youfu and Qiao Youcai, who followed closely behind, were also scared out of their wits.

“Afang, Afang, are you alright?”

Qiao Youcai’s eyes were red, “Mom, you… Afang is pregnant, how could you hit her!!!”

Lei Honghua, clutching her waist, fell to the ground and cursed. Qiao Jiangxin pounced on her, slapping her face twice, “I’ll beat you to death, you vicious woman, you cruel old beast! Don’t think we don’t know what you’re thinking, aren’t you afraid of divine retribution?!”

“Aaah, let go, Qiao Jiangxin, you uncivilized little wretch, you dare hit me?!”

Qiao Jiangxin straddled Lei Honghua, gritting her teeth, and slapped Lei Honghua’s slack face twice.

Two loud slaps, her arms numb from the force.

Lei Honghua was stunned.

Qiao Jiuwang stood at the kitchen door, his temples throbbing, roaring, “What are you doing!!”

“Qiao Daya, she’s your grandmother!”

Lei Honghua seemed to react only then, trying to push Qiao Jiangxin away, but she couldn’t.

She covered her face and wailed pitifully to Qiao Jiuwang, “Woo woo woo, old man, look!  See how they secretly bully this old woman! I’ve been married to you for almost thirty years, raised two ungrateful brats, and given birth to children for the Qiao family. 

This is how you treat me in my old age? Woo woo woo, if you don’t give me an explanation, I won’t live! Woo woo woo, I won’t live!”

Qiao Youfu stopped Qiao Jiuwang, explaining incoherently, “Dad, it’s not like that. Mom was about to hit Second Brother’s wife’s belly with a rolling pin, and Jiangxin was worried about Second Brother’s wife…”

Qiao Jiuwang slapped Qiao Youfu in the face, “You beast! Even if she didn’t give birth to you, she raised you for so many years.  This is how you treat your elders? You dare do this while I’m still alive? If I die, will they have a way to survive?”

Seeing that Grandpa didn’t care about Uncle’s explanation, and even slapped him against the door, Qiao Jiangxin’s anger surged.

In her previous life, Uncle and Dad had begged him for their son, his own grandson! What did he say? He coldly said, “Youcai, don’t blame Dad for being heartless, this is fate.  We farmers can’t afford to make trouble. 

I have more than just Jiangmu as a grandson. I can’t drag the whole family into the abyss for him. It’s better to bear the reputation of being heartless than to lose everything.”

“Don’t worry, your grandma and I have already talked to Jianhua and Jianguo. We’ll adopt a son for you. Jiangmu was sickly since birth, constantly sick. Even if he recovers this time, what about next time?

Second son, you have to think clearly, this is a bottomless pit.  The money spent on him, who can guarantee he’ll get better? It’s better to save the money and let Jianhua and Jianguo have a son and raise him well…”

Qiao Jiangxin couldn’t understand what kind of father would say such cruel words to his son.

If he hadn’t stood by and watched, she wouldn’t have rushed into marriage with the Chen family, Jiangmu wouldn’t have died, her father wouldn’t have fallen ill, and her uncle wouldn’t have died young from overwork.

If Lei Honghua was the executioner, then Qiao Jiuwang was the accomplice who condoned her actions.