“Dad, could you have some shame?” Jian Zhi truly couldn’t fathom her family being this extravagant. Her family had always been ordinary – six figures… Had her parents even saved six figures over all these years?
Her father immediately flared up upon hearing this. “Who do you think you’re talking to? You ill-mannered brat!”
“That’s right! I have no manners! No one taught me to be shameless enough to demand things from others…”
Smack! A loud sound interrupted Jian Zhi’s words.
Her father had raised his hand to slap her, but Wen Tingyan quickly stepped between them, wrapping his arms around her.
The slap landed on Wen Tingyan instead.
“You wretched girl! Today’s my happy day, are you fucking here just to ruin my mood? I’ll beat you to death!” her father roared in furious rage.
Wen Tingyan turned around, shielding her behind him as he faced her father.
Her father immediately backed down, putting on an ingratiating smile for Wen Tingyan. “Son-in-law, my daughter here doesn’t know her manners. Sorry you had to see that.”
But Wen Tingyan responded, “Father-in-law, my wife hasn’t been in the best mood lately. I hope you can be more understanding.”
Her father immediately caught the underlying meaning in Wen Tingyan’s words: This is my wife, you can’t hit her.
Looking at Wen Tingyan standing protectively in front of her, towering a head taller than her, Jian Zhi’s heart still filled with endless bitterness.
He was defending her, but what did it matter?
How her family treated her had long ceased to bother her. When she truly needed him to stand up for her, where had he been?
It could only be said that he always knew how to distinguish between close and distant relationships.
He wouldn’t allow her father to hit her, but what if the person arguing with her today had been one of his brothers? Or Luo Yucheng?
Seeing the situation turning awkward, her mother came over to smooth things over, also wearing an apologetic smile. “Now that you’re here, why are you still standing? I was just pouring tea. This old man doesn’t even know to invite you to sit.”
Jian Zhi’s father, Jian Chengjun, took the opportunity to save face.
Jian Zhi’s mother Liu Xiuyun handed tea to Wen Tingyan. “Why hasn’t Jian Zhi been in a good mood?”
Wen Tingyan sat down, placing his hand on her shoulder and glancing at her. “Is she angry with me? Or does she think I’m not good enough? I’m not sure. Or… has she met someone better outside?”
“How could that be!” Liu Xiuyun immediately denied this. “How could she possibly meet anyone better? A cripple like her – who else would want her besides you?”
Her heart sank.
This was no surprise. It was everyone’s consensus, including her family’s: Besides Wen Tingyan, who would marry a cripple?
Hah…
Her father, who was fiddling with his fishing gear, became even more crude upon hearing this. “With such a good husband like you, what more could she want? If she dares to wrong you, I’ll break her legs!”
“You try…”
Just as she was about to jump up, Wen Tingyan restrained her and cut her off. “Jian Zhi, that’s enough.”
Then Wen Tingyan said to Jian Chengjun, “Father-in-law, would you like to try out the new fishing rod?”
Jian Chengjun immediately brightened up. “Great! Son-in-law!”
“I’ll go fishing with Father-in-law. You stay home and chat with Mother-in-law.” He spoke softly to her while lowering his head, even stroking her hair.
“Let’s go, let’s go.” Jian Chengjun kept urging.
Wen Tingyan then stood up and went out.
Liu Xiuyun closed the door and sat beside her, immediately launching into a tirade. “Are you out of your mind? Wen Tingyan is such a catch, and instead of keeping him happy, you’re picking fights with him? Countless women would kill to be with a man like him, yet here you are, throwing away this golden opportunity. If you drive him away, where will you ever find another husband this wealthy?”
Jian Zhi sneered, “Or should I say, where will you find another son-in-law this easily duped?”
Her mother’s face darkened at once. “Ungrateful wretch! Let me make this clear—if you really drive your husband away, don’t even think about coming back! You’re utterly useless! Can’t even keep a man pacified!”
Jian Zhi scoffed inwardly: I’m planning to divorce him anyway!
Of course, she could never voice that aloud. If her parents found out, they’d raise hell, only complicating her plans to leave this place.
Liu Xiuyun resumed her earnest lecturing. “You’ve been married for five years now. Hurry up and have a son with your husband to secure your place. If you don’t, there are plenty of women out there who’ll bear children for him! Why can’t you see what’s right in front of you? I’m telling you, if you’re not pregnant by the end of this year, don’t bother coming home…”
“Let me remind you—you’re already a failure in life. We can’t rely on you to support us in our old age. The only thing you’re good for is clinging tightly to your husband. If you won’t think of yourself, at least consider your family. What will happen to your father and me when we’re old? What about your brother’s future?”
Liu Xiuyun droned on and on in her ear.
She’d had enough.
Every time her family made demands on Wen Tingyan, she wished she could vanish into the ground.
Her dignity, her self-respect in this marriage—all of it was trampled into the dirt by their greed.
Wen Tingyan’s financial generosity only encouraged her family’s audacity, but she alone knew how deeply a man of his character despised their mercenary ways. Did they really believe Wen Tingyan genuinely liked them?
“Enough! If you keep asking Wen Tingyan for money and favors, I’ll just divorce him!” she snapped, unable to bear it any longer.
Liu Xiuyun snorted derisively. “You? Divorce him? Are you planning to beg on the streets? Could you even survive without him? Would you turn to prostitution? Or do you already have a lover on the side? Have you ever stopped to think—what decent man would want you? For your limp? For your utter uselessness? Or because you’re an aging woman?”
Hah. This was her mother. This was the family environment she’d grown up in. No wonder she never wanted to return. Every visit was pure torment.
“Fine! I’m leaving then. I’ll go beg on the streets right now!” She stood up and headed for the door.
Her mother’s icy taunt followed her. “With that limp of yours, how far do you think you’ll get? I’d be ashamed to be associated with you if you embarrass yourself like that! When your husband comes back asking for you, should I tell him you’ve gone out selling yourself?”
Jian Zhi stood at the doorway, her back to her mother, biting her lip so hard it drew blood—the only way to keep herself from crying.
“Selling yourself”—those two words represented her mother’s highest aspirations for her.
In every sense of the phrase.
When she was young and wanted to learn dance, her mother had said, “Why should a proper girl learn dancing? It’s not like she’s planning to sell herself!” Later, somehow brainwashed, her mother changed her tune—dancing was good after all, it gave girls elegance, helping them marry rich and “sell” themselves at a higher price.
Later, she had indeed helped her mother realize her ambition—she had truly “sold” herself for a good price, using one of her legs as the currency.
Every minute in this house felt unbearable, yet she truly couldn’t leave.
If she left, she had no idea what absurd demands her parents might make in front of Wen Tingyan.
Liu Xiuyun watched her standing motionless at the door and snorted smugly, “I thought you had more backbone.”
Wen Tingyan and her father returned from fishing in the evening, accompanied by her brother Jian Zhou.
They had rushed back for dinner.
It seemed Wen Tingyan had quite a catch. Her father exclaimed as soon as he entered, praising his son-in-law for being blessed with wealth and fortune—even fishing brought him a full harvest, unlike himself, who had caught nothing.
Her mother immediately joined in with flattery upon hearing this.
Though accustomed to such attitudes, she still found it utterly nauseating.
Her mother called everyone to the table for dinner, while her father brought out a bottle of liquor. Pointing at the bottle, he boasted loudly, “Thanks to having a son-in-law like you, I get to drink this. Otherwise, I could never afford it in my lifetime.”
Wen Tingyan maintained his good-natured demeanor, but Jian Zhi only felt awkward.
Then, she noticed her brother Jian Zhou exchanging meaningful glances with their mother, even nudging her with his elbow.
She knew nothing good would come of it.