Wang Jianjun noticed something off about his mother’s expression and slammed his fist on the table. The noisy courtyard instantly fell silent. In his youth, he had been involved in brawls and was burly in stature. His iron fists could knock a man’s brains out when they landed. Moreover, having fathered three sons with Zhang Xiulan, he still held considerable sway in the Wang family.
“Had enough? Mom’s getting old. Can’t you let her live in peace? Must you keep making a scene?”
“Me making a scene? Second Brother, if there were any other way, I wouldn’t bring this up. All these years, I’ve handed over my entire salary every month to support this big family. What have any of you done besides going to work? Mom’s been saving Haiyang’s money for him, so all the household expenses have been covered by my earnings. Shouldn’t I be able to spend that money on my own sons and daughters, or my future grandchildren?”
Liu Aijun scanned the crowd in the courtyard and let out a cold sneer. “Hmph! You just don’t want me to break away from the family, do you? If I leave, what will you all eat?”
He was about to say more when his wife tugged at his sleeve. Among all the family members, their mother disliked him the most. As the middle child, he often got caught in the crossfire. Although their branch had more sons and the old lady slightly favored them, it was only by a small margin.
Su Qing had remained silent all along. Under the table, her hand brushed through her spatial dimension for a moment before she pulled out a handkerchief and looked up at Liu Aijun, whose face was flushed red with agitation and anger.
“If you want to split the family, then split. You three branches move out tonight.”
As soon as the old lady spoke, all eyes turned to her, gleaming brightly.
Wang Weidong’s voice trembled with emotion as he blurted out, “This can’t be, Mom!”
Liu Aijun’s face lit up with joy, his fingers clutching the hem of his clothes tightening slightly. Besides Zhou Chunxia, Wang Yongqiang was the only one still seated calmly. After what had happened that afternoon, they were certain that whether the family split or not, the old lady would never relinquish what she held in her hands.
“Good, it’s settled then, Mom. But aside from our third branch’s belongings, what about the rest? Shouldn’t we invite the clan elders to witness this?”
“There is nothing else. Just vacate the third branch’s rooms and hurry back to pack your things!”
Both Wang Weidong and Liu Aijun froze in disbelief, staring at her. How could a mother be like this? Splitting the family without giving them anything—just forcing them to move out. If they left today, they wouldn’t even have a place to live!
“Mom, how can you do this? You must at least hand over what you have…”
“Hmph, what I have? Liu Aijun, how dare you covet what’s in my hands? When you married Wang Weidong, your family conditions were good, and you demanded a hefty bride price—180 yuan and 36 pieces of furniture. For the first five years after marriage, you even sent your entire salary back to your parents’ family to repay them for buying you that job.”
“I emptied my life savings to have Wang Weidong marry you. Back then, you two knelt before me swearing oaths that you’d care for me in my old age and show filial respect. The house you live in is mine, I raised your children, and I even helped you secure a daughter-in-law. You eat the meat from my bowl, then curse me after putting it down! Shame is a precious thing, yet you two wretched creatures have none. You claim the whole family lives off you? Hah! Wasn’t the money for your marriage and your son’s wedding earned through the collective labor of this entire family?”
“Get out! Get out of here today! From now on, whether you live or die has nothing to do with our Wang family. If you get bullied in the future, don’t expect any Wang family member to stand up for you.”
As Su Qing spoke, she picked up the bowl in front of her and smashed it violently onto the ground.
Wang Baoguo, distressed seeing his mother like this, hurried over to support Su Qing’s arm.
“Mother, don’t be angry. It’s not worth getting upset over such worthless scum.”
Seeing the old lady smash the bowl in her fury, all the Wang family members fixed their piercing gazes on Wang Weidong and Liu Aijun. Wang Haiyang, who had been sitting, unconsciously straightened his back.
Just a couple days ago, those same bone-chilling stares had been directed at him, Zhou Chunxia, and Tiezhu. Now that he was an outsider, watching the third son and his wife turn pale gave him considerable satisfaction.
Wang Weidong was someone who knew when to yield and when to stand firm. Whenever trouble arose, Liu Aijun would charge ahead while he played the good guy behind the scenes. After weighing both sides, he fell to his knees with a thud before Su Qing.
“Mother, Mother, don’t listen to this foolish woman’s nonsense. We won’t split up the family. We’re not dividing the household.”
Liu Aijun made a sound of protest, but when Wang Weidong shot her a sidelong glare, she didn’t dare speak further. If dividing the household meant leaving with only their own belongings without getting a single thing from the old lady’s hands, what would be the point?
According to the old lady’s words, if they moved out and got bullied later, they wouldn’t even have anyone to help them. If they really got into disputes with others, their cheeks would get swollen from being slapped.
Still, as one of the Wang family’s respectable members, she turned her head away and kept her back ramrod straight.
Su Qing pressed a handkerchief to the corner of her eye, deciding to play the victim. With a choked sob, the Wang sons grew somewhat panicked. The matriarch who’d been formidable her whole life suddenly shedding tears was truly frightening.
“Just putting on an act,” Liu Aijun muttered under her breath.
Wang Yongqiang sprang up instantly. He could tolerate other things, but nobody could bully his mother.
“Liu Aijun, you harpy! What are you muttering? Try saying one more word against my mother!”
He raised his fist and charged forward. Wang Zhenhua and Wang Guoqing quickly pulled their mother back. This young uncle who was about their age was a reckless hothead. Being the elders, they couldn’t possibly strike him.
“Yongqiang, stop! That’s your sister-in-law. Don’t be unreasonable. I know you all have grievances and resentment in your hearts. But your father left us early. Besides your eldest brother and Maizi who can lend me a hand, who else can I rely on?”
“They say growing boys eat their fathers out of house and home. To put food in your mouths, I gave away the silver ring your father left me as a gift just to get a job cooking communal meals. Feeding crowds with that giant wok—I gritted my teeth and swung a spatula half my weight. People looked down on me, saying a widow like me would soon abandon her children to remarry. But I refused. These are my children—I’d rather work myself to the bone than let them starve.”
“You resent me for being tough. If I weren’t, we’d have been trampled. If I didn’t fight and shout back, other children would’ve chased you down the street yelling ‘fatherless brats!’ Now you’ve grown up and see me as a burden. I understand. Fine, let’s split the household. I won’t rely on you anymore. Soon enough I’ll just find a rope and hang myself—won’t trouble any of you again.”
The old woman’s bitter, grievance-choked words sent tremors through her sons’ hearts and reddened their eyes. Those harsh years she described surged back to life.
Wang Baoguo, Wang Jianjun, and the usually overlooked Wang Haifeng had tears streaming down their faces.
They’d suffered hardships, but every time they were bullied, their mother had charged out with a fire poker to defend them. They’d felt wronged and miserable—but had their old mother ever complained?
Remembering how they’d stood by silently while she was being humiliated moments ago—how damned shameful they were!