Lu Laoda watched with great interest, “Third Son, I’m not criticizing you, but if she were my wife, I’d have beaten her to death. How dare she make a fuss after giving birth to a girl? Where does she get the nerve? She’s rebelling against heaven!”
Lu Jingzhou, who had been standing and listening for a long time, suddenly moved.
In two strides, he reached Lu Laoda, grabbed him by the collar, and threw a punch.
Even a sturdy farmer like Lu Laoda couldn’t withstand such a fist.
“Ah! Why are you hitting your elder brother?” Lu Da Sao rushed over to protect her husband.
Mother Lu stopped crying and stared blankly.
Old Man Lu jumped in anger, “Third Son, you…”
Before he could finish, Lu Jingzhou snatched a hoe from the base of the wall, barged into the main hall, and smashed the altar table with the hoe.
By the time Old Man Lu rushed in, the altar table had been reduced to splinters.
“Have you gone mad? How dare you smash the altar table? Your grandparents’ memorial tablets were on it!”
Lu Lao Er could no longer lie still. He ran out barefoot to watch the commotion. “Oh dear! Father, the memorial tablets seem to be shattered. It’s over, it’s over!”
The memorial tablets represented the deceased grandparents of the Lu family. Lu Jingzhou’s hoe strike was equivalent to hitting the old couple directly.
This was a grave act of disrespect, a major taboo, and extreme filial impiety!
Lu Jingzhou gripped the hoe, his eyes blazing like a wild leopard’s. “You want to carry on the family line, don’t you? Without ancestors, let’s see how you’ll continue it!”
“You! You wretched beast!” Old Man Lu slapped his thighs and stamped his feet, trembling with rage.
Ignoring everyone, Lu Jingzhou dragged the hoe out of the main hall into the courtyard.
“Third Son, you…” Mother Lu retreated two steps, frightened and timid.
“If I hear you say those words again, don’t blame me for turning against you!”
“Turn against me? Turn against me right now! Beat your own father to death! Come on, hit me here!” Old Man Lu charged out, thrusting his chest toward him.
“Old man, what are you doing!” Mother Lu hugged him, pulling him back.
The more she pulled, the more worked up Old Man Lu became. “He smashed the altar table! He’s forsaking his ancestors, forsaking his parents! He’s grown up, he’s capable, he doesn’t care about us anymore! Fine! Come on, quickly beat your father to death! Do whatever you want!”
The tactic of acting shamelessly wasn’t exclusive to women.
Anyone else would surely have been restrained by this.
A son striking his father was an unforgivable sin in any era.
Moreover, Lu Jingzhou was a military man.
Lu Laoda rubbed his mouth, watching and sneering. “He’s been unruly since childhood, and he’s still the same now.”
Lu Lao Er could relate to this the most. “Exactly! Once, he pinned me in a ditch and nearly drowned me.”
When Lu Jingzhou charged at Lu Laoda, Jiang Yue had already turned and gone back inside. Their family fights had nothing to do with her. Besides, Lu Jingzhou’s actions had taken her by surprise.
Now, hearing the taunts from Old Man Lu and his two sons, she suddenly began to sympathize with Lu Jingzhou.
Given the situation, it seemed Lu Jingzhou had been unloved by his parents since childhood and bullied by his brothers—a poor little wretch.
So, she rushed out, dashed into the kitchen, and came out carrying a basin of cold water.
As soon as Mother Lu saw what she was doing, she knew her intention and instinctively released her husband, stepping aside.
The moment she moved, the basin of cold water was flung directly into Old Man Lu’s face.
Lu Jingzhou didn’t have time to be shocked. He swiftly pulled Jiang Yue behind him, just as Old Man Lu’s tobacco pipe came down on his head.
Did he not dare hit his own son, but felt no such restraint toward Jiang Yue?
Moreover, he had long wanted to strike her. This blow was delivered with full force—the tobacco pipe snapped, and Lu Jingzhou’s head split open. A stream of blood flowed from his forehead down his face, a frightening sight.
Jiang Yue exploded, leaping up in fury. “You vicious old man! You’re trying to kill me! Fine, just wait—if I don’t burn your house down today, I won’t bear the surname Jiang!”
She truly meant to set the house ablaze, but Lu Jingzhou held her firmly back.
Captain Lu, having received word, hurried over. Taking in the scene in the yard, his head began to throb again. “Jingzhou, you’re back! When did you return? What’s… Ah! What happened to your head? Jiang Yue, hurry and find something to press on it! Should we take him to the clinic?”
Several elderly villagers also entered to mediate.
“We’re all family. Whatever issues there are, sit down and talk them out calmly. No need for violence.”
“Decheng! At your age, why is your temper still so fiery? Oldest and Second Son, why are you standing there like fools? Don’t you know how to persuade?”
“Family grudges shouldn’t last overnight…”
The women watching at the doorway, however, were far less charitable.
Liu Feng sneered, “It must be Jiang Yue, that troublemaker, again. Nothing good ever happens when she’s around. Lu Laosan, didn’t she say she wants a divorce? Just grant it to her. What’s there to cling to?”
Zhao Juhua chimed in cheerfully, “Exactly! The moment you divorce her, I’ll introduce you to a fresh young maiden—guaranteed prettier, more diligent, and more capable than her!”
Yang Huaihua blurted out, “No need to look far! We have a perfect match right here in the village—isn’t Educated Youth Wu just suitable?”
Wu Jiahui stood at the back of the crowd, nervously twisting the hem of her clothes, not daring to lift her head, though her face was genuinely flushed.
Jiang Yue laughed in exasperation. “See? They’ve already lined up your backup plan. Lu Jingzhou, let’s get a divorce!”
She had had enough.
She tried to shake off his hand, but Lu Jingzhou gripped it tighter. “If you want to remarry, you’ll have to wait until I’m dead.”
Suddenly, a dark-skinned lad charged into the yard wielding a shoulder pole. “Get out! All of you, get out! Every one of you is ill-intentioned! A bunch of nasty gossips with filthy mouths—disgusting!”
“Hey! Zheng Xiaoliu, have you lost your mind?”
“Ouch! You’re really hitting people!”
“Zheng Xiaoliu, how dare you hit me? Don’t ever think about finding a wife in the future!”
Zheng Xiaoliu brandished the pole, driving them out. Propping the pole with one hand and planting the other on his hip, he spat on the ground. “Pah! If I end up with a gossip like any of you, I’d rather stay single my whole life. What a bunch of trash!”
Jiang Yue’s eyes grew hot. Not a single person in the Lu family had spoken up for her, yet this foolish boy had.
Lu Jingzhou squeezed her hand and addressed Captain Lu. “Captain, you’ve come at the right time. I have an announcement to make: I want to divide the family property.”
Captain Lu was stunned. “Divide the family? Now?”
Old Man Lu flared up. “Fine, divide it then! I’ll consider myself as never having raised this son.”
“We can’t split up! How can we divide the family? We’re all blood relatives—even broken bones remain connected by tendons! Old man, don’t be stubborn. You’ll regret it later,” Mother Lu tugged at him urgently, signaling him not to act in anger.
Lu Laoda’s eyes were dark and gloomy. “Why should he decide to split the family just because he says so? I don’t agree!” Without Third Son’s remittances, they would truly have nothing to live on. This point was crystal clear in his heart.
Lu Lao Er also said with a smile, “Exactly, exactly. Everyone is angry right now. Third Son, you’ve vented your anger. Father, you’ve done your beating. Let’s consider this matter over. No one has suffered any loss, right?” He didn’t want to split up either. If they divided the household, he would have to take on responsibilities, and he didn’t want that! He just wanted to muddle through life.
Lu Er Sao lowered her head at this moment, her mind in a bit of turmoil.