Zhao Chunhua was left speechless by Liang Hui’s questioning. She had nothing to argue back with and once again suffered a humiliating defeat.
The neighbors pointed at her and mocked her openly. Their ridicule was impossible to suppress.
Comments like “reaping what you sow,” “biting the hand when you can’t get what you want,” and “she thinks everyone else is stupid while she’s the clever one” came one after another without end.
Embarrassed and furious, Zhao Chunhua lashed out at the crowd. “It’s getting late! Go home! We’re closing the door and going to sleep!”
In one move, she offended all the neighbors present.
The crowd pursed their lips, fanned themselves, and left the Liang house reluctantly.
Bang! Zhao Chunhua slammed the courtyard gate shut and bolted it.
The more she thought about it, the more she couldn’t swallow her anger, so she went inside to call for reinforcements.
“Fourth son is rebelling—beat him hard and he’ll behave!”
“All four of you men are here, are you still afraid of him alone?”
“We can’t just watch him get led astray by that vixen and ruin the family!”
“So what if the fourth son has money to build a new house? That money can’t be wasted like that—it has to stay in the Liang family!”
But no matter how much she shouted, she couldn’t convince the Liang father and sons to act.
Liang Hui had grown up in this family. His strength—none of them understood better than his own family.
Let alone the four of them; even adding four more would not be enough to beat him.
Seeing her instigation fail, Zhao Chunhua finally sat down on the ground in frustration, slapping her thigh and crying loudly.
“My life is so bitter! My husband is useless, my sons are good for nothing…”
The four men awkwardly looked at each other, none of them speaking, and of course none went to help her up.
The eldest daughter-in-law was already asleep, heavily pregnant.
The second daughter-in-law was also asleep, holding her youngest son, Maodan.
Only Liang Hong cautiously came out from Grandma Liang’s room.
The household had five main rooms, plus east and west side rooms, a kitchen on the south side, and a latrine.
Originally, two of the main rooms were used as the main hall, but one had been converted into Grandma Liang’s bedroom.
The remaining three main rooms were occupied by three branches of the family:
Liang Man Cang and Zhao Chunhua;
Liang Dajun with his wife Zhang Wenhui and their two daughters;
Liang Dazhu with his wife Liu Cui and their two sons.
The east side room belonged to Liang Haifeng, newly repaired with new doors and windows, prepared as his wedding room.
The west side room belonged to Liang Hui. It was old, broken, and no one cared for it.
So Liang Hong had no choice but to stay with Grandma Liang.
Hearing the noise, she came out and saw Zhao Chunhua sitting on the ground making a scene, so she stepped forward to help her up.
Zhao Chunhua used the opportunity to stand but continued crying and cursing.
“Does the Liang family have no men left except this little girl?”
Liang Man Cang finally couldn’t stand it and shouted, “Enough!”
No matter how much she screamed, it was useless—and it was giving him a headache.
Seeing that no man supported her, Zhao Chunhua deflated slightly and finally quieted down.
Liang Dajun spoke quietly, “If the fourth son really builds a new house, we could move into the west side room. That would be perfect for Liu Zhi and Jiao Zhi…”
His eldest daughter was eight, the second was five—it was already time for separate rooms.
And his wife was pregnant with a third child; there was simply no more space.
Liang Dazhu quickly added, “Dogdan is already six. In a couple of years he’ll need his own room too.”
The house had long been overcrowded and desperately needed a new one.
But building a new house cost at least five to six thousand yuan. The family was still saving for Liang Haifeng’s marriage.
Liang Man Cang and Zhao Chunhua’s original plan was:
Use Liang Hui’s savings for Liang Haifeng’s bride price first, then build a new five-room house afterward.
After completion, they would move out with the third son and his wife.
The eldest and second sons would stay in the old house to take care of Grandma Liang.
As for Liang Hong, she would eventually marry out.
Grandma Liang’s health was declining, and she might not live many more years.
Once she passed away, the rooms would be enough for the grandchildren.
As for Liang Hui—whether he married or had children was never part of their concern.
But plans never kept up with changes.
Liang Hui had taken his money and instead returned with a wife.
Everything they had planned fell apart and had to be reconsidered.
Liang Man Cang smoked his pipe heavily, his face dark.
After a long silence, he finally spoke:
“Cut Haifeng’s bride price in half. The saved money will go toward building the new house. The eldest and second sons each contribute one thousand, and I’ll ask the fourth son for two thousand.”
If a house was going to be built, it should be built under his authority—not by Liang Hui.
He had raised Liang Hui, so it was only right that he contribute—and contribute the most.
Liang Dajun immediately objected, “Where am I supposed to get a thousand? Haven’t I already handed over all the grain money? And Wenhui is about to give birth!”
He and his father farmed five mu of land together, and occasionally hunted or gathered herbs and mushrooms, but earnings were unstable.
Liang Hui knew how to hunt, but looked down on their abilities.
After they once scared away a wild boar that was about to fall into a trap, Liang Hui never took them hunting again.
Liang Dazhu also objected, “I have two sons to raise. I only earn about two hundred a month. If I don’t save for their future, they’ll never find wives!”
He worked at a forest farm; income was stable but low.
Asking him to produce a thousand yuan was like asking for his life.
Liang Man Cang was furious. “You two grown men can’t even take out a thousand each? Look at Liang Hui! He’s the youngest, yet he supported Haifeng through school. He earned his own bride price and is now building a house…”
Unfortunately, the most capable earner was not his biological son—and even worse, they had already separated.
Silence fell over the room.
Finally, Liang Man Cang tapped the table with his pipe and made the final decision:
“First get Haifeng married. Then everyone works hard together. Next spring, we’ll start building the new house.”
Liang Haifeng, hiding in the east room, did not know his bride price had already been reduced in order to speed up house construction.
Through the glass window, he saw Liang Hui boiling water in the kitchen.
Yu Yao was teaching Liang Hui how to brush his teeth with a cup and toothbrush.
The young couple stood by the well, spitting white foam and laughing softly.
Liang Haifeng had never expected Yu Yao to turn around and end up with Liang Hui—much less marry him.
In his memory, Yu Yao had once had only him in her eyes and heart, never noticing any other man.
Was it because Liang Hui had rescued her from that old bachelor?
If he had been there, he wouldn’t have stood by either.
Sigh… Yu Yao’s father had indeed gone too far.
But he did not believe Feng Xueqing had anything to do with this; after all, Hao Lizhi was only her stepfather.
When he finished his thoughts, the couple had already finished brushing their teeth.
Liang Hui carried a bucket of cold water and a bucket of hot water. Yu Yao packed up the toothbrushes, and they returned to the west room together.
Creak.
The broken wooden door closed, and the light went out.
A faint irritation and jealousy rose in Liang Haifeng’s heart.
The money that should have been used for his bride price was used by Liang Hui to marry Yu Yao.
And Yu Yao, who had once been utterly devoted to him, had turned and fallen into another man’s arms.
It felt like a double betrayal—of both family affection and love.