Ye Erhe’s entire body trembled with rage as he grabbed Qian Dashan by the collar and shouted,
“Where’s the money?! Did Liu Xiuxiu give all our savings to you?”
Qian Dashan, hearing this, felt a pang of guilt and stammered, unable to answer.
Ye Erhe stared at him and immediately understood everything. To save a few copper coins, Liu Xiuxiu had scrimped and saved, secretly giving money to Qian Dashan—so he could stash it for her! All this effort ended up in the hands of that worthless man outside.
Furious, Ye Erhe landed several punches on Qian Dashan. The commotion drew Qian Dashan’s elderly parents out of the house.
They were shocked to see Ye Erhe striking their son.
“Erhe, what are you doing at our house?” Qian Laotai exclaimed, slapping her thigh in distress.
Ye Erhe, in a blind rage, paid no attention to their protests. He pointed at Qian Dashan.
“Qian Dashan! Tell me—are those two boys yours?!”
Out of anger and desperation, Ye Erhe blurted the question.
Qian Dashan quickly denied it, trying to cover himself:
“What nonsense are you talking? What do I have to do with those kids?”
The elderly couple froze at his words.
Qian Laotai tugged on his sleeve, her voice trembling:
“Dashan, tell me—what’s really going on? Do you have children outside?”
She had always worried about her son not marrying or having kids. Now, hearing that her grandson might actually be Qian Dashan’s child, she felt a desperate need to bring the child home. Even if it meant begging with a broken bowl, the grandchildren had to be cared for.
Seeing the old couple’s expressions and Ye Erhe’s furious posture, Qian Dashan became reckless. He threw his sleeves back and shouted:
“Erhe, you’re a coward! Your wife cheats on you, and instead of hitting her, you come to me?!
Those twin boys? They are mine! My sons! Ha! Didn’t expect that, huh? I get to sleep with your wife for free and you raise my kids!
Come on, show me what you’ve got!”
Ye Erhe could no longer contain his fury. He swung his fists toward Qian Dashan, intent on striking him.
At that moment, Liu Xiuxiu hurried over, grabbing Ye Erhe’s arm:
“Erhe! What are you doing? Are you really going to end up divorcing me over this? I’ve already told you—there’s no money left. The neighbor just spread rumors. Why go over there making a scene?”
But she could barely keep up with Ye Erhe, and on the way, she tripped, falling hard. By the time she staggered over, some time had already passed.
Liu Xiuxiu assumed that Qian Dashan wouldn’t dare expose their affair, so she felt confident enough to restrain Ye Erhe.
However, Ye Erhe was relentless. He kicked Liu Xiuxiu in the stomach. She flew three meters across the ground, struggling to get up, but failed.
Trembling, she pointed at him:
“Erhe… how dare you! Fine… fine… let’s separate!”
Ye Erhe, seeing her act as if she were the wronged party, shouted:
“Stop pretending! You filthy bitch! Since our marriage, have I mistreated you? Outside, you cheat on me, and now you want me to raise a bastard?!
You even spent all my hard-earned money on outsiders. Have you lost your conscience, you wretch?!”
Ye Erhe beat and kicked Liu Xiuxiu. She could not get up and eventually lost consciousness on the ground.
Known as an honest man in the village, this violent side of Ye Erhe shocked Qian Dashan’s elderly parents.
They dared not intervene. Fearing that continued assault might kill her, Qian Laotou ran to fetch the village head.
The commotion drew a crowd. People from Ye’s household, including Ye Anran led by Ye Laotai, rushed over. Ye Laotai was anxious beyond measure.
Neighbors shouted, reporting that Ye Erhe had beaten Liu Xiuxiu unconscious, fearing she might die.
Ye Laotai hurried into the courtyard. Ye Qingguang and Ye Qingmin, the twin boys, cried loudly all the way, their wails shaking the surroundings.
Seeing the bruised, bloodied Liu Xiuxiu lying on the ground—her face swollen like a pig’s head—Ye Qingguang and Ye Qingmin each grabbed one of her arms.
“Mom! Don’t scare us! Wake up!”
Ye Qingguang, seeing no movement, ran to his father, tugging at Ye Erhe’s sleeve:
“Dad! What happened to mom? Who did this to her? You have to avenge her!”
Ye Erhe, for the first time, realized something shocking. Looking at the twins’ features, he noticed how much they resembled Qian Dashan. They were unmistakably his sons—not Ye Erhe’s.