The moment Wang Chunhua and Li Changfu returned to the main Li household, the courtyard was thrown into chaos. Wang Chunhua's shrill wails erupted through the house like a village funeral gong.
"Aiyaa! Heaven has no eyes!" she cried, slapping her thighs with loud smacks. "That cursed wolf cub actually drove his own parents out! Old Li, did you see it with your own eyes? Did you see that unfilial beast?"
Her voice rose higher and higher until it seemed the entire production brigade could hear her.
"He warned us! He actually dared to warn us!" she shrieked. "What does that mean? It means his wings have hardened! He no longer puts us in his eyes!"
She spun around and pointed a trembling finger at Li Changfu, "And this is all your fault, you muddle-headed old fool! Every bit of it!"
Li Changfu sat rigidly on the heated kang platform, his face dark as storm clouds. The humiliation he had suffered at Li Guoqiang's house still burned inside him. His jaw remained clenched and eyes bloodshot. A murderous gloom lingered around him.
But Wang Chunhua showed no signs of stopping, "If I had sold that little brat to my cousin's family all those years ago, none of this would have happened!" she wailed.
Her voice cracked with rage, "Back then I said he was a disaster star. A white-eyed wolf. But you stopped me!" She slapped her chest dramatically, "Now look! Look what happened. The grain fed him, the grain raised him, and now he turns around and bites the hand that fed him!"
Li Changfu's weathered face looked as dark as iron pulled from a forge. Yet for once, he said nothing. Because deep down, he knew Wang Chunhua was only venting her anger.
No matter how furious he was, he also understood that Li Guoqiang's rebellion had not appeared overnight. Years of resentment had accumulated until it finally erupted.
But understanding was one thing and accepting it was another. The humiliation he had suffered today was something he could not swallow.
At that moment, Zhang Xiuli emerged from her room. Though Li Guosheng had already secretly informed her of everything that had happened, she still feigned oblivion.
Her face filled with concern, "Mother, what happened?"
The moment Wang Chunhua saw her third daughter-in-law, she immediately found a new audience. Like a floodgate opening, all her grievances poured out, "Who else could it be if not that second household?"
She stomped her foot, "First that little bitch Li Shuying, and now that unfilial beast Li Guoqiang!" Her voice rose several degrees, "Bah! They are all conspiring together to send me into an early grave!"
She pointed toward the west side of the village where Li Guoqiang's house stood, "That family is a nest of white-eyed wolves. Every single one of them!"
Zhang Xiuli lowered her eyes, carefully hiding her satisfaction. Outwardly, however, she hurried forward, "Mother, calm down. If you keep getting angry like this, you'll harm your health."
"Harm my health?" Wang Chunhua nearly jumped up, "My health has already been harmed!" She pointed at Li Changfu again, "Look at him! Sitting there like a mute gourd."
Then she suddenly spat onto the earthen floor, "Old Li, I'm telling you this right now." Her expression turned fierce, "I want Guoqiang's monthly allowance back. If he refuses, then he must arrange a proper city job for Guofu."
Her voice softened slightly as she looked at her injured youngest son, "My poor son." Her eyes reddened. "He has already lost two fingers. Since Guoqiang has connections, he must help. He is Guofu's elder brother. In our Li family, when younger brothers encounter hardship, isn't it the responsibility of the elder brother to pull them up?"
At those words Zhang Xiuli's eyes twitched slightly. "Connections?" she repeated with feigned confusion. "Mother, what connections does Second Brother-in-law have?"
Wang Chunhua was still blinded by anger. Her face was flushed red, and years of habitual sharp-tongued scolding had made her careless.
"What connections?" she sneered. "If he can arrange work for Wang Xiuying, then why can't he arrange one for my..."
Before she could finish the sentence, a chipped porcelain bowl suddenly flew across the room.
Bang!
The bowl smashed against her forehead. Wang Chunhua let out a startled cry, "Aiya!"
The world spun before her eyes. She had not even recovered when a sharp whistling sound tore through the air with a Swish and a cattle whip struck her back.
The burning pain was so intense that her entire body jerked violently, when another lash followed, then another.
"Aah!" Only then did Wang Chunhua finally realize what was happening.
Standing a few steps away was Li Changfu with terrifyingly dark face. The veins on his neck bulged visibly, and his eyes were bloodshot with fury.
The cattle whip in his hand trembled violently, "You foul-mouthed woman! You dare speak nonsense? You dare spread rumors?"
Swish! Another lash landed.
Each strike carried enough force to make Wang Chunhua scream. For years, she had been the loudest person in the household. For years and had cursed others. Yet at this moment, her shrill voice was completely drowned out by her own cries.
"Old Li! Have you gone mad? Stop...! What did I say wrong?"
But Li Changfu seemed unable to hear her. His expression had become frighteningly savage. Every time Wang Chunhua tried to mention that matter, his rage grew even stronger and he striked again...
Soon Wang Chunhua's padded jacket was torn in several places. Blood slowly seeped through the fabric.
Zhang Xiuli stood frozen beside the doorway. Her face had turned pale. Although she had lived with the Li family for years, this was the first time she had seen Li Changfu like this.
In her memories, the old man was stern, selfish, and overbearing. But this was something else entirely, this was genuine terror.
Finally, Wang Chunhua managed to grab the whip. Her hands trembled violently. "What are you doing?" She screamed hysterically. "Li Changfu, you old mutt! Have you lost your mind?"
Unfortunately, those words only seemed to ignite Li Changfu further. His face twisted, and without warning, he abandoned the whip entirely, and his fists came crashing down.
"Shut your mouth, you stupid woman! Keep talking, and see if I don't beat you to death!"
The sounds of blows mixed with Wang Chunhua's shrill screams made the entire house descended into chaos.
At that moment, Li Guofu hurried in from outside after hearing the commotion. The moment he crossed the threshold, he froze. A cold chill crawled up Li Guofu's spine. Instinctively, he took a step backward and without saying a word, he quietly retreated from the room.
Inside the room, Wang Chunhua's resistance gradually weakened. Until eventually she collapsed onto the earthen floor completely motionless. Only then did Li Changfu stop.
The room fell silent and the old man stood there breathing heavily. Large drops of sweat rolled down his forehead. His chest rose and fell violently. For a long time, nobody spoke.
Finally, Li Changfu threw the whip aside and slowly sat back onto the heated kang. His face remained gloomy.
After several moments, his breathing gradually steadied. Only then did he lift his head and look toward Zhang Xiuli.
The terrifying expression from earlier had already disappeared. In its place was the familiar stern face of the family patriarch.
"Third Daughter-in-law." His voice was calm, "You know your mother-in-law." He picked up his tobacco pipe and spoke slowly. "When she gets angry, she speaks nonsense. I trust you won't take those words seriously."
Zhang Xiuli's heart pounded violently. Even now, her legs felt weak. Yet she quickly lowered her head, "Yes, Father, I understand."
Li Changfu studied her for several seconds. Only after confirming her obedient appearance did he nod, "Good." He lit his tobacco, "You may return to your work."
The dismissal was obvious and Zhang Xiuli immediately understood. She did not dare remain for even another moment. Bowing her head, she hurried out of the room.
As Li Changfu stared at Wang Chunhua's unconscious form sprawled across the earthen floor, he remained seated silently on the kang smoking pipe one after another.
The room was filled with the pungent smell of tobacco. Smoke curled around his weathered face, blurring his expression beneath a haze of gray.
"Stupid woman..." His voice was low and hoarse. Yet the anger in his eyes had long since faded. What remained was unease.
Certain matters concerning Wang Xiuying were far more complicated than anyone imagined.
Meanwhile, Zhang Xiuli finally left the main courtyard. Only after walking halfway down the narrow village lane did she dare release the breath she had been holding.
Her back was completely soaked with sweat. She turned around subconsciously and glanced toward the Li family's courtyard wall. Her heartbeat was still unstable. The scene she had just witnessed continued replaying inside her mind.
Li Changfu beating Wang Chunhua, that alone was shocking enough.
Although men beating their wives was not uncommon in the countryside, Li Changfu was different. No one understood this better than Zhang Xiuli.
For decades, Wang Chunhua had been his sharpest knife. Whenever there was a conflict, Wang Chunhua charged to the front. Whenever there was a dirty deed to be done, Wang Chunhua did it. Whenever someone needed to be blamed, Wang Chunhua became the scapegoat.
Meanwhile Li Changfu always remained behind the scenes, preserving his image as the head of the family. In all these years, she had rarely seen him lay such a heavy hand on his wife.
Zhang Xiuli's brows gradually knitted together. Her thoughts drifted back to Wang Chunhua's unfinished sentence.
"If he can arrange a job for Wang Xiuying..."
Those words alone were enough to make her scalp tingle. A city work-unit position. Especially in a large industrial city like Anshan.
What did such a position represent Countless rural families would willingly empty generations of savings for such an opportunity. Yet even then, most would fail.
Many cadres could not arrange such positions for their own relatives. So if Li Guoqiang truly possessed such connections, why had he used them for Wang Xiuying? Why not Chen Meilan?
Zhang Xiuli could not understand. No matter how much she thought about it, the logic simply did not fit. The more she thought, the stranger it became.
Did he not knew how his wife had suffered for years and how his children often went hungry. Yet the precious opportunity had somehow landed in the hands of Wang Xiuying.
A woman unrelated to Li Guoqiang by blood. A woman who, according to village gossip, had once been obsessed with him.
Suddenly a thought surfaced uncontrollably, "Could it be..." She hesitated, then muttered softly, "Could Second Brother-in-law have truly harbored feelings for Wang Xiuying back then?"
The words had barely left her mouth when she immediately shook her head.
Impossible.
If that were true, why would he marry Chen Meilan? Why would he apply for a military marriage?
In these villages, marriages were often arranged by elders, but Li Guoqiang's marriage had never been forced upon him.
The more she thought about it, the more confused she became.
Then why would he do that?
That evening, when Li Jianhua finally returned home and saw his father, genuine joy immediately appeared on his face. He was equally stunned when he saw his mother's changed appearance.
For a brief moment, he genuinely doubted whether the woman before him was his mother. If he had encountered her outside the village, he would never have associated her with her mother.
"Mother... what happened to you?" His voice carried obvious disbelief.
Chen Meilan immediately looked away awkwardly, "If I knew, would everyone still be asking me?"
The room instantly burst into laughter. Even Li Guoqiang's lips curved slightly. Yet beneath the laughter, everyone remained bewildered. After all, no matter how many times they looked at Chen Meilan, the shock refused to fade.
Chen Meilan felt both embarrassed and helpless after being stared at the entire time.
As the laughter gradually subsided, Li Guoqiang suddenly spoke, "Meilan." His deep voice instantly drew everyone's attention. He continued, "I think you should stay indoors for a while."
Chen Meilan blinked, "Stay indoors?" She frowned, "But why?" Then she seemed to remember something, "Planting season has already started. Today was the first day, and I already missed work. If I continue delaying, we'll fall behind everyone else."
She shook her head firmly, "No. I can't stay home. I must go to the fields tomorrow."
The moment those words left her mouth, Li Shuying spoke up, "Mother, Father is right."
Li Shuying glanced at Chen Meilan's face and sighed inwardly. If her mother walked through the village tomorrow, the entire village would explode with rumors.
"Mother," Li Shuying said gently, "if the villagers see you now, who knows what kind of stories they'll invent? People's mouths are more frightening than knives. We need time to think of a proper explanation. If you stay home for a few days first, people will gradually get used to it. Then even if they gossip later, it won't be as outrageous."
Li Guoqiang nodded, "And you don't need to worry about the fields." His voice was calm and steady, "Since I'm here, I'll take care of the work."
His gaze unconsciously softened. Looking at Chen Meilan's fair, porcelain-like face, he added quietly, "This is also a good opportunity for you to rest."
Chen Meilan immediately wanted to protest, "But..." The words stopped midway, because she suddenly noticed the look in Li Guoqiang's eyes.
The man's gaze lingered on her face with affection, admiration and something else that instantly made her ears burn. Chen Meilan's cheeks flushed crimson. She lowered her head.
Li Guoqiang smiled subtly and cleared his throat, then he declared, "Then it's settled. Meilan will rest at home for the next few days and I'll handle the field work."
Li Guoqiang then glanced toward the window. Outside, darkness had completely swallowed the village. Looking back at his children, he said, "It's getting late, everyone should get some sleep. We'll have a long day tomorrow."
Then he looked specifically at Li Jianhua, "Tomorrow is Sunday, you can come help in the fields."
Li Jianhua immediately straightened his back, "Yes, Father."
The young man stood up first, the others soon followed. One after another, they returned to their rooms.
Li Shuying nearly ran. Her heart had been itching ever since she knew she cleared another level. Just thinking about it made excitement surge through her chest. She hurried toward her room. The moment she entered, she quickly closed the door behind her.
Outside, everything gradually fell silent. Li Guoqiang glanced toward Chen Meilan, "Let's go back to our room." His voice was low and gentle.
Chen Meilan lowered her eyes and nodded quietly. Without another word, she followed him inside.
The moment the door closed behind them, the atmosphere seemed to change. Chen Meilan sat on the edge of the kang, her fingers unconsciously twisting together in her lap.
Ever since Li Guoqiang had returned home, they had barely found a moment alone except the small incident this morning, even than everyone was standing right outside. Now, for the first time since his arrival, the room belonged only to them.
Li Guoqiang looked at her for a long moment before quietly stepping outside. A short while later, he returned carrying a wooden bathing tub. Than bucket after bucket of warm water was poured into it.
"The outhouse is too dark," he said. "You can bath here. I'll use the outhouse."
Chen Meilan's cheeks warmed, she understood his thoughts immediately.
The meaning behind bathing before sleep was evident.
"Alright." Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Li Guoqiang chuckled softly. The deep sound of his laughter seemed to brush gently against her heart, "We've been married for nearly twenty years already, you don't have to feel shy."
The teasing warmth in his voice instantly made her cheeks burn. She lowered her head even further.
Seeing her reaction, Li Guoqiang's eyes softened. The years had left countless marks upon them both. Yet somehow, after all these years, his wife could still blush like the young bride he had married long ago.
The sight made his heart unexpectedly tender. Without saying anything more, he turned and stepped outside.
Only after the door closed did Chen Meilan finally cover her face with both hands. The corners of her lips slowly curved upward.
When Li Guoqiang returned later he was only in his sleeveless cotton sweatshirt. The room was filled with the faint scent of clean cotton. Chen Meilan had already changed into fresh clothes and was sitting quietly on the kang.
The warm lamplight illuminated her figure. For a moment, Li Guoqiang stopped at the doorway. Even after seeing her transformation countless times throughout the day, he still found it difficult to believe. The woman before him was his wife.
Their eyes met, neither spoke, yet neither looked away. A strange warmth slowly filled the room.
Li Guoqiang picked to the wooden tub and walked outside to throw the water. And after everything he can back and approached the kang.
Chen Meilan could hear her own heartbeat. After all these years together, she should have been accustomed to his presence, but every time they were intimate, she felt almost immature and young.
Perhaps it was because they rarely had such moments, and the anticipation made her feel such exitment and nervousness.
Li Guoqiang reached out and gently held her hand. His palm was rough and calloused from years of training and labor. But his touch was remarkably careful.
"Meilan."
"Hm?"
"Let's sleep, it's already late."
Chen Meilan nodded slowly and then Li Guoqiang reached over and extinguished the kerosene lamp. Darkness settled over the room.
Li Guoqiang gently pulled her closer and Chen Meilan leaned against his shoulder.
As she felt the steady warmth of her husband's embrace and inhaled his unique scent that belonged to her husband she relaxed totally into his arms and let him take a lead and they both soon fell into their own world of ecstasy, releasing their pent up emotions because of their long separation, completely unaware of a shadow outside their window lurking and hearing the faint noices.