Chapter 616 - 320: Renewed Vitality
Sun Tiezhu also stepped forward to block them, saying to Li Changliang, "Let Liu’er come home for one night first. I’ll take her to your house tomorrow."
Liu’er stopped, leaning against Li Changliang. She said to her mother, "I was divorced by the Tang family and am marrying into the Li Family. I haven’t even spent a single night at home, so it’s not like I’ve shamed you. If that’s not enough, then just pretend I died on the road today. That way, you won’t have to blame anyone for carrying me back."
Seeing her defiant stance, as if she was disowning her own family, Liu’er’s mother couldn’t help but burst into loud sobs and accusations. Suddenly, she turned back and yelled at Juhua, "You shameless hussy! You’re a monster! What did you say to my Liu’er that she won’t even recognize her own mother anymore? You’re a monster!"
Zhang Huai was furious. He lunged forward and grabbed her by the neck, instantly silencing her.
Juhua jumped in fright and hurriedly pulled him back, terrified he might actually squeeze the life out of the woman. ’Wouldn’t that bring a terrible disaster upon us?’
Sun Tiezhu stepped forward to pull his mother away. Just as he was about to speak, Qingmu and the others all rushed up. Zheng Changhe cursed, "You old hag! You don’t even want your own daughter! You’re the real monster!"
Mrs. Yang and Mrs. He also cursed at her, calling her inhuman.
Liu’er, with a sudden burst of strength from nowhere, raised her voice sharply. "Juhua told me to live a good life! Is that wrong? Or are you hoping I’d die, Mother?"
Li Changliang once again showed his true colors as a reckless brute. Treating her with none of the respect due a mother-in-law, he said with contempt, "I’m marrying Liu’er, but I have no intention of marrying into the Sun Family—I don’t want relatives like you. Didn’t you all think she was going to die? Then just pretend she’s dead. From now on, Liu’er is my, Li Changliang’s, wife, not the Sun Family’s daughter."
His speech left the crowd bewildered. Forgetting about going home to make dinner, they just gathered to discuss this bizarre event, each with their own opinion. At first, they spoke in hushed tones, but their voices grew uncontrollably louder, until the chatter was as noisy as a boiling pot of water.
The Li Family members, including Li Gengtian, were all dumbstruck. Liu’er’s mother was wailing and flailing on the ground. Mrs. Wang didn’t dare interject again—she was afraid of Li Changliang’s temper. Seeing his sister refuse to go home, Sun Tiezhu was at a loss.
Just then, Sun Jinshan returned from his trip out. Not seeing his family at home, he asked some villagers and followed the trail to the edge of the mountain. Liu’er’s mother immediately grabbed him, crying and complaining as she recounted the evening’s events, adding that their daughter was disowning them, and so on, rambling endlessly. Li Changliang took the opportunity to carry Liu’er on his back to his brother’s house.
Sun Jinshan saw that such a huge incident had occurred while he was gone for just one afternoon. He was so angry he could have spat blood. He wanted to slap Liu’er’s mother, but then he saw her swollen face, already beaten to a pulp, and could only let out a long sigh. He glared fiercely at his son and cursed, "You useless thing! You can’t even handle a small matter like this, letting two women cause such a scene."
Suppressing his rage, he went to negotiate with Liu’er and the Li Family.
With the matter that weighed on her heart resolved, Juhua no longer wanted to be part of the commotion. She was truly exhausted. In such a short time, she had gone from anger to sorrow and then to joy, leaving her mentally drained. So she leaned on Huai Zi and went back to her room.
Once Juhua left, the Zheng Family and the Zhang family naturally left as well. After they closed their courtyard gate, the Sun Family and the Li Family all gathered at Li Changming’s house. Only then did the onlookers disperse in twos and threes. The willow grove grew quiet again, its branches swaying gently in the moonlight.
Sun Jinshan went to discuss the marriage of their children with Li Laoda, but who would have known that even Li Laoda couldn’t make decisions for his son. Li Changliang directly blocked the members of the Sun Family at the door, refusing to let them in.
"You’re still not going home? Don’t tell me you expect me to invite you for dinner? That’s not happening. Even I’m freeloading at my brother’s place," he said, looking at them sarcastically.
Sun Jinshan said to him earnestly, "Changliang, no matter how angry you are, you have to admit that Liu’er is our daughter..."
Li Changliang asked solemnly, "You still remember Liu’er is your daughter? Then you should think hard about how much she has suffered today. Why didn’t you call her your daughter when you were yelling, disgusted that she’d been divorced and sent home? Now that I’m going to marry her, you come running to claim her just to save face? If you had even an ounce of consideration for her, you wouldn’t be here now, making a scene and adding to her misery. Are you trying to make her die faster?"
Sun Jinshan’s face twitched. He wanted to say something, but no words came out.
Mrs. Wang and Liu’er’s mother, on the other hand, had a bellyful of things they wanted to say—neither of them thought they had done anything wrong. But at this moment, they absolutely did not dare to speak. However, the defiant looks on their faces already betrayed their thoughts.
Bathed in the dim yellow light streaming from the doorway, Li Changliang saw the pouting expressions of the two women clearly. His face immediately darkened. "Get lost. Who has the time to argue with you?" With a BANG, he slammed the courtyard gate shut.
’This blockhead really turns hostile in an instant,’ Liu’er’s mother and Mrs. Wang thought, staring at each other. ’If Liu’er weren’t on the verge of death, who would be willing to marry their daughter to him? No wonder he still hasn’t found a wife.’
Without another word, Sun Jinshan turned and walked away, his son and daughter-in-law following behind. After they got home, he could no longer suppress his accumulated anger. He roared at Sun Tiezhu and Mrs. Wang, "Both of you, kneel!"
Sun Tiezhu slowly walked to the head of the main hall and knelt. He then stammered to Sun Jinshan, "Father, it’s enough if I kneel. Please, spare my wife—she’s pregnant!"
Sun Jinshan said nothing.
Tears suddenly streamed down Mrs. Wang’s face. ’My husband still protects me.’ She ran over and knelt with a THUD beside Sun Tiezhu, sobbing, "I’ll kneel with you. Let’s help Father calm down."
Sun Tiezhu quickly grabbed her hand, not knowing what to do. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendation and monthly tickets on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)