Chapter 561: Wronged
Chapter 561: Chapter 540: Wronged
Chang Jinlan could sense the change in her daughter, could feel her fear. Normally, her daughter would throw a fit with the family if she so much as tapped her, but now, seeing Feng Ling like this, she was terrified. ‘How pathetic.’
To be honest, Chang Jinlan’s mindset was rather odd. She didn’t want her daughter bullying her daughter-in-law, but of course, she also didn’t want her daughter-in-law to be too aggressive and bully her daughter.
Li Ting flinched instinctively when Chang Jinlan slapped her. It didn’t actually hurt; she was just terrified.
“Why did you hit me? Is it because you have a daughter-in-law and a grandchild now, so you don’t want your own daughter anymore? Are you all ganging up to beat me to death?”
Li Ting was scared of Feng Ling, but she wasn’t afraid of her own mother.
Chang Jinlan was filled with frustration. ‘Can this daughter of mine even tell good from bad?’
Frustrated as she was, she still helped Li Ting up and had her sit on the sofa.
Li Ting didn’t dare sit too close to Feng Ling, afraid she would have another outburst. Chang Jinlan poured her a glass of water.
“Feng Ling, are you okay? Is your stomach all right?”
Chang Jinlan asked her daughter-in-law.
“It’s nothing serious. It hurt for a moment, but it’s stopped now.”
Feng Ling said, knowing her mother-in-law was upset by her actions. After all, Li Ting was the daughter she had doted on for over twenty years, a bond Feng Ling couldn’t possibly compare to, even if Li Ting was in the wrong.
“As long as you’re okay, that’s what matters. Feng Ling, Mom knows you’re a sensible girl. What happened today… Li Ting was in the wrong. But no matter what, she’s your younger sister, and she’s Li Zhi’s only sister. In the future, when your father and I are gone, she’ll have to rely on you and her brother, won’t she? If you two can’t get along, your father and I won’t be able to rest in peace. What do you say?”
Chang Jinlan’s tone was gentle, but Feng Ling could read between the lines. Her mother-in-law was blaming her for being too harsh. But she truly hadn’t meant to; she had been terrified something would happen to the baby and had lost her senses for a moment.
“I know, Mom. Don’t worry. She’s Li Zhi’s only sister; we’ll take care of her.”
Feng Ling also spoke softly, pretending she hadn’t heard the subtext in her mother-in-law’s words.
Chang Jinlan was at a loss for words. But Li Ting, ever so clueless, saw that Feng Ling was being gentle again and no longer felt afraid. “Who needs her to take care of me?” she retorted. “Half of everything in this house should be mine to begin with. It’s my brother’s money, so why can’t I spend it? She’s just mooching off him too. As long as my brother is willing, that’s all that matters.”
Chang Jinlan seethed internally. ‘How can my silly daughter be so brainless?’
Feng Ling said nothing.
“Feng Ling, you know your sister is a simple person. She’s a bit… slow…”
Before Chang Jinlan could finish, Li Ting cut in, “Who are you calling slow?”
Li Ting was indignant.
Chang Jinlan pinched her.
“What’d you pinch me for?”
Li Ting still didn’t get it.
Chang Jinlan had no desire to speak to her daughter anymore and turned back to Feng Ling. “Feng Ling, what Li Ting did today was wrong. But look at this—the spot you pinched is already purple, and the slap mark on her face hasn’t even faded. I’ve never laid a single hand on her since she was a child. If anyone else had done this, I would have fought them to the death. Even if Li Zhi dared to hit her, I’d give him a beating. But… Mom knows you didn’t do it on purpose; you were worried about the baby. Still, you can’t be so ruthless in the future. You shouldn’t use such a heavy hand on your own family.”
Chang Jinlan felt she had to reprimand her daughter-in-law, or else her own daughter would be bullied in the future.
“I understand, Mom. I already apologized earlier. As long as Li Ting doesn’t do anything like this again, I won’t get physical. You don’t have to worry.”
Feng Ling understood what her mother-in-law was getting at, but she didn’t want to argue the point.
Li Ting snorted. Chang Jinlan sighed. ‘This daughter-in-law of mine seems gentle and easygoing, but she clearly has a temper. If Li Quan and I were really gone one day, would my daughter even be welcome in this house? My daughter thinks Li Zhi is her brother, but she doesn’t understand that Feng Ling is his wife. Once a man has a wife, a sister doesn’t count for much. But my foolish daughter doesn’t get it. She’s going to suffer for it in the future. And yet, I can’t bring myself to criticize my daughter-in-law.’
“Alright, let’s just drop the whole thing and not bring it up again,” Chang Jinlan said. “Don’t tell your father or Li Zhi, either. We’re all family, so let’s just let it go.”
The words had barely left Chang Jinlan’s mouth when Li Ting protested, “Why shouldn’t I tell my brother? You mean I’m supposed to just suffer this injustice for nothing? No way! I have to tell Dad and my brother. Otherwise, will I ever be able to come home again?”
“If you can’t come back, then don’t! Why don’t you just go back to your husband’s family right now?”
Chang Jinlan was truly angry now. ‘I’m doing this for her own good, so why can’t she be the least bit considerate?’
“I’m not going back! He hasn’t come to pick me up, so I’m not going back! I’m staying right here, and I’d like to see who dares to kick me out.”
Li Ting plopped down on the sofa, crossing her legs and speaking in a huff.
“Mom, just let Li Ting stay here,” Feng Ling spoke up. “Li Zhi and I can stay at our place tonight. We’ll come back after her situation is resolved.”
Feng Ling had spoken up. ‘Privately, she didn’t want to live with Li Ting. She just wanted some peace and quiet. What was the point of staying here and fighting with her?’
Chang Jinlan was conflicted, but knowing her daughter’s personality, she was truly afraid they would start fighting again. It would be terrible if something serious happened.
Therefore, Chang Jinlan thought it would be for the best if Feng Ling went to stay at her own place for a few days.
When Li Quan and Li Zhi got home that evening, Li Ting immediately burst into tears and started telling them her side of the story. Li Zhi frowned and looked at Feng Ling. Feng Ling said nothing, just standing there quietly as usual, letting Li Ting cry and throw a fit.
Li Quan frowned as well. His daughter-in-law always seemed like a reasonable person and was very respectful to him, but his daughter did have visible injuries on her neck and face.
“Didn’t we agree not to talk about this?”
Chang Jinlan knew her husband and son well. ‘My daughter is so foolish,’ she thought.
But Li Ting was still making a scene. Li Zhi walked over and gently put his arm around Feng Ling, his eyes asking if she was all right. Feng Ling gave him a reassuring look in return. ‘Her husband trusted her. That put her at ease.’
After finally hearing the full story from Chang Jinlan, Li Quan understood what happened. Although his daughter-in-law had hurt his daughter, his daughter’s actions had been completely unreasonable to begin with. He couldn’t blame his daughter-in-law, so he ended up scolding Li Ting. Li Zhi was even more furious. Li Ting had actually pushed Feng Ling while she was pregnant! He didn’t dare to even think about the consequences if something had gone wrong. Li Ting got what she deserved. If anyone else had done that, he would have fought them to the death.
In the end, Feng Ling and Li Zhi went back to their own home. They wouldn’t return as long as Li Ting was there, to avoid any more trouble.
Seeing Li Zhi’s dark expression, Feng Ling tried to comfort him in the car. “Don’t dwell on it. You know how Li Ting is. She’s not malicious, just simple-minded. Don’t be angry. She’s your only sister, and you want her to be happy. You can make yourself sick with anger, and she won’t even understand why. Come on, let’s just enjoy our time here for a few days. I was just missing Grandpa, Grandma, Sister Gu’er, and those two little rascals, Jiji and Dian Dian, anyway.”
“Yeah, you’re the reasonable one,” Li Zhi said. “Tell me, how did I end up with a sister like this? It’s all because my mom spoiled her. If she keeps acting like this, she’s in for a world of hurt down the road. I just feel bad that you’ve had to put up with this.”
Li Zhi patted Feng Ling’s hand. His sister was a real headache.
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Just one update today. I was running around all day and didn’t even have time for lunch. I’m exhausted. The book will be finished before the middle of the month, so there aren’t many chapters left. Thank you to Angel’s Sleepless Night and DingDingDangDang3 for the peace charms, and thank you to Mo Xiaoyan and Pacific Stone Monkey for the monthly tickets. Thank you all for your support.