Chapter 144: 144

Chapter 144: 144

◎Now it was his turn to feel uneasy.◎

With utmost care, she reached out to lift the blanket, and Second Aunt cradled her daughter's face in her hands, her thumb gently caressing her gaunt cheeks, tears streaming down her face from the heartache.

"What happened?" She looked up at Da Hu and San Shi, choking on her sobs, barely able to speak.

"It's cold outside, let's talk inside." Wei Da Hu held onto Jie Da Ya, hesitating over which room to enter. When he had built this house, he had considered his married sister who had joined the Wu family; she was his only cousin, how could he not have her welfare in mind? Though he didn't think much of the Wu family and hadn't even considered bringing them along, he had still taken precautions, fearing any unexpected events. He had specially constructed a new room for Father, leaving Grandfather's room vacant, precisely to prepare for this day.

With the addition of Old Huang and her daughter, it was clear that Elder Sister Daya couldn't be left alone in her current state. After some thought, he said to Uncle Er, "Uncle Er, you should bunk with San Shi. Sister needs constant care right now."

Uncle Er, wiping his eyes with his sleeve, nodded hastily at the suggestion. "Alright, alright. Let the old woman take care of Daya, let mother and daughter sleep together. It's on me, Second Wife, to go to the kitchen and heat some water for Daya's cleansing."

Cao Xiuhong nodded, casting a glance at Daya, curled up under the blankets, sighing inwardly before heading straight for the kitchen.

"This is Auntie Huang and her daughter, Liu Daocao. They risked their safety to help pass messages, and now, because of us, they can't return home. They're our benefactors." Wei Dahu, carrying Elder Sister Daya into the house, didn't forget to arrange accommodations for Old Huang and her daughter. "Elder Sister, lead Auntie Huang and her daughter to Grandpa's room. If there's anything lacking, everyone pitch in what they have extra. Make sure the bedding is thick; they might not be used to the mountains, so give them extra attention and support."

"Alright," Fang Qiuyan smiled, calling out to Auntie Huang and Sister Daocao, leading them to the main room with great hospitality. The old house, though somewhat aged, had top-quality wooden bed frames, treating the guests well enough.

Before dawn, the courtyard was already bustling with activity.

Auntie Two led the way into the room, flinging back the covers and giving the bed a couple of pats. Wei Dahu gingerly placed Big Sister Ya on the bed, then promptly rolled up the quilt that had been wrapped around her and tossed it to the ground. Seeing anything belonging to the Wu family now filled him with disgust, a hint of misplaced anger. Even after throwing it away, he still felt unsatisfied, kicking it out of the room.

For the subsequent washing up, he took no part. He angrily kicked the quilt out into the courtyard, noticing his wife standing under the eaves, wanting to enter the room to check on things but worried about causing a disturbance at this time. She hesitated, not daring to go in. Auntie One and the others were all inside by now, quickly heating water. Second Sister-in-law had already carried half a bucket of hot water into the room, even Mother had gone in to help. The room was filled with women.

Uncle One and Grandpa Lin were both standing in the courtyard at this moment. Uncle Two sat under the eaves, his entire face buried in his palms, his sobs unceasing, his shoulders shaking violently.

"You should rest in the room, didn't you sleep well last night?" He was also dirty, wanting to touch his wife's belly, but resisted, telling her to go back to the room to sleep.

"I've been worried about them, ever since they ventured into the mountains yesterday afternoon with their hearts in their throats. It was the first time you didn't lead them, and they move slowly. Descending the mountain at night is perilous, I just couldn't sleep," Peach Blossom shook her head. This was her first encounter with her cousin from Second Uncle's family. When she married Big Tiger, she had someone send gifts back home, but she herself didn't return for the wedding feast. She had heard stories about this cousin from her sister-in-law during their daily chats, tales of a prosperous in-law family and a harmonious marriage. Among the two best-married girls in the village, one was Li Chunying who married into the neighboring town, and the other was Chen Daya.

We won't dwell on Li Chunying; her in-laws faced hardships and brought their entire family back to seek shelter at her parents' home, only to be driven out of the village by her own flesh and blood.

Now, something has happened to Sister Daya as well.

"Then get me something to eat. I haven't eaten for several meals, I'm starving," said Big Tiger.

"Alright." Peach Blossom headed towards the kitchen, "I'll check if there's any extra hot water. You and San Shi should wash up and change into fresh clothes, it'll be more comfortable."

"Well." Wei Dahu plopped down next to his Second Uncle, about to discuss the matters of the Wu family, when sudden shrieks echoed from inside the house. Immediately following were the wails of his Second Aunt and the clattering sounds of his First Aunt cursing and smashing things in her rage.

The Second Uncle, who had been engrossed in wiping away his tears, was startled by this commotion. He leaped up to rush into the house but was forcefully shoved back out by his First Aunt as she emerged from the door. Unprepared for the push, the Second Uncle stumbled, nearly falling to the ground, only to be swiftly caught by Chen, his First Uncle, standing nearby.

Chen was taken aback, unsure what had possessed his wife to act so irrationally with such fury. As he was about to speak, he saw her hurl the dirty laundry at the face of his younger brother, pointing at him and berating, "When we were considering potential matches, there was a suitable family right in the neighboring village. But you, you turned your nose up at them because they were a widow with two sons, one still young, fearing that our Daya would have to bear the burden of being the eldest daughter-in-law. I tried to reason with you, explaining that the widow was diligent and honest, and the elder son seemed strong and reliable, though not particularly handsome. But what do we peasants look for in a match? Isn't it the person themselves? Yet, you wouldn't listen, blinded by who knows what, insisting on believing the matchmaker's tales about the Wu family. If the Wu family was truly that great, why did they single out our Daya?!"

The Second Uncle was left pale and speechless under her scolding. Inside, Daya had awakened, and mother and daughter embraced each other in a torrent of tears. He didn't understand why his Eldest Sister-in-Law suddenly brought up these old grievances, but hearing their cries, his heart ached unbearably, his face streaked with tears.

The First Aunt looked at him, head bowed in silence, feeling both anger and anguish. She recalled the shocking scene she had witnessed earlier, one that made everyone present gasp in horror. How could such marks result from what should be a normal intimate encounter between a man and a woman? Everyone knew how delicate a woman's body was. She couldn't bear to imagine the inhuman suffering Daya must have endured over the years, especially at the hands of Wu Erlang, who had always appeared gentle and courteous in public, hiding such depraved inclinations in private!

That beast is a monster in human form!

In her scolding of Second Brother, she also berated herself for not restraining him more when she was in the position of an aunt. It was she who had taken a fancy to that family from the neighboring village, and Second Brother's wife was typically a quiet sort, allowing Second Brother, the unreliable one, to have his way with this major decision of marriage! Though life at that household would be harder, she had made inquiries through many people about their situation, and they were a good family, with a kind mother and filial son. Apart from their poverty, it truly was a good match.

But he wouldn't listen, Second Brother wouldn't listen, insisting on the Wu family, as stubborn as a mule!

It was over this matter that the two families had their first dispute after the division of the household. She felt she had meddled too much, and Second Brother showed no gratitude. Second Brother likely thought that she, as his sister-in-law, had overstepped her bounds by meddling in his daughter's marriage.

She was merely an aunt, not a mother, and had no right to interfere!

"I cannot tolerate this insult—the Wu family has gone too far!" Auntie huffed, her chest heaving with indignation, hands trembling from the surge of anger within. "Our Chen family's innocent girl has been tormented into this state by them. We cannot simply let this matter rest, lest they think the Chens are easy to bully! Erniu and Dahu, you both rest well today. Tomorrow, we'll head to Xiaogou Village. When the Wu family presented their betrothal gifts, not a single item was left behind by Second Son—it was all taken back to the Wu family by Daya. We must thoroughly sort this out; since we didn't keep the betrothal gifts, we must retrieve the dowry. Not even a single quilt will we allow them to have at our expense!"

Having said that, she turned to scold Wu Laoer, "Good for nothing! All you know is to cry when trouble arises. What's there to cry about?! Wipe your tears; we're going to the Wu family tomorrow to file for divorce! That blasted Wu Laoer, the lot of you who call yourselves his brothers, step forward and grab your sticks. I won't rest until we've beaten him within an inch of his life; else, my surname Chen will be written backward!"

Fuming with no outlet for her anger, she found everyone's presence irksome. She spat, dousing Second Uncle Chen's face with saliva, then puffed and panted, struggling to catch her breath. She couldn't bear to think about it; the moment she did, envisioning herself undressing Big Ya, preparing to wipe down her entire body, and then prying open her legs to reveal that sight, her eyes would brim with tears.

How did I come to suffer such a great ordeal!

Inside the house, Second Aunt sat on the bed, holding her daughter tightly in her arms, her face streaked with tears. She choked out, "Every time you returned, I'd ask how life was at your in-laws, and you always said it was good. When I asked if your husband treated you well, you said yes too. Is this what you call 'good'? Da Wa, my dear Da Wa, why won't you tell your mother the truth..."

Daya leaned against her mother's bosom, clutching her clothes and sobbing uncontrollably. The years of pent-up grievances could no longer be contained: "Mother, I didn't know how to explain it. He always said it was normal, that other married couples were the same. Day after day, he would say it and do it. My sisters-in-law also mentioned that men have their ways in bed, so I believed him, thinking it was normal. But I didn't like it, I hated it, and thought there was something wrong with me. He also said it was my fault, that a wife who resists her husband in bed is wrong and deserves to be beaten. It's more shameful than having an affair, and he called me abnormal."

Her hands clutched tightly onto her mother's clothes as she choked on her sobs, unable to continue: "After giving birth to Daling, I dared not speak up anymore. What good would it do? We already had a child. Could we still divorce? San Shi hasn't married yet; how could he find a wife if his elder sister returned home divorced?"

"Yes, what about Daling? Did the Wu family refuse to let you bring Daling back?" Second Aunt finally remembered her grandson, wiping away the tears streaming down her daughter's face with her rough hands.

But Chen Daya's tears only multiplied: "Mother, Daling doesn't want me as his mother anymore. He calls someone else 'mother'. He doesn't want me, and I don't want him either." She had already contemplated death, but now that she had seen her parents again, she felt no regrets. The strength she had been holding onto crumbled at the mention of her eldest son, drenching her clothes in tears.

Seeing her daughter's ashen face, Second Aunt quickly pulled her into her arms, no longer asking about her grandson. She nodded repeatedly: "Forget him, forget him. If Daya doesn't want him, then forget him. He has his father and grandparents; he'll survive." As she spoke, her own tears began to flow, rubbing her daughter's arm vigorously as she cried: "But you must live on. He can survive without a mother, but I can't survive without you! Daya, you've always been filial and understanding since you were young. You must live on, for your father and me, and most importantly, for yourself!"

Daya clung to her mother's clothes as she lay in her arms, gasping for breath like a fish out of water.

Zhaosufen, standing by the side, tears streaming down her face, hurried over to gently stroke Daya's back. She said to the mother and daughter, "You mustn't cry like this; you're pregnant. Mother-in-law, now that our daughter is back, she's weak and can't be too agitated. Let her rest properly. I'll go to the kitchen and cook some porridge so that our daughter can eat and have a good sleep."

"Yes, yes, thank you, mother-in-law." The second aunt patted her daughter's back, waiting until her emotions had calmed before helping her lie down. Daya's eyes followed her mother, still clutching at her clothes. The second aunt felt as if her heart was being cut with a knife, her heart aching as if it were bleeding. She comforted her repeatedly, even taking off her shoes to lie beside her. "Mother won't leave, I'll sleep with you. Just be at ease, from now on, mother will always be by your side."

Seeing this, those inside the house took the already cooled water out of the room, leaving the mother and daughter alone to talk.

After closing the door, Zhaosufen glanced at the men standing in the courtyard and went to the kitchen instead.

Unexpectedly, a cry of shock came from the other end: "What? Wu Laoer is dead?"

Auntie, her eyes wide with surprise, stared at her nephew. Wei Dahu, with an air of righteous indignation, said, "He deserved to die, so I killed him." His tone was as casual as if he had been talking about slaughtering a chicken, showing no hint of remorse or self-doubt.

Auntie had initially considered divorce, but what was the point now that he was dead? Curious about how her nephew had done it, she inquired about the details. Wei Dahu, being straightforward and unfiltered, recounted what he had witnessed last night, particularly focusing on how Elder Sister Daya had been locked in a storage room with a large lock on the door, while Wu Laoer and his concubine were engaged in their illicit activities. Just thinking about it made him seethe with anger.

"He was gone with just one slash," he gestured with his hand, demonstrating the motion.

After hearing the story, Auntie was also filled with rage, scolding him, "Killing him with one blow was too easy for him! You should have gagged his mouth with a cloth, bound his body with hemp rope, and then burned him wrapped in a blanket! That beast, he deserved such a death!"

Wei Dahu cocked his head, "Huh? I didn't think that much into it at the time. I always kill boars with one strike, without the habit of tormenting my prey. It was just a reflex to swing the knife; I didn't expect it to be done this way."

Regret instantly pricked at his heart, and he wished he could go back and do the killing anew.

He hadn't intended to torment the concubine; he simply couldn't be bothered to wield the knife against her. He was quite strong, and that toss ensured she wouldn't awaken. In any case, he hadn't planned on letting either of them live, but now he felt a twinge of regret. Had he known earlier, he wouldn't have granted the man a swift death.

Now it was his turn to feel aggrieved!