Chapter 27: Mother

Chapter 27: Mother

Qiong Cang went to open the door and saw a middle-aged woman standing outside, wearing a red-hot outfit.

The woman was somewhat plump, wearing a red shawl over a traditional Chinese cheongsam, her shoulder-length hair dyed red and slightly permed. She carried a red leather handbag, and both her lipstick and nails were painted a deep red.

To be honest, Qiong Cang's eyes were suddenly dazzled.

A small line of text was next to the character's portrait explaining: "Zhou Langxiu, mother, 59 years old."

Zhou Langxiu was still forcefully knocking, her hand frozen mid-air, almost hitting Qiong Cang's face.

Indeed, upon closer inspection, her features bore a slight resemblance to Wu Ming's. However, those features seemed too masculine for a woman's face.

"Why did you take so long to open the door? Why are you just standing there? Have you had breakfast?" Zhou Langxiu pushed Qiong Cang lightly without being invited and stormed into the living room. Upon seeing the mess on the floor, she let out a scream, "What's going on here? Why is the living room such a mess? Why are you the one cleaning up? Where's Li Yujia? Where is she? What a useless woman who eats but doesn't work! Where is she?"

Before Qiong Cang could explain, Zhou Langxiu had finished guessing and blaming, ranting and looking for someone to hold accountable.

"Li Yujia!" Despite her large build, Zhou Langxiu moved swiftly and threw her handbag down before running to the staircase, yelling, "Li Yujia! Get down here!"

So far, Qiong Cang hadn't managed to get a word in. She gave up trying to speak and followed behind her, not too closely, to see what she was up to.

He Jueyun walked out of the room with a bewildered expression and stopped by the railing on the second floor, and looked down.

Seeing his relaxed and nonchalant demeanor, Zhou Langxiu became even more furious, her facial wrinkles bunching together as she pointed a finger at him and scolded harshly, "You're not up yet? Do you have any idea what time it is? My goodness, how can you still be sleeping with the house in such a mess? Are you going to let the place go to ruin just because the housekeeper is on leave? How can you be a good wife when you can't even keep the house? Even our Ah Ming goes to work and he gets up earlier than you. What have you been doing all day?"

Her speech was rapid and full of energy, leaving He Jueyun completely dumbfounded and unable to react.

Although he had heard of and even witnessed such situations before, he had never been through this kind of confrontation. This was uncharted territory for him socially.

Helpless, He Jueyun turned to Qiong Cang, seeking help with an innocent and pitiful look in his eyes.

How could an excellent man possibly overlook such a look from his partner?

Qiong Cang slowly said, "Mom... Why are you here so early?"

"I need to take her to see a doctor. I've told her before that a highly skilled doctor would be available for consultation, and if you go late, you won't even get a number. You can't count on scalpers; you have to queue yourself. I told her to come find me at six, but instead, she slept in! I used all my connections just to arrange this for her, and this is the attitude she gives me?" Zhou Langxiu's mouth was like a faucet that couldn't be turned off, "If I had known she would be this much trouble, I would have never agreed to your marriage!"

After listening for a while, He Jueyun finally understood. Was she trying to take him to a gynecological check-up?

...What the hell!

He Jueyun stepped back, his leg muscles tensing, showing his determination to resist at all costs.

Qiong Cang said, "He's not going to the hospital."

Zhou Langxiu exclaimed anxiously, "Why not? Can she even give birth? If she can't, she needs to go to the hospital! In seven years, even if I raised a dog in the countryside, I'd have multiple generations by now! If she can't even have children, how can I leave her in peace? Li Yujia, get down here!"

He Jueyun's face darkened completely.

Even darker was Qiong Cang's expression. She felt offended to the core.

Qiong Cang said, "If she can't give birth, then she won't. I've never seen anyone insist on comparing themselves to an animal."

Zhou Langxiu shouted, "What are you saying? If she can't have children, is she even a woman? Then why did you marry her?"

This single sentence offended countless people, igniting a wave of anger.

The live stream's comment section flashed with numerous censored words, temporarily replaced by various asterisks.

He Jueyun was rendered speechless by her and ended up laughing out of frustration, taking several deep breaths but unable to find a single word to scold her. Finally, he blurted out, "The things you say are truly quite ugly. Qiong Cang... Wu Ming, quick, control your mom!"

Zhou Langxiu quickened her pace, jogging up the stairs, and as she approached He Jueyun, she shouted confrontationally, "What's wrong with my ugly words? If you can't conceive again, my words will only get worse. Seven years, I've given you chance after chance, and you haven't achieved anything at all. How dare you try to control me? Do you believe I'll make Wu Ming divorce you?"

He Jueyun's facial muscles twitched before he finally grinned, revealing his teeth as he sneered, "I don't care about the procedure today. You, come here right now!"

The two confronted each other at the end of the hallway.

Zhou Langxiu raised her hand, about to step forward, but before she could exert any force, she felt someone grab the collar at the back of her neck, tightly.

She turned her head and saw her son, his expression icy, as he pulled her clothes and shoved her aside.

"Oh my, oh my..." Zhou Langxiu stumbled, only steadying herself against the wall. She pressed her arm, which wasn't hurt, and looked up in shock, "Ah Ming, what on earth are you doing?"

Qiong Cang nodded, indicating, "Do you want to teach him a lesson?"

Zhou Langxiu widened her eyes, "I can't?"

Qiong Cang stepped closer to Zhou Langxiu, her tall figure casting a shadow that trapped her in a narrow corner.

"No, you can't," Qiong Cang said coldly, "Let me make this clear, your daughter-in-law and you are completely different matters. Does she owe you something? Or did you raise her yourself? Her respect for you is out of regard for the nine-year compulsory education. If you overstep, that's just enabling violence. Try me, see if I'll indulge you."

Zhou Langxiu was cowed by her presence and didn't dare move, finally realizing her son was different from before. She shrank her neck uneasily, her eyes darting about, seeking help. Suddenly, seeing He Jueyun standing at the back enjoying the spectacle, she had an epiphany, "Has she been secretly inciting you? Ah Ming, get it straight! I'm your mother, I'm helping you out! Don't you want kids?"

"If a woman who can't bear children isn't a woman, then is a man who can't father children not a man? If you don't know how to be a decent person, you're not really a person at all. If you're not human, why have children?" Qiong Cang said.

Zhou Langxiu couldn't believe it, her voice sharp, "Are you colluding with her against me?"

Qiong Cang scoffed, "No need to team up; if you dare again, I can take you on alone."

Zhou Langxiu, "Are you crazy?"

Qiong Cang, "I only drive others crazy."

He Jueyun, standing behind, was secretly amused. Qiong Cang turned around, grabbed his wrist, and led him downstairs.

He Jueyun followed her obediently, quite pleased. Halfway down, he realized something was off and tried to pull his hand away.

"Are you trying to blackmail me or invite me to dinner?" He Jueyun whispered, "I'm telling you, don't get too carried away!"

Qiong Cang said helplessly, "I'm not."

As Zhou Langxiu watched the two whispering, she felt a huge gap from the trust and respect Wu Ming used to have for her, which she couldn't accept. The untransformable emotions instantly turned into hatred for He Jueyun, making her lose control. She roared and charged at He Jueyun.

He Jueyun turned his head to see the old woman throwing herself at him recklessly.

The staircase was narrow, and two people walking side by side was already the limit. Seeing the red figure lunge, He Jueyun instinctively pressed against the railing to dodge.

His lower body was stable and wouldn't be shaken by such a push. But his current identity was Li Yujia, a middle-aged woman lacking exercise, constantly medicated, and nourished by various tonics, leaving her sallow and thin.

In the collision, he hadn't even realized it, and half of his body was over the railing.

Qiong Cang held her breath, stretching out her arm to grab him, but instead, she caught Zhou Langxiu, who had also overreached.

The old woman, in a burst of physical strength, still threw a punch at He Jueyun.

He Jueyun flipped over the railing and fell.

A loud thud followed by the muffled, painful groans.

He Jueyun's vision plunged into darkness, his limbs curling up, unable to rise.

Qiong Cang rushed down, supporting his neck with one hand and lifting him into her arms, placing him on her knees. She asked, "He Jueyun? Are you okay?"

He Jueyun kept his eyes closed, hissing from the sharp pain. Only after the worst of the pain subsided was he able to speak. He shook his head and said, "I'm fine."

The height he fell from was less than a meter, and he had avoided the more dangerous areas upon landing. The thick living room carpet also cushioned his fall. Although it hurt, there was no serious injury.

Qiong Cang glared at Zhou Langxiu on the stairs. The old woman was also starting to feel afraid, shaking her head and stepping back, not daring to approach them. She muttered, "It's just a short distance; it won't hurt anyone. I've fallen from a window sill before and was fine. People aren't that delicate."

He Jueyun couldn't be bothered with her and waved his hand, saying, "I'm fine. Let me get up first."

Thinking he was truly okay, Qiong Cang tried to help him stand by supporting his armpits. As soon as he was half-upright, He Jueyun retched and vomited a mouthful of blood, splattering Qiong Cang's clothes dark red.

Qiong Cang shuddered all over, almost letting him go. Zhou Langxiu was also startled and cried out.

"You... you... are you seriously injured?" Qiong Cang reached out to press his abdomen. "Did you break a rib from the fall?"

"Injured my ass," He Jueyun said weakly, "This is clearly an old illness flaring up. It's blood from my stomach."

Qiong Cang asked, "What old illness?"

"How am I supposed to know?" He Jueyun said urgently, "You've got to be kidding me?!"

Qiong Cang restrained his hands and feet, telling him not to move. "We need to go to the hospital first."

As Qiong Cang prepared to help him to the car, she remembered she couldn't drive. She looked down and asked, "Can you drive yourself to the hospital?"

He Jueyun took a sharp breath in, giving her a reproachful look. Does she even have a heart?

Qiong Cang tactfully reached out with one hand to grab her phone. "Alright, I'll call 120 for you. Hang in there, you can make it."

Zhou Langxiu came down and said, "She said it herself; she has a pre-existing condition. It's not my fault—don't say I pushed her—"

Qiong Cang dangerously cut her off. "Have you said enough?"

Zhou Langxiu’s lips trembled, and after being quiet for a short while, the faint sense of guilt was replaced by anger. Her long-standing authority as a parent made her feel justified, and she stubbornly shouted, "I'm not wrong! Is this how you talk to me? Do you even remember I'm your mother? Are you getting too big for your boots?"

"No—" Qiong Cang began to speak when she heard the prompt on the phone that the call had connected. Changing her tone, she said, "Hello, 120? We have someone here who's vomiting blood heavily... It's profuse vomiting, not severe hemorrhage. It's my first time seeing it outside of a TV drama. The location is XXX..."

Qiong Cang kicked the front door shut with her foot and reached into her pocket for the keys, placing them under the carpet.

There was a hospital nearby, and after waiting for a short while, the doctors who rushed over quickly loaded He Jueyun onto the ambulance.

Zhou Langxiu stayed inside the whole time and didn't come out. As He Jueyun was being loaded, she peeked from behind the curtains, not uttering a single word of concern for his condition.

"What seems to be the problem here?" the doctor tightened his gloves and asked He Jueyun to lie flat.

Qiong Cang's expression darkened. She gestured for He Jueyun to explain his injuries and called the police.

"Hello, 110," Qiong Cang said, placing her other hand reassuringly on He Jueyun's shoulder. Even though she was furious inside, her tone remained calm. "A relative came to my house to cause trouble and pushed my spouse down the stairs, causing serious injuries. Should I file a report?"

An eerie silence fell over the ambulance, and everyone strained to hear her side of the conversation.

Unfortunately, the voice from the receiver was too muffled to understand.

Qiong Cang quickly gave the address and said, "Please come as soon as possible. She's still at home. I left the keys under the doormat; you should be able to find them easily."

"Which family member is involved?" the operator asked. "Are you currently at home?"

"The relative is my mother," Qiong Cang said calmly, yet her words were shocking. "I'm going to the hospital first. You guys try to reason with her. I won't accept any reconciliation, so keep her at the station for a few days and let her experience the consequences of her violence. I'll get the medical report at the hospital and bring it over. If it constitutes a minor injury and requires criminal proceedings, please follow the rules."

The person on the other end was startled and questioned, "Are you serious?"

Qiong Cang said, "Yes, I am. That's how it will be. Sorry for the trouble."

The doctor who was checking He Jueyun's ribs had inadvertently stopped what he was doing and was looking at her with a very complicated expression.

"What? Can't a person turn in a family member?" Qiong Cang put away her phone with an unchanged expression and gathered He Jueyun's hair that had fallen to the ground, making sure he lay still without twisting.

"Committing intentional harm is against the law, and no one can use the fact that they are family as an excuse to exercise violence. She firmly believes she's in the right and refuses to reason, so we have no choice but to follow legal procedures." Qiong Cang said, "If there's never any real consequence, she'll dare to do it again and even become more audacious. No one should have to put up with her bullying."

The nurse couldn't help but agree, "Exactly!"

He Jueyun, dazed, said, "You can actually call the police for this?"

"Why not?" Qiong Cang asked, "Did you sign a slavery contract when you got married?"

He Jueyun thought rationally, When did I get married?

"He has a high level of awareness, and he's quite... remarkable." The doctor, unable to articulate his evaluation properly, asked, "How long have the two of you been married?"

Qiong Cang: "For seven years."

He Jueyun really wanted to skip this topic.

The doctor asked curiously, "Has it been this bad between you two for seven years?"

"Yes," Qiong Cang said, "It's all my indulgence. I muddle things up, I take sides, I get annoyed and don't want to deal with it, so I just let my wife suffer unfair treatment. If I'm not truly good to him, you can imagine how the elder treats him. Every time it seems like I'm in a difficult position, but really, it's because I lack empathy and am shameless. Someone like me isn't a good person."

The doctor and the nurse were both stunned by her sudden introspection.

Qiong Cang looked down at He Jueyun and asked, "Do you understand? People like that aren't true men."

He Jueyun: "I see."