"Work, it's always about work. If it weren't for your job, our family wouldn't have to endure so much humiliation! You need to start helping your sister out; that bitch A-Qin treated me so poorly, my arm is still bruised! If she continues like this, just tell her you can't get along with her, and threaten her with suicide to force a divorce!" Ma Cuihua suggested petulantly.
Liu Yongming’s brow furrowed even tighter. "Mom, that’s a last resort. I don’t want you to be saddled with the reputation of a wicked mother-in-law unless I have no other choice."
Upon hearing that her son was looking out for her, Ma Cuihua finally felt a bit better.
"Fine, but hurry up, or your sister won't be able to go to school!" Ma Cuihua didn't forget to urge him before she left.
After seeing them off, Liu Yongming thought for a moment, bought some cheap biscuits, and rode his bicycle toward Shanglin Village.
Along the way, he had already decided how to explain things to Lin Yi and how to convince A-Qin to go to the school and clarify the situation. However, upon arriving at Shanglin Village, he found the gate to his father-in-law's house locked, and there wasn't a soul in sight.
Just then, Lin Qingxiang happened to be walking by. Liu Yongming hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Uncle, do you know where my father-in-law went?"
Lin Qingxiang took a close look at Liu Yongming, his expression immediately darkening. "Didn't you return a long time ago? A-Qin only took the child back to her parents' home because she heard you were back. What? You don't even know why your father-in-law isn't home?"
Faced with Lin Qingxiang’s questioning, Liu Yongming looked embarrassed and annoyed. He explained coldly, "I’ve been interning at my workplace during this time and haven't been living at home."
"If you weren't living at home, why did you let your wife and child go back? Just so your mother and her family could bully them? Is that how a husband is supposed to act?" Lin Qingxiang let out a barrage of rebukes, showing no regard for Liu Yongming’s face at all.
Unable to listen further, Liu Yongming turned around, got on his bike, and rode off.
Lin Qingxiang spat on the ground. "Bah! What a piece of trash!"
Not having seen A-Qin and wanting to avoid the nagging of Ma Cuihua and his sister at home, Liu Yongming had no choice but to return to Fang Ying.
Seeing that he had returned late, Fang Ying raised an eyebrow and asked, "Did you go handle that drab woman's business?"
Liu Yongming let out a frustrated sigh, looking dejected. "I went to Shanglin Village, but no one was there—I have no idea where they crawled off to! Today, she even caused a scene at my sister’s school, causing my sister to be ostracized by her teachers and classmates. It seems like that woman is becoming increasingly uncontrollable. Do you have any good advice?"
A mocking smirk tugged at the corners of Fang Ying’s mouth. "Aren't you so capable? Now you know to come begging for my help? Hmph! There are plenty of ways to handle a woman! Doesn't she care deeply about her daughter and her father? Just use those two to force her to submit!"
Liu Yongming’s eyes lit up. "No wonder you’re the woman who made it into college; your brain really is sharp! I’ll make a few more trips to Shanglin Village over the next few days. I don't believe they can keep hiding forever!"
The next morning, A-Qin handled the discharge procedures for Liu Yaya. The child’s back was still painful, so she had to be held with extreme care.
Lin Yi made a special trip back to Shanglin Village to borrow a single-wheeled cart. He placed Liu Yaya on it, and the two of them carefully brought the child back to Shanglin Village.
For the past few days, Lin Qingxiang had been stopping by Lin Yi’s place after finishing his work. Seeing that the gate was open, he walked right in. "Is anyone home?"
"Coming, coming!" Lin Yi ran over from the backyard and invited Lin Qingxiang to sit down.
Lin Qingxiang didn't stand on ceremony; he sat on a small stool and lit a cigarette. "Let me tell you, your son-in-law came by yesterday evening. He couldn't find you, so he left. The way that boy held his nose in the air just makes my blood boil."
Lin Yi paused, then sat down as well. "What did he say?"
"What could he say? He asked where you were. I asked him how he could possibly not know where you’d gone. He couldn't answer, gave me attitude, and rode off! What a jerk! I’m telling you, that boy is bad news. A-Qin and the child have suffered enough this time; who knows what will happen if you send them back?"
As an outsider, Lin Qingxiang saw things much more clearly than Lin Yi; the "good son-in-law" in Lin Yi’s eyes didn't look like much of a good person at all now.
Lin Yi fell silent.
Lin Qingxiang glanced toward the small back gate and asked in a low voice, "How is the child?"
Lin Yi looked distraught. "She has a huge burn on her back. For the first few days, she cried and screamed constantly, saying it hurt here and there. Her mother and I have been taking turns caring for her night and day. It hasn't even fully healed yet!"
Lin Qingxiang felt a pang of heartache just listening. He specifically went to the backyard to check on the child, and upon seeing the actual injury, his rage flared up all over again.
He ranted all the way from the backyard to the front courtyard, shocking all the villagers nearby.
Lin Qingxiang recounted everything the Liu family had done, point by point, encouraging everyone to join him in denouncing them.
That evening, Liu Yongming came by again. Seeing that there were people in the house, he immediately barged in. "Dad! I’m here to pick up A-Qin and Yaya."
Without a word, Lin Yi stepped forward and grabbed Liu Yongming by the collar. "Now that the child is out of the hospital, you’re here to pick them up? Where were you when they were suffering? Where were you when your mother, your sister-in-law, and your sister were bullying them?"
Liu Yongming’s face turned pale and then flushed red under Lin Yi’s verbal assault. He struggled to break free, frowning in dissatisfaction. "Dad! We can talk, but don't lay hands on me. I’m still studying, and I can't look after everything at home. Instead of yelling at me, you should be talking to A-Qin. My mother only said a few words to her, and she started talking back. And Yaya, she’s been spoiled rotten by her. Look at how she bumped into my sister-in-law—my brother is demanding an explanation from me."
Lin Yi laughed in anger. "And so? What the hell are you here for? Let me tell you something! My daughter still has her father here to protect her; she is not someone your Liu family can trample on whenever you please! If you want to take them away, fine! Whatever injuries Yaya suffered, and whatever injuries my daughter suffered, you pay back exactly what was done to them. Otherwise, get out of here right now!"
Liu Yongming’s expression shifted. "Dad! What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Didn't we put all that behind us? A-Qin and Yaya are fine now. Now that I’m back, my mother and the others certainly won't treat them like that again. Besides, what kind of married woman keeps living at her parents' house? If word gets out, where will I put my face? It won't look good for you either!"
"Bullshit! I don't care about your face! A man earns his reputation through his own actions. Your Liu family has no decency, so you deserve to be shamed!" Lin Yi roared in fury.
Liu Yongming didn't want to argue further. He stretched his neck and shouted toward the backyard, "A-Qin! A-Qin! I’m here to pick you up. Bring the child and come back with me! I promise that none of what happened before will ever happen again."
As soon as he finished speaking, A-Qin appeared.
Liu Yongming smiled triumphantly at Lin Yi, then immediately began scolding A-Qin with dissatisfaction. "We’ve been married for so many years; you know what kind of temper my mother and the others have. Why do you have to be so stubborn with them? Now look, the child is suffering because of it. And you went to make a scene at A-li’s school—do you have any idea that by doing that, you’ve ruined A-li’s future?
Pack your things and come home with me immediately. Tomorrow, go to A-li’s school and explain everything to her teachers and classmates. She needs to go to school normally; she’s in her third year of middle school, and her studies cannot be affected."