A shoe flew through the air with a crisp "slap," landing with pinpoint accuracy right on his mouth. Before he could even cry out in pain, his lips were already swollen high.
Tears welled up in his eyes, and he blurted out in disbelief, "Mom! Why are you hitting me again?"
Hu Guangcong stared, dumbfounded. He looked up at Feng Yun. Wasn't his mother always most partial to their fourth brother? She usually saved everything good for him and wouldn't even let a finger touch him; what had gotten into her today?
Was it really his mother who had thrown it? He found it hard to believe.
He couldn't help but shift his gaze toward his eldest sister, trying to find some answers.
Hu Chunhua gave a subtle nod.
Hu Guangcong suddenly lost his appetite; the food in his mouth didn't taste as good anymore. He felt a stir of excitement—he wanted to watch the show.
He was seventeen, only a year younger than his fourth brother, but the two of them were treated like day and night at home.
His fourth brother could go to school, while he couldn't. His fourth brother could eat meat, while he could only watch.
Wasn't it just because his fourth brother knew how to make a scene? What kind of ingrate was he? Could anyone in the family ever rely on someone like that?
He had long been harboring a belly full of resentment.
His parents were still counting on him to get ahead and help the family, but that was just pure delusion.
He understood the situation perfectly well, but saying anything was useless.
Prejudice in people’s hearts is like a mountain. When the favored one tells a lie, it’s taken for the truth; when the unfavored one speaks nothing but the truth, it’s only dismissed as a lie.
He had long ago realized his place in the family and held no illusions. Anyway, his fourth brother would leave sooner or later. Once they weren't living together, he wouldn't have to see him and could finally have some peace.
Feng Yun snatched the shoe up from the ground, slipped it back on her foot with nimble movements, and shoved Hu Guangjin with such force that he stumbled back several steps.
"Get out! Didn't you complain that this family doesn't care about you? Fine! From now on, don't come to this family for your school fees—go ask that sweetheart of yours, Xu Lijuan!
I worked myself to the bone raising you. I never let you lift a finger to help with housework, and I even sold everything we owned to send you to the city for school. And how do you repay me? You listen to a few whispers from outsiders and forget who you are?
You ingrate! I don't want anything to do with you! Get lost! Stop being an eyesore here!"
Hu Guangjin was pushed until he was reeling, and in a few moments, he was chased right out of the courtyard.
He wanted to act tough and just walk away, but where could he go if he left the Hu Family? What would he eat or drink? Where would he get the money for his studies?
But admitting he was wrong was out of the question.
He was the eldest son of the Hu Family. His parents would eventually rely on him for their old age; he held their lifeblood in his hands. He didn't believe they could truly be so heartless as to drive him away.
"Mom, you can't do this! I'm your son! If you treat me like this, aren't you afraid I won't take care of you in your old age?"
Feng Yun sneered and began raining blows down on his face and body without a hint of mercy.
"Take care of me? With an ingrate like you, even if I gave you my heart and soul, I wouldn't get a shred of kindness in return. You? Rely on you? I'd be better off saving up some money now and relying on myself!"
Hu Jianguo, standing to the side, subconsciously clutched his pocket. His eyes darted around nervously, his heart pounding.
Before Hu Guangjin could react, Feng Yun landed several sharp knocks on his forehead, making him howl in pain.
"Mom, are you still my mother? What good does it do you if I don't get into college? Why do you insist on ruining my future? Look at other people's mothers—none of them are like you!"
Upon hearing this, Feng Yun’s anger flared even higher.
"Why don't you ask yourself which other son is like you? Aside from holding out your hand for money, what else can you do? You useless piece of trash! I would’ve been better off giving birth to a club than to you!"
The words landed like a thunderclap, stunning everyone in the room.
Hu Guangcong, who had been enjoying the spectacle, eyes lit up. He leaned toward Hu Chunhua and whispered, "Eldest Sister, what’s up with Mom today? Why is she so furious at Fourth Brother?"
Hu Chunhua sighed and explained everything that had happened that day from beginning to end.
As he listened, Hu Guangcong’s face darkened, and he gritted his teeth.
"He wanted you to marry that widower, Li Tiezhu? Just so he could get into some top-tier class?"
Hu Chunhua tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Fifth Brother, don't be angry. Fourth Brother was just confused for a moment and got swindled."
Hu Guangcong shook his head in frustration. "Eldest Sister, you're still speaking up for him? If Mom hadn't stepped in, you would have been married to Li Tiezhu by now! Your whole life would have been ruined!"
Hu Chunhua pursed her lips and glanced at Hu Guangjin.
"Fifth Brother, don't be angry. It didn't happen, did it? Mom didn't agree, so the matter is dead. Besides, Fourth Brother is good at his studies. If he makes something of himself in the future, maybe he can help you out. Don't make the relationship between brothers too awkward."
"Help me out?" Hu Guangcong sneered, plopping back down onto his stool, no longer interested in talking.
On the other side, Hu Guangjin was so stunned by Feng Yun’s insults that it took him a long time to react.
"Mom! You're calling me trash? Didn't you always say I was the smartest child in the family, the one with the most potential? You told me to study hard, so why are you complaining that I don't do any work now? Mom, have you gone crazy?"
"Does studying hard stop you from doing chores? You dare call me crazy? I'm your mother! I raised you through all the mess and toil, and you call me crazy?" Feng Yun grabbed a hoe from the side and swung it down.
"You ingrate! I raised you all these years, and you call me crazy? I'll beat you to death today!"
The hoe whistled through the air as it descended. Terrified, Hu Guangjin scrambled and rolled along the ground to dodge it, his body and face covered in wet mud.
With a heavy "thud," the hoe struck the spot where he had been standing, leaving a deep pit in the earth.
Hu Guangjin stared at it, cold sweat trickling down his spine.
In that instant, he truly felt he had been one step away from death.
His mother was actually trying to kill him!
"Feng Yun, what's going on?" The commotion at the Hu residence finally drew the neighbors. The brigade leader and the village secretary arrived at the sound.
The brigade leader was Hu Jianguo's older brother, Hu Jianjun. He favored Hu Guangjin and thought that if the Hu family could produce a college student, it would bring honor to their ancestors; thus, he had always been quite indulgent toward him.