Mother Zhong, who had loudly and repeatedly promised to prepare a generous dowry for her, not only pocketed the betrothal gifts and money provided by the groom’s family but also sent the original host into her marriage empty-handed. Afterward, she frequently came to the original host, crying poor and swindling her out of her wages.
The old widower was a domestic abuser. His previous wife had fled to escape his beatings. The original host was beaten every few days; she would go home crying, hoping her family would stand up for her, but Mother Zhong would only urge her, "What couple doesn't have their share of squabbles? Just endure it. Your two younger brothers have a hard enough time making ends meet; they lose pay if they take time off work. If you won't think of your brothers, you shouldn't be adding to their burden."
Not long after, the original host became pregnant. She was beaten so severely that she suffered a miscarriage, hemorrhaged, and died. Mother Zhong led the whole family to the husband's house to cause a scene, eventually settling for twenty thousand yuan to call it a day. Each of the two younger brothers received ten thousand yuan, and the family left in high spirits, never once glancing at the original host's corpse.
Chapter 189