Chapter 288

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Chai Mi

The ancestral hall is actually the ancestral hall of the Old Chai Family, generation after generation.

In the Old Chai Family's ancestors' time, there were once a few people with slight ability, who became Xiucai.

Many people feel this Xiucai, it seems in ancient times they were everywhere, all over the place, and not some high-level figure.

However, for a small clan, the difficulty of producing a Xiucai is actually still very, very high.

In the past survival itself was difficult, to study was even more difficult on top of difficulty. In feudal dynasties, prices were all very bizarre; ordinary people buying paper, ink, brushes, and inkstones was hard enough, and if they had to go to the capital to take exams every so often, that also needed travel expenses.

So, not everyone had the money to study.

Of course, supporting a scholar was very costly economically, but in ancient times there were also people like Fan Jin passing the provincial exam.

Precisely because of studying, passing the Xiucai exam, one could start not paying taxes.

So the Chai Family was once also glorious, produced a Xiucai, flourished for a period. This is also the main reason Chai Zhongxiao has always been self-righteous.

Of course, these are all digressions.

Now the Chai Family's ancestral hall, only one and a half rooms remain that haven't collapsed. But it also leaks wind everywhere.

Chai Youqing was at his wit's end, when evening arrived, seeing Chai Mi really make up her mind, only then was he forced to come.

Those few leaky tile-roofed rooms of the ruined courtyard appeared exceptionally desolate in the twilight light.

Chai Youqing stumbled his way to the doorway, the pain on his body far less than the ice in his heart.

Finally...

Chai Mi, Chai Youqing's good daughter, ahead of everyone else, chased her own birth father out the door.

Chai Youqing's heart was full of bitter depression.

You should know, among Sanjiacun's several thousand people, he Chai Youqing is still the first one chased out by his own daughter.

Moreover, Chai Youqing is neither seventy or eighty, nor physically disabled.

So, Chai Youqing truly cannot figure it out.

But unable to figure it out, things have already become like this.

Chai Mi's status in the home is relatively high; whether it's the younger daughter Chai Xiu or his own wife Su Wan, they probably are all helpless.

Chai Youqing sighed...

Pushing open the courtyard gate that groaned "creak", by the faint light, he saw in the wall corner there really was piled a small luggage roll, and a cloth bag that looked like grain, and an enamel basin.

Beside them were also placed several bundles of corn stalks, and a bag of cement...

The ancestral hall naturally has no kang; Chai Youqing needs to build a kang by his own efforts.

This bag of cement, probably left for filling cracks.

Pots and pans are also there.

Even a gazi can.

Chai Mi's own gazi can and pots and pans for making dumplings, she brought some over for Chai Youqing.

"Uh..." Chai Youqing somewhat didn't know what to say.

Looks like, Chai Mi came prepared.

Not a spur-of-the-moment idea.

Evening wind blows through the empty courtyard.

Not warm.

Chai Youqing stands in the courtyard, the burning pain from his old father's beating, the humiliation of boiling dumpling soup splashed on his face, and Chai Xiu's icy words — all grievances and bewilderment surge up at this moment, blocking his throat tight.

Chai Youqing's personality is originally a bit cowardly and weak; after this blow, he more or less cannot react.

He blankly squats on the ground, a bit dumbfounded plus bewildered.

His eyes, also lost their light.

At the same time, Chai Mi's main gate remains tightly shut.

Chai Mi sits by the table, by the lamplight leisurely eating the few remaining dumplings in the bowl, as if the matter of just now sweeping her birth father out the door has nothing to do with her.

Even, Chai Mi has not the slightest emotional fluctuation.

"Sister," Chai Xiu couldn't help moving closer, lowering her voice, her little face carrying a bit of probing, "You really chased Dad to the ancestral hall? That place... at night it could scare a person to death, the windows all leak wind, he alone..."

Chai Xiu actually doesn't have much objection, mainly afraid Old Dad Chai Youqing will freeze to death.

Assuming Old Dad freezes to death, near autumn harvest time the family is still quite busy, then they'd still have to bury him...

Awfully time-wasting.

Mainly the village other people are also quite busy...

Chai Mi lifts her eyes, rolls her eyes at Chai Xiu.

"Eat your fill and go read some books, don't spout useless stuff. You talk like you really care? If not, you go keep him company?"

Chai Xiu shakes her head straight.

Keeping Chai Youqing company to suffer, this thing Chai Xiu absolutely refuses.

"No, I mean it's too cold there, and no kang. Can't make a fire, have to sleep on the ground or wooden boards, won't he be cold? What if, right... he freezes badly, what to do..."

Su Wan also says: "That is indeed too cold, and if everyone knows you chased your dad out, idle gossip will be inevitable..."

"Idle gossip?" Chai Mi's voice reveals no emotion, chopsticks lightly tap the table, "When he today carried that bowl of dumplings to the old house, did he think of our family's situation? What's that called? That's called pouring oil on fire, that's called bringing disgrace on oneself! Even more called inviting a wolf into the house! He can't see that Chai Zhongxiao and Wang Huirong are now poor and red-eyed, biting whoever they catch? Taking our family's dumplings to fill that bottomless pit's bottomless appetite? Hah, he thinks our days are too peaceful, right!"

Chai Mi's voice gradually turns cold and hard: "I'm helping him! Helping all of us! Only by letting him thoroughly leave that old house's mess of mud, leave that vampire Chai Zhongxiao, can he truly have peace! Otherwise, he Chai Youqing will forever be that spear in Chai Zhongxiao's hand specially aimed at stabbing us! Today sending dumplings is just a start, next time? If Chai Zhongxiao tells him to jump in a well, will he also go test the depth?"

Su Wan tightened her grip on the child, thinking of Chai Zhongxiao's ruthlessness and the Laozhai's bottomless pit, and ultimately let out a sigh, burying her head even lower. Chai Xiu stuck out her tongue, and didn't dare speak further either.

After a while, Chai Mi finished the last dumpling and put down her bowl and chopsticks.

"Just wait and see, the Laozhai side won't be jumping around much higher. Their few lowdown tricks should start playing out first thing tomorrow morning... Wang Huirong's arm was broken and she didn't go to the hospital, my dad sent dumplings and got beaten, I knew what they were going to do. If I don't chase that idiot father of mine out, I really won't know what to do."

Chai Mi sighed.

Wang Huirong's broken arm wasn't faked.

It was truly broken.

As children, whether it was Chai Youqing or the other few people, emotionally and rationally, they all should have sent Wang Huirong to the hospital.

From a moral standpoint, this time Chai Zhongxiao and Wang Huirong stood on the high ground.

Although, Wang Huirong's arm was broken by Chai Zhongxiao...

But, that's not too important. The important thing is that it's broken...

Moreover, Chai Mi knew Chai Youqing's bit of foolish loyalty; at this time he would definitely mess things up.

Having Chai Youqing send the dumplings was also a test of him.

Unfortunately, Chai Youqing couldn't withstand the test.

So, emotionally and rationally, Chai Mi chasing Chai Youqing out was also Chai Youqing getting his just deserts.

A father like this, there's none better without him.

Of course, Chai Mi chasing Chai Youqing out means she alone bears the charge of unfilial piety. Anyway, since Chai Mi has chased her own birth father out, no matter what tricks Chai Zhongxiao, Wang Huirong, and the others play, it's all meaningless...

And in the Laozhai's East Room, Wang Huirong was in so much pain she couldn't sleep at all.

They say when a bone breaks, the tendons stay connected.

Right now, Wang Huirong was experiencing this very sensation.

It truly connected to the tendons...

And it truly fucking hurt.

At the moment it broke, Wang Huirong wasn't in exceptional pain.

Later it swelled, then bruised, and now it's all turned black...

Swollen so much the skin color couldn't be seen.

The most critical thing was, Wang Huirong didn't dare move her arm at all; moving it even a little was a heart-gripping, liver-scratching pain.

Of course, not moving... Wang Huirong was also in pain, sweating profusely.

But she didn't dare groan loudly, afraid of startling Chai Zhongxiao, who was equally worried, irritable, and violent.

In the era before hospitals, if an arm or leg broke, you just set it, and afterwards it would just heal however it healed.

Of course, this would ultimately lead to the person becoming disabled.

Like in ancient times, a broken leg wasn't impossible to heal, but basically you'd end up a cripple.

It seems Wang Huirong only broke her arm, not enough to become a cripple, but it's not much better off either. Not going to the hospital to set it, it can still heal, but if it grows crooked, it probably won't work right when used later.

But this old couple has no money to split; even if they wanted to go, they couldn't.

This is really awkward.

Of course, Chai Zhongxiao wasn't sleeping either, puffing away on his pipe in the darkness.

Common folk couldn't afford rolled cigarettes, so they smoked dry tobacco; couldn't afford dry tobacco, they rolled tree leaves.

Mhm, Chai Zhongxiao is smoking tree leaves right now.

The taste was especially bad, so after two puffs, finding it harsh on his throat, Chai Zhongxiao threw the tobacco pipe onto Wang Huirong.

Wang Huirong let out an "aiya" from the burn.

Wang Huirong is unlucky; there are only two people in this room. Chai Zhongxiao can only hit her... and she, can only take the beating.

At this point there will certainly be reader friends asking: beating your wife is wrong, it's illegal, so why does Chai Zhongxiao beat his wife with such impunity? And why doesn't Wang Huirong resist?

This question...

Can only be said, this is Zhou Yu beating Huang Gai — both parties willing.

Although Wang Huirong is a shrew in front of others, in front of Chai Zhongxiao, she's nothing at all...

Chai Zhongxiao dares to hit Wang Huirong; what can Wang Huirong do?

Not live with Chai Zhongxiao anymore, divorce? That's unlikely.

At this age, divorce is clearly unrealistic. In this era, unless the old partner dies, remarriage and such. If the old partner isn't dead and you want to remarry, you'd most likely be beaten to death.

The second reason is Wang Huirong already has no one at her mother's family. Even if her parents were alive, they'd be eighty or ninety; she can't go back to her mother's family, there's no mother's family to let her go back, she has no way.

As for illegality and such, does Wang Huirong dare speak up? If she speaks, who'll care? How to care is also a problem.

Someone cares, by the time they arrive, Wang Huirong would most likely have been beaten to death.

Rather than resist and get beaten worse, better to quietly squint and endure.

This way, she can suffer a few less blows.

This room here, unbearable to the extreme. And in the other room.

Chai You De did show some smarts; he tossed and turned in his own room, thinking about how tomorrow he'd have to follow Old Dad to the village to curse the streets, his heart full of irritation and a faint unease.

Chai You De isn't stupid either; regarding Chai Zhongxiao breaking Wang Huirong's arm to extort money, he doesn't agree.

Of course, at first Chai Zhongxiao didn't plan to break Wang Huirong's arm either; it's just that the more he hit, the less light or heavy his hand got, and later when it broke, he thought to extort Chai Mi a bit.

But, Chai You De fundamentally doesn't agree.

After all, this matter, he as a son also loses face.

In this era, common folk fear two things most: one is studying, one is seeing a doctor.

These two are the biggest headaches.

Especially seeing a doctor, that truly costs money.

Not to mention anything else, when Chai Mi's mother Su Wan fell ill not long ago, it cost four or five thousand yuan.

It wasn't even a particularly serious illness.

And Chai You De's broken leg cost over two thousand.

Over two thousand isn't a small sum.

Now his birth mother's arm is broken; Chai You De definitely has no money to pay for her bone-setting, and he figures it's best if no one knows about this.

Once Wang Huirong's arm heals after a while, it'll be fine.

But Chai Zhongxiao wanting to kick up a storm all over the city puts Chai You De in a difficult spot.

It makes it seem like only Chai Mi's family would cause trouble if Chai Zhongxiao kicks up a fuss.

I really don't know what Chai Zhongxiao is thinking.

But Chai You De has no way out.

He sighed, glanced at his parents' pitch-black window, and silently cursed in his heart: Old fogies, always pulling these face-losing stunts!

All day long just talking nonsense, not doing a thing right.

Can they cheat money out of Chai Mi? It'd be easier to just steal from Chai Mi's home.

Can Chai Mi come up with money?

Chai You De holds out no hope at all.

Although, Chai Zhongxiao kicking up this fuss will definitely cement the idea that Chai Mi is unfilial.

But what does that mean?

But he doesn't dare defy Chai Zhongxiao.

Che Lianyun on the kang in the west room had her eyes closed, the radio was already off, and all around was deathly silent.

Listening to the oppressive pained gasps from the east room and Chai Zhongxiao occasionally cursing Wang Huirong, only one thought grew clearer in her mind: Kick up a fuss, kick up a big fuss! The bigger the better, the more shameless and the more hated by heaven and man the better! That way... those two old fogies would have a reason... to disappear!

Che Lianyun's thinking wasn't quite like the others'. She was only pursuing her own interests.

Who lives or dies doesn't matter.

Chai Zhongxiao and Wang Huirong used to be useful, so when Che Lianyun saw them, she was happy.

Now these two good-for-nothings are good for nothing, yet still need to eat, so why should she support them herself?

Raising two dogs, at least they know to guard the house.

Raising two oxen, at least they know to plow and work.

Raising Chai Zhongxiao and Wang Huirong, they're good for absolutely nothing.

These two people, one doesn't work, one can't work.

Two good-for-nothings.

Chai Zhongxiao stopped working himself once he had children.

Chai Youqing stopped studying at fourteen or fifteen and started carrying the main load, working.

Chai Zhongxiao had already retired by then.

Once Chai Youqing started, it was twenty-plus years.

Chai Zhongxiao basically does no work.

Of course, this problem with the Chai family also has some objective reasons.

One is because Chai Youqing is the eldest, a bit older than the other siblings. He didn't study, started working early, and married late.

Another is that Chai Youfu, as the family's teacher, can't do work at home and needs to go to work. And Chai You De is too young and goes to school, so among the three brothers, only Chai Youqing works.

As for the three Chai sisters.

They married too early, or also went to study, and never did any work.

So the housework has always been done by Chai Youqing. After Chai Youqing married Su Wan, it was the two of them doing it.

Chai Youqing got used to it.

Chai Zhongxiao got used to it.

Everyone got used to it.

These twenty-plus years, that's how they got by.

Everyone, got used to it.