Chapter 114

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

Wang Zhanggen was so furious his anger flared to the heavens; he wanted to rush over and beat He Dazhu.

Seeing this, Li Xiulan hurriedly grabbed hold of him.

"Don't be so impulsive! Their homestead land is indeed none of our business!"

Li Xiulan knew He Dazhu's actions were bullying too far, but in reason and in law they truly had no say!

After all, he was building within the bounds of his own homestead land; his house, he could build however he liked, and as outsiders they had no right to interfere!

"Don't hold me back, let me kill him!"

Wang Zhanggen was crazed with rage.

He was just this kind of man — not much ability, but a very big temper.

Just like back then, in a fit of rage, he hacked and wounded Yang Dafu.

Li Xiulan absolutely did not want Wang Zhanggen to repeat past mistakes; the family was already poor and miserable enough, and if Wang Zhanggen stirred up another huge disaster, this family would absolutely fall apart!

"Calm down! Don't act recklessly!"

Li Xiulan hurriedly persuaded him.

He Dazhu, however, wore a face full of smug smiles:

"Wang Zhanggen, you're just a useless man who can't stand others doing better than you — no, you not only have no ability, you've got no guts! If you really have guts, come hit me right now!"

He Dazhu was truly insidious; he was deliberately provoking Wang Zhanggen, deliberately goading Wang Zhanggen into hitting him.

As long as Wang Zhanggen hit him, he could call the police and have the police legitimately take Wang Zhanggen away.

Provoked by He Dazhu like this, Wang Zhanggen's mindset directly exploded.

He hurriedly turned, grabbed the brick knife, and wanted to go hack He Dazhu to death.

Seeing this, Li Xiulan was already frightened pale; she hurriedly embraced Wang Zhanggen, shouting to stop him:

"Wang Zhanggen, don't act recklessly! If not for my sake, then for the sake of your three children! You ruin yourself for a moment's anger, and that's exactly falling for He Dazhu's trick! Calm down, I'm begging you!"

Held tight by Li Xiulan, the rage in Wang Zhanggen's heart finally settled a little, and he regained his reason.

Li Xiulan was right; if he, for a moment's pride, went and hit He Dazhu, ruining his own future, he wouldn't just harm himself — he'd harm this family, harm the three children!

Seeing Wang Zhanggen dare not strike, He Dazhu revealed a victor's smile:

"Wang Zhanggen, you really have no guts — you don't even dare move. Since you're this gutless, don't spout nonsense in front of me!"

Having said this, He Dazhu, with his partner Chen Meili, laughed heartily, turned, and left.

Wang Zhanggen stood like a stone statue, frozen in place, his whole body feeling wretched.

But just then, He Dazhu had only taken a few steps when he suddenly stopped again; he turned back and said to Wang Zhanggen:

"Wang Zhanggen, forgot to tell you one thing — you should be thanking me for being able to leave Dongguan Zhangmutou. I personally drove your wife to Dongguan, and we stayed a night together in a Dongguan hotel; I gave your wife one thousand yuan, and only then did she have the money to redeem you!"

He Dazhu's words made Wang Zhanggen's tiger-like frame shudder violently.

Li Xiulan, too, felt a jolt; for a moment the world spun dark, because she knew this matter — she probably couldn't clear herself even if she jumped into the Yellow River!

Because He Dazhu had indeed taken her to Dongguan, indeed given her one thousand yuan, and indeed stayed in the same hotel together!

How could she explain to make Wang Zhanggen believe nothing happened between her and He Dazhu?

She couldn't explain it!

Watching the receding backs of He Dazhu, Chen Meili, and the foreman.

Li Xiulan and Wang Zhanggen both stood dazed in place, silent.

Li Xiulan thought Wang Zhanggen would press her with aggressive questions, and their already storm-tossed relationship would get worse.

But to Li Xiulan's surprise.

Wang Zhanggen didn't ask her anything!

Instead, he viciously raised both palms and slapped himself dozens of times!

"I'm useless, I have no ability, I'm not a man! I deserve to be bullied! I deserve to wear a green hat!"

Wang Zhanggen fiercely slapped his own mouth.

He didn't ask Li Xiulan, not because he believed Li Xiulan.

On the contrary, it was because he fundamentally did not believe Li Xiulan's explanation.

No matter how Li Xiulan explained, he would believe that Li Xiulan, to redeem him, had slept with He Dazhu for a night.

And this he couldn't blame Li Xiulan for; he could only blame himself for having no ability, forcing his own wife to sell her body to scrape together the ransom.

"Don't be like this! Why listen to his nonsense!"

Li Xiulan hurriedly moved to stop Wang Zhanggen from slapping himself.

Wang Zhanggen's face was ugly; his disdain for Li Xiulan grew even heavier.

He really wanted a divorce, but reality made it impossible for him to divorce!

He thought, if he had ability, if working outside could earn money, why would he be this stifled?

Why would his marriage be unhappy, why would he be mocked and trampled?

Everything must be blamed on his own lack of ability!

No ability, then he can only endure!

Wang Zhanggen didn't say a word to Li Xiulan; he turned and went into the construction site to lay bricks.

Seeing this, Li Xiulan felt terrible inside.

But she couldn't say anything either.

Because she knew, no matter what she said, Wang Zhanggen definitely wouldn't believe her.

Some misunderstandings can only be left for time to digest.

If time can't digest them... heh, then they just can't be digested. Anyway, the relationship between her and Wang Zhanggen has already hit rock bottom; at worst it's just a divorce!

How much worse could it get?

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

The children started school.

This day Li Xiulan went to the school to pay tuition for Wang Dashan and Wang Erhai, and on her way back, she discovered that He Dazhu's homestead land had already begun construction.

He Dazhu hired an excavator, dug the foundation very deep, and filled it with a lot of cement and gravel.

Several more days passed, and several tractors came transporting fill dirt.

He Dazhu actually raised his entire foundation by one and a half meters!

Wang Zhanggen watched all this happen with his own eyes, watching his own house end up so much lower than He Dazhu's, yet he could do nothing. He became even more depressed, even more taciturn. The grievance in his heart had no outlet; he could only suppress it and endure.

Li Xiulan also couldn't bring herself to say anything to him.

She no longer cared for Wang Zhanggen like she used to.

She wanted to offer comfort, but didn't know where to begin.

She didn't want to meddle that much either.

As long as Wang Zhanggen came back to lay bricks on time every day, that was enough.

Now she only wanted to hurry and finish the house well, so that before the old house was demolished, they'd have a new house to live in. That would satisfy her.

As for what Wang Zhanggen thought in his heart, she couldn't control it, and didn't want to.

This directly led to the two of them, husband and wife, working on the same construction site, building their own house, yet in a whole day there might not even be ten sentences of exchange between them.

Although they were close at hand, they had become a couple more estranged than strangers...