Chapter 53: Rural Absurd Past Events Chapter 53: Mountain Gully Village 53

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

What should have been a perfectly fine Mid-Autumn Festival turned sour when the couple had another huge fight over the house demolition.

The reunion holiday was ruined because of it.

"Can't you two stop fighting! You start the moment you're back, it's annoying to death! Don't come back ever again! All you do when you come back is bully my mom!"

Wang Dashan glared at Wang Zhanggen with eyes full of disgust.

Although Wang Zhanggen had brought back lots of tasty treats and fun things, he didn't buy Dashan's approval.

In his heart, this father was nothing more than a passerby who returned a few times a year; as he grew up, this passerby became increasingly strange, even long since turned into someone who might as well not exist.

The absence of fatherly love doomed the father-son relationship to estrangement.

"Wang Dashan, you've turned against heaven! I'm your father, how dare you speak to me like this?"

Wang Zhanggen instantly flew into a towering rage.

A man who cared so much about face and dignity, yet was called out like this by his own son — it left him utterly humiliated, so much so that shame turned to anger.

"That's exactly how I'll say it, did I say something wrong? Blegh!"

Wang Dashan even stuck his tongue out at Wang Zhanggen, then turned and bolted.

Gone in a flash.

This infuriated Wang Zhanggen until he was gasping for breath, his face unspeakably ugly.

Seeing Big Brother run off, Wang Erhai and Wang Xiaohua hurriedly followed suit, not daring to linger at home, because they could both feel Wang Zhanggen's fury — if they didn't leave now, they'd likely become punching bags.

In the blink of an eye, only Wang Zhanggen and Li Xiulan remained in the living room.

Wang Zhanggen sternly berated Li Xiulan:

"Look at you, how do you usually teach the kids? So young and already daring to talk back to their own father — when they grow up, who knows what they'll become! Nothing but little rebels!"

Li Xiulan said coldly:

"Right, right, right, they were all taught by me. If you're not willing, then you come teach them! We'll swap places — you stay home and raise the kids, I'll go to the city to work!"

Wang Zhanggen was driven to the peak of fury by Li Xiulan's words.

Finally unable to endure any longer, he slapped Li Xiulan across the face.

Then he grabbed Li Xiulan by the hair and beat her viciously.

Li Xiulan was completely stunned.

It was the first time in her life she had experienced domestic violence.

She screamed in pain from the beating.

Beaten until she was bruised and swollen!

Every punch and kick from Wang Zhanggen not only landed on her body, but also shattered her heart.

She suddenly erupted with all her strength, shoved Wang Zhanggen away, hurriedly turned and ran to the kitchen to grab a kitchen knife!

"You have the guts to hit me again, just watch — I'll slaughter you!"

Li Xiulan wept tears of heartbreak and despair.

Life had not only taught her to be strong, it had also taught her to resist.

Wang Zhanggen was dumbstruck for a moment.

The fire in him died down by more than half.

He never imagined that Li Xiulan, a weak woman, would actually grab a knife and fight him to the death.

"Divorce! We're going to get divorced tomorrow! This life can't go on!"

Li Xiulan cried out for divorce.

She now runs the Village Entrance Convenience Store, and can survive perfectly well without Wang Zhanggen.

That's why she became so decisive.

However, Wang Zhanggen refused to agree to divorce.

"You're dreaming! If we divorce, who's going to take care of the three kids?"

Wang Zhanggen coldly dropped that one sentence, then turned and walked out.

He went to the village gambling den to play a few rounds of mahjong and vent the resentment in his heart.

Besides, he didn't dare sleep at home tonight — he was afraid Li Xiulan would take advantage of him being sound asleep in the middle of the night to slaughter him.

Women, once she calms down on her own, life will go on however it goes.

After Wang Zhanggen left, Li Xiulan put down the kitchen knife in her hand, unable to hold back sobbing cries.

With every sob, the wounds on her face stabbed at her fiercely.

She didn't understand why life had turned into such a terrible state.

She felt she clearly could have lived a better life.

Why did fate have to toy with her?

Recalling the first few years after marrying Wang Zhanggen, he had been so good to her — she thought she had found her lifelong home, so she unreservedly bore two children for him and even wanted a third.

But why did Wang Zhanggen turn into what he is now?

Keeping a mistress outside was bad enough, not giving a cent for household expenses was bad enough, and now after finally coming back once, he actually used fists and feet on her over a trivial matter!

This life really can't go on!

……

Wang Changgen was in the village casino, smoking while playing Mahjong.

He had a belly full of pent-up frustration, wanting to numb himself through gambling.

He also couldn't figure out from when Li Xiulan had started turning into the very picture of a shrew.

He admitted that keeping a woman outside before was wrong, but that was all in the past, he had already sincerely apologized, so why did Li Xiulan still have to oppose him at every turn, deliberately denying him dignity and face in front of outsiders and the children?

Besides, he never held it against Li Xiulan for those messy affairs she once had with He Dazhu and Yang Dafu!

What qualifications does she, Li Xiulan, have to hold things against him!

In truth, the rift between the two began with that inexplicable misunderstanding.

Although Wang Changgen said with his mouth that he didn't mind, in reality he had always minded deeply.

In his view, it was all because Li Xiulan was disloyal to him that things had led to this result.

And deep down he actually wanted to divorce Li Xiulan too, only now he was penniless; if they divorced he would have no backup, and the children's support would become a problem, so he was unwilling to divorce.

They say women are practical, but are men any less practical?

……

Wang Dashan, Wang Erhai, and Wang Xiaohua the three brothers went outside to play with lanterns with other kids.

This year's Mid-Autumn Festival was as lively as ever, all the village children roaming the lanes at play.

But for some reason, Wang Dashan felt this year's Mid-Autumn Festival wasn't as happy as before.

Especially seeing other families' happy harmonious atmosphere, then thinking of his own strange birth father coming back and arguing with Mother, he felt awful inside.

"Big Brother, Xiao Hu called us to play hide-and-seek, do you want to go together?"

Wang Dashan was crouching under an eave sitting quietly, when Wang Erhai and Wang Xiaohua suddenly ran over.

The two of them were still young, could still be carefree; Wang Dashan was a few years older, had already started becoming sensible, and had begun to know the taste of sorrow.

"You two go, I'm not going, I'll stay here quietly."

Wang Dashan hugged his knees with both hands, looking at the moon in the sky as big as a plate.

"Go on, go on, more people more fun!"

Wang Xiaohua tugged at Wang Dashan's arm, wanting him to go play together.

"I said I'm not going, don't bother me!"

Wang Dashan pulled a long face and glared at Wang Xiaohua.

Wang Xiaohua's face showed fear, she laughed an embarrassed laugh, and dared not say anything more.

In the end Wang Erhai and Wang Xiaohua both stopped paying attention to Wang Dashan; the two brothers went off to play hide-and-seek with other kids, playing carefreely, while Wang Dashan just spaced out alone quietly.

……

This Mid-Autumn Festival that should have been a full reunion, harmonious and joyful, a family of five in this palm-sized little village, surprisingly didn't spend the festival together.

The master of the house fooling around at the gambling den outside, the mistress of the house lonely and alone at home, three sons hiding out for peace and quiet...

This family has truly already fallen apart.

Wanting to return to those happy times of the past seems already impossible.

……

Ten o'clock at night.

Li Xiulan cleaned up the house's mess.

She came before the mirror, by the dim lamplight, applying medicinal wine to the bruises on her face.

Looking at the bruised and swollen reflection in the mirror, looking at the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes already very obvious, Li Xiulan's nose couldn't help but turn sour.

She was old, no longer young and beautiful like before, while the city had plenty upon plenty of pretty girls; this was perhaps one of the important reasons Wang Changgen was so impatient with her.

"Mom, what happened to you?"

Just then, Wang Dashan's voice came from behind.

Turned out Wang Dashan had come back alone.

"Nothing, nothing... how come you came back alone, where are your Second Brother and Third Sister?"

Li Xiulan hurriedly wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes.

"Second Brother and Third Sister are still playing hide-and-seek with Xiao Hu and them, was it that man who hit you?"

Wang Dashan clenched both fists, an angry look on his face.

He wasn't even willing to call Wang Changgen his dad anymore.

"How can he be like this, should've known better to let you and Uncle Chunsheng make do instead!"

Although Wang Dashan was the naughtiest of the three kids, he was also the one who cared most about his mother.

He used to strongly oppose Li Xiulan being together with Niu Chunsheng, but now seeing Li Xiulan beaten covered in injuries by Wang Changgen, he couldn't help blurting out those angry words.

His mind was very simple, single-track, stubborn; no one was allowed to bully his birth mother, not even his birth father.

"Don't say that, if your dad hears he'll get angry again!"

Li Xiulan sighed, mentioning Niu Chunsheng filled her heart with regret:

"Besides, Niu Chunsheng already has his own family now."