She won't clear her name; she'll throw away all the scum.

Right now, she's just playing the victim to get people to sponsor them. She's afraid that if they stop giving her money later, her mother might go astray and actually bring men home. Then, forget about her marrying into a wealthy family; people might even say her family is a brothel.

The next day, Widow Huang rallied her spirits and waited for Old Chen to come home from get off work on the path around dusk.

Over the years, she has known that Old Chen usually likes to go home early and will take a shortcut.

This alley is the only way through.

She took a mirror out of the basket and checked her appearance. She deliberately combed her hair loosely, making her look more casual.

"Here it comes!" Widow Huang heard the sound of a bicycle. She stood in the shadows, ready to call out to him suddenly.

The bicycle passed right in front of her, as if it hadn't seen her at all. Seeing that Old Chen was riding further and further away, Widow Huang had no choice but to shout, "Brother Chen!"

Old Chen was thinking about something when he heard the sound and was startled. He lost his balance and fell off his horse.

My pants are torn, and my palms are scraped too. Damn it, which jinx called me? I'm going to get another scolding from Grandma Xia when I get home. These are brand new clothes that were just made at the beginning of summer.

Old Chen felt a pang of heartache and then glared fiercely at the source of the sound.

"Huang Li, what are you doing standing there?" Old Chen said disapprovingly. "You look like a ghost, it's so scary."

Widow Huang slowly walked over and said in a strained voice, "Brother Chen, I... I really have no other choice. We're out of rice, both children are hungry, and we need to buy them new schoolbags. I'm so worried I feel like dying. Waaah..."

Old Chen patted the dirt off his clothes, staring at his ripped pants, feeling agitated. "If you don't have money for food, sell this flashy outfit you're wearing. After that, your family can have several full meals. You don't even have money for food, yet you buy such nice clothes. You deserve to starve!"

"Also, I remember you just bought new schoolbags for your two kids last year, right? Are your schoolbags for eating? Why do you have to change them every year? My fourth child is so naughty, but he's been using the same schoolbag since junior high, about the same size as yours, and he's never had to change it. Why is it that your family has to carry new schoolbags every year?"

Widow Huang couldn't believe it. Old Chen had always been kind to her and never said a harsh word to her. But today, he was like a gunpowder keg, saying that she deserved to starve to death.

"Brother Chen," Widow Huang called out softly and resentfully, as if she was about to cry.

Old Chen had just touched the hole in his pants when the shout made his hand tremble, widening the hole even further. Damn it, how was he going to beg his wife for forgiveness when he got home? Would kneeling down save him a few slaps?

"Stop wailing. You don't want to work, but you still want to wear the best clothes and shoes. Have you spent all of your husband's compensation money? Is that why you're asking us kind-hearted people for money every day?"

"Don't you have any backbone? If you don't have money, why are you pretending to be rich? Can't you wear something made of cotton or linen? Is what you're wearing made of polyester? We have so many workers in our family, and we earn so much money every month, but we still can't afford to buy anything. Right now, we only have one piece for each of the kids. Even I can't bear to wear it."

"You're something else. You keep saying you're starving, but you're dressed better than some big boss. Do you think I owe you anything? I'm not your father, nor your man. Why should I give you money?"

Old Chen was furious and lost his temper after saying those words. Suddenly, he realized he had spoken too harshly. After all, she was a woman; if he had said that, she would have cried.

Although he thought these words made sense, he shouldn't have said them so harshly.

He felt a little awkward. He wanted to apologize, but he felt he hadn't done anything wrong. If he didn't apologize, he would feel guilty.

Damn it, it's all her fault for yelling like that, she tore his pants, otherwise he wouldn't be so angry.