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

Chen Xiangbei couldn't give a reason, but he didn't want to be persuaded by Chen Xianghong so easily. After hesitating for a moment, he shook off her hand and said, "Don't worry about me, I just hate her."

Then he ran home.

At this time, no one was home. The adults had all gone to work, and his second brother, an unemployed bum, had disappeared somewhere. His nephew and niece were with the neighbors next door.

The dining table and kitchen were a mess, and no one had cleaned them up. In the middle of summer, this attracted some small flying insects, which looked rather disgusting.

Chen Xiangbei wasn't happy to stay there either, so he went straight into his room and collapsed onto the bed.

His mind began to wander, and he couldn't help but wonder if his twin brother were still alive, would he share a room with him, would they be able to play together, and would he have someone to talk to when he encountered problems?

Unlike now, he's really annoyed.

He had always disliked his mother, hated her favoritism towards his older brother, hated her frugality, and hated her inexplicable concern and sudden indifference.

It seems like she hates everything she does.

However, he couldn't understand why he disliked it.

Chen Xianghong's words made him reflect. Just as she said, his mother was very good to him. Except for this period when she seemed to have gone crazy, she was indeed very good to him, better than the mothers of the other children in the compound.

In the evening, the whole family, except for Old Chen, was all at home.

Grandma Xia came back late today. The house was empty and the stove was cold. Old Chen, that old geezer, wasn't home. The things on the table had been cleaned up, but Chen Xianghong was the only one in the kitchen who had been busy all afternoon and still hadn't finished cleaning.

I only cooked some porridge and chopped some pickled vegetables in the morning, and the kitchen was a complete mess, with things scattered everywhere.

It was summer, and people tend to sweat easily; Chen Xianghong's back was completely soaked.

The people sitting at the table weren't in much better shape. The eldest son and his wife couldn't even soothe the child. The second son was nowhere to be found, looking disheveled. The fourth son's child was lying on the bed in the room with the door open, and no one knew what he was thinking. Chen Lingling was pitifully munching on a small steamed bun, with a glass of cold water in front of her.

"Where is your father?" Grandma Xia asked.

Zhu Wenying placed the child in Chen Xiangdong's arms, saying, "How would we know where Dad went? It's so hot outside and we can't even enjoy our home. How are we supposed to live like this?"

"Mom, it's not that we're criticizing you, but you said it was for meals. Now look what's happened, we come home exhausted after a long day and can't even get a meal. If this continues, we won't pay next month."

"Besides, how can we let Dad, a grown man, cook? How could he possibly cook? He's not good at all. He's not capable of handling all this housework. Mom, you're the one who runs the household. If you suddenly quit, our family will fall into chaos."

As Grandma Xia listened to her eldest daughter-in-law's accusations: "I'm in charge, you make it sound so nice. It just means I won't be your free nanny anymore. It seems the beating she received last time has taught her a lesson, though not much."

She glared at her, and the words Zhu Wenying wanted to say stuck in her throat.

Her mother-in-law is so unreasonable. What did she say wrong? Her father-in-law has never done any housework; he's obviously not good at it. It's one thing for the old lady not to accept money, but she did accept money and then left them without food. It's understandable that she's angry.

Zhu Wenying was very indignant, but the old lady was clearly angry, and if she continued, she would be hit again. She could only lower her head and secretly pinch her husband to vent her anger.

Chen Xiangdong: Grinning.JPG

Grandma Xia knew that this old man was using this method to escape from family matters. When she went to see Xiang Hong a few days ago, why didn't this old man make a mess of the house? But now, on the very first meal, it's already like this.