Flip the table and divide the family property! Take his wife and daughter into the mountains and eat

The air seemed to freeze.

Dozens of men working in the yard had their trowels and shovels suspended in mid-air, and dozens of pairs of eyes were scanning back and forth between Zhao Shanhe on the roof beam and Zhao Shanhai on the ground.

Zhao Shanhai's face changed from white to red, then from red to green in that instant, as spectacular as a dyeing workshop.

The phrase "your home is your latrine" was like a resounding slap in the face, making his head buzz.

"Big...Big Brother! What nonsense are you talking about!" Zhao Shanhai was extremely panicked, but he knew he absolutely could not admit it now!

Once he acknowledges it, the marriage is completely over, and his future is ruined!

He forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, then turned to the astonished Liu Meilan and Matchmaker Wang to explain, his voice trembling: "Ahem... Meilan, don't listen to him. My older brother... he's a bit stubborn and likes to joke. We're separating the family property but not our hearts, right? Even though the house is in his name, it's for my wedding. He can't possibly stop me, can he?"

After saying that, he suddenly looked up, staring intently at Zhao Shanhe, his eyes filled with pleading and threat. He gritted his teeth and shouted, "Brother! Today is my big day! Don't throw a tantrum in front of outsiders! Later... later I'll have Mom cook you a nice meal!"

He was still gambling. Gambling that Zhao Shanhe would consider that pitiful blood relation. Gambling that Zhao Shanhe wouldn't dare to really go all the way.

Unfortunately, he made the wrong bet.

On the roof beam, Zhao Shanhe slowly and methodically wound up the ink line, a cold smile curving his lips.

He didn't even glance at Zhao Shanhai, but instead turned to look at Grandpa Liu, who was working in the yard:

"Uncle Liu, someone just said that he built this house?"

"Was this big slice of fatty meat a treat for everyone by Zhao Shanhai?"

Grandpa Liu was a straightforward man in the village and had long disliked Zhao Lao Er's pretentious manner. Coupled with the fact that they had been having big meals of fatty meat every day for the past few days, he had already sided with Zhao Shanhe.

"Pah!" Old Liu spat on the ground and slammed his trowel against the bricks. "Old Zhao, have you no shame? These bricks were hauled back piece by piece by Shanhe, and this meat was hunted down from the mountains by Shanhe! You haven't even filled a single gap in the brickwork, so how dare you claim it's your house?"

"Exactly!" a burly man next to him shouted, pointing at Zhao Shanhai's shiny leather shoes: "You dress all high and mighty, trying to act like a big shot? You were just ordering us around? You think you're so special!"

"Isn't this a scammer?" "He'd even dare to steal his older brother's house just for a blind date?"

A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd. The laughter was like sharp thorns, making Zhao Shanhai tremble all over, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"No...no..." Zhao Shanhai was sweating profusely, trying to grab Liu Meilan's hand. "Meilan, let me explain..."

Liu Meilan didn't move. But her eyes, which had been full of affection, now seemed frozen.

She wasn't stupid. The jeers of those around her, Zhao Shanhai's panic, and the man's resolute attitude on the roof beam all spoke volumes.

She slowly turned her head and looked in the direction Zhao Shanhe had pointed, towards the dilapidated old courtyard not far away.

It was a low, mud-brick house. The thatch on the roof was black and grimy, like a scab.

Due to years of neglect, the plaster has peeled off, exposing the underlying mud core.

The worst part was that black smoke was billowing from the chimney of the old courtyard, and there was a puddle of frozen dirty water at the gate. You could smell a musty, sour stench from a distance.

That was Zhao Shanhai's real home.

Then look at this magnificent house with its red bricks and green tiles.

The huge gap between expectations and reality shattered Liu Meilan's rosy illusions, leaving not a trace.

Instead, there was a sense of shame and anger at being treated like a fool.

Liu Meilan took a deep breath, her gloved hand pausing stiffly in mid-air for half a second before gracefully and resolutely shaking off Zhao Shanhai's hand that was trying to pull her away.

She was the daughter of the commune's Party Secretary. Her upbringing taught her that she could not lose face in public, and she could not let these rural people laugh at her.

Even though she had cursed Zhao Shanhai's ancestors to the eighteenth generation in her heart, she still maintained that precarious composure on the surface.

"Zhao Shanhai".

Liu Meilan's voice was cold, carrying a businesslike detachment: "Since this red brick house isn't yours, it's a misunderstanding."

She raised her chin, her gaze passing over Zhao Shanhai to the earthen house belching black smoke in the distance, a meaningful smile playing on her lips: "Then let's go see the real Zhao family. I've been here for half a day, it would seem impolite of me not to pay my respects to the aunt."

Zhao Shanhai's heart skipped a beat.

Go to the old house? Now? The house just finished fighting, it's a complete mess, like a pigsty, and the third brother is still lying on the kang (heated brick bed)...

"Well... Meilan, the road to the old house is difficult to walk on, and my mother..."

Zhao Shanhai broke out in a cold sweat and stammered as he tried to stop him, "How about we go straight to the commune, to the supply and marketing cooperative? I'll treat you to canned food..."

"What? You're not even allowed to see your mother-in-law before you're officially married?"

Liu Meilan gave him a half-smile, her gaze sharp as a knife, directly piercing his little scheme: "Or is there something shameful hidden in your old house that even I can't see?"

This statement completely blocked Zhao Shanhai's escape route.

The matchmaker, Wang, was a shrewd woman. She had already seen that the deal was going to fall through and was furious. If this deal turned out to be a scam, who would trust her in the future?

She must clear herself of all responsibility!

So, Matchmaker Wang's eyes lit up, and she immediately chimed in loudly, "That's right, Shan Hai! Even an ugly daughter-in-law has to meet her in-laws, let alone someone as pretty as Mei Lan! Why are you making such a fuss? Come on, come on, your aunt hasn't been to your old house yet!"

Without waiting for Zhao Shanhai's consent, Wang the matchmaker took Liu Meilan's arm and started walking out, even deliberately saying loudly, "Meilan, watch your step! This wealthy family is certainly particular. Let's go see their real 'family fortune'!"

Zhao Shanhai stood there, watching the two resolute figures disappear into the distance, and gritted his teeth.

I'll give it my all! If I can run a few steps ahead and rush in before they go inside, and get Mom to tidy up quickly, hide that good-for-nothing third son in the closet, and open the window to let the smell dissipate, maybe... maybe I can still cover up this lie!

After all, Liu Meilan hasn't completely turned against him yet, which means she still has feelings for him!

Thinking of this, Zhao Shanhai, like a dog whose tail had been stepped on, rushed towards the old house.

On the roof beam. Zhao Shanhe watched this scene, a cold smile of anticipation curling at the corner of his lips.

He lit another cigarette, took a deep drag, and shouted to the workers below, "Uncle Liu, don't rush to build the wall! Everyone take a break and have a drink of water."

"It's making a lot of noise over there, let's be quiet and listen!"

……

The distance from the new house to the old house is only 300 meters.

But for Liu Meilan, those 300 meters were a process of falling from the clouds into the mud.

Just now in the new house, the ground beneath my feet was flat and hard.

The path leading to the old house was covered with frozen cow dung, dirty snow, and mud that just wouldn't melt.

Liu Meilan trudged on her exquisite little leather shoes, her brows furrowing with each step.

The sour, rotten smell that drifted on the wind grew stronger and stronger.

Zhao Shanhai ran frantically, panting heavily, until he reached the entrance of the old house. He had to make it! He had to make it!

However, things didn't go as planned. Just as his hand touched the dilapidated wooden door, before he could even push it open and call for help,

"Cough cough cough... Ouch... Mom, it hurts so much..."

Inside the house, the weak yet sinister voice of the third brother, Zhao Shanlin, came through the drafty window covered with tattered newspapers: "How's it going with Second Brother? Why haven't you managed to lure that silly woman back yet?"

Zhao Shanhai, standing outside the door, froze, his hand hovering in mid-air, as if he had been frozen in place.

Immediately afterwards, Li Cuihua's signature loud voice rang out, filled with a gnashing hatred and scheming:

"What's the rush! Your second brother is an educated man; he's probably using that big brick house to fool that Liu Meilan right now! As long as we can lure that village secretary's simple-minded daughter into our home, we'll have money!"

Boom! Liu Meilan, who was standing behind Zhao Shanhai, suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"Silly woman"? "Tricked into the door"?

Her face, which had been barely able to maintain its composure, began to crack little by little.

The conversation inside continued, growing increasingly vulgar, as if they were trying to expose the family's ugliest secrets to the world.

As Li Cuihua busied herself with something, she said smugly, "Third brother, just bear with it. Once your second brother gets things done, and it's a fait accompli, even if she's the Party Secretary's daughter, she'll have to accept her fate! We'll let her marry into the family heavily pregnant, and her dowry will all be ours!"

"Hmph, so what if she's a rich girl from the city? Once she enters the Zhao family, she has to listen to my rules! We'll make her clean up your messes, make her tend the fields! We'll take out all the mistreatment we suffered at the eldest brother's place on her!"

"Hehe... Mom's right..."

Zhao Shanlin let out a lewd laugh, followed by a splashing sound of water: "Ouch... Mom, I can't take it anymore, I need to have diarrhea... That medicine was too strong... Quick, get a basin..."

"La la la! All you ever do is poop! You're so straightforward!"

Li Cuihua's cursing voice rang out, accompanied by the clattering of bowls and plates: "Hurry up and empty it! Leave it here after you're done, and let your new sister-in-law empty it when she moves in! Let's see how long she can keep up that delicate act!"

Deathly silence. Outside the door, there was an eerie stillness.

The matchmaker's face, which had been painted deathly white, now looked even more horrified than a ghost.

She glanced at Liu Meilan, trembling, wanting to explain, but found that her jaw was chattering and she couldn't make a sound.

Liu Meilan stood in the wind and snow.

Her beautiful eyes were filled with shock, disgust, and anger, which finally transformed into overwhelming shame and indignation.

It turns out... in their eyes, she was neither a "precious person" nor a "beloved one".

Instead, he was a "fool," a "fat pig" waiting to be slaughtered, a "slave" who would one day have to empty the chamber pot for their crippled son.

"Cooking the rice into rice... then cleaning up after the excrement and urine..."

Liu Meilan muttered these words repeatedly, trembling with anger, her nails digging deeply into her palms.

She had never suffered such a humiliation in her entire life!

Zhao Shanhai was completely limp at the door.

He knew it was over. Everything was over.

He tried to open his mouth to explain, but his throat felt like it was blocked by something, and he could only make strange "hoho" sounds.

Just then, a nauseating stench wafted from the room.

It was the stench of someone who hadn't bathed for years, mixed with the smell of freshly excreted feces and urine, that wafted out from under the door like a poison gas bomb.

"vomit--!"

The intense visual imagery and the realistic olfactory impact overwhelmed Liu Meilan, causing her to gag as she covered her mouth.

The sound of retching broke the deathly silence.

Hearing the commotion, Li Cuihua, carrying a chamber pot, hurriedly pushed open the door: "Who is it? Who's vomiting outside?"

Creak—The door opened.

A striking scene unfolded before everyone: on the dimly lit, moldy earthen bed, the third brother, his face full of scars and beaten like a pig's head, was groaning and moaning with his bare buttocks exposed.

Li Cuihua was holding a chipped enamel basin, the yellowish-white contents of which were swaying in the water. She was staring blankly at Liu Meilan, who was dressed up but had a livid face, at the door.

Eyes facing each other.

The air was filled with a suffocating stench.

This is Zhao Shanhai's home.

This is what is known as a "scholarly family." This is the pit of fire she almost jumped into.

"Son...son...that's...that's Liu Meilan?"

Li Cuihua's hand trembled, and the soup in the chamber pot almost spilled out.

She finally realized what she had said: "What...what we just said..."

"I heard everything." Liu Meilan lowered her hand from her mouth.

She looked at the group of people in front of her as if they were a swarm of disgusting maggots.

Her haughty composure transformed into the sharpest knife at that moment.

She walked up to Zhao Shanhai, who was slumped on the ground, and looked down at him.

"Zhao Shanhai".

Liu Meilan's voice was no longer shrill, but carried a chilling calm: "Is this what you call sincerity?" "Is this what you meant by...letting me enjoy a life of luxury?"

"Mi...Milan...I love you..."

Zhao Shanhai knelt in the mud, reaching out to grab the hem of Liu Meilan's coat, weeping bitterly, "It's all a misunderstanding... my mother is getting senile..."

"Pah!!"

Liu Meilan had been holding back her spit all the way, and finally, at this moment, she spat it fiercely onto Zhao Shanhai's hypocritical face!

What kind of self-restraint? What kind of dignity? To talk about self-restraint in the face of such a beast who wants to devour you is the greatest insult to yourself!

"Bang!" Liu Meilan raised her foot, and with all her might, kicked Zhao Shanhai hard in the chest with her pointed leather shoes!

They kicked him so hard that he fell flat on his back and rolled into the icy, dirty water next to them!

"Fuck your sincerity! Fuck your fait accompli!"

Pointing at the mother and son, Liu Meilan uttered the most vile thing she had ever said: "Your whole family is rotten to the core! You're not even as good as rats in a sewer!"

"You want me to serve you when you poop? You want me to be a baby-making machine? Keep dreaming!"

"Zhao Shanhai, you just wait!"

Liu Meilan pulled the handkerchief Zhao Shanhai had given her from her bag, threw it disgustedly into the chamber pot Li Cuihua was carrying, and said with icy coldness, "You dare to scheme against me? When we get back, I'll have my dad investigate how many despicable things you, this 'clerk,' have done! I'll make sure you're utterly disgraced in the Red Star Commune!"

After saying that, Liu Meilan turned and left, her departure resolute, as if staying even a second longer would shorten her lifespan.

Matchmaker Wang realized that something big was about to happen!

She spat angrily on the ground: "A whole family of liars! A family without descendants! Trying to scheme against other people's girls? If anyone dares to arrange a marriage for your family in the future, I'll write my name backwards!"

After cursing, she wiggled her big buttocks and chased after Liu Meilan, running away as fast as she could.

Only the Zhao family mother and her two children remained. The wind swept away the remaining snow, and the air was thick with the scent of excrement and urine.

Zhao Shanhai lay in the cold, dirty water, looking at the handkerchief floating in the latrine, and then at the gray sky.

he knows.

He lost his house, his wife, and his reputation.

Even that job he was so proud of, the "clerk" position, is probably really going to be lost this time...

Not far away, in the courtyard of that red brick house, a deafening burst of cheers and laughter suddenly erupted.

The laughter was like a series of slaps across the face of everyone in the Zhao family.