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

The air in the room froze instantly because of that curt "No."

"What did you say?"

Lin Dapao was stunned for a moment, then his triangular eyes widened.

In his view, he was an elder, and asking for something was a way of giving face to his son-in-law. Zhao Shanhe, usually so taciturn, wouldn't even dare to breathe loudly in his presence; had he suddenly become so bold today?

"I said."

Zhao Shanhe toyed with the wine glass in his hand, not even lifting his eyelids, his voice as cold as ice:

"Meat is all you can eat. But no other food."

"Snapped!"

Lin Dapao slammed his hand on the table, making the pot of pork stew with vermicelli tremble and spill the broth.

"Zhao Shanhe! You little brat, you've gone too far!"

Lin Dapao, his face flushed and neck bulging, pointed at Zhao Shanhe's nose and cursed:

"I'm your father-in-law! If I hadn't married Xiu'er to you, would you even have a wife? Now that you're rich, I'm asking you to lend a hand to your brother-in-law, and you're giving me this nonsense?"

Lin Qiang, standing next to him, also threw down his chopsticks, his mouth still greasy, and struck a hooligan pose, standing up and stepping one foot on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Brother-in-law, don't push your luck. Now that I've seen this sewing machine, I have to take it! I won't take it for free; consider it a loan, okay?"

They said they were borrowing, but their tone clearly implied they were stealing.

After saying that, Lin Qiang didn't care whether Zhao Shanhe agreed or not. He rolled up his sleeves and reached for the brand-new sewing machine under the window.

"Qiangzi...no..."

A faint, tearful plea, barely audible, rang out.

Lin Xiu, who had been huddled in the corner of the kang (a heated brick bed) and dared not utter a sound, saw her younger brother about to touch the family's "lifeblood." Instinctively, she trembled and moved off the kang.

She dared not shout loudly, nor dared to act like a shrew.

She stood like a frightened little animal, using her thin body to block the sewing machine, her hands gripping the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) tightly, her whole body trembling like a sieve.

"Qiangzi... I beg you... this is what your brother-in-law risked his life for..."

Lin Xiu's face was deathly pale, tears streaming down her face, her voice filled with fear and pleading:

"Don't take it...this is for making clothes for Niu Niu...please, sister..."

She was genuinely afraid.

Having been bullied by her father and brother since childhood, she dared not fight back.

She could only try to hold onto the last glimmer of hope for her family in this most humble way.

"Get out of here! You jinx!"

Seeing his sister's pathetic state only fueled Lin Qiang's anger. He looked impatient and raised his hand to shove Lin Xiu.

"Even my brother-in-law didn't dare stop me, who do you think you are? Get out of my way!"

It looked like Lin Qiang's dirty hand was about to push Lin Xiu down.

A large hand, like an iron clamp, suddenly appeared and gripped Lin Qiang's wrist tightly.

Zhao Shanhe stood in front of Lin Xiu at some point.

He remained expressionless, but his hand exerted a slight force.

"Ouch! Ouch! That hurts! Brother-in-law, let go! Your hand is going to break!"

Lin Qiang screamed in pain, his body forced to bend down like a sick chicken with its neck being squeezed.

Zhao Shanhe casually tossed Lin Qiang aside, sending him staggering and nearly crashing into the wall.

Then, without even glancing at the father and son, whose faces were ashen, he turned around, gently helped the still trembling Lin Xiu onto the kang (a heated brick bed), wiped her tears with his sleeve, and said softly:

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

After calming his wife down, Zhao Shanhe slowly turned around.

He pulled a boning knife from his waist.

It was used for skinning animals on the mountain; the blade was sharpened to a razor-sharp edge, gleaming coldly in the dim light.

He leisurely picked up a large pork bone from the table and placed it on the corner of the table.

Knife up and down.

"Snap!"

A crisp sound.

The hard pork leg bone was chopped off, and the marrow flowed out.

The room fell into a deathly silence.

Lin Qiang's screams stopped abruptly, and Lin Dapao's curses were stuck in his throat.

Zhao Shanhe held the knife, gently scraping scraps of meat off the bone, his tone frighteningly calm, as if he were talking about something insignificant:

"Dad, Qiangzi."

"Xiuer is timid, don't frighten her."

He raised his head, his eyes devoid of any emotion, only an unfathomable darkness:

"This sewing machine was bought for my wife. The things in this house were brought back by me with my life in the deep mountains and forests."

"If you think your bones are harder than these pork bones, feel free to try moving them again."

These people are bullies who prey on the weak. The weaker you are, the more they will bully you; only by being more ruthless than them can you teach them to listen to you.

Lin Qiang swallowed hard, clutching his wrist and shrinking back.

He was genuinely terrified; Zhao Shanhe's eyes looked like he wanted to kill him.

"Good, good, good! Zhao Shanhe, you're doing great!"

Lin Dapao's face flushed red and then turned pale. He knew he couldn't gain any advantage today, and continuing to make trouble would only bring him humiliation.

He pointed tremblingly at Zhao Shanhe, then at Lin Xiu, who was still crying:

"They've grown wings! They don't even recognize their own father anymore! Fine, we can't afford to associate with these poor relatives! Let's go!"

After saying that, he angrily tried to get off the kang (a heated brick bed).

Zhao Shanhe neither stopped them nor showed any politeness. He didn't even say a word to persuade them to stay, still holding the knife and coldly watching them.

The mother-in-law, Liu, who had been silently wiping away tears in the corner, watched her husband and son leave, and then looked at her daughter who was still trembling. She was reluctant to leave, but dared not keep them.

"You old hag! Aren't you leaving? Are you waiting for someone to bring you a knife?" Lin Dapao roared at the door.

Liu trembled, and could only glance longingly at Lin Xiu and Niu Niu. She wiped away her tears with her sleeve, lowered her head, and followed the father and son out like a child who had made a mistake.

"Bang!"

The courtyard gate slammed shut.

Those vampires finally left.

Only Shan Tianfang's hoarse voice remained in the room from the radio.

Looking at the empty doorway, Lin Xiu recalled the look in her mother's eyes when she left, and overwhelmed with grief, she buried her face in her arms on the kang table and began to sob.

"Shanhe...am I being unfilial...My mother didn't even get a hot meal, if I go back with her I'll definitely get scolded again..."

Zhao Shanhe sheathed his knife, sat down, and embraced his wife.

"Xiuer, don't cry."

Zhao Shanhe wiped away her tears, his tone firm:

"You saw it too. As long as those two are around, we can't keep anything from Mother. In fact, we'll only hurt her."

He looked out at the pitch-black night and said in a deep voice:

"Don't worry. After the New Year, once our family is settled, I'll find a time to bring Mom over separately."

"When the time comes, without those two causing trouble, let Mom stay at our house for a few days. She can eat meat if she wants, and wear new clothes if she wants. That's true filial piety."

Lin Xiu raised her head, looking at her husband through teary eyes. A glimmer of light finally appeared in her eyes, and she nodded heavily.