Several people bustled into the Zhao household. Father Chen sent them to the main hall to rest while he and Zhao Nuancheng went to the door of Zhao Shixiao's room.
"Sister-in-law, wake up quickly, Uncle Chen and the others are here to see you."
Zhao Laotou, already dressed inside, clamped a hand over Chen Qianyue's mouth.
Zhao Shixiao's voice was steady, "Dad, haven't you rested yet at this hour? Yueyue was too tired earlier and is sleeping very soundly now. I can't bear to wake her. If it's nothing urgent, let's discuss it tomorrow."
Zhao Nuancheng turned to look at Father Chen. As the words of persuasion were about to leave her lips, Father Chen strode forward and knocked forcefully on the door. He had a strong feeling something was amiss.
"Uncle Chen, what's wrong with you? It's quite startling. It's not a big deal, just let my sister-in-law rest well."
Zhao Nuancheng stepped forward and grabbed Father Chen's hand, attempting to pull him away.
"Nuanniang, let go. If I accidentally hurt you, I won't be responsible."
"Chen Qianyue, are you in there? If you can hear me, come and open the door for me. Otherwise, just make a sound."
Bang, bang, bang… Bang, bang, bang.
The noise attracted Mother Zhao and the people inside. Eldest Sister Chen asked Mother Zhao what was going on.
Mother Zhao's lips trembled, her eyes darted away, and she changed the subject. Seeing this, Father Chen directly signaled his three sons to break down the door.
Inside, the Zhao father and son were threatening Chen Qianyue. After Chen Qianyue nodded, Zhao Father hid under the bed, concealed by the bed curtains. Outsiders wouldn't be able to find him.
The door was broken down, and the Chen family rushed in. Zhao Shixiao happened to be stepping away from the door, wearing his shoes. With quick reflexes, he avoided being hit by the falling door.
"Dad, what are you doing? I was just about to come and open the door for you. Did something major happen that you're in such a hurry?"
"Hmph, nothing major, just came to see my daughter."
Father Chen gave Mother Chen a look, and Mother Chen immediately went to the bedside.
"Oh dear, my Yueyue, why aren't you speaking? Your father's chest pain is unbearable today, and he's constantly worried you've had an accident."
As she spoke, she pulled back the bed curtains and looked at her daughter's obviously tear-stained eyes, her heart aching.
"Yueyue, what's wrong? Who bullied you? Tell Mom quickly. Don't be afraid, Mom will stand up for you."
Before Chen Qianyue could speak, Zhao Shixiao interjected, "Mom, what are you saying? How could I bear to bully Yueyue? It's just that we overdid it in that regard. Let's discuss any matters in the main hall. There aren't many stools in my room. Nuancheng, quickly go and boil some hot water to make some tea."
"Alright," Zhao Nuancheng replied, quickly leaving the room.
Mother Zhao pulled Eldest Sister Chen, intending to lead her out. "Come, come, let's go quickly. The young couple are in good spirits. In-laws, please come and rest."
Eldest Sister Chen stood like a wooden post, not moving, her gaze questioning Father Chen.
"Old woman, what exactly is going on?"
Zhao Shixiao looked nervously at the bedside, his heart feeling as if it would leap out of his chest.
Chen Qianyue could only weep, and Mother Chen held her in her arms.
"Husband, Yueyue is not right."
Eldest Brother Chen and Second Brother Chen held Zhao Shixiao on either side. Zhao Shixiao struggled for a long time but couldn't break free.
"Eldest Brother, Second Brother, you're mistaken. You know how I feel about Yueyue; how could I bear to bully her? Yueyue, say something. What happened to you today?"
"Chen Qianyue, don't be afraid. You are my daughter; I'll bear any burden for you. Don't keep it to yourself and suffer; it makes us worry."
Third Brother Chen added, "Yes, Yueyue. Dad was so worried he didn't eat before coming. Don't just cry. How did this brat bully you? Speak up, and we'll beat him to death."
Seeing her family, Chen Qianyue felt a surge of confidence. Her voice hoarse, she said:
"Dad, Zhao Shixiao tricked me into marriage; he doesn't have a little brother. *Sob, sob, sob*… Last night… last night was Zhao Laotou… He hit me too, threatened me, and wouldn't let me go home. He also said if I dared to speak of this, he would kill our entire family. *Sob, sob, sob*, Dad, I'm so scared."
Father Chen was furious. He immediately slapped Zhao Shixiao several times, shouting as he hit him, "You inhumane wretch, how dare you hit my daughter? I'll make you pay! I'll make you pay…"
The harder he hit, the more forceful his blows became. Zhao Shixiao's cheeks became red and swollen, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Mother Zhao cried out and moved to intervene, but Eldest Sister Chen grabbed her by the collar.
With a forceful pull backward, Mother Zhao fell onto the ground. Eldest Sister Chen took off the cloth shoes she was wearing and directly swiped them across Mother Zhao's face.
"You old hag, you must have given your son plenty of bad advice behind our backs. How could you do this? My sister-in-law is in the prime of her youth. You're a woman too! You're worse than an animal. Giving birth to such a piece of trash, you should just hide and not come out to harm young girls."
Mother Zhao's face, already injured, had scabs that fell off, causing blood to flow out and her face to swell frighteningly. Eldest Sister Chen, disgusted, continued to hit and curse her.
Screams echoed from inside. Zhao Nuancheng, hearing the commotion, dared not enter and retreated to her own room. Zhao Father could no longer hide and slowly crawled out from under the bed.
"Stop it, all of you, stop!"
Third Brother Chen, furious, kicked him in the waist. Zhao Father fell to the ground, trembling in pain.
Third Brother Chen kicked him fiercely, focusing on his lower body. Zhao Father rolled on the ground, dodging Third Brother Chen's kicks, and shouted,
"Hitting people is against the law. If you keep kicking me like this, you'll spend the rest of your life in prison."
"I'll kick you! You old beast, kicking you to death wouldn't be too much."
"Third, stop kicking."
Father Chen spoke, and Old Third Chen finally stopped. Mother Zhao quickly tried to imitate him but could only babble incoherently for a long time.
Zhao Father finally caught his breath. "You've hit and cursed. Return the bride price to my family, and you take Chen Qianyue. Let this matter be settled."
"You wish! You old beast, I'll beat you to death today!"
Third Brother Chen stepped forward again and punched Zhao Father. Eldest Sister-in-law Chen, fearing he might cause serious injury and be blamed, grabbed him.
"Don't be rash. Let's listen to what Dad says."
Second Sister-in-law Chen added, "Dad, you can't be confused. They are clearly bullying Yueyue. From now on, Yueyue will be divorced, and this old beast has taken advantage of her. They're getting a divorce the day after the wedding; people will gossip about our Yueyue."
Third Sister-in-law Chen continued, "We can't let them off easily. They are worse than pigs and dogs."
Zhao Father coughed heavily. "Then what do you want to do?"
Father Chen stated, "We will definitely take Yueyue home. We'll divorce tomorrow. You won't get a single cent of the bride price; consider it compensation for Yueyue."
Zhao Shixiao retorted, "You talk about cherishing your daughter, but you still want our family's bride price money? Who knows where that money will end up. It seems you're also a hypocrite, shamelessly."
Eldest Brother Chen delivered a heavy kick to Zhao Shixiao's abdomen. "Do you think every family is like yours? Let me tell you, this matter of you bullying my sister is not over."
He then delivered two more slaps.
Third Brother Chen lamented, "Dad, there's a knot of anger in my chest. No matter how much we beat these beasts, the harm my little sister suffered cannot be undone. I'm truly furious. I wish we had listened to you earlier."
The Chen family fell silent. Chen Qianyue cried even louder. She was now full of regret, repeatedly saying she knew she was wrong and shouldn't have disobeyed her father.
Father Chen felt immense pain. He couldn't think of a better solution. He also blamed himself, wondering why he hadn't been more firm earlier.