"Bang!"
The wooden door was kicked open by him. The injured leg throbbed with a needle-like pain due to the excessive force, but it was far less painful than the ache in his heart.
As a man, how could he tolerate his woman being intimate with another man? The son he had joyfully welcomed turned out not to be his own flesh and blood!
"Wang, Wang Kuo, how did you get back?" The lights in the room were off, and the woman on the heated brick bed was hastily dressing. Her eyes widened in alarm when she saw him enter with a frosty expression.
Beside her was Wang Erbiao, a local rogue.
"What are you afraid of him for? Since you've been caught, so be it. What else can you do with a lame good-for-nothing like him but suffer poverty? From now on, you and the child will live well with me."
Upon seeing Wang Kuo, Wang Erbiao lost his panic. He slowly put on a robe, his expression filled with disdain.
When Wang Kuo went to join the army, many in the village envied him. But look at him now, limping with one leg, raising a wife and child for another man like an idiot.
"Oh, by the way, Wang Kuo, you still don't know, do you? The child your wife gave birth to is mine. Tsk tsk, you have no idea how much I laughed at you acting like a fool and being so happy on the full moon banquet. I've never seen such an idiot as you."
Wang Erbiao chuckled to himself as he spoke.
Seeing Wang Kuo's ashen face and eyes that seemed to spew fire, the woman instinctively shrank behind Wang Erbiao, whispering, "Hurry up and stop talking."
At this moment, Wang Kuo took two quick, large steps towards the edge of the bed. His body swayed more noticeably.
"Pah, you can't even stand steady, what else can you do!"
Wang Erbiao was not afraid of him. As Wang Kuo threw a punch, he rolled off the bed and dodged, then got up and lunged towards Wang Kuo.
The two quickly began to scuffle.
"Stop fighting!" the woman cried out in fear. The child sleeping at the innermost part of the bed was awakened and began to wail loudly.
Wang Erbiao initially had the advantage of height and landed several heavy blows on Wang Kuo. However, Wang Kuo, having been trained, soon managed to pin Wang Erbiao beneath him.
"I'm going to kill you today." He gripped Wang Erbiao's neck tightly, his fingers digging into the flesh in his anger.
Seeing this, the woman scrambled down from the bed. In her haste, she didn't even put on her shoes and rushed to Wang Kuo's side, crying and begging, "Wang Kuo, let go quickly, he'll die!"
Wang Kuo remained unmoved, and Wang Erbiao's face began to turn purple.
Gu Xingdong, who had just arrived, saw the scene and rushed forward, pulling Wang Kuo away. He said sternly, "Wang Kuo!"
Wang Kuo looked up, his eyes bloodshot: "Don't stop me, I must kill him today."
Gu Xingdong's hand, like a vise, gripped his arm firmly. "Wang Kuo, calm down. What will happen to you if you kill him? That's a human life. Are you going to throw away the rest of your life for someone like him?"
"What's going on? Has Lao Er returned? Why are you two fighting as soon as he gets back?"
Wang Kuo's elder brother and sister-in-law, living in the adjacent courtyard, heard the commotion and quickly got dressed to come over. However, upon seeing the situation, they were stunned.
Wang Erbiao lay on the ground, gasping for breath. Wang Kuo's wife, her clothes disheveled, shielded him, while Wang Kuo glared at the two on the ground with a murderous look.
The couple couldn't help but guess the situation. Wang Kuo's elder brother sighed, "Our family is in misfortune!"
"Lao Er, you were too harsh! If someone really dies, how can your elder brother and I continue to live in the village? Besides, this isn't something honorable. Are you not ashamed enough? If you make such a fuss, where will our Wang family's face be in the future? Do you want our family to be unable to hold their heads up in the village?"
Wang嫂, after seeing the situation clearly, glared at Wang Kuo with a hint of reproach.
Reminded by his wife, Wang大哥 reacted and quickly added, "Yes, Lao Er, this is indeed not honorable. Let's resolve it privately. You went out to work, and it's us, your elder brother and sister-in-law, who will be gossiped about. Moreover, your leg is injured. When you got married, we told you to be careful. Most of the money from the army subsidy was used as a betrothal gift. If it really comes to separation, what about the child? Your elder brother and I have several other children to raise, and our lives are already tight. We can't help you raise the child."
Seeing this, they were prepared to make Wang Kuo endure it.
The woman, hearing the words of Wang大哥 and his wife, quickly said, "Wang Kuo, it's all my fault. I promise I'll live a good life with you from now on. Please let Erbiao go?"
"I'll let go for this lame good-for-nothing? Take a look at yourself in the mirror. You're just putting on a show. If you dare, try to touch me!"
Wang Erbiao, feeling emboldened, wiped his mouth and got up from the ground. However, as soon as he stood firm, he was heavily kicked in the chest, stumbling back several steps before falling heavily onto the ground.
"You, who do you think you are, daring to hit me?"
Gu Xingdong looked at him with a smile that wasn't a smile. "Your foul mouth is polluting my ears."
"You!" Seeing that Gu Xingdong was not someone to be trifled with, Wang Erbiao could only show anger without speaking.
Gu Xingdong turned and patted Wang Kuo's shoulder. "Killing someone is indeed not worth it. However, breaking an arm or a leg to teach him a lesson is acceptable."
Wang Kuo glanced at his tense elder brother and sister-in-law, who seemed afraid that he might do something to implicate them, but showed no consideration for his feelings.
Because he couldn't take care of his parents, he had retired from the army. Half of his money was given to them. However, fearing that his limp would burden them, they had long since divided the property and driven him out.
And the woman on the ground, he had given all his savings to her to support her family, yet she was still not satisfied, constantly complaining about poverty and his incompetence.
These people, who were once his closest kin, now seemed so distant and ironic.
"Lao Er, don't be reckless. If this scandal gets out, our Wang family will be completely disgraced," Wang大哥 said, seeing his unfriendly expression and fearing that he might actually follow Gu Xingdong's advice.
Wang Kuo curled his lips. "Do we still have any face left to lose in this family?"
With that, he walked over to Wang Erbiao and squatted down.
"You, what are you going to do?" Wang Erbiao's heart tightened as he approached, and he propped himself up, retreating repeatedly in fear.
"Elder brother is right. It's not worth killing someone like you."
As soon as he finished speaking, a bone-cracking sound was heard.
"Ah!!!"
"Erbiao!" The woman leaned in anxiously, only to find Wang Erbiao's right leg twisted into a state that was impossible under normal circumstances.
"Tomorrow morning, go and get a divorce, and then take that child and get out of here." Wang Kuo glanced at the woman with disgust, then turned and walked out the door.
"Lao Er, you..." As he passed by, Wang大哥 opened his mouth, but Wang Kuo had already left without looking back.