"Second Uncle, according to what was said before, Xiao Yu won the match!" As soon as Madam Li said this, the Zhan family members looked at her with displeasure.
"You troublemaker, Old Second has suffered such a great loss, and you're still not satisfied? Are you trying to force me to death?" Old Madam Zhan, who was sitting on a chair, jumped up.
Old Madam Zhan, looking at the thin but fierce Madam Li, lunged at her and raised her hand to slap her across the face, "I'll beat you to death, you troublemaker!"
The scene, which had just calmed down, became chaotic again, with curses, pleas, footsteps, and the clatter of overturned stools mixing together.
Madam Ma quickly pulled back the rampaging Old Madam Zhan, while Young Madam Yao also feigned to block a few times, shouting, "Mother, let's talk properly! Eldest Sister-in-law, quickly apologize to Mother. Look how angry you've made her."
"Quickly hold Mother, don't let her fall!" Second Master Zhan shouted and rushed over to break up the fight.
Seeing Zhan Feiyu in the middle of the chaos, Second Master Zhan's eyes turned vicious. Taking advantage of the darkness and confusion, he kicked towards Zhan Feiyu.
Instinctively sensing danger, Zhan Feiyu's pupils contracted, and she dodged sharply to the left.
Second Master Zhan's kick still hit Zhan Feiyu's right side, and her short, stout body fell heavily to the ground, causing Zhan Feiyu to hiss in pain.
Second Master Zhan looked at Zhan Feiyu, who was lying on the ground, with a sinister and venomous gaze. What a pity, if only this girl could be bedridden for ten days or half a month, everything would be resolved.
Second Master Zhan withdrew his foot and stood beside Old Madam Zhan, as if nothing had happened. In the chaos, no one else noticed the short and stout Zhan Feiyu.
*Slap!* Suddenly, a crisp sound of a slap echoed, and everyone in the courtyard froze.
Zhan Feiyu looked up and saw Madam Li's cheek, which had been slapped, quickly reddening and swelling. Looking at Eldest Master Zhan, who was still holding his arm in the posture of hitting, Zhan Feiyu's eyes immediately welled up with tears.
"Go back to your room!" Eldest Master Zhan grabbed Madam Li's shoulders, his face ashen, and growled, his teeth clenched, as if trying to suppress his volatile emotions.
"Mother!" Zhan Feiyu, disregarding the pain of being kicked and fallen, stumbled up from the ground, hugged Madam Li's legs with heartache, and looked up at her reddened eyes, tears rolling down. "Mother!"
Her face felt numb and swollen. After a moment of stunned silence, Madam Li, regaining her senses, patted Zhan Feiyu's head, her gaze of disappointment coldly fixed on the furious Eldest Master Zhan.
Seeing the slap mark on Madam Li's face, Eldest Master Zhan regretted it, but he still kept a tight face. In his rage, he growled in a hoarse voice, "It's my fault, I can't earn money. It's all my fault as a useless father!"
Torn between his wife and daughter on one side, and his parents and brothers on the other, Eldest Master Zhan was like a trapped beast. He slammed his fist against the wall with a bang.
As if unable to release his inner helplessness and rage, Eldest Master Zhan punched the wall again, as if this could vent his inner frustration.
"Eldest Brother!" Third Master Zhan saw Eldest Master Zhan's bloody hand and rushed over to grab his arm, shouting with concern, "Eldest Brother, let's talk properly. What are you doing!"
"Oldest!" Old Master Zhan shouted sternly. Looking at his son, who was self-abusing in pain, he cursed anxiously, "Let's talk properly! Don't you want your right hand anymore?"
In the silence, listening to Eldest Master Zhan's low, rapid breaths, everyone in the Zhan family felt a suffocating discomfort.
"Eldest Sister-in-law, I'll escort you back to your room." Madam Ma, startled, said in a low voice, quickly supporting Madam Li's arm. She then looked at Zhan Feiyu and said, "Xiao Yu, help your mother back to the room." m..oΓg
Looking at her mother's expressionless face with heartache, Zhan Feiyu glanced back at her father, who stood like a statue by the wall, his right hand bloody.
An unspeakable sadness surged in her heart.
Suppressing her churning emotions, Zhan Feiyu took Madam Li's hand and pleaded softly, "Mother, let's go back to our room."
Madam Li didn't speak. She had a gentle but strong personality. This time, even though Old Madam Zhan was the one who acted, Madam Li would have sought an explanation regardless of her reputation. But the one who acted was her own husband!
"Mother!" Seeing Madam Li's despair, Zhan Feiyu panicked. She suddenly regretted going to the private school. If it weren't for her, Mother would never have spoken up!
Perhaps sensing the panic and fear in Zhan Feiyu's voice, Madam Li came to her senses. She clasped her daughter's hand and turned to walk back to the room.
Lighting the oil lamp, a faint light illuminated the bedroom. Looking at her mother sitting blankly on the bed, Zhan Feiyu touched her painful right waist, but ultimately said nothing.
"Xiao Yu, Mother is fine, don't be afraid." Madam Li looked at her helpless daughter with concern, stroking her head to comfort her. "Your father is just a bully at home. His temper only flares up at us mother and daughter. I've gotten used to it over the years."
Eldest Master Zhan was simple-minded and stubborn. Although he looked fierce, he was actually easy to talk to. He would rather suffer a loss himself than conflict with outsiders.
After suffering losses many times, and being lectured by Madam Li, Eldest Master Zhan would get angry and shout a few times because of his pride, but he had never resorted to violence. This was the first time.
"Your Second Uncle is always good with words, and your father trusts him. If I weren't here, our eldest branch would have been completely exploited by your Second Uncle." Madam Li looked out the window, her eyes filled with resentment. She only hated that her husband was brainless. Even though Madam Li was perceptive, she had nowhere to voice her grievances.
"Mother, I'll get you a cloth to ice your face." Zhan Feiyu didn't want to continue this topic and turned to walk out of the bedroom. At this moment, she understood her mother's inner pain better than anyone.
If it were just Second Uncle's schemes, she and her mother wouldn't be afraid. But this subtle manipulation was like a dagger from her father, piercing them. That sense of frustration, suffocation, and pain was the most tormenting.
Young Madam Yao and Madam Ma had just poured the cold well water they had brought into the wooden basin when they saw Zhan Feiyu walking out of the bedroom with her short legs.
Madam Ma craned her neck to look inside, then wrung out the cloth and handed it over, "Xiao Yu, take this to your mother to apply to her face."
"Thank you, Third Aunt." Zhan Feiyu took the cloth and returned to the room, closing the door behind her, blocking the probing gazes of Young Madam Yao and Madam Ma.
Without any ointment, relying only on cold compresses with well water, Madam Li's face was already red and swollen, with clear finger marks. The corners of her mouth were cracked, with residual dried blood.
Zhan Feiyu's nose felt sore. "Mother."
"It's Mother's fault for being useless." Madam Li hugged Zhan Feiyu, closed her eyes, and the tears she had been holding back finally fell silently.
Madam Li buried her face in her daughter's small shoulder, her tears rolling down and soaking Zhan Feiyu's clothes.
"Mother, I can read and write even if I don't go to the private school." Zhan Feiyu hugged Madam Li back forcefully with her short, thick arms. Her previous firm belief in going to the private school collapsed.
All the family's money was in Grandma's hands, and Father was not resourceful. Mother couldn't possibly divorce Father for her sake. Even if they divorced, she would still have to stay in the Zhan family and wouldn't be able to go to the private school.
A penny could stump a hero! Zhan Feiyu felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow.