Chen Hai Mei could hardly believe her ears. How had the formerly timid and fearful person suddenly become so sharp-tongued and audacious?
"Who are you? You're not Zhao Jia Qi!"
"If I were a ghost, I'd drag you to the eighteen levels of hell first! I'd have the little demons flay your skin, tear out your tongue, dismember your sinews, shatter your bones, and carve you into a thousand pieces, then boil you in oil. Even that wouldn't be enough to quench my hatred!"
She gritted her teeth and said this fiercely, feeling much better immediately.
"Bastard, how dare you speak to your mother like that?" Zhao Da Gou couldn't stand it and immediately spoke up to defend Chen Hai Mei.
Zhao Jia Qi followed his gaze. She wasn't the least bit intimidated by Zhao Da Gou's feigned ferocity.
"My mother is already dead."
Zhao Da Gou frowned, a sense of unease creeping into his heart. He couldn't pinpoint what was wrong with Zhao Jia Qi. She was still the same person, yet her temper had grown by more than a little.
"You've only been married a few days, and you dare to forget your ancestors? If you treat your mother like this, aren't you afraid of being wronged by your in-laws, and who will stand up for you?"
"Don't talk such nonsense. Even if my husband divorces me, I will never set foot in your home again. Let me tell you, in my heart, I no longer have a maternal family. You are nothing to me!"
Tonight, she had left no good impression on her maternal family and couldn't feign kindness.
They had hurt the original owner too deeply. If she didn't vent this resentment, she would never find peace in this lifetime.
Hearing these vulgar words, Chen Hai Mei was so angry she raised her hand to strike Zhao Jia Qi, but Zhao Jia Qi intercepted her hand. "You still want to hit me? Do you really think I'm easy to bully? Let me tell you, from today onwards, stay far away from me, or I'll make sure you have a bitter end!"
"You've gone too far! If I don't teach you a lesson today, I'll take your surname!"
No one in her home had ever spoken to her like this before.
Zhao Jia Qi was the first, and the only one. In a fit of rage, she slapped towards Zhao Jia Qi.
With a loud *slap*, the ringing blow was heard clearly by the mother and son standing outside the house.
Chen Hai Mei was stunned, covering her face and looking at Zhao Jia Qi in disbelief.
It was clearly meant to hit Zhao Jia Qi, so why had she herself received a slap? Her left cheek burned fiercely, confirming the undeniable fact that she had been hit.
"Don't provoke me, or I'll make you crawl back."
This was not a threat; she was confident her husband could cripple them. In ancient times, there was no fear of any so-called yamen.
The so-called yamen, where the poor had no recourse!
And they knew Xie Kun, someone with an unusual connection to the county magistrate. What did she have to fear?
Fan Ze Hao and Zhang Cui Hua also walked in. They looked at the visitors with ill intentions. The mother-in-law frowned. "In-laws, if you've come to visit Qi Qi, you are welcome. But if you've come to bully my daughter-in-law, this old woman will not stand for it!"
Chen Hai Mei pointed furiously at Zhao Jia Qi and shouted at Zhang Cui Hua, "Are you blind? This daughter-in-law dares to hit her own mother! What kind of animal are you, the Fan family, daring to take her in? Someone who is not filial to her own parents, do you expect her to be filial to you? This slut, divorce her quickly, and I'll marry my younger daughter over, who will be a hundred times better than her!"
This outburst had revealed their true intentions for coming today!
Marry their younger daughter over?
Heh, how dark must one's heart be?
"What, seeing that my family is doing well, you want to marry your daughter here to enjoy the good life? So you can also take advantage of us?" Zhao Jia Qi said with a mocking smile, arms crossed.
Chen Hai Mei blushed, and Zhao Da Gou looked guilty, not daring to meet her mocking gaze.
"Living in this dilapidated house, how is it doing well? And taking advantage? If you weren't taking advantage of your maternal family, you'd be spitting blood right now." She pretended to be calm and spouted nonsense.
But Zhao Jia Qi didn't give her a chance to defend herself and completely exposed her. "Still not admitting it?"
"Who was it asking me about the offal at the pork stall a few days ago?"
Chen Hai Mei was shocked; she actually knew about this!
So she glanced away, and then heard Zhao Jia Qi's voice again. "And who was it today that saw me selling liangpi at the pier? If I'm not mistaken, it was your second son! Why are you still pretending!"
"So what? I am your mother, whether stepmother or biological mother, she was legitimately married by your father. It's not unreasonable to ask you for something. Doesn't every family do this!"
Chen Hai Mei had thrown all pretense of shame aside and spoke the truth. After all, she could see that this slut's hatred for her was irreconcilable.
Turning to Zhang Cui Hua, she apologized with regret, "In-laws, I won't hide it from you today. This slut's body is damaged, and she can no longer bear children in the future. I was wrong not to tell you this beforehand."
She then sincerely stated, "However, I can see that you are a good family. If you are left without heirs because of her, I will not be at peace. But we have already spent the betrothal money. Why not exchange my younger daughter for her? This way, I will feel better and my conscience will be clear!"
Unable to bear children?
This struck a nerve with Zhang Cui Hua. Looking at her daughter-in-law's pale face, she couldn't help but wonder if what the old woman from the Zhao family said was true!
Her daughter-in-law couldn't have children?
Zhao Jia Qi was stunned for a moment before remembering this issue.
That's right, she had been frozen, had cold uterus, and the doctor said it would be difficult for her to conceive, with less than a 40% chance of success, but it didn't say she was infertile.
How could she have forgotten about this!
She took a deep breath. She didn't explain, nor did she beg her mother-in-law and Fan Ze Hao not to divorce her. In that instant, she had already mentally accepted the possibility of infertility to deal with this thorny problem.
At the same time, she was waiting, waiting for the attitude of the mother and son.
The oppressive atmosphere in the room made her extremely uncomfortable, as if she were being stripped bare and roasted over a fire, awaiting the final verdict.
Fan Ze Hao walked forward with unwavering resolve, embraced Zhao Jia Qi, and said solemnly to everyone in the room, "I can be without children, but I cannot be without her. If anyone dares to speak ill of my wife again, I will beat them until their teeth fall out!"
Zhang Cui Hua knew her son's character well and also recalled her daughter-in-law's kindness in recent days. She no longer dwelled on the issue.
Turning back, she pointed to the door and angrily said, "Zhao Jia Qi is my Fan family's daughter-in-law. Whether she can give birth or not, we will not engage in the shameless act of wife-swapping. You may leave. If you dare to cause trouble again in the future, I will not be polite."
Having said this indignantly, she directly chased them out. Chen Hai Mei had no leverage left to oppress Zhao Jia Qi.
As they walked out of the courtyard, Chen Hai Mei shouted at Zhang Cui Hua, "Don't say I didn't warn you. Your family will become heirless. No matter how much money you earn, it will be for others. How will you face your husband then?"
As soon as the word "heirless" was uttered, Zhang Cui Hua, who had been holding back her anger for a long time, unleashed it. She grabbed the broom and chased after Chen Hai Mei, beating her.
At this moment, Fan Ze Hao helped his mother deal with Zhao Da Gou. Chen Hai Mei, with her cunning, ran all over the village, constantly mentioning that Zhao Jia Qi couldn't have children, causing chaos in the village.
In the dark of night, the village houses began to light up with kerosene lamps. Some people even threw on clothes and went far away to watch the commotion.
That night, the entire village learned that Fan Ze Hao had married a hen that couldn't lay eggs. The one most delighted by this was none other than Fan Zhang.