Northeast: My Absurd Woman

Chapter 196 The Young Man with Yellow Flowers

Seeing that Guan Yutian was trembling and unable to stand, Li Yue'e felt sorry for him and strode over to the opposite side of Guan Lin.

He pulled Guan Yutian behind him to protect him, not forcing him to try and grab the knife.

"Father, please don't kill my mother. I'll let Wang Shuqin sleep with you."

"Mother, my father wants to kill you. We're not going to live with him anymore. Let him go live with Wang Shuqin."

Guan Yutian grabbed Li Yue'e's arm and pressed his face against her shoulder.

She only showed her forehead and two eyes, cautiously looking at Guan Lin.

"Guan Lin, quick...come quick and come see, my...my pants are covered in blood."

Wang Shuqin was so frightened by the blood gushing from between her legs that she stammered and couldn't speak clearly.

Guan Lin threw down his knife, pushed Zhang Changyao aside, and ran over to hug Wang Shuqin.

Wang Shuqin's large size made it impossible for him to succeed despite several attempts.

"Second brother, I'll help you carry it."

Seeing that no one was around to help, Zhang Changyao had no choice but to go and help Guan Lin.

"Yutian, Yushan, you two hurry up and hitch up the cart and get the bedding."

Zhang Changyao lifted Wang Shuqin's legs and directed the two stunned children.

"Wu Ni, go outside and get some firewood. We'll cook and eat."

Zhang Shuhua used an ash rake to dig out a shovelful of ash from the underground stove pit in the outer room.

He covered the blood flowing from Wang Shuqin's body and stuffed the small bucket into Li Yue'e's arms.

He rolled up his sleeves and picked out a few items from the vegetables he had brought back from Wang Fugui's house.

Yang Wuni obediently brought firewood and lit the stove.

"Mother, will Wang Shuqin die? Will the baby in her belly survive?"

Standing at the door of the outer room, Li Yue'e felt a lingering fear and whispered to Zhang Shuhua, who was cooking.

"Whether she lives or dies is fine, it's good that she's dead, one less menace."

It's okay if the child doesn't die; I'll kill him as soon as he's born.

Such a child will be a burden when he grows up, a laughingstock for the rest of his life.

Zhang Shuhua didn't look up and said fiercely, continuing to stir-fry the vegetables in the pot.

"Changyao, drive the cart and take us to the health center."

Guan Lin and Zhang Changyao lifted Wang Shuqin and placed her on the mattress on the car bed.

Guan Lin got into the car, sat next to Wang Shuqin, and helped her cover herself with the blanket.

He looked up at Zhang Changyao and told him to go and drive the donkey cart.

"Second brother, go catch the carriage. Yutian, get on the carriage and hold your wife."

Second brother, you can't let this opportunity pass you by, or do something foolish when you're old.

You, the father-in-law, are sitting in the car holding your daughter-in-law.

If my uncle, who is also a driver, were to be seen driving the cart, we would both be considered old scoundrels.

Yutian is still your son, no matter what. You can't keep letting your daughter-in-law sleep on the kang (heated brick bed).

As human beings, we should act like human beings, not like four-legged beasts.

If you really want to bring things that were done in secret into the open, then in this village, you really have to be shameless.

Zhang Changyao grabbed Guan Yutian and forcefully pushed him onto the donkey cart.

Guan Lin was incredibly intelligent; how could he not understand the barbs in Zhang Changyao's words?

With a flushed face, he rubbed against the carriage shaft, grabbed the donkey's reins, and shook them.

Guan Yutian picked up Wang Shuqin, pulled her into his arms, and covered her with a blanket.

Only after watching the donkey cart leave the yard did Zhang Changyao return to the house.

Inside the house, on the kang (a heated brick bed), Li Yue'e sat at the dining table, tears streaming down her face as she looked at the food.

"Yue'e, try to think more positively. Your mother and Wu Ni will have a drink with you."

Women live their lives with their children, while men are just like that.

If we weren't counting on him to work and earn money to support the family, he would be of no use whatsoever.

Look at all these children here, which one of them can live without you?

Your older brother is such a scoundrel, and I, an old man, still have to keep an eye on him.

Our family only has one silly boy, Yutian; all the other children are bright and clever.

Once these little rascals all grow up, nobody in our village will be as awesome as you.

Zhang Shuhua pulled Yang Wuni to sit on the other side of the table.

Zhang Changyao poured three jars of wine for the three people, then sat at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed) holding a small dipper, not daring to interrupt.

"Second sister-in-law, I think after this incident, Wang Shuqin will never dare to cause you any more trouble."

Even if she dares to act arrogantly again, you still have to deal with her like this. I don't believe she won't learn her lesson.

"Whoever gets hit by the bench will feel the pain, right, Zhang Changyao?" Yang Wuni turned around and asked Zhang Changyao.

"Playing, playing, playing with lotus feet, lotus feet late, no combing hair, no washing face, just opening the door and running away."

Zhang Changyao fiddled with Xiao Douzi's toes, playing a game of lotus-shaped foot-pinching with him.

Hearing Yang Wuni use herself as an example, he looked up and rolled his eyes at her without responding.

"Come on, Yue'e, Wu Ni, let's not talk to men. Men are all bad."

"If they weren't the children's biological fathers, they wouldn't even leave them a barefoot spot under this roof." Zhang Shuhua picked up her wine glass and took a big gulp of wine.

"Mother, you're right. If your son weren't the children's biological father..."

"I won't let him stay in this room for even a minute." Li Yue'e then took a big gulp of her drink.

"Second sister-in-law, even the children's biological father can't be spoiled. We should wait until the children have grown up."

"Now that I have my own home, I've kicked my second brother out." Yang Wuni also took a sip.

"Men are nothing but animals, even less than animals. At least animals know when to eat and when to rest!"

"When people are desperate, they can kill livestock for meat, castrate them, or make them work."

"No, men won't let you castrate them, they won't let you geld them!"

"Why don't you secretly castrate him? Hahaha!"

After a few rounds of drinks, the three women were so drunk they were slumped over the table, cursing the men one after another.

Li Yue'e, who had been looking melancholy, became the one who was scolding the most.

Zhang Changyao had the children clean the dining table and settled Li Yue'e in.

He then took Zhang Shuhua and Xiao Douzi home before carrying Yang Wuni home on his back.

Before Yang Wuni had even calmed down, she used her teeth to bite Zhang Changyao's neck, leaving one red tooth mark after another.

Zhang Changyao gritted his teeth and endured the pain in his back, trying his best to prevent Yang Wuni from falling to the ground.

"Uncle, the acupuncture you gave me last time saved my life."

My back is killing me, could you give me a few more acupuncture needles?

After coaxing Yang Wuni to sleep, Zhang Changyao, supporting his back which ached so much he couldn't straighten up, went to find Yang Deshan.

"Changyao, my skills are only somewhat reliable when I'm in a rush."

It works sometimes when you're not in a hurry, and sometimes it doesn't.

"Don't let me stab you like Liao Zhi did, or I'll truly become a sinner for all time."

Yang Deshan was still fiddling with his tobacco leaves when he looked up at Zhang Changyao, but didn't move.

"Uncle, I'm in so much pain, aren't you worried?"

Look at my back, it'll snap in two in a second and hurt so badly.

Zhang Changyao was bent over, one hand supporting himself on the kang (a heated brick bed), the other hand holding his waist.

He crawled up to Yang Deshan and pretended to be a pitiful wretch.

"Uncle, don't give him the injection. Zhang Changyao is just tired. He'll be fine after a few days of rest," Liao Zhi said.

"Liao Zhi, didn't you sleep last night? Were you listening intently to me and Wu Ni talking?"

Zhang Changyao rolled over to the side, his face flushed as he looked at Liao Zhi.

"One, two, one? You and Wu Ni aren't sleeping, you're practicing marching in the house?"

Liao Zhi was completely confused by what Zhang Changyao said and asked Zhang Changyao for clarification.

Liao Zhi, a young man who has never had a child with a woman.

They had no idea what "one, two, one" meant; they thought the two of them were chanting slogans instead of sleeping.

"Wu Ni is such a naughty child. She doesn't sleep at night and keeps you nagging her to recite 'one, two, one'."

"When she wakes up tomorrow, I'll scold her. Men work all day outside, why can't they get a proper night's sleep?"