A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1262 The reason why Su Daqiang didn't save Zhao Meilan has been found! (Please subscribe!)

Zhao's mother, her face filled with disbelief after being slapped across the face by Su Daqiang, pointed a trembling finger at Hua Twelve:
"Su Daqiang, you coward, how dare you hit me?"

Hua Shier's face was cold:
"So what if I hit you? You came to my house to cause trouble and even dared to insult my daughter. You asked for it if I hit you, so get out of here!"

Upon seeing Su Daqiang's former mother-in-law, certain memories that Su Daqiang regretfully looked back upon resurfaced in Hua Shier's mind.

Su Daqiang's irritability, anger, hatred, and a hint of panic emanated along with the awakened memories, but were easily suppressed by Hua Shier's single thought.

The frustration stemmed from his former mother-in-law, while the anger and hatred were directed at Zhao Meilan.

In an instant, Hua Shier read those memories, and he understood why they contained so much negative emotion.

He also learned about an unsolved mystery in the original drama: Zhao Meilan suddenly fell ill and passed away. Why did Su Daqiang, as the husband of the head nurse, have no first aid knowledge and not call an ambulance immediately? Was he deliberately delaying the matter?

Now Hua Twelve is 100% certain that Su Daqiang deliberately delayed things in the original storyline.

He's seeking revenge!!!
When Zhao Meilan passed away, Su Daqiang shed tears not for his wife, but for the years of repressed life he had endured, and also for his own mother.

This story begins when Su Daqiang was young.

Su Daqiang's father died early, and he lived with his mother. Because he was old and ugly, he was over thirty years old and still hadn't found a wife.

Since city girls have high standards, Su Daqiang's mother asked someone to find a suitable girl in the countryside, and someone introduced Zhao Meilan to the Su family.

At the time, Zhao Meilan was a nurse at the town's health center. She was beautiful and capable, but she had a paralyzed father and a younger brother who was not very sensible, so she had a heavy burden.

Su's mother was quite satisfied with the marriage, so she asked someone to propose marriage to her.

Zhao Meilan's mother had her eye on Su Daqiang's urban household registration. In addition, the latter's salary was nothing in the city, but it was a big deal in the countryside.

Zhao's mother thought that after Zhao Meilan married into the family, the Su family could help supplement the family income. Most importantly, she wanted to use her daughter's marriage to transfer her son's household registration to the city, so that the Zhao family would become city dwellers in the future.

The only problem is that Zhao Meilan doesn't seem to be very satisfied with Su Daqiang.

But no one knows how the Zhao family discussed it, but Zhao Meilan still agreed to the marriage.

Originally, both parties agreed that they would just find an auspicious day to get things done, but the marriage became the fuse that caused Zhao Meilan and Su Daqiang's unhappy life.

Firstly, the issue arose with the bride price. Back then, the bride price was just a token gesture, giving the bride's family some rice, flour, cooking oil, and pork, or perhaps ten or twenty yuan, simply for the sake of celebration and good fortune.

However, Su's mother has suffered a lot of mistreatment in Su Daqiang's marriage over the years. The families of the women she was introduced to either disliked their family's poor financial situation or Su Daqiang's ugly appearance.

Instead of steaming buns to save face, Su's mother discussed with her future in-laws that the Su family would prepare a generous dowry to show outsiders, but it would only be for show. The dowry would be brought over when Zhao Meilan married into the family.

The advantage of this is that both families gain face. The Su family can show those who used to look down on Su Daqiang how much they care about their daughter-in-law, while the Zhao family receives a lot of dowry for their daughter's marriage, which is also a great honor.

Zhao's mother was happy to hear this; after all, everyone wants to save face. The two sides quickly reached an agreement, and the matter was settled.

But no one expected that after the Su family received the bride price from the Zhao family, it was like throwing meat buns to a dog, gone forever. When Zhao Meilan married into the family, the Zhao family only gave her a cotton quilt and two pillows as dowry. The cotton inside the quilt was old, and when you pulled it out, you could see that it was covered in dust.

The Zhao family broke their promise, and although Su's mother was furious, she had no choice but to accept it. She couldn't let such a joyous occasion turn into an unpleasant one.

But something else happened that very night. The wedding night, which is supposed to be one of the four great joys in life, turned into a nightmare when Su Daqiang discovered that Zhao Meilan had not bleed after their wedding.

If this were in later times, it wouldn't be considered anything special, because the social atmosphere is more open now, and such things are extremely rare; having them would be like winning the lottery.

But Su Daqiang got married in an era before the reform and opening up. Social customs were extremely conservative. Not to mention girls from the countryside, even city girls who were dating couldn't hold hands when they walked together, otherwise they would be pointed at and gossiped about. Without this, it was almost impossible.

In this day and age, if a new bride doesn't bleed upon entering the family, it's a huge deal for any family. It's a disgrace, something that will be talked about behind your back, something that will haunt the men for the rest of their lives.

Even if Su Daqiang is a coward, he should still ask about this. He can't just let it pass by without knowing the answer. If he did, it would seem like the husband doesn't value his wife, right?

Originally, when Su Daqiang asked about this matter, Zhao Meilan should have laid everything out on the table, just like Zheng Juan did to Zhou Bingkun in the original plot of "Human World." If they had made things clear and the couple hadn't kept secrets, they might have been able to live a good life together.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Meilan got angry at Su Daqiang's question and beat him up.

Su Daqiang then realized that he had married a tigress.

He knew it was shameful, so he kept it to himself without telling anyone. He felt extremely upset, like an old turtle that had been wronged and shrunk its head into its shell.

If no one knew, Su Daqiang would have tolerated it, thinking that as long as Zhao Meilan was devoted to him after marriage, that would be fine.

But just a few days after the wedding, rumors started circulating that Zhao Meilan, a country girl, was able to get a position as a nurse at the town clinic, and a permanent one at that, because she slept with someone to get the job.

Su Daqiang could no longer hold back. He had nowhere to confide his grievances, so he could only go home and complain to his mother, just like when he was a child.

Upon hearing this, Su's mother was so angry that she felt dizzy. She was already unhappy about the dowry issue, but after spending so much money, the daughter-in-law she married turned out to be a second-hand woman. Wasn't this just bullying her?

Moreover, instead of explaining the situation and asking her husband for forgiveness, the wife beat him up because of his questions. What kind of trash did she marry?

Su's mother was furious, so when Zhao Meilan returned home, she went to confront her daughter-in-law.

It was raining heavily that day, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had a big fight, which attracted many neighbors to watch and try to mediate.

Zhao Meilan, perhaps unable to save face, actually hit her mother-in-law, pushing her out of the house and causing her to fall into a puddle.

Zhao Meilan is definitely a ruthless person. When she saw her mother-in-law fall into a puddle and cry, she didn't even try to help her up. She just closed the door without caring about anything else, leaving her mother-in-law and the people trying to mediate outside.

It was freezing cold, and Su Daqiang's mother was still angry. She fell into the icy puddle and immediately fell ill. She died not long after.

Su Daqiang was a spineless mama's boy. After his mother was driven to death by his wife, he felt both hatred and fear, but he had no courage to resist. As a result, Zhao Meilan naturally took control of all the affairs and finances in the family.

If Hua Shier hadn't transmigrated, Su Daqiang would have been just like in the original story, held tightly in Zhao Meilan's hands, barely surviving until she suddenly fell ill while playing mahjong, finally freeing him to be himself.

This explains why, in the original storyline, when Zhao Meilan suddenly fell ill, Su Daqiang didn't call for an ambulance and deliberately delayed—because he was seeking revenge.

Zhao Meilan's mother knew all of the things mentioned earlier.

Given these circumstances, it's no wonder that Hua Shier, as a substitute with Su Daqiang's memories, would give Zhao's mother a friendly look.

Seeing Su Daqiang's tough attitude towards her, Zhao's mother was also somewhat intimidated. She glanced around and saw a large crowd of onlookers gathered outside the courtyard. Immediately, she began to wail and cry out in distress:

"Come quick! The son-in-law is beating his mother-in-law! May he be struck by lightning!"

Hua Shier swung his hand back and made another big slap, silencing the old woman abruptly.

Su Mingcheng got anxious:
"Dad, how could you hit Grandma? If you keep doing this, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Bang!
Hua Shier kicked Su Mingcheng more than three meters away, his back slamming against the wall before he stopped. "Su Mingcheng, you've really gotten bold, haven't you? Come on, let me see how you're going to treat me rudely!"

Su Mingcheng clutched his stomach, his face contorted in pain; it seemed he wouldn't be able to get up anytime soon.

Xu Tailang quickly advised, "Brother Su, calm down."

Hua Shier glanced at him, and Xu Tailang immediately cowered: "Well, Grandpa, I'll go check on Mingcheng."

Hearing the commotion outside the courtyard gate, Hua Twelve turned to the outside and said:

"Dear neighbors, please excuse my presumption. Some of you moved here later and don't know what happened, but our old neighbors in Tongdeli all know how my mother died. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Zhao Meilan killed my mother, would it?"

The neighbors were initially gossiping, saying that Su Daqiang had gone crazy and was outrageous for even hitting his mother-in-law.

But as soon as he started talking about what happened back then, many of the old neighbors remembered it and nodded in agreement.

Back then, Su's mother was in good health. If it weren't for that incident, she wouldn't have passed away so early. It wouldn't be unreasonable to say that she was killed by Zhao Meilan.

Hua Twelve continued:
"Back then, I, Su Daqiang, was a coward and didn't dare to say a word. Zhao Meilan bullied me for so many years. Every month, Zhao Meilan took all my salary. I, a grown man, didn't even have a single yuan in my pocket. I tolerated all of this!"

"But not long ago, my company gave me a 20 yuan bonus, which I didn't give to Zhao Meilan. I was thinking of saving it to buy cigarettes. But she went to my company to ask about it, and when she came back, she made me kneel down and slapped me across the face in front of my children!"

"That pull was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, making me completely realize the truth!"

"I just think, I'm a grown man, and I didn't dare to say a word even though my mother was murdered, and I didn't dare to fight back even though someone slapped me in the face. What a pathetic life I've lived!"

When Hua Shier spoke of these things, the heartbreaking scenes in Su Daqiang's memory came vividly to mind, and inexplicable emotions arose again. This time, he did not suppress them, and tears even streamed down his face. The resentment Su Daqiang had towards Zhao Meilan completely erupted at this moment.

"So I'm not going to put up with it anymore. I want to be a real man, and I want to live with dignity. So I divorced Zhao Meilan. Is that wrong?"

His words resonated with many, especially the long-time neighbors who had witnessed the Su family's life over the years. They all commented:
"That's right, Lao Su, you should have done this a long time ago!"

"Exactly, why are you treating that kind of woman like a treasure!"

Hua Twelve clasped his hands in a fist salute:
"Thank you all for your understanding, but the Zhao family still doesn't want to let me go. Look at Zhao Meilan's mother, seeing that I'm doing well now, she comes to my door to cause trouble and even insults my daughter. Tell me, shouldn't she be beaten?"

"It's time to hit!"

"Old Su is so arrogant, slap her again!"

Zhao's mother was initially full of resentment and wanted to gain the sympathy of her neighbors, but she didn't expect Su Daqiang to bring up old grievances that were so old that she could hardly remember them.

Now, after being exposed by Hua Shier, her eyes flickered, and she cried out:

"Don't listen to his nonsense, everyone. His mother's health isn't good, what does that have to do with Meilan? You don't know, that Su Daqiang is heartless and cruel. Divorcing her is one thing, but he also made my daughter leave with nothing and extorted 150,000 yuan from my son!"

"Su Daqiang, let everyone be the judge! My daughter may have many faults, but she gave birth to three children for you and served your Su family for so many years. Why should she leave with nothing? And you even want money from my son? You beast!"

The neighbors outside who supported Su Daqiang fell silent, thinking that if the story was true, Su Daqiang was ruthless enough.

Hua Shier pointed at Zhao's mother: "You're full of lies and talking nonsense!"

He smiled wryly at the neighbors watching the commotion outside the door:
"I'm not afraid to tell you this, but before I divorced Zhao Meilan, my family only had a little over a thousand yuan left in savings. All the money my parents left behind, and all my salary over the years, were lent to her younger brother by Zhao Meilan. Shouldn't I get this money back? I still have three children in school. Why shouldn't I take my money back!"

When he said that, the neighbors who were watching the commotion all gasped. This Zhao Meilan was really ruthless. She was in charge of the Su family and had emptied the family's coffers to support her younger brother.

Zhao's mother said urgently, "You're talking nonsense!"

Hua Shier sneered, "I have the accounts in my hands, all kept by your daughter herself. I'm not afraid of going to court!"

Zhao's mother argued illogically:
"Look at yourself! My beautiful daughter married you, you've already gotten a great deal. What's wrong with helping your family? Besides, your mother agreed when you came to propose!"

"But you killed my mother!"

Hua Twelve said coldly:

“Since I married Zhao Meilan, I have helped your family a lot. Your husband has been bedridden for many years, and Zhao Meilan sends part of my salary to your family every month. I haven’t even asked you for these things. I also paid for your son Zhao Dali’s household registration, and I even helped him find people to give gifts. I haven’t asked you for these things either. All I want is for the money your son borrowed over the years. He has repaid it. What’s wrong with that?”

Zhao's mother's eyes flickered: "You're talking nonsense, you're lying, you never sent any money to my family!"

Hua Shier was so angry he laughed:
"Given your family's situation, you're struggling to even eat. Your son is good-for-nothing and hasn't given you a single penny all these years, has he? Where has your husband's money for medical treatment and medicine come from? Did it fall from the sky?"

"You dare swear to God that it was all done with my Su family's money? If you dare swear to God that your Zhao family will be wiped out if you lie, I'll believe you. Do you dare?"

How could Zhao's mother dare to swear an oath? Seeing that she couldn't win the argument and that everyone around her was giving her disgusted looks, the old lady slapped her thigh:
"I can't live like this! Su Daqiang is heartless! He's a beast!"

Hua Twelve shouted, "Xiaotian, throw her out!"

A little puppy jumped out from behind Su Mingyu, barking as it rushed towards Zhao's mother.

No one would be afraid of such a tiny puppy, so Zhao's mother raised her leg to kick it. But the puppy nimbly dodged and bit Zhao's mother's calf, making the old lady scream. Then it took off running.

Xiaotian chased after them and managed to drive Zhao's mother out of the Su family home before stopping inside the gate and baring his teeth at the old lady outside.

Outside the gate, seeing that Xiaotian hadn't chased after her, Zhao's mother turned around and started yelling:

"Su Daqiang, you just wait! If you don't return that 150,000 yuan to my son, this isn't over!"

Actually, the money was pooled together by several families, but the old lady never mentioned it and insisted that it was her son's money.

Hua Shier didn't want to talk to her either. He nodded to the group of neighbors, then closed the door, and the whole world became quiet.

Su Mingyu leaned closer, looking puzzled: "Dad, did Grandma really die because of Mom?"

Su Mingcheng sat on the ground and shouted, "Impossible! How could such a good person like Mom kill Grandma!"

Hua Shier glared at Su Mingcheng, who shrank back in fear and dared not utter a sound.

He then said to Su Mingyu, "This is a long story, and I didn't want to tell you, but since we've brought it up, let's talk about it when your older brother comes back for summer vacation!"

When Zhao's mother returned to her son's house, Zhao Dali and his wife immediately asked:

"How is Mom? Did Su Daqiang give her the money?"

When Zhao's mother explained the situation, the couple were furious. All three of them felt that Su Daqiang had become a well-known writer and must have made a lot of money, so they couldn't let him get away with it so easily.

Thanks to 08a and Little Tiger of the Demon Realm for their donations, and thanks to the brothers who voted with monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Thank you very much.