Film and Television: The Villain's Life Begins with Joy of Life

Chapter 105 Flipping the Table

Huang Ling told the two children to continue eating, then put down her chopsticks, stood up, straightened her clothes, and walked towards the main house.

Zhou Cheng quickly gnawed the chicken leg down to the bone, then shoveled down a few mouthfuls of noodles before reassuring his sister to keep it for now, and followed her off.

When he reached the entrance of the main house, he did not go in immediately. Instead, he stood by the door frame, put his hands in his pockets, and stared coldly inside.

Inside the house, the entire Zhuang family was facing Huang Ling, adopting a posture of conducting a joint trial.

Granny Zhuang struck first, her eyes slanted sideways, her voice shrill and rough: "Huang Ling, I'm not trying to be mean, but there were only two chicken legs, and you hid them all for the two kids! There are Tu Nan, Zhen Dong, and Zhen Bei here too! You're being way too biased!"

Huang Ling clenched her fingers, took a deep breath, and tried to keep her voice steady: "Mom, it's not that I'm being biased. Jingcheng and Xiaoting helped me in the kitchen all afternoon and they're exhausted. They deserve it."

"Deserved?" Grandpa Zhuang slammed his chopsticks down on the table with a loud "thud."

He glanced at Huang Ling, his tone carrying a dismissive disdain, "What can two little brats possibly do? They're lucky if they don't cause trouble."

Zhuang Ganmei then chimed in, "Sister-in-law, I'm not trying to be mean, but today is Grandma's birthday banquet. Chicken legs are a good thing; we should offer them to our elders first, and only after the elders have been courteous should the younger generation receive them. How could we do this so quietly!"

Zhuang Ganmei's wife chimed in, echoing her husband's sentiments: "Sister-in-law, it's fine if you favor Jingcheng and Xiaoting and want to leave some good meat, but you have to say something. If it weren't for Zhendong thinking about his grandmother and wanting to get her a chicken leg, the whole family wouldn't have noticed the chicken leg was missing."

What she said is false.

Actually, Zhuang Zhendong wanted to eat chicken legs, but after searching the soup bowl for a long time without finding any, he sneakily went to the kitchen to check.

In her words, it became that her son was trying to give chicken legs to his grandmother as a token of his filial piety.

Huang Ling was silenced by the barrage of words from several people.

She knew these people weren't going to reason with her. They were just angry that her child shouldn't have eaten the chicken leg, and angry that she hadn't served them the best food on the table and let them share.

Zhuang Chaoying sat at the back of the square table the whole time, and didn't say a word in Huang Ling's defense from beginning to end.

His face was extremely grim, and his brows were tightly furrowed.

He only spoke after everyone else had finally stopped talking. He was speaking to Huang Ling.

"Ah Ling, you are the eldest daughter-in-law." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a heavy weight of self-righteousness. "You should be respectful to your elders and treat your subordinates equally. Today is Mom's birthday banquet, and you hid the chicken leg for Jingcheng and Xiaoting. That was really disgraceful of you."

Huang Ling stood there, completely numb.

She looked up and saw that everyone in the room was glaring at her, even her eldest son had his head down.

She pursed her lips tightly, unable to understand why, after working herself to the bone all afternoon, even buying the old hen herself, and her children only eating a chicken leg, she was treated as if she had committed an unforgivable crime.

At first, she tried to explain herself. But now, she didn't want to say anything at all.

Just as Huang Ling remained expressionless, letting the Zhuang family members nitpick and criticize her, Zhou Cheng kicked the door hard.

Clang!

A loud bang drew everyone's attention.

Zhou Cheng took his hands out of his pockets, walked past Huang Ling, and stood facing the group of people around the square table.

"I hid the chicken legs. I wanted to save some for Xiaoting, but my mom wouldn't let me, so when she brought out the chicken soup, I just hid them all."

.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Zhuang Chaoying was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously looked at Huang Ling: "Huang Ling, is it true?"

Huang Ling turned her head to look at Zhou Cheng. Her son's profile was still quite youthful, but his eyes and expression held a calmness beyond his years.

Her throat moved slightly, but she didn't speak.

She didn't know what to say.

Zhuang Chaoying understood his wife well; Huang Ling's silence spoke volumes.

"Jingcheng! You—!"

Looking at Zhou Cheng, who was protecting Huang Ling behind him, Zhuang Chaoying pointed at him with a hint of exasperation, but then didn't know what to say next.

Granny Zhuang snorted a sarcastic laugh: "Even if the child did it, Huang Ling can't escape responsibility! Jingcheng is so young and already so mischievous, always trying to hide things. Chaoying, you never did these sneaky things when you were little! I wonder who you took after!"

As she said this, she deliberately glanced at Huang Ling, her meaning all too clear.

Grandpa Zhuang, his face grim, slammed his hand on the table: "Chaoying, you're a teacher, so you need to educate your children even more. Don't let them go astray. Stealing things and even kicking down the door—they have no manners at all!"

Zhuang Chaoying's face grew increasingly grim. His wife and children being publicly berated was a disgrace to him as a husband and father.

But he didn't dare to get angry with his parents, so he could only stand up from his chair and stammer, "I'll be careful, I'll go back and..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Cheng suddenly called out "Dad," abruptly cutting him off.

After shouting this, Zhou Cheng's gaze passed over Zhuang Chaoying and landed on the two elders of the Zhuang family.

He asked slowly, "Rules? What rules? The rule that the whole family reaps the benefits while the eldest daughter-in-law works herself to the bone but can't even sit at the table?"

After these words were spoken, the room fell silent.

The Zhuang family elders, whose faces were already sullen, looked even more displeased.

Zhuang Chaoying opened her mouth but couldn't speak, and Zhuang Ganmei and his wife also felt a little embarrassed.

Zhuang Ganmei's wife broke the silence first, stubbornly saying, "There's just not enough room!"

"Not enough room?" Zhou Cheng sneered, pointing to the long table with a lamp against the wall. "Is it so hard to move this table together? Even if we don't move it, with the table here, can't three people sit in this room?"

Zhuang Ganmei's wife glanced at the long table, her lips moved, but she remained silent.

Zhuang Ganmei, however, slammed her chopsticks down in annoyance: "What kind of attitude is this? How dare you talk to your aunt like that?"

Huang Ling subconsciously pulled Zhou Cheng behind her, like a protective mother hen, and glared at Zhuang Ganmei with a frown.

But Zhou Cheng wasn't afraid at all. He broke free from his mother's hand and stood in front of Huang Ling again.

That's just how I talk!

He glanced at the group of dealers with disdain.

"You're making a big fuss over just two chicken legs. Look at this table of food, I picked half of it. And this longevity cake, I washed the rice, I spelled out the characters, and Xiaoting watched the fire."

His gaze swept over the faces of the Zhuang family members one by one. "Tell me, can I eat this chicken leg? Should I eat it?"

Zhuang Ganmei glared at her, showing no interest in reasoning: "Is this a question of whether or not it's possible or not? It's you who's disrespectful to your elders!"

Zhou Cheng rolled his eyes, and his words were unambiguous: "I'm being filial to your mother!"

Zhuang Ganmei was stunned for a moment, her mind seemingly blank, unsure of what to do.

The next second, he looked at Zhou Cheng's eyes and suddenly realized what was happening. His face turned red, and he was about to yell angrily when Zhuang Chaoying exploded before he could.

"Who taught you to talk like that!" Zhuang Chaoying was furious, her voice trembling. "Swearing in front of your elders! You're becoming more and more lawless!"

At this moment, Huang Ling didn't care whether Zhou Cheng was swearing or not. She couldn't hold back any longer and shouted at Zhuang Chaoying, "Zhuang Chaoying, why are you yelling at the child? What did he say wrong?"

Zhuang Chaoying never expected that Huang Ling would still be defending Zhou Cheng at this moment, and she became even more furious.

He felt a surge of anger rush to his head, realizing that it was because a doting mother spoils her son that she had fueled Zhou Cheng's arrogance.

Father Zhuang slammed his fist on the table again in anger, "They've rebelled! They've all rebelled!"

After saying that, he turned and yelled at Zhuang Chaoying, "Look at your wife and your son! Is this how you manage a household? You can't even discipline your wife and children, you shameful disgrace!"

Zhuang Chaoying's face turned almost as red as a pig's liver. He moved his lips, but dared not refute his father's words.

In a fit of impotent rage, he gasped for breath, his gaze sweeping across the room before finally settling on Huang Ling. He roared, "Huang Ling, I won't say anything about how you spoil the child at home, but this is outside! Don't you know what day it is! Hurry up and make Jing Cheng apologize and admit his mistake!"

Huang Ling's chest heaved violently as she looked at Zhuang Chaoying as if she were a stranger.

She and Zhuang Chaoying had naturally argued many times before, but never before had she felt that this man was so unable to distinguish right from wrong.

"You want me to admit my mistake?"

Zhou Cheng chuckled, a laugh that inexplicably sent chills down one's spine.

Then everyone saw him take three steps at a time and come to Zhuang Ganmei's side.

Zhuang Ganmei and his wife were sitting closest to the door.

Zhuang Ganmei was taken aback when Zhou Cheng suddenly came over. She thought, "Why did you have to run up to him and apologize?"

He was still wondering when he saw Zhou Cheng squeeze to the edge of the table, firmly grasp the edge of the square table with both hands, take a deep breath, and suddenly lift his two thin arms upwards.

The movement was so swift and seamless that he didn't even have time to react.

"Splash—!"

a mess.

The square table, along with all the cups, plates, and bowls on it, overturned with a crash. The two elderly people from the Zhuang family, who were facing the table, couldn't dodge in time and were instantly covered in food and soup.

"If you won't let me eat in peace, then none of you should eat either!"

Zhou Cheng threw down those words and turned to run away.

Zhuang Ganmei, who was beside him, hadn't come to her senses yet. She instinctively reached out to grab him, but Zhou Cheng was as agile as an eel. He ducked down, dodged Zhuang Ganmei's hand, and dashed out of the house.

"That little rascal needs his bones fixed!"

Zhuang Ganmei snapped out of her daze, kicked aside the stool blocking her way, and chased after him, cursing as she went.

"You little beast!"

Grandpa and Grandma Zhuang were trembling with anger, while Zhuang Chaoying stood there, looking shocked and furious, completely at a loss.

Zhuang Tunan and his two little rascals were terrified. They quickly moved aside and huddled against the wall like three frightened quails, watching the adults cursing and swearing as they picked up the bowls and chopsticks and salvaged the food, holding their breath and not daring to utter a sound.

Huang Ling chased after Zhuang Ganmei and ran out.

A short while later, Zhuang Ganmei returned with a dark face, cursing and swearing.

Old Man Zhuang immediately asked, "Where's the little brat?"

Zhuang Ganmei, seething with anger, her voice a mixture of frustration and embarrassment: "Didn't catch him! That little brat runs faster than a rabbit!"

"You're useless too!" Zhuang's father cursed.

After running out the door, Zhou Cheng ran along the alley in a flash.

Zhuang Ganmei chased after him, cursing as she went, but he didn't stop.

It's not that I'm afraid, but that it's unnecessary.

He has now recovered some of his attributes. Although his strength is still a bit lacking compared to an adult, when it comes to fighting, it's never just about numbers.

Based on his experience, let alone one Zhuang (a legendary banker) coming up to beat Mei (another legendary banker), even if the old Zhuang family gathered together from all three generations, they wouldn't be enough for him to defeat alone.

He considered that flipping the table had already frightened Huang Ling, and if he acted too much, even Huang Ling might become afraid of him, so he did nothing but run away.

Zhuang Ganmei chased for a while but couldn't catch up anymore. Seeing that the person had disappeared from sight, he could only curse and ask Huang Ling behind him to catch the person and bring him back, but Huang Ling ignored him completely.

Huang Ling chased after him out of the alley, calling out as she ran, "Jingcheng! Jingcheng!"

Seeing that only Huang Ling had chased after him, Zhou Cheng stopped running. He stopped and stood under an old locust tree at the alley entrance, quietly waiting for Huang Ling to catch up, panting heavily.

"You silly child!"

Huang Ling was both angry and anxious. She never expected her son to be so bold and have such a bad temper. He even dared to overturn the dinner table, causing chaos for the whole family.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she wanted nothing more than to grab Zhou Cheng and slap his bottom a few times.

But when she actually ran up to her son and saw him standing there quietly waiting for her, his hands in his pockets, looking completely unfazed, the anger in her chest not only didn't rise, but inexplicably subsided a bit.

She raised her hand to pinch his ear, but put her finger down halfway through.

"You little brat, where did you get the nerve to overturn Grandma's birthday banquet? Aren't you afraid of getting a beating?!"

She could only scold him verbally while racking her brains to figure out how to end things.

If she takes Zhou Cheng back now, even if she doesn't physically harm him, Zhuang Chaoying will definitely beat him up.

She knew Zhuang Chaoying must be furious right now, and she was afraid he would hit his son too hard and hurt him.

Zhou Cheng, however, remained unfazed and said calmly, "I'm not afraid at all. If we really fight, who knows who will get beaten up! If they dare to prevent my mother from eating at the table, no matter what kind of banquet it is, flipping their table would be the least of my worries."

Huang Ling looked at him helplessly, feeling both heartbroken and touched: "Stop bragging! Mom knows you want to avenge me, but what will you do when you get back?"

Zhou Cheng remained expressionless: "Then we won't go back."

About half an hour later, Huang Ling returned to the old farmhouse.

Zhou Cheng refused to go back to that door, and she couldn't leave the child alone on the street, so she thought of sending the child home first.

She went back to the Zhuang family home to inform them, but as soon as she entered, she found Zhuang Xiaoting crying at the entrance of the main house while holding a bowl.

With Zhou Cheng away, Granny Zhuang vented all her anger on her youngest granddaughter.

This completely enraged Huang Ling.

She could tolerate being wronged herself. But since her son had gone too far, she couldn't say anything more.

Xiaoting was well-behaved and sensible, and had done nothing wrong, yet she was insulted by the old woman. This was something that Huang Ling, who was used to being tolerant, could no longer bear.

"I will discipline my own daughter!"

Huang Ling retorted a couple of times to Granny Zhuang.

She had originally carried a large sum of money with her, intending to leave it to compensate her elders, but at this moment, all that thought was gone.

She told Xiaoting to put down the bowl, picked up the still sobbing Xiaoting with one hand, and called for her eldest son into the house.

Just as Zhuang Tunan was about to take a step, Zhuang Chaoying pulled her eldest son back.

The youngest son overturned the table, and his wife talked back to her in public, which made him furious.

His face turned ashen as he lashed out at Huang Ling, gripping Zhuang Tunan's wrist tightly and refusing to let her take the person away.

The Zhuang family elders also tried to stop Tu Nan.

Zhuang Tunan was too frightened to speak, his eyes red, and he dared not break free from his father's hand.

Huang Ling had had enough of the Zhuang family. She knew the Zhuang family treated Tu Nan well, and she also knew that with Zhuang Chaoying around, Tu Nan wouldn't get into any trouble. So when she saw her eldest son being detained, she gritted her teeth and stopped arguing. She hugged her daughter tightly and left without looking back.

Old Man Zhuang's voice still echoed behind them: "Eldest son! I think your wife is about to rebel! Hurry up and catch up with her, teach her a lesson. Can't the men of the Zhuang family control their wives?"

Zhuang Chaoying stood frozen in place, not giving chase.

He knew what "discipline" meant when Zhuang A-die spoke of.

He was indeed furious, but as a scholar, his self-restraint prevented him from doing something like chasing and beating his wife in public.

Seeing that he stood there motionless, Zhuang's father's anger suddenly turned on him, and he hurled insults at him, calling him a "good-for-nothing," "useless," and "a disgrace."

Huang Ling took her son and daughter on a bus, and the bus swayed and bumped all the way back to the familiar alley of the cotton mill.

Fortunately, the supply and marketing cooperative was still open. She bought a few pieces of maltose for her son and daughter, and picked out a few cheap trinkets before returning to the cotton mill's staff dormitory.

She went to the communal kitchen, lit a fire, rinsed the rice, and quickly cooked two dishes. The mother and her two children sat together at the low table in their own little house, quietly finishing their belated dinner.

Zhuang Chaoying and Zhuang Tunan did not return that night.

Huang Ling was worried about Tu Nan and couldn't sleep, tossing and turning. But there wasn't a single telephone in the entire alley, so she had no way to contact him.

Little did she know that Zhuang Chaoying would suffer terribly after she left.

First, the two elders of the Zhuang family held him down and scolded him for half an hour. After they had scolded him enough, they sent him to the nearest supply and marketing cooperative to repair the broken bowls and plates. They also sent him to run errands and spend money to buy vegetables and meat.

Zhuang Chaoying was tormented several times. By the time she finally managed to get Zhuang Ganmei's wife to cobble together two more dishes, along with the little bit of food she had salvaged from the ground and the still edible longevity cake, it was already very dark.

He wanted to take Zhuang Tunan back, but when he got to the bus stop, he found that the last bus had already stopped running.

Left with no other choice, he could only lead Zhuang Tunan and, following the dim yellow streetlights in the alley, stumble back to the old Zhuang family home.

Upon learning that Zhuang Chaoying was going to stay there with her son for the night, Zhuang Ganmei and his wife immediately became extremely displeased, their faces stretching as long as a door.

Zhuang Chaoying pretended not to see it and kept quiet.

At night, Zhuang Tunan slept with the Zhuang family elders.

Zhuang Chaoying made a makeshift bed on the hard cement floor in the main house, tossing and turning all night, barely getting any sleep.

The next morning, Zhuang Chaoying, with red eyes, was scolded by his father again. He didn't even dare to ask to stay for breakfast and dragged Zhuang Tunan out the door in a sorry state.

The father and son squeezed onto the first bus of the morning, which was full of workers rushing to work. Zhuang Chaoying yawned incessantly, and the anger in his eyes grew stronger.

Throughout the journey, Zhuang Chaoying felt suffocated by the anger that had been building up all night.

After getting off the bus and entering her own alley, before even reaching her doorstep, Zhuang Chaoying let go of Zhuang Tunan's hand.

Reaching the door, he shoved it open, his furious roar echoing through the cramped room: "Jingcheng! Zhuang Jingcheng! You little brat!"