Northeast: My Absurd Woman

Zhang Changyao tidied Liao Zhi up and sat down next to him to chat.

"Zhang Changyao, I know about your past relationship with Lin Qiu."

Lin Qiu told me that you and Wu Ni are both good people, otherwise she wouldn't have left me with you.

Don't worry, she won't abandon me. She just wants to go out and try her luck on her own.

Whether I succeed or fail, she will come back to pick me up.

Liao Zhi did not answer Zhang Changyao's question; it seemed he did not want to talk about his own affairs.

"Liao Zhi, you don't need to explain anything to me. As long as Lin Qiu hasn't come back, you are a member of our family."

I know you have to turn over and massage yourself every day, otherwise your body will rot.

You can't just lie in bed like this. Wu Ni is heavily pregnant and can't take care of you at home by herself.

I'm about to start getting ready for Qiu'er, and I don't have time to help at home.

I'll modify this bed for you tomorrow, so don't think I'm complaining.

Zhang Changyao manipulated Liao Zhi's legs and arms, massaging them for him.

"Zhang Changyao, you and Wu Ni can discuss it. Anything is fine as long as you don't gag me."

Liao Zhi chuckled, surprised that Zhang Changyao wouldn't mind.

After he became paralyzed, the only person he could talk to was Lin Qiu, who came home from get off work every day.

No one treated him as a living person anymore.

"Zhang Changyao, is that person dead?" This was the first time Liao Zhi had shown concern for someone other than himself.

"Yes! The man was talking nonsense with another woman, and in a fit of anger, he jumped into the river with his child in his arms."

When she was pulled out, the child in her arms was tied to her body.

Their hands were digging into the child's flesh; they couldn't be separated.

Zhang Changyao lowered his head, not wanting Liao Zhi to see his expression.

"Foolish woman, since you're not afraid of death, why don't you kill that scoundrel and give this world a clean environment?"

Women are so pitiful; if they are weak, they will be miserable, and if they are strong, they will be too tired.

Very few people can truly marry for love.

Most of them, soaked in the mundane realities of daily life, become withered and emaciated, like wood thrown into fire, eventually turning to ash.

Just like Lin Qiu marrying me, she suffered unspeakable bitterness, with no one to confide in.

I finally found someone willing to accept me and live with him, but my father sent him to jail.

If I hadn't met such good people as you two...

She was implicated and died because of me; she'll never have a chance to rise above her circumstances.

Tears welled up in Liao Zhi's eyes, but he forced a bitter smile.

"Liao Zhi, Lin Qiu said you became like this to save her."

She's always been thinking of repaying you, without any complaints. Don't talk about your relationship like that.

Zhang Changyao wiped away the tears from Liao Zhi's eyes and made up some rambling excuses to brush him off.

"Zhang Changyao, if I hadn't saved Lin Qiu, she would be living a better life than she is now."

At least I won't be dragged down by a guy who only has a mouth that can move.

Liao Zhi paused for a moment before continuing, "That winter, I went home for vacation and took a walk along the riverbank to clear my head."

Then I saw a girl wandering forlornly on the ice in the distance.

It was clear she was in a bad mood; she was looking down and stomping her feet hard.

I was worried she would crack the ice, so I went over to stop her, but it was too late.

Lin Qiu fell into the water through the broken ice hole.

Fearing she would be swept away from the ice hole by the river, I jumped in after her without thinking twice.

I used all my strength to push her onto the ice.

Because we were both wearing cotton-padded coats, they were very heavy.

I had to lean my body forcefully against the ice and use my head to hook out the ice so that I wouldn't fall.

Unwittingly, his cervical spine struck a sharp ice spike, and he eventually lost consciousness.

When I woke up, I was already lying in a hospital bed.

At first, Lin Qiuniang held onto Lin Qiu, trying to stop her from interfering with me.

Later, when they found out that my father was the director of the grain depot, they strongly urged him to marry Lin Qiu to me.

In order to prevent this absurd thing from continuing.

I bit my tongue and committed suicide, went on a hunger strike... to resist this absurd marriage, but to no avail.

In the end, my domineering father forcefully subdued me.

Lin Qiuniang also managed to become related to our family as she wished.

Lin Qiu has been very good to me, always fulfilling her duties as a wife.

I have no right to complain about my father; he raised me to be a top student at a prestigious university.

They also bought me a house near my workplace in the largest city in the country.

I am his pride and his hope for a secure old age.

My jump shattered his dream and dragged him from heaven to hell.

He hates me, and he hates Lin Qiu even more. If it weren't for Lin Qiu's momentary suicide attempt, how could our family be in this state now?

To others, it seemed that my father coveted Lin Qiu's body and wanted to possess her.

But reality is not like that; only I know that he hates Lin Qiu.

I wish I could tear her to pieces, rip her into strips and hang her on a tree for all to see.

He wanted to make Lin Qiusheng wish she were dead, and he wanted her to stay by his side as a useless person for the rest of her life.

He went to my workplace and arranged for me to take a leave of absence without pay. I know he still harbors a sliver of unrealistic hope.

The day my mother passed away, she struggled to come over and hugged me.

Even as he breathed his last, he didn't relax.

I feel ashamed before my parents; I can never repay their kindness in raising me.

After saying these words, Liao Zhi was already sobbing uncontrollably.

Any words were too weak to soothe Liao Zhi's heavy heart.

Zhang Changyao could only silently wipe away his tears with his sleeve.

Yang Wuni, who was listening in the outer room, was already crying her eyes out.

"Youngest son, you'd better go and see! Your eldest brother has tied your sister-in-law to a pole and is about to beat her."

"No matter how wrong it is, it's already like this. Guiye and Guibao are still young; they can't be without their mother!"

The door was pushed open with a "bang," and he ran in, panting heavily, while leaning against the wall.

"Dad, why are you bothering with her? My older brother can't bring himself to kill her."

"I doubt they could even brush the dust off the corn."

Yang Wuni wiped away her tears and leaned closer to say.

"Wu Ni, this time your older brother is serious. I watched as he tied people up."

Guan Shu's wife is dead, leaving behind Xiao Douzi, a pitiful child without a mother.

"What if something happens to your sister-in-law, leaving behind Guiye and Guibao, the two children? What will we do then?"

Zhang Kai pounded his fist on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), clearly showing how anxious he was.

"Dad, don't worry. Someone like my sister-in-law needs to suffer a bit."

If she hadn't been unable to control herself and chatted nonsense with Guan Shu, how could Sister Guimei and her child have taken their own lives?

Two lives were lost so suddenly. My older brother beat her up; it was a way of atoning for her sins.

Zhang Changyao didn't move and continued to massage Liao Zhi's legs, feeling that Liao Zhi should suffer a bit as a child.

"My dear son, are you heartless? Your sister-in-law used to treat you so well."

I'll save the best food for you, and I'll want to wear the new cloth you have.

Even if she made a huge mistake, she's still your sister-in-law.

It's still closer to you than that half-dead person lying on your kang (heated brick bed), right?

"You can be so good to this useless person, so why is your heart as hard as a rock when it comes to your sister-in-law?"