1940s: I supported my wife and sister-in-law by hunting.

Inside the mud-brick house of Old Zhang's family in Jiapigou.

Chen Guilan put her hands on her hips, opened her eyes, and stared at Zhang Baofu, who was squatting on the ground in the corner of the room.

"Are you mute? Say something!"

"Your two good brothers are clearly trying to drive us three to the brink of despair. They're going to take our house and leave us nowhere to live! What, are they the legitimate sons of the Zhang family, and you're just some bastard your mother had with her lover?!"

"While the old lady was alive, what did those two care about? I was the one who took care of her until she passed away! Your mother was biased too. Isn't this karma coming back to bite you? She's barely gone, and her two good sons are already causing trouble!"

What were you doing before? Huh? Why should we give up the house we've lived in for so many years to Zhang Dahe for his wedding? That's our home!

Chen Guilan became more and more emotional as she spoke, tears welling up in her eyes, but she managed not to let them fall.

"Zhang Baofu, you really are shameless! They're practically ripping you off, bullying you right at your doorstep, and you're just squatting here holding back, not uttering a single word! Are you just going to watch us three have nowhere to go, trying to force us to our deaths?!"

"I must have been blind and delusional to marry such a good-for-nothing as you! I haven't enjoyed a single day of happiness with you. It's bad enough that I suffer every day, but Sanya and Kexin have also suffered because of me. They're always hungry and have to put up with the wrath of your two brothers and sisters-in-law!"

She wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes and gritted her teeth as she uttered harsh words.

"Let me tell you, Zhang Baofu, if you don't stand up for us women today, if you don't give us your back, I'm not living with you anymore! I can't take this anymore. I'm taking Sanya and Kexin back to my parents' house right now. You figure it out yourself!"

Zhang Baofu was squatting on the ground, clutching his hair with both hands.

Upon hearing Chen Guilan say that she wanted to go back to her parents' home and not live with him anymore, he realized that no matter how much trouble they had caused before, Guilan had never said that she wouldn't live with him anymore.

He jumped up from the ground, his eyes bloodshot.

"What do you expect me to do? What can I possibly do?"

He kept repeating the same sentence over and over.

"I'm the eldest in the family. My father died early, and I started working alongside my mother from dawn till dusk when I was twelve, raising my two younger brothers, Baocai and Baogui. What could I, as the older brother, do?"

Chen Guilan had heard these words for almost seventeen years. From the first day she married into the Zhang family, whenever there was a conflict, Zhang Baofu would use these words as an excuse, repeating them dozens of times until her ears were practically calloused.

"What should we do? I'll tell you right now!"

"Zhang Baofu, you're giving me a choice today. Either you want your two bloodsucking brothers, or you want me and the two kids! You choose. What's wrong with being the eldest brother? The eldest brother is supposed to support them, even if his own wife and kids can't afford to eat, he still has to provide for them!"

Standing to one side, Zhang Kexin and Zhang Xiaxia huddled together, understanding that their mother was truly serious this time. Normally, no matter how fierce the argument at home, even if their mother was furious, she had never mentioned taking them back to their uncle's house. But today, their mother was completely heartbroken.

Zhang Xiaoxia is twelve years old this year, and she has had enough over the years.

My father always kept his head down in front of my grandmother, second uncle and aunt, and youngest uncle and aunt. He didn't dare to say a word of bravado or utter a fart. He was so timid.

Whenever there was something good to eat or use at home, Grandma would always give it to the two grandsons of her second and youngest uncles. The three sisters would not even get any of it, not even her brother.

If it weren't for their uncle, who would give them some food, they wouldn't have gone hungry three times a day, but nine times a day, and they wouldn't have survived.

With these thoughts in mind, Zhang Xiaxia made up her mind.

"Mom, when are you packing your luggage? I'll go pack right now."

Ten-year-old Zhang Kexin, without saying a word, turned around and ran to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), reached out and opened the cabinet door, took out a bundle from inside, and prepared to pack it.

In his mind, following his father meant he would always have to put up with his second and youngest uncles' tempers. His father was a very filial son, and he would listen to whatever his grandmother said.

If I went with him, not only would I go hungry, but I might also have to help his father take care of my second and youngest uncles.

But if I go with my mother to my uncle's house, at least I can get enough to eat.

Zhang Baofu panicked when he saw his wife, daughter, and son packing their bags and leaving without saying a word. He stood there helplessly, muttering to himself.

"Fine, you're all forcing me, you've all ganged up on me. I'm the eldest brother, what can I do?"

He scratched his head in anguish.

"Dahe wants to get married, but he can't find a wife without a house. Let them live in this house for now, and when Kexin grows up and gets married, we can take the house back. It's my fault for being incompetent and unable to protect you and your children."

As soon as he finished speaking, he buried his head in his hands in the corner of the wall, and clenched his other hand into a fist, repeatedly pounding it on his head.

Standing by the kang (a heated brick bed), Zhang Kexin looked at her father's pathetic appearance, her little mouth pursed, and she finally spoke her mind.

"Father, since you're so biased towards Brother Dahe and always think of him, why don't you just make him your own son? What's the point of having Mother, Third Sister, and me?"

These words struck a nerve with Zhang Baofu. He was already full of pent-up frustration, and his ten-year-old son's retort only made him angrier.

"You little brat! You're joining in the slander against your father too! Do you know how hard I've worked all these years, carrying this family on my shoulders? This is killing me! I'm caught in the middle, suffering from both sides!"

Zhang Kexin was indignant. He couldn't understand what kind of spell his father had been cast on by his second and youngest uncles. How could his father be so stubborn and unyielding? No matter what his mother said or how much she made a fuss, his father always thought about his second and youngest uncles and never considered his own family.

Thinking of the grievances and hardships his mother had suffered over the years, he felt sorry for her.

"Whose house are you carrying?"

"You're not carrying the burden of our family at all! Our family is all carried by Mother alone!"

Zhang Baofu was so embarrassed by his son's antics that his mouth was trembling. He couldn't save face, so he stood up from the ground, raised his hand, and slapped Zhang Kexin across the face.

When Chen Guilan heard her son speak up for her, she felt a surge of righteousness.

Hmph, she's finally getting through this tough time. No man to back her up, but her son is. She's taking a leap forward.

He blocked it directly with the broom handle used for sweeping the kang (a heated brick bed).

"What? My son said something wrong? You dare to hit him? If you're so capable, go outside and show off to your two younger brothers and their wives. All you do is try to fool us, you little brat! You're really something!"

"Now the three of us are about to be kicked out and have nowhere to live, why aren't you saying anything? Why don't you dare go out and argue with them? You're a grown adult, how can you be so spineless, talking nonsense? What are you thinking?!"

Well, he was so embarrassed that he couldn't utter a word for a long time. He was too ashamed to stand up, so he slumped back into the corner, holding his head in his hands and sighing repeatedly.

Here we go again. Zhang Baofu always acts like this when he can't solve a problem. Chen Guilan is too lazy to even look at him anymore.

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