Flip the table and divide the family property! Take his wife and daughter into the mountains and eat

The Zhao family started making a ruckus early that morning.

Before dawn, two plumes of smoke rose from the courtyard: one was steam rising from the large pot in the kitchen, and the other was thick smoke from several old smokers squatting against the wall.

The newly pasted red paper on the lintel smelled of pungent paste; it was crookedly pasted on, and its edges rustled and shook when the wind blew.

Two broken tables were put together in the middle of the yard, with broken bricks underneath.

Several greasy decks of playing cards were lying on the table, and cigarette butts, sunflower seed shells, and peanut shells were scattered everywhere.

Zhao Laizi has clearly gone all out today.

He washed his hair and applied half a jar of hair oil. His few sparse, yellowish hairs were all stuck to his scalp, so oily that you could see your reflection in them.

He was wearing a dark blue Zhongshan suit that he had borrowed from somewhere. The sleeves were half a head too short, and the buttons were fastened tightly to his neck, making him look like a fat intestine that had just been filled with water.

A crumpled red flower was pinned to his chest, which looked rather comical next to his sallow, thin old face.

But Zhao Laizi was very pleased with himself.

He was standing on a wooden stump, holding a small wooden comb in his hand, shaving his scalp in the reflection of the windowpane.

He would shave a couple of times, then grin and examine himself closely, as if he couldn't get enough of looking at his groom-like demeanor.

"Tsk tsk."

A skinny man next to him, as thin as a stick, was smoking and squinting as he shuffled the cards.

This man was Wang Magan from the village; you could tell from his triangular eyes that he had never done anything serious.

He exhaled a puff of smoke and winked at Zhao Laizi:

"Lai Zi, you're something else. A couple of years ago we thought you'd be a bachelor for life, but who would have thought you'd actually find a wife?"

A short, fat man next to him slammed down his cards and chuckled.

"That's no ordinary daughter-in-law. I heard she's almost a college student."

Wang Magan's eyes brightened even more, and his voice became sticky and husky:

"Let's put aside college students and non-college students for now. I heard the other day that this young lady cried her heart out when she first heard she was going to marry you, and almost hanged herself. How come she suddenly changed her mind after only a few days?"

He slammed the cards on the table, a lewd grin spreading across his face.

"Brother Lai, tell me honestly, did you use some underhanded methods to tame this little phoenix?"

The people around the table burst into laughter.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Laizi's grin widened even further, revealing a mouthful of smoky, yellowed teeth:

"Bullshit. What does 'taming' mean? That's something they figured out for themselves."

He tucked the comb into his robes, puffed out the red flower on his chest, and became more and more animated as he spoke:

"She was ignorant and arrogant before, thinking that just because she studied for a few days she was a phoenix soaring in the sky. Now she understands, she knows that following me means she'll have plenty to eat and a warm bed to sleep in, so how could she not agree?"

Zhao Laizi was so proud he was practically floating on air, patting his chest vigorously:

"To put it bluntly, she knows I, Zhao Laizi, am capable. If she's with me, she'll live a life of luxury; with someone else? Forget about starving!"

The short, fat man craned his neck forward, his eyes gleaming with a thieving light.

"Brother Lai, is that girl really that beautiful? I heard her face is as white as tofu, and the young men in the village get weak in the knees just from looking at her from a distance."

The dark-skinned, thin man also swallowed hard.

"She's a bit thin, but her figure is pretty good. The more educated she is, the more impressive she is when she's dressed up."

Wang Magan smacked his lips, glanced towards the main room, and his eyes narrowed.

"Brother Lai, we've never seen what a college graduate's wife looks like before. Shall we broaden our horizons today? Shall we go see your wife?"

Zhao Laizi wasn't angry at all; on the contrary, he felt incredibly lightheaded. He waved his hand dismissively, exuding an air of arrogance:

"Look! Anyone can come and watch today! But once we're in the bridal chamber tonight, you can do whatever you want, I'll make you happy!"

An even louder burst of laughter erupted in the courtyard.

"Brother Lai is generous!"

"We're really looking forward to seeing what the college students' wedding night will smell like!"

The group of people became increasingly vulgar, their words mingling with the smells of smoke and alcohol, making the entire courtyard stink.

The curtain was lifted, and Li Cuihua walked out with a big smile on her face.

She had put in the effort to groom herself today; her hair was slicked back and shiny, and she wore a pair of old brass earrings.

Wearing a faded purple coat and a brand-new floral vest, she looked like a hen that had just been pulled out of its coop, her chest puffed out high.

"Oh, Lai Zi, look at yourself! Dressed up today, you really look like a city official!"

Zhao Laizi straightened his back even more:

"Auntie, please don't embarrass me. I just tidied up a bit."

Li Cuihua slapped her thigh, laughing so hard her face was covered in wrinkles:

"This is considered casual? This is already extremely respectable! My Xiaoyu is incredibly lucky to be with you!"

A rustling sound came from inside the house, and Zhao Shanlin was half-helped and half-supported out.

He changed into a new gray-blue cotton-padded coat. Although he still looked like a ghost with half of his body paralyzed, his eyes gleamed with a sinister light.

He leaned against the doorframe and gave a sinister smile:

"Of course. Once Mom speaks, does she dare disobey? The Zhao family raised her all these years, not so she could eat and drink for free."

"After raising them for so many years, I should at least recoup my investment."

Upon hearing this, the people at the table were taken aback for a moment, then they all burst into laughter, a loud and filthy laugh.

Li Cuihua didn't find it offensive; instead, she looked smug and continued, "Third brother's words may be a bit rough, but the reasoning is sound."

"A girl is raised to be someone who can go out and take care of things, isn't she?"

"My Xiaoyu is lucky to have met a man like Lai Zi; that's her good fortune!"

Zhao Shanlin sat by the door, staring menacingly at the small dowry Zhao Laizi had brought. A smirk played on his lips, and his words were laced with sarcasm: "That's right, Brother Laizi is family. Unlike that ingrate Zhao, who thinks he can fly away once he's got wings. Not only does he not contribute a single penny to the family, but he also tries to bite his own family to death."

He spat out a mouthful of phlegm, his eyes filled with resentment: "Our Zhao family raised him all these years, and it's not even as good as raising a dog! Luckily, we still have Xiaoyu who can find a decent son-in-law, otherwise that jinx would have ruined our lives completely."

Li Cuihua's smile vanished instantly, and she spat, "Third brother! Why bring up that jinx on such a joyous day?"

"It's disgusting for no reason!"

Seeing this, Zhao Laizi quickly put on the face of a good son-in-law and moved closer: "Auntie, don't be angry."

"Isn't today a joyous occasion? Let's not talk about that unlucky thing."

He touched the red flower on his chest and grinned, "Once I marry Xiaoyu, our life will truly begin."

"From now on, I am a member of the Zhao family."

"If anyone dares to cause you any trouble again, I'll be the first to object!"

"If that bastard Zhao Shanhe ever dares to come back, I'll teach him a lesson for you!"

Upon hearing this, Li Cuihua's gloomy expression immediately vanished, and she grinned, revealing her teeth: "I knew it! Lai Zi, you're a man who can hold his head high!"

"My family will be counting on you from now on!"

Zhao Shanlin chimed in, "I love hearing what Brother Lai said."

"From now on, my Zhao family will still have to rely on Brother Lai to uphold our reputation."

The group of people chatted away, one sentence after another, and the conversation became more and more lively.

The smell of smoke, alcohol, saliva, and laughter mingled together, making the whole courtyard smell stale.

The empty wine bottles in the corner of the courtyard rolled in the wind, crashed together with a bang, and were immediately drowned out by even louder laughter.

There was not a sound behind the closed door of the main room.