I Crossed Over with My Enemy, Only to Find Him Running the Empire - Chapter 50

Chapter 50: Complaints

Wu Duofu was truly enraged, and he showed no mercy in his blows.

Zhang Jinhua was also at his side, cursing and pinching simultaneously.

Under the repeated assault, Wu Tiegen wailed for his parents, rolling and dodging on the ground.

At this moment, watching the chaotic scene, Mrs. Wei (the eldest daughter-in-law) had nothing on her mind but the stolen money. She couldn’t help but interject: “Father, Mother, was the silver recovered?”

These words were like pouring a ladle of oil onto a roaring fire!

Wu Duofu whipped his head around, staring at her with bloodshot eyes: “Money? You still want money? It was gambled away long ago! This beast was left with nothing but his undergarments! And you’re still worrying about money?”

His fury intensified, and the plank in his hand swung even harder, almost hitting with lethal intent.

Zhang Jinhua also pinched with greater force.

Wu Tiegen felt that he might actually be beaten to death here today.

He completely lost his reason and began to shriek indiscriminately, lashing out like a mad dog:

“Ah! Stop hitting me! Father! Mother! It hurts so much! Why! Why are you only hitting me!” He suddenly pointed at his sister-in-law, Mrs. Wei, “It’s all her! She harmed me! If she hadn’t been grumbling all day about the family’s tight money and how expensive Canghai’s schooling is, would I have come up with this plan? Ah!”

He then turned his gaze toward his own wife, Mrs. Liu, crying out: “Mother of my children! You’re just going to watch? Quickly, beg Father and Mother! I’m going to be beaten to death! Your children won’t have a father!”

Clutching her child, Mrs. Liu was so terrified she could only cry and tremble; she didn’t dare step forward.

Wu Tiegen then looked at the silent second brother and his wife: “Second Brother! Second Sister-in-law! Say something! You had a part in wasting money on medicine before! Why only hit me!”

Finally, his gaze swept to Wu Ya, who was standing not far away watching everything with a calm face. He screamed at the top of his lungs: “Tie Niu! Fourth Brother! You’re the smartest! Help your Third Brother plead for mercy! Have you forgotten that when you were a fool, I, your Third Brother, even stuffed cornbread for you!

Yes, I stole money, but what about you? Not long ago when you were foolish, didn’t you also spend thirty tales of the family’s silver to buy that ‘Leg-Stretching Eyes-Staring’ pill? Was that not money? Ah!”

He roared at everyone like a madman: “Who in this family hasn’t used money? How much did the eldest nephew spend on schooling? How much did the Second Brother and Fourth Brother spend on doctors? Why is it that when it comes to me, I have to be beaten to death? Which of you is cleaner than the other? Why am I the only sinner! I refuse to accept this! I won’t accept it!”

These words of unreasonable entanglement completely ignited everyone’s fury.

“You beast! Still dare to talk such nonsense!” Wu Duofu trembled with rage, the plank falling like raindrops.

“I’ll tear your mouth apart!” Zhang Jinhua shrieked in a curse, her strikes getting even meaner.

Even the eldest brother, Wu Tiezhu, who had just been watching, was incensed after being dragged into it through his wife and son. His temper flared, and he rolled up his sleeves, wanting to step forward and help pummel this scoundrel of a brother: “Father! Let me do it! I think his skin is itching for a real thrashing!”

In the small Wu family courtyard, the sound of angry curses, wailing, the dull thud of the plank hitting flesh, and the startled crying of children mixed into a chaotic mess.

The neighbors on both sides had surely pricked up their ears.

Only Wu Ya remained standing in his original spot.

He looked at his maddened third brother on the ground; there was no anger in his eyes, only a deep profoundness.

The slight curl of his lips, however, betrayed a hint of ridicule.

…

After an unknown amount of time, Wu Tiegen simply fainted from the beating, lying motionless on the ground like a pile of mud. There wasn’t a single patch of good skin on his back or buttocks, which were bloody and caked with dirt.

Wu Duofu panted heavily, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead. He could no longer hold the plank; it fell to the ground with a “clatter.”

Looking at his unrecognizable third son on the ground, his chest heaved violently, and that murderous rage finally dissipated. He stomped his foot hard and shouted hoarsely at the stunned Wu Tiezhu: “What are you staring at! Drag this embarrassing thing back to his room! Just looking at him makes me angry!”

Wu Tiezhu snapped out of it and, with the help of two neighbors who had come over upon hearing the noise, hurriedly lifted Wu Tiegen and carried him toward the third branch’s room.

Mrs. Liu followed behind, clutching her child, her eyes swollen like peaches, stumbling along without even daring to breathe loudly.

Zhang Jinhua had long since lost her strength. The hitting and cursing just now had exhausted her spirit.

She stood dazed in the middle of the yard, looking at the smear of blood on the ground and then at her third son being carried away. Her eyes were glazed, and her lips trembled, but she couldn’t say a single word.

She felt as if a large piece of her heart had been hollowed out, with cold wind whistling through the void.

Her body swayed twice, almost toppling over.

Wu Ya, who was closest to her, was quick to act and stepped forward to support her: “Mother, are you alright?”

Zhang Jinhua steadied herself with her fourth son’s help and slowly shook her head. She pushed him away without saying a word, hunched her back, and shuffled step by step toward her own room.

That silhouette looked as if its backbone had been sucked out instantly; she seemed to have aged more than ten years.

She returned to her room and collapsed directly onto the kàng bed.

When dinner was ready, she wouldn’t get up regardless of who called. She said her chest felt stifled and she couldn’t swallow a single bite.

In the eldest branch’s room, Mrs. Wei slammed the brought-in rice bowl onto the table with a “bang,” causing quite a bit of thin porridge to splash out.

Her chest rose and fell, her face full of uncontrollable indignation.

“Did you see that! Did you see that!” She plopped down on the edge of the kàng and grabbed her husband Wu Tiezhu’s sleeve to complain, “What kind of mess is this! Such a world-shaking fuss, Mother is bedridden and won’t eat isn’t it the good son she spoiled herself!”

Wu Tiezhu was also annoyed and shoved her hand away crossly: “Say less! Father is in the heat of his anger, and Mother is suffering, and here you are adding to the mess!”

“I’m adding to the mess?”

Mrs. Wei’s voice suddenly spiked as she pointed outside, “How am I adding to the mess? Was I wrong? Eh? Count it on your fingers! The second branch spent money to have a son, and the fourth branch for his fool’s disease thirty taels of silver! Just thrown into the water like that! And then there’s the third branch, that bottomless pit never mind the petty thievery, he actually dared to steal from Mother! Which one of them is easy to deal with?”

The more she spoke, the angrier she got, her spit nearly flying into Wu Tiezhu’s face: “So only our eldest branch are the fools, right? Canghai studies so hard, even the teacher praises him as a good prospect. He’s about to take the scholar exams. He came back recently and told me quietly that he wanted to go on a study tour with his classmates to broaden his horizons—that’s a legitimate expense!”

“But what about our mother? She guards that money box like a hawk, saying ‘no money’ at every turn! No money? No money to let the fourth branch waste thirty taels? No money but she hides it away only for the third branch to steal and gamble it?”

She suddenly lowered her voice, her tone carrying a curse: “If you ask me, it’s because Father and Mother didn’t accumulate virtue! That’s why they birthed such a bunch of debt-collecting disasters for their sons! Dragging our Canghai down with them!”

“Bullshit!” Seeing her talk getting more and more out of line even using words like ‘not accumulating virtue’ Wu Tiezhu’s face changed in fear.

He suddenly stood up and roared, “What nonsense are you talking about! If Father hears you, you want to taste the family discipline too, is that it!”

He yanked Mrs. Wei entered the inner room, closed the door, and pointed at her nose as a warning: “I’m telling you, Wei Chunzhu, put away those confused thoughts! Canghai mentioned the study tour, but he later said himself that it wasn’t absolutely necessary! Don’t you see the state of the family right now? Can we afford any more trouble?”

Mrs. Wei was unconvinced and was about to argue further.