It wasn’t until Zhiwen was beaten until he could no longer even cry out that Jiang Changtao, with bloodshot eyes, pointed at him and said, "Kneel here, you’re not allowed to eat lunch. When you have thought things through, that’s when you can eat."
Zhiwen knelt on the ground, sobbing and choking back tears.
Zhiwu was scared stiff, trembling and didn’t dare even fart, fearing that after their father had finished beating his older brother, he would come for him.
The several girls were also so frightened their faces turned white, just hearing the sounds from earlier they knew how fiercely their third uncle had beaten him.
Only Zhaodi felt a sense of satisfaction: serves him right!
But she also knew that their second uncle’s threats of pulling Zhiwen out of school to work at home were merely spoken words, and that he would actually cough up the money to ensure Zhiwen and Zhiwu could study for a couple more years and manage to get into junior high school. Yet, these two wastes still ended up scrounging for food in the fields after graduating from junior high.
If it hadn’t been for the dowry money from their four sisters, they would probably never be able to marry in their whole lives!
Thinking of this, a cold resentment again appeared in Zhaodi’s eyes. She would not let the tragedy of her previous life repeat in this one!
Jiang Changtao was set on teaching his eldest son a harsh lesson, not even the old lady’s pleading worked, so she could only secretly save some food for her eldest grandson.
Seeing Zhiwen kneeling on the ground, crying like a little kitten, she rushed over with a heart full of pity and helped him up.
"Oh, my poor grandson, get up quickly. Your dad is ruthless. Are you hungry? Grandma has brought you some food. Come on, eat up."
Zhiwen had knelt for too long; when Zhang Guihua helped him up, his calves and knees hurt as if they were being pricked with needles.
In front of his loving grandma, he felt so aggrieved that he slightly pursed his lips and felt like crying again.
"Grandma, my dad is going to beat me to death," Zhiwen whispered in complaint.
"What nonsense are you talking about, child? Your dad beats you for your own good. How come, after so many years of schooling, you’ve never passed a test? You’re not dumber than San Ya or Zhaodi, so how can you fail? Don’t you think you’re spending all your time playing instead of studying?" Zhang Guihua put the chopsticks in Zhiwen’s hand and gave his head a pat.
Zhiwen hung his head in shame; his grandma was right, he never wanted to listen in class, all he thought about was going out to play with his friends.
Seeing Zhiwen , Zhang Guihua knew she had hit the mark, and that her younger son had already reprimanded Zhiwen.
She didn’t say anything more, her heart still ached for her eldest grandson the most.
"All right, eat up. From now on, if you study hard, your dad won’t beat you anymore."
"I understand, Grandma."
Even though Zhiwen’s bottom hurt too much to sit, he still stubbornly held the bowl and finished his meal.
Meanwhile, as Zhiwen was enduring the pain to eat his meal, Jiang Mianmian and her family were dining at the state-run restaurant.
The couple was eager to return to the village to show off, finding it bothersome to cook at home; they simply preferred to eat out.
After their meal, the family of three couldn’t wait to head back to Stone Bridge Village.
Upon entering the village, the villagers greeted them with beaming smiles and crowded around, "Changhai, why have you come back again? Do you have some more good news to share with us?"
"Yes, you’re absolutely right. I do indeed have a big piece of good news to share with my parents," Jiang Changhai raised his eyebrows and showed off the newspaper in his hand.
"Oh wow, there really is good news? Well then, we can’t miss this. Let’s follow them and see," the villagers curiously followed the family of three towards the Jiang Family home.
At the Jiang Family, Zhang Guihua and Jiang Dashan were in the yard making things. They too were surprised to see Jiang Changhai return again.
From a distance, Zhang Guihua came out joyfully, "Changhai, are you on vacation?"