Mother Qi hurried back to Huangtian Village, her steps rapid as she fixated on complaining to her husband about the unfilial nature of their son, daughter-in-law, and daughter.
But when she arrived home, she saw her youngest son moving something and couldn’t help but ask, "Jianguo, why are you home? Don’t you have classes today?"
As soon as Qi Jianguo saw her, he put down what he was holding. Mother Qi recognized it, wasn’t that the quilt she usually used?
She looked up at the sky; the weather wasn’t looking good today. It was not the right time to air out a quilt.
"Why are you taking out the quilt? There’s no sunshine, and it’s still March, when there’s plenty of rain. Don’t air it, take it back inside. Where’s your father?" Mother Qi was just about to step into the courtyard when a loud shout stopped her.
"Stand right there!" Father Qi shouted at her from the door.
Mother Qi jumped in fright and shouted back, "Why are you shouting so loudly? Are you trying to scare me to death?"
"You’re not allowed inside the Qi family’s door," Father Qi walked over and said, "From today on, you can go live in the old house by yourself."
"What?" Mother Qi was taken aback.
"Mom, dad’s saying you should move to the old house, we’ve all cleaned it up for you!" Qi Jianguo added from the side.
Move to the old house, by herself?
As it hit her, Mother Qi shouted, "Why should I move to the old house? You crazy old man, what kind of madness has taken over you?"
The old house was near the mountainside, left uninhabited for over a decade with its derelict structure and leaky tile roof. Why on earth was this old man telling her to live there?
Was he mad, or had a demon possessed him?
"I’m not crazy. You’re not one of the Qi family anymore, you have no right to stay here. Get out, go live in the old house, and don’t you dare set foot in here again," Father Qi said coldly.
"You’ve lost your mind, why should I? This is my home!" Mother Qi said, trying to push past him.
Father Qi quickly picked up a carrying pole and blocked her way, "Take one more step, and I’ll break your legs!"
Mother Qi recoiled in fear; the look in the old man’s eyes was no joke. In his youth, he had quite a temper!
"Old man, what’s gotten into you? Has something taken over you? It’s almost Qingming Festival!" Mother Qi was genuinely afraid.
Father Qi spat out and said, "You still have the nerve to ask after all you’ve done. Even Taiguo has called to tell me about it. Zhang Fengzhen, I can’t believe how low you’ve stooped, to resort to such despicable tactics. How shameless can you be?"
Mother Qi was stunned.
"Now, look what you’ve done. The daughter-in-law wants a divorce, are you satisfied? You’ve not only caused the death of your first grandson but you’ve also torn your son’s family apart. You malicious woman, what face do you have to come back to the Qi family?" Father Qi pointed at her, yelling, "Get moving to the old house, or go live with your eldest sister. When the daughter-in-law has calmed down and allows you back, only then can you return!"
"She wouldn’t dare, you wouldn’t dare. Qi Shuhua, you wouldn’t dare drive me away! I also have a share in this home, on what grounds!" Mother Qi trembled with anger.
On what grounds? She couldn’t return home unless her daughter-in-law agreed? On what basis!
"Just because I’m the head of this family," Father Qi said coldly.
"You’re mad! You crazy old man, you’ve lost your mind!" Mother Qi pointed at him and cursed, "You lot, taking the side of an outsider, you’ve all gone mad! I refuse to leave, I simply won’t."
Father Qi swung the pole, landing it just in front of Mother Qi’s feet, and glared at her, "I dare you to try!"
"Dad!" Qi Jianguo took a step forward.
Mother Qi turned pale with fright, and coming back to her senses, she sat down on the ground and burst into tears, "Go on then, beat me to death! I don’t want to live anymore!"