Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Bai Gets Beaten Up Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Bai Gets Beaten Up Meng Jingfen was momentarily stunned and retorted almost subconsciously, “What’s wrong with your house?
Don’t you cook when you’re at home?”
Meng Chuyue looked at her meaningfully, “When I was at your house, I always did the cooking, and now at my house, it’s your turn to cook.”
Meng Jingfen yelled and then realized she had done something foolish.
Feeling guilty, she looked weakly at Meng Wanhua and said, “I’ve always been studying, I didn’t have time to learn cooking, I can’t cook.”
That was a feeble excuse from Meng Jingfen.
After Meng Chuyue dropped out of school, Jingfen successfully entered high school, only to drop out after a year and a half, refusing to go to school since the start of this year.
Meng Chuyue sneered, “Shouldn’t you be learning quickly then?
Do you plan to become the kind of person others talk about, good for nothing?
If you can’t even cook, see who would want to marry you.”
That remark hit hard.
Meng Jingfen jumped up, wanting to hit Meng Chuyue, but seeing Meng Wanhua’s surprised expression, she sat back down, wiping her tears and said, “Auntie, look, Chuyue is bullying me.”
Meng Chuyue scoffed, pulling up her sleeves and lifting her skirt, revealing the scars deep and shallow on her body: “Don’t tell me, you don’t know how these scars came about?”
Meng Chuyue’s words were directed at Meng Jingfen, but her eyes were on Meng Wanhua.
Seeing the large and small scars on Chuyue’s arms and legs, Wanhua stood up in shock, her lips trembling as she asked, “They actually hit you?”
And hit you so severely, so frequently?
Meng Wanhua knew that Meng Chuyue had suffered in her maternal home.
But she thought it was only in terms of poor clothing and heavy chores, never imagined that they would beat her so mercilessly.
She frowned and asked Jingfen, “Did you do all this?”
Meng Jingfen hurriedly waved her hands, “No, I just accidentally hurt her arm once, the rest were done by Grandma and my mom.”
She dared not lie, knowing lying would do no good.
Meng Wanhua stared blankly at Meng Chuyue, “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
Meng Chuyue pressed her lips together, “Grandma and Aunt Fu threatened me, saying if I talked, they would no longer help take care of me.
The first time that happened I was only five years old.
If they didn’t take care of me, you couldn’t work to support me.”
What Meng Chuyue said was only part of the truth.
Initially, Grandma and Fu Hongfang indeed scared her with that.
She was young then, believed they were right, didn’t dare defy them.
As she grew, no longer needing care but still not telling Meng Wanhua, she thought Wanhua resented her and didn’t care about her, deliberately pretending not to know about the constant beatings, just as she knew her new clothes were always being taken by Jingfen.
Meng Wanhua clenched her fists, whispering apologetically to Meng Chuyue, “I’m sorry, Chuyue, it’s my fault, I apologize to you.
Also, if you want to stay in Hai City, you can.
If you don’t want to go to Aunt Qin’s place, I can help you find another job.”
Meng Chuyue felt both happy and sad.
Happy because her mom didn’t know about the beatings, meaning she wasn’t as uncaring as Chuyue had thought.
Sad because all these years of suffering could have been avoided if she had just told her mother.
Her eyes curved in a sweet smile at Meng Wanhua, “Mom, this is all because Grandma and Aunt’s bad temper.
Look, grandpa and uncle never hit me.
So, I really don’t blame you, I’m thankful you gave birth to me, raised me, and made me so capable and beautiful.
Really, Mom, the other day on the train, so many people complimented me.”
Meng Chuyue smiled proudly, hesitated, then sweetly hugged Meng Wanhua’s arm, “Mom, I promise I’ll take good care of you from now on.
The money I’ve earned working at Aunt Qin’s shop, I’ll give it all to you.”