"Fang, did Niuniu’s dad hit you?" Tong Yao stared strangely at He Fang’s bruised and swollen face. He Fang’s appearance was akin to a pig, not an exaggeration at all. Her cheeks were swollen as if she’d eaten two eggs, her eyes puffy and narrow, no sign of her eyeballs. Tong Yao even wondered if He Fang was able to see at all.
The person who was perfectly fine two days ago had suddenly turned into this, no doubt she had been beaten.
No one but her husband, He Fang, could have done this to her but she had been so infatuated that she didn’t see it, leading her to this state.
Backing down and not fighting back is useless, no matter how strong your supporter may be.
She looked around, and was even more shocked when she noticed Niuniu wasn’t there. "Fang, where’s Niuniu?"
Si Xiaohui also looked at He Fang with surprise. God! What kind of husband was this? His beatings were too brutal, treating his wife as if she was his sworn enemy!
There were often fights between couples in the village, but she had never seen anyone being beaten this badly.
"Grandma and grandpa took Niuniu away." As soon as He Fang replied, she started choking back sobs. She was too parched from crying all night to conjure any tears, and stuttered hoarsely, "My husband found out about me working for you. He wanted my money and when I refused, he beat me up. Niuniu went to get her grandparents and as they watched me getting beaten, they took Niuniu away instead of stopping him."
Thinking about this, He Fang felt a terrible pain in her heart, shaking with rage. She had always been filial towards her in-laws but she never thought they could be so indifferent when she got beaten up.
She could remember how her in-laws had tried to stop her father-in-law from hitting their dog because it had bitten someone. Apparently, He Fang was less valuable to them than a dog.
Furious thinking about all the years of her hard work, she wished she could tear them limb from limb.
"Your husband and in-laws are so horrible. Are they even human?" Xiaohui couldn’t help but blurt out, she had never seen such outrageous behavior. She wondered how one could survive as a daughter-in-law in this family without being mistreated to death.
At this, He Fang finally noticed that Tong Yao had brought a new girl with her. Being beaten up wasn’t something to boast about. Feeling embarrassed, she asked awkwardly, "Who is she, Miss?"
"She is Xiaohui, my sister-in-law. She didn’t have much to do at home so I asked her to help me out. With an extra pair of hands, things will be easier."
"So she’s your sister!"
He Fang felt a slight jolt of unease in her heart. Tong Yao had found someone else to help out. Could it be that Tong Yao thought her wages were too high and wanted to replace her with a family member?
If that was the case, would she not have another source of income?
"Have you reported to the police about your condition?" Tong Yao could tell, looking at He Fang’s bruised face, that she had not been spared from physical abuse anywhere on her body. She must be nursing more injuries under her clothes.
"Why would I report a household issue to the police?" He Fang sniveled, not blaming her husband in the least. "I am just enraged at my in-laws; despite everything I’ve done for them, they just watched on, indifferent while I was being beaten up."
Tong Yao considered He Fang a bit deserving of her plight for still not seeing the essence of the problem even now. "Fang, the real issue here is with your husband. If he treated you well, your in-laws wouldn’t dare to mistreat you. Moreover, even if you’re married, it’s still illegal to assault someone. Being weak only emboldens your husband to act cruelly."
He Fang defended herself forcefully; "If I report him, he will only become more ruthless. And if he goes to jail, what should I do?"
She would have to find a way to get him out of the police station and all that’s going to do is add to her troubles.
"He turned you into this battered mess. Why care about whether he goes to jail or not?" Tong Yao was frustrated to the point of speechlessness. "Your husband’s a repeat offender who will continue to abuse you again in the future if you remain submissive."
A man who doesn’t support his family, yet hits people. What use was such a man?
Even a dog knows to guard the door.
As harsh as it may sound, divorce is better than staying with a man like this.
Xiaohui agreed to Tong Yao, even though she knew divorce was disgraceful. Staying alive was much more important. If it were her being abused, she would’ve fled long ago.
He Fang blushed as they spoke, knowing that what Tong Yao was saying was reasonable. But she didn’t want a divorce.
She only shared her experience with Tong Yao in the hopes of emotional catharsis and sympathy. She wanted someone to understand her plight, someone who sees her husband’s family as the bad guys and joins her in vilifying them. That’s all, she didn’t think about a divorce.
The advice given by Tong Yao didn’t resonate with He Fang. She did not want to discuss it further and tried changing the subject. "Let’s not talk about this anymore. Let’s focus on our stall’s business first. I wouldn’t like to affect your business."
"You should take a day off to rest." Unsolicited advice was as unwelcome as the ghost of those already dead. Facing He Fang’s unwavering stubbornness, Tong Yao didn’t feel like persuading her any longer.
He Fang’s heart skipped a beat and she quickly replied, "I don’t need the rest, it’s okay. My face might look bad, but it doesn’t hurt that bad. It won’t affect my work."
With Xiaohui present, she was already feeling insecure and could not dare request a day off. It would be best if she could just work harder.
Since He Fang insisted on continuing, Tong Yao didn’t say anything more. The three of them pushed the cart to the school entrance, like usual. Having an extra pair of hands made the work easier. With Xiaohui’s help, Tong Yao hardly did any work and was able to concentrate on supervising the work.
As the temperature rose with the ascent of the sun, Xiaohui noticed something wrong, "Why are we working outdoors?"
She had already told her elder brother that she wanted to work indoors so her skin could remain fair. Even though they were working under the shade of a big tree, her skin was hardly getting a break.
Tong Yao rolled her eyes skyward. "Do you think I could get this tan working indoors?"
Xiaohui was lost for words.
How could she turn fair now?
Seeing through her trick, Tong Yao retorted bluntly, "There are no indoor tasks right now, only outdoor ones. You can choose to work or leave. If you don’t want to do it, I can send you back home and get your second brother to do it. He is interested in working in the city after all."
After hearing this, Xiaohui panicked. "Who said I don’t want to do it? Women do these jobs. Why should my brother be doing this?"
Moreover, it wouldn’t be proper for her brother-in-law and sister-in-law to work together every day. Although it wasn’t an indoor job, the work was much easier than toiling outside. Just making some shakes, not having to deal with a boss, and getting comfortable accommodations weren’t a bad deal either. Only a fool would turn it down.
Tong Yao held back her laughter and put on a serious face, saying, "You said you wanted to do it so don’t complain too much."
Xiaohui huffed with dissatisfaction, though inwardly, she was satisfied with the work. After all, Tong Yao was the boss, and as her sister-in-law, she was practically part of the boss’s family. Working for her was much more comfortable.