Song Yueqin, seething with anger, plopped down at the head of the kang bed and began to confront Zhang Juyun, "Why did I run back here? You ask me, but I have to ask you! Mom, what in the world were you thinking? Do you not want me to have good days ahead of me?"
"Yueqin, how can you talk to your mom like that?" Song Jincai came inside from outside and frowned upon hearing his daughter’s words.
"Dad, and you have the nerve to say something, too? I need to ask you as well! Am I still your beloved daughter or not?"
"I haven’t even questioned you yet, and here you are, finding fault with me first," Song Jincai said sternly, "What’s the matter with you? Why did you run back home on your very first wedding night?"
"I was chased back by the in-laws!" exclaimed Song Yueqin angrily.
"What? That old hag Li dares to chase you back? Why? What is Qin Fen even doing?" Zhang Juyun yelled, raising her voice.
"That’s what I should be asking you!" Song Yueqin threw a bundle of something in front of Zhang Juyun, "Look at what you’ve done! Is this your idea of a dowry for me?"
Zhang Juyun, startled by the thing Song Yueqin threw over, quickly reached out to catch it but was still a step too slow.
Song Jincai had already grabbed the item first, and his face turned ashen upon unwrapping the paper bundle, "Is this the dowry you gave Yueqin? Where’s the money I gave you? Where’s the two hundred yuan?"
"I put it away," Zhang Juyun stammered, "They didn’t bring any money themselves, why should I have to give money to them? Besides, what does my daughter’s dowry have to do with their family? Why should they covet my daughter’s money? And to chase people back home when they can’t get their hands on it? That’s not proper!"
Song Jincai was so frustrated that his veins were throbbing, and his eyes were almost bulging out, "You really are a confused old woman! Has your brain been kicked by a donkey! Weren’t you the one demanding red envelopes at the door today? How can you be so troublesome!"
"This is still the Qin Family’s fault for being unkind!" Zhang Juyun stubbornly retorted.
"Have you even thought about your daughter’s future situation!" roared Song Jincai as he grabbed a broom from behind the door and pressed Zhang Juyun down on the kang bed, hitting her hard on the buttocks.
"Ouch! It’s killing me... Oh, Old Song..." Zhang Juyun cried out in pain.
"Dad! Please show some mercy! Don’t hurt Mom!" Song Yueqin got a huge scare seeing Song Jincai so furious, and hastily went to intervene.
"Get aside! If you dare to stop me, I’ll beat you too!" Song Jincai said, and then put even more force into the punishment he was dishing out to Zhang Juyun.
Each stroke of the broom left a welt, causing her to grimace in pain, stream tears and snot, and create a most unpleasant noise with her howling.
Song Yueqin was dumbfounded and didn’t dare to intervene anymore.
While beating Zhang Juyun, Song Jincai said to Song Yueqin, "Go to the quilt on my kang bed in my room. Inside there is still two hundred yuan I didn’t have time to lock in the cabinet. Take it! That’s your dowry!"
After hearing this, Song Yueqin went to look for the money in the house, and sure enough, there was two hundred yuan.
This was no small sum.
She stuffed the money into her pocket and as soon as she walked out, she saw Qin Fen standing at the door, dumbfounded by the sight of her mother being beaten.
"Go! Hurry up and go!" Song Yueqin felt this was too disgraceful and didn’t want Qin Fen to watch.
Thus, she tugged Qin Fen and they left the house together.
As soon as they were outside, Qin Fen apologized to Song Yueqin, "Wife, I’m sorry! I was too rash today! I shouldn’t have hit you! Don’t hold it against me, let’s not quarrel over the small stuff. Today is our wedding day, and tonight is our wedding night! Please come back with me!"