Chapter 23: You Don’t Understand Anything!
Nie Qiu calmly turned off the gas stove and shuffled over to Nie Aifang. “Mom…” She knew she was about to be found out.
Nie Aifang had Nie Qiu lower her head. She parted Nie Qiu’s hair near the back of her head, revealing a bald spot the size of a fingernail. The blood had already clotted, and a transparent ointment was applied to it. On Nie Qiu’s forehead, there was also a bald spot the size of a fingernail, which Nie Qiu had covered by parting her hair. This was where Nie Qiu’s forehead had bled during the fight.
Just as Nie Qiu was about to look up, she heard Nie Aifang’s sobs. “Qiu Qiu, does it hurt?”
Nie Qiu endured the pain and shook her head, looking at Nie Aifang and smiling. “It doesn’t hurt, Mom, it doesn’t hurt.”
As soon as Nie Qiu finished speaking, Nie Aifang covered her face and cried, “They’re all bullying me, bullying us! Why are they all bullying us!” She had lost her husband, and back in her hometown, everyone bullied her family for not having a man. Everyone would taunt her, and she endured it. She left her hometown with her daughter, and the only time she went back, people spread rumors that she was working as a hairdresser in the big city. She had no words to defend herself and never went back.
This time, her daughter was beaten and hospitalized, and she knew it wasn’t her daughter’s fault. She couldn’t help but blame herself, blaming herself for being useless and unable to give her daughter a better life.
Nie Qiu was stunned. Looking at the heartbroken Nie Aifang, she gently hugged Nie Aifang’s shoulder. “Mom, it doesn’t hurt, really doesn’t hurt. Mom, don’t cry, don’t cry.” How much wrong had this sad woman endured? In this big city, how many setbacks and rejections had she faced? She couldn’t know, only that this woman couldn’t suppress her feelings of being wronged. Even though, as she said, she had earned a lot of money today, more than she had in the past two or three days combined.
In fact, no matter how much money she earned today, Nie Qiu’s injury was a blow to Nie Aifang.
Nie Aifang leaned her head on Nie Qiu’s shoulder, unable to suppress the grievance and indignation in her heart any longer, and burst into tears.
Her heart ached, heavy. Nie Qiu could only hold this fragile person tightly. She once thought she was unfortunate, without parents by her side, never having received parental love. But now she realized that there were people in this world even more unfortunate than her.
In fact, everyone’s life has its ups and downs. Rich or poor, they are all human. As humans, they have their emotions and desires, and they have their misfortunes. But no matter what, one should face them bravely.
Nie Aifang cried until she was tired. After letting go of Nie Qiu, she went back to her room to sleep. Nie Qiu fetched water, brought it into the room, wrung out a cloth, and washed Nie Aifang’s face, wiping away the tear stains. Then she took off Nie Aifang’s shoes, soaked Nie Aifang’s feet in hot water, and gently massaged them.
Nie Qiu knew that Nie Aifang was not asleep, otherwise she wouldn’t have cooperated with her actions. She didn’t know how to comfort this fragile woman, but Nie Qiu knew that no feeling could replace a daughter’s filial piety and love for her mother. She believed that this action would help this woman regain her spirits.
After washing Nie Aifang’s feet, Nie Qiu pulled the quilt up for Nie Aifang, turned off the light, and left the room. By the time she finished tidying up and washing herself, it was already two in the morning. She set her alarm for six and fell asleep yawning.
Nie Aifang sat up trembling, tears streaming down her face. She took her mobile phone from under the pillow. “Hello, Aiwen, it’s me, your sister.”
Nie Aiwen turned on the bedside lamp, looked at his sleeping wife, and stood up. He opened the curtains by the bed. “Sister, you’re still up so late? It’s already two in the morning. I told you to rest well, why don’t you listen? How is it? Is the job I introduced you to going well? Is the boss giving you a hard time?”
Nie Aifang suppressed the lump in her throat and smiled. “I’m doing very well. The boss is very nice, and my salary hasn’t been withheld. Aiwen, I’m calling you this time… I want to… I want to…”
“Are you short on money again?” Nie Aiwen couldn’t help but laugh. “Sister, why are you hesitating to ask me? I was raised by you. Tell me! How much money do you need? Is Qiu Qiu sick again?”
“Nie Aiwen, if you dare to lend money to that family again, I’ll divorce you immediately!” As soon as Nie Aiwen finished speaking, he heard his wife, who had been sleeping, sit up. Chen Yan, wearing a sexy camisole, revealed a bare shoulder, looking quite alluring.
Clearly, Nie Aifang also heard this. Nie Aifang gave a bitter smile. “Aiwen, I’m sorry to disturb your sleep. You should rest early, and I need to sleep too. Take care of yourself, goodbye.” After speaking, Nie Aifang pressed the red button, hung up the phone, covered her face, and couldn’t help but cry again.
“Hello, hello, sister, sister!” Nie Aiwen shouted twice when he heard the ‘beep beep’ from the microphone. Seeing that no one responded, he knew Nie Aifang had hung up. He pressed redial and tried several times. First, no one answered, and finally, the phone was turned off.
Nie Aiwen threw his mobile phone onto the bed. “I’m telling you, Chen Yan, even though I married into your Chen family, I’m still a man. I was raised by my sister, and an elder sister is like a mother. If you don’t agree to let my sister live with us, fine, but you won’t even let me help my sister? I’ve never met a woman like you, you’re venomous! Fine! You want a divorce? Let’s divorce! Who’s afraid of whom? I’ve wanted to divorce you for a long time, being bossed around by your dad and mom all day. Do you think I care about your family’s fortune?”
Chen Yan stood up from the bed upon hearing Nie Aiwen’s words. “Nie Aiwen, you scoundrel, don’t think I don’t know you have a mistress outside. You want a divorce? No way! Everything you wear and hold is from my Chen family. Without my Chen family, what do you have? You have nothing!”
“That’s hilarious,” Nie Aiwen snorted coldly. “You were the one who said you wanted a divorce just now, and now you’re saying it’s me. I can’t live like this anymore. If you’ve made up your mind, have your lawyer handle the divorce. I’m leaving!”
Nie Aiwen took off his clothes, even his underpants, and threw them naked onto the bed. “I don’t wear your family’s things! I don’t want these underpants either.” He then walked to the wardrobe, took out a worker’s outfit from the bottom, put it on, and turned to leave.
“Nie Aiwen, how dare you!” Chen Yan shouted in disbelief.
Nie Aiwen left without looking back. It’s not easy to be a live-in son-in-law; you have to please your wife, your father-in-law, your mother-in-law, and even your own children at all times.
In the past, he had thought about how to educate his children, but he never expected that his father-in-law and mother-in-law would scold him if he even showed a little temper. He… after so many years, he didn’t feel like a man! He had had enough!
Chen Yan grabbed the quilt, wrapped herself in it, and chased after him. “Nie Aiwen, don’t forget, we have a child! Are you abandoning the child too?”
“You can have this little tyrant. It’s not that I’m heartless, but… I can’t afford to raise such a little tyrant.”
His son’s monthly toy expenses were equivalent to a year’s living expenses for an ordinary construction worker. Although he was confident he could start from scratch, he wasn’t confident he could raise his child well.
