Rebirth: My Dear Little Wife Is So Scheming

Chapter 245 - 245 245 Coercion

?Chapter 245: Chapter 245 Coercion Chapter 245: Chapter 245 Coercion Bai Mei and Hao Fang arrived home, cursing and complaining the entire way.

As they entered, they bumped into Bai Zhuang, who was sulking.

Upon seeing Bai Mei, he was infuriated, “Why are you back again? You’re not afraid of your in-laws gossiping about you running to your parents’ house all the time? No wonder Fang Xiaoshan beats you. You never do any work at home, what use is a wife like you?”

As soon as Bai Mei heard this, she exploded, “Bai Zhuang, are you speaking like a human? I’m your sister. Instead of protecting me and supporting me after I got beaten, you’re here complaining about me. Are you even my real brother?”

Hao Fang also scolded Bai Zhuang. If her son hadn’t been so useless, she wouldn’t have had to beg Bai Song. It was humiliating to have her warm face met with their cold backsides.

“And you, the eldest, how can you speak to your sister like that? Look at what Fang Xiaoshan did to your sister. I’m telling you, tomorrow you and Bai Shan better go find Fang Xiaoshan and make him pay for this. If he doesn’t kneel down and apologize to your sister, she won’t go back there!”

Bai Zhuang didn’t like what he heard and retorted, “Mom, if you think like that, then I definitely won’t go. What’s our family situation now? I can’t even afford to marry a wife, and you want to take Mei back? Who’s going to provide for her? If it weren’t for Mei stealing the family money and running off causing all of it to be wasted, I wouldn’t still be unmarried at this age.

Mom, let me tell you, Wu Xiaoyue’s mother said that after the New Year, if we don’t prepare a dowry and propose, they’ll talk to other potential matches. Then your son really won’t be able to find a wife.

If you have so much free time, why don’t you clean yourself up? Look at yourself, no wonder dad doesn’t want to come home. I can smell you from eight feet away.”

Being the oldest in the family now, Bai Zhuang could, of course, speak up to Hao Fang.

Hao Fang was furious and started beating Bai Zhuang with a broom, “I raised you, and now you despise me? I tell you, even if I stink to high heaven, I’m still your mother. They say a dog doesn’t despise its impoverished home, a child doesn’t despise an ugly mother, yet you dare to complain? Have you ever thought about who’s responsible for my condition? If it weren’t for your grandmother harassing me all the time, would I be like this?”

As Zhuang dodged, he argued, “Who else is there to blame but you, for not treating my grandma well? Would our family have sunk this low otherwise?”

When looking back at what had happened over the past six months, Bai Zhuang was filled with anger. He had agreed that he would be married this autumn, but now, there was not even a shadow of a bride in sight.

The grandmother held the financial power of the household tightly in her grip, unwilling to let go.

Aside from the crops they produced themselves, the grandmother took all the grains harvested in the autumn. She hid all the money from selling the grains, money that was previously set aside for him and Bai Shan.

Now, as Bai Zhuang recounted the situation, could he really be without resentment? Of course, he believed his own mother had spoiled everything.

And there was his sister, stirring up trouble.

“You still have the nerve to talk! I’m asking you, are you going to stand up for your sister with Bai Shan tomorrow?” Hao Fang could now only rely on Bai Shan and Bai Zhuang.

Bai Zhuang shook his head, “Even if you beat me to death today, I won’t go. Bai Mei can deal with the consequences of her own actions. She chose to marry Fang Xiaoshan back then, and a daughter married off is like water poured away. Now you want me to make a decision for her, what decision can I make?

It’s normal for a man to hit a woman. How long has Dad not beaten you? He’s always ready to start hitting you. If every couple returned home over things like this, looking for parental support, we’d be run into the ground.

Bai Mei, you better hurry back to your marital home. I’m telling you, our family has neither space for you nor food. You leave behind such a good life at your in-laws’, the big tiled house, and insist on running back here. I think you’re just looking for trouble.”

Bai Mei trembled with anger. Fang Xiaoshan had beaten her until she miscarried. She had hoped that once Bai Song returned, as long as he dealt with Fang Xiaoshan and made sure he never dared to hit her again—best to cripple one of his legs, so he couldn’t go out and gamble every day.

As for whether Bai Song would face military discipline or legal punishment, that was not her concern. In her mind, she only considered whether she could live her own life; she truly never thought about the life or death of others.

Bai Mei’s nature was indeed much like that of her parents, Bai Jianguo and Hao Fang; the education and examples set at home had been remarkably successful.

“Big brother, can you be so heartless? Do you know what kind of person Fang Xiaoshan is? He’s always up to no good, stealing chickens, groping women, and even having an unclear relationship with the widow in the neighboring village. It might look like I’m living a glamorous life at the Fang Family’s place, but do you know it’s just a pile of trash?

The Fang Family used to have money to build a big tiled house and hold a place in the village only because Fang Jianping, a powerful uncle from the family’s business, was supporting them. Without him, what capital would Fang Xiaoshan have to squander? But now?

His uncle saw through Fang Xiaoshan’s worthlessness long ago. He cut ties with the family before our wedding and didn’t even come back to the village for it. He said he had given their old house to the grandparents and wouldn’t be involved with them anymore, even in their old age.

Other than his uncle, everyone in the Fang Family is worthless. Since I married into the family, his parents keep making excuses not to work, saying they’re too unwell. So who does all the work at home? The old man and the old lady just sit around waiting to be fed and catered to. I’m the one slaving away in the fields, only to come home without a hot meal waiting and still needing to cook and wash clothes. Think about it, me, a frail woman, serving five people in the Fang Family. Have you ever considered what kind of life your sister is living there?

If Fang Xiaoshan were a good man, I could bear the hardship and labor, but the problem is he’s worthless. Whenever he comes home and there’s no money, he immediately starts cursing. In the first two months of marriage, it was just cursing, but since he laid hands on me once, beating me has become a daily occurrence. Every time he’s in a bad mood, I’m the one who suffers. I had been two months pregnant, but his beating caused me to lose the child. Even then, he didn’t give me a moment to breathe and forced me to keep working at home and in the fields.

You’re my brother; this is my maternal home. If you don’t support me, going back there is like walking down a dead-end. I might as well hang myself with a rope if I return. It’s better than living in this world where neither my father cares nor my mother loves, a life that is unbearable.” Bai Mei knew how to threaten Bai Zhuang, not believing that if she pushed her sister to death, he, her big brother, could have a good reputation in the village, nor could Wu Xiaoyue dare to marry him.

Indeed, Bai Zhuang was frightened. If Bai Mei truly died because of this, people wouldn’t say that Fang Xiaoshan drove his sister-in-law to her death; they would definitely say it was Bai Zhuang’s cruelty in not taking care of Bai Mei that killed her. With the Wu Family already dissatisfied with him, adding this reputation to his name, his marriage to Wu Xiaoyue would certainly be doomed.

Pounding his chest in assurance, he said, “Don’t talk nonsense. You’re my sister, and I’ll definitely take a stand for you. Rest assured, tomorrow Bai Shan and I will head to the Fang Family’s house.” This was also forced upon him by Bai Mei.

Bai Mei sighed with relief, touched the bruises on her body, and thought about how to deal with Fang Xiaoshan. She couldn’t live like this in the Fang Family’s house in the future. She had to teach Fang Xiaoshan a lesson that he couldn’t bully her anymore.