"Then there's definitely no way we'll be together anymore, I know. Yaping, where am I supposed to go now? I'm too scared to go back."
"Should I go and tell my brother?" Yaping said apologetically.
Lijuan's mother didn't answer, but started crying loudly, shouting at Lijuan upstairs: "You damned girl! I gave birth to you and your heart is turned away from me, you conspired with others to deceive me! Do you want me to die?! Don't try to kill me, I'll kill myself!"
Lijuan buried her head under the covers, the movies she had watched last week flashing through her mind one after another, but she ignored them.
Lijuan's mother sat on the ground and began to cry and sing: "I kindly lent you money, and you conspired to cheat me out of it. I knew long ago that your whole family were swindlers. First, you tricked my daughter into giving you money to buy a house, then you tricked me into giving you money for medical treatment, and now you're trying to cheat me out of my retirement money and even my son's money. Your whole family has no conscience! Evil people have evil backs! No wonder my husband got cancer! It's divine retribution! Why did you choose my family? We don't even know you!"
Yaping's mother couldn't stand it anymore and stood behind Lijuan's mother, saying, "How can you talk like that? We're victims too, we have half the money! You're sad, we're sad, who can we turn to? I have a sick person in my family, and we're practically in-laws, how can you only care about your little bit of money? If you really need the money so much, we'll sell Yaping's house in the next couple of days and pay you back first."
"Bah! You're not satisfied until you've completely ruined my family! What right do you have to talk about selling this house? I bought it with my own money. Your son is just staying here temporarily. Today he's Yaping's husband, so I'll let him stay for one day. Tomorrow he won't be here anymore, and I'll kick him out! You're quite the schemer, aren't you? You've spent all your own money and now you want to use my daughter's? No way! If this house is sold, where will my daughter live? Where will my grandson live? Let me tell you, you don't have a son anymore. Your son got married and was given to my family as a live-in son-in-law! Don't even think about it!"
"This house belongs to both Yaping and Lijuan. Besides, Yaping paid all the mortgage payments after the marriage. He always takes half! Even if we divorce, he'll still want half the money! You say it's yours, where's the proof? Go ahead and sue us, we're not afraid! So what if you pay? You're paying because your daughter insisted on supporting my son, that's my son's ability! My family got a wife without paying, while your family paid and lost your daughter. It's obvious who's valuable and who's not!"
Lijuan came out of her room and stood at the top of the stairs, listening attentively.
"I'll tear your mouth shut, you old bastard! You old geezer! You committed sins in your past life, and you're causing trouble in this one! I'll smash you to death with this stick!" Lijuan's mother jumped up and slapped Yaping's mother across the face, then shoved her away. Yaping's mother was small and at a disadvantage; she was slapped first and then fell to the ground, lying there and wailing loudly.
Yaping forcefully pushed Lijuan's mother away, shoving her and saying, "What are you doing, throwing a tantrum! What are you doing, acting like a liar! Weren't we all just after the interest? If we got scammed, we can only blame ourselves for being greedy. Lijuan even told you she didn't need it anymore, that it was enough, but you still forced the money into her hands. The responsibility isn't entirely ours, is it? Investing always carries risks. Please sit down!" Using his height and strength, Yaping lifted Lijuan's mother up and slammed her onto a chair, startling her so much that she screamed.
Lijuan rushed down the stairs and slapped Yaping across the face in front of Yaping's mother. She then headbutted Yaping and tried to tear at his mouth. Yaping's mother immediately stepped in front of her son, saying, "Why did you hit my son? Can't you talk things out? You're such a shrew!"
Lijuan looked at her mother-in-law with disdain and said, "What business is it of yours if I talk to my husband and discipline him? Get as far away as you can! I hit him because he dared to push my mother, and I hit him because I told him long ago that your family would ruin him sooner or later, but he wouldn't listen. I hit him because I firmly disagreed with our family moving in together; he forced me to go. What are you doing standing in the middle? Get out of the way! Otherwise, I'll kick you out, bedding and all, and tell you to get lost! You live here, eat my food, and have no gratitude whatsoever, yet you think you're someone special, always wanting to stay at home..." "Don't act like the boss! Let me tell you, this is my house, my home. My family paid for it, and I've already paid back what your family paid, more than double. I've already been very generous by letting you live here. If you make me unhappy, I'll kick this man out with me!" After saying this, Lijuan raised her hand and slapped Yaping again. Yaping's mother tried to block it with her arm, but Lijuan's hand hit the wall instead. This enraged Lijuan even more. Lijuan first shoved her mother-in-law several steps away, causing her to fall onto the sofa, and then bit Yaping's arm hard, refusing to let go. Lijuan's mother was stunned.
Yaping, facing his heavily pregnant wife and his screaming mother beside him, and the excruciating pain in his arm, was sweating profusely and seeing stars. He couldn't push her away, nor could he pull his arm away. Yaping's mother rushed over and grabbed his wife's hair, trying to pull the frantic Yaping away. Lijuan's mother then rushed up and grabbed Yaping's mother's hair. The family was in chaos, with cries and screams filling the air. A dull thud came from upstairs, like a sack of potatoes hitting the ground.
Yaping's mother screamed, "Guanhua's father!" and ran upstairs. Yaping used his other free hand to slap Lijuan hard across the face, waking her up. He then grabbed his bloodied arm and ran upstairs as well. Lijuan collapsed to the ground, her eyes vacant. Lijuan's mother's body began to stiffen, and she lost her balance and fell to the ground. Yaping took out his phone and called an ambulance.
Soon after, the sirens of police cars and ambulances blared downstairs.
Before getting into the ambulance, Yaping's father struggled and shouted to his disheveled wife, "I want Yaping to divorce me!"
Before they even reached the hospital, Yaping's father died.
Yaping was at the police station, Lijuan was at the hospital with her pregnant father, accompanying her mother who had suffered a minor stroke, and Yaping's mother was alone in the morgue, staring blankly at the corpse on the bed. "Hurry back and get some clothes to wear, you're about to get hard. You're covered in urine and feces, how are you going to get on the road!" Yaping's mother acted as if she hadn't heard him.
Yaping's house is now packed with relatives from Northeast China. It's been decorated like a funeral hall. Leaders from Yaping's company came to pay their respects, as did representatives from Yaping's father's and Lijuan's workplaces. Yaping knelt on the ground, unable to do anything but weep uncontrollably. Yaping's sister stood at the door, welcoming and seeing off those who came. Yaping's mother lay in bed, refusing to speak.
The first thing Lijuan's mother said when she woke up was, "You need to go back right now." Lijuan said listlessly, "I won't go back. I'm disgusted with it." "No! You have to go back! His mother is already planning to sell our house! If you don't go back, they could change the locks one day, and the deed is inside; the house could be gone in an instant! If you ask me, you can't even leave that room to give birth; call the doctor to come home! After the baby is born, just leave it with his family and divorce him! These out-of-town devils are truly untouchable! They're utter scoundrels!"
Lijuan returned home.
The entire house was shrouded in gloom and despair. Large black photographs, black walls, and wreaths stretched from the doorway. Everyone wore white mourning clothes, with the women sporting small white flowers in their hair. Lijuan could hear Yaping's hoarse voice from the doorway, crying and shouting, "My father, my father, your unfilial son!"
Lijuan stepped over the threshold and headed straight for the stairs.
"Stop!" Sister Yaping hissed from the doorway. Lijuan didn't even turn her head, nor did she stop. She went straight to her bedroom.
Guanhua handed the hemp clothes to Yaping and said, "Go! Make that slut put them on! She's still wearing her red sweater!" Yaping continued to cry. Guanhua kicked Yaping and said, "Go! Are you even a man? Can you control your wife? She's not only infuriating my dad, but she doesn't even kowtow when she comes in! If it weren't for the fact that she's carrying our child, I would have killed her!"
Guan Hua rushed upstairs to the second floor, pounding on the door and shouting, "Put on your mourning clothes!"
There was no sound from inside. "Open the door! Did you hear me? Put on your mourning clothes!"
After Lijuan opened the door, Guanhua threw a burlap sack at her face. "You killed my dad!" Lijuan retorted, throwing the sack back. "Who killed your dad? If you hadn't lost everyone's money, your dad would have lived a few more days. Don't try to shift the blame onto others to make yourself feel better. You not only killed your dad, but you also caused my mom to be lying in the hospital. I haven't said anything because you're Yaping's sister! Don't think I'll be intimidated just because you're loud. Let me tell you, this isn't over between us! See you in court. I have a loan agreement signed by both you and your husband, stating it's a debt with interest. Let's see who's truly ruthless! This world is incomprehensible; debtors are so arrogant!"
Guan Hua stood at the door, speechless. Li Juan slammed the bedroom door shut, throwing it directly at Guan Hua's face. Guan Hua ran downstairs and began to sing a mournful song, telling his younger brother and mother about Li Juan's intention to sue her.
Yaping's mother sighed and said, "Alas! Our family is ruined. It's like adding insult to injury!" After a moment of thought, she said to Yaping, "I need to find an opportunity to have a serious talk with Lijuan. After all, we're family; we can't let ourselves be ruined over a little money."
The day before Yaping's father's funeral, Yaping's mother called a family meeting. Lijuan had been staying home for the past two days, trying to avoid seeing or hearing anything. That night, Yaping's mother stood at the door, knocking repeatedly, begging Lijuan to come out.
“Lijuan! I’m heartbroken as your mother because of this terrible misfortune our family has suffered. First of all, I want to apologize to your family. We were the ones who lent you the money, and now we can’t pay it back, causing your mother to be hospitalized. I feel terrible about that too. Your father’s passing was inevitable, and it can’t be blamed on you. We need to make things clear today. Guanhua and Yaping must never think like this again. In the end, the fault lies with us. Paying back debts is our duty. If I hadn’t said those hurtful things that day, your mother wouldn’t have suffered a stroke. Lijuan, we’re not bad about the money we owe. We don’t have the money to pay back now, but we’ll work hard and save for a few years, and we will definitely pay it back. Maybe we can’t pay the interest, but we will give the principal to your family. Please don’t worry. You see, Yaping’s salary isn’t low now. Let’s work hard together for two or three years, and we’ll have the money. After all, we’re family, and we’ll still have to see each other in the future. Please pass on a message to your family, and tell them that I’m here to apologize.” Yaping’s mother sat on the sofa and bowed deeply to Lijuan.
Guanhua and Yaping stared in disbelief at their humble mother, unsure how to react. Yaping looked anxiously at Lijuan, desperately hoping she would immediately extend a friendly hand, accept his mother's words, and reconcile. Guanhua also earnestly hoped Lijuan would retract her threat to take the case to court.
Lijuan sat there coldly with her head down, remaining silent. There was no reaction whatsoever.
“Child, look…” Yaping’s mother asked with a searching gaze.
After a long pause, Lijuan spoke up: "You're saying this for Guanhua, aren't you? Are you trying to beg me not to sue her? Can't you just say it directly? Why go through all that trouble, using sweet talk and sugarcoating?"
Yaping's mother sighed and said, "It's easy to form a knot in your heart, but hard to untie it! No matter what my intentions are, you'll always think the worst of me. I'm genuinely thinking from the perspective of the family, and I don't want this family to fall apart like this. The child hasn't even been born yet, and can't be without a mother. Money is a small matter; it's the affection that's hard to hold onto!"
Lijuan kept her head down and said, "How could a child come into this world without a mother? He crawled out of my belly. He might not have a father, but he will have a mother. It seems you've already decided that this child is going to stay with your family!"
Yaping got anxious. "What do you mean, Lijuan? Do you want to break up with me? Just because of this money?"
Lijuan kept her head down, speaking calmly and slowly, "It's nothing. You're quite clever. I think since the two families have come to this point, there's no need to force ourselves to live under one roof. Let's settle the accounts and divide it! This isn't a small amount; it's a large sum. This isn't my money; it's my mother's and brother's money. Whether or not to sue is not up to me. The IOU is in their hands. As for your mother's proposed repayment method, I disagree. Why should we repay the money your sister borrowed? No matter how much we earn, it's ours. It has nothing to do with your mother and sister. The problem with your family is that you're too tightly knit, to the point that you can't distinguish between inside and outside. This money is one debt at a time. Your sister lent it out, so she should repay it. If she can't repay it and asks us for help, that's a favor, not an obligation. What right does your mother have to make decisions about my family's money?"
Silence fell.
Yaping's mother spoke again: "Lijuan! Words spoken are like water spilled; they can't be taken back once they've been spoken! Once someone is hurt, it can't be made up for. Logically speaking, the IOU states it's for financing, and if it goes to court, the judgment is uncertain. Even if Guanhua is ordered to pay, she'll have to be able to pay. Recently, both of their companies have been doing poorly, and they might both be laid off, and they'll be on welfare. How could they possibly have any money left to pay? They'd be in deep trouble; if pushed too far, the three of them would rather slit their own throats than pay. And you're not necessarily happy to see that, are you? Putting aside the fact that they're family, even ordinary people wouldn't be able to ask for money from someone in such a pitiful situation! I'm talking to you here to reason with you, but I'm also begging you, for the sake of our acquaintance, don't push too hard. We appreciate your kindness."
Yaping knelt at Lijuan's feet and pleaded, "Juan! We still have children, how can we just separate like this? Don't worry, I'll work hard to earn money, I promise we won't let Mom and Brother suffer. Just give me an answer!"
Lijuan remained silent for a long time before finally blurting out, "The money isn't owed to me. Those apologies and ways to make amends are for you to discuss with my mom and brother. Regardless of who ultimately pays it back, in front of others, you have to say it was Guanhua who paid. I'm going to sleep now. I'm tired. Yaping, I hope you won't yell at the top of your lungs in the middle of the night anymore; I haven't been able to sleep for days. Your father is dead, but your child is still alive. Let me get a good night's sleep tonight." She stood up, preparing to go upstairs.
"Well... your dad's funeral is tomorrow, do you want to go together?" Yaping's mother quickly and cautiously asked.
Lijuan completely ignored her.
The next morning, Lijuan, with a stiff face, changed into mourning clothes and followed the portrait to the funeral home. It was impossible to tell whether she was willing or not, but the cold and rigid expression on her face matched the atmosphere of a funeral.
Three days later, Yaping's mother led her entire family, including her son-in-law and grandson, to Lijuan's house with pastries.