Chapter 658 - 566
Chapter 658: Chapter 566
The second aunt snorted. "What are you calling her ’Mom’ for? Did she give birth to you? Did she raise you? She’s a wicked stepmother, a replacement! She’s only been here a few days, and a few smiles are all it took to buy you off? You remember this: your real mother’s name is Shi Juxiang. She lost her life to give you yours. She’s the one... hey? Where are the pictures that were on the wall? Where are Sister Ju Xiang’s photos? Mom, look at this! The Lu Family is so shameless. A new wife comes in, and the old one is forgotten. They can’t even tolerate my sister’s picture anymore! This is outrageous! My sister was the Old Lu Family’s official first wife—the one they went through all the proper rites to marry! She died just to give them their first grandson!"
As she spoke, Shi Juhong started to whimper and wiped at her face a few times.
Grandma Shi, Shi Zhiquan, and Shi Juying all looked toward the wall, their expressions simultaneously turning pained and furious.
Lu Jianling paused, then sneered and continued toward the kitchen to bring out the dishes. ’The Shi family is really something else,’ she thought. ’They arrived at noon and have been in this room all day, eating and drinking, littering the floor with melon seed husks, peanut shells, candy wrappers, and fruit peels. And they’re only just now noticing the photos are gone? I’ve really got to hand it to this mother and her brood.’
Grandma Shi scurried over, her hand reaching up to caress the spot on the wall where the picture frame used to hang. "Oh, my dear Ju Xiang," she sobbed, then whipped her head around to shout at Uncle Lu, "This isn’t right! You can’t do things this way! You’re stabbing this old woman right in the heart!"
Uncle Lu opened his mouth as if to speak, but ultimately just shook his head and remained silent. ’His son and grandson are right here,’ he thought. ’They know what happened better than anyone. No need for me to butt in.’
When Grandma Shi saw Uncle Lu turn away, she began crying to Lu Jian Country, her voice trembling. "Oh, my good son-in-law, what did I tell you before? If you didn’t want Weiwei, you should have let me raise him! And if you truly pitied him, you should have married another girl from our Shi family. Weiwei shares a blood bond with his maternal aunts. A real aunt would only dote on him more and never let him suffer. At the time, Juhong was already engaged, but with just a word from you, we could have called it off! If not her, there was still Juying! You mourned for Ju Xiang for all those years, and Juying grew up in that time. The Shi family girls were yours for the picking! It was all for Weiwei’s sake! But look at what you’ve done! You handled this all wrong—marrying someone in secret without telling us! Who knows what her intentions are? How is she going to treat our Weiwei? Now she can’t even stand a picture of you and Ju Xiang together? How is that acceptable? Ju Xiang may be gone, but she is forever your first wife and Weiwei’s birth mother. Her place in this family is paramount. No one can ever think of stepping over her!"
"That’s right! My sister will always be the true mistress of this house! Nobody is going to lord it over her memory!"
Shi Juhong dropped the hands covering her eyes, her voice rising as she pointed a finger at Weiwei. "Don’t you dare call that woman ’Mom’! You have only one real mother, and that is Shi Juxiang! If you dare acknowledge a usurper as your mother, you’re being heartless and ungrateful! Your real mom would never forgive you!"
Weiwei’s lips pressed into a thin, stubborn line as he glared at Shi Juhong. His eyes welled with tears, his gaze a mixture of anger and hurt. "You’re lying! You’re the one who’s a thief! You’re the ungrateful one! Aunt Yang is the best mom ever! She told me I should always remember my first mom. She took me to buy a photo album and helped me put my first mom’s pictures in it so they would be safe and last longer! She even promised to come with Dad and me when we go to pay respects at my first mom’s grave!"
"You—you little... you’re talking back to me now? I’m telling you, that woman is forbidden to go! What does she want to do there? Gloat at my sister’s grave? Show off her victory? Is she trying to agitate my sister’s spirit so much that her soul shatters and can never find peace? You heartless child! Just you try taking her. I’ll wring your damn neck!" Shi Juhong, infuriated at being contradicted by her little nephew, turned beet red, words spilling from her mouth without a single thought.
Lu Jian Country’s face darkened. He glanced around, visibly restraining himself.
Lu Jianling huffed, whipping the door curtain aside as she stalked back into the kitchen.
Shi Juying shot Weiwei an angry glare, her eyes darting quickly to Lu Jian Country. When she saw he hadn’t noticed her, she shrank further behind Shi Zhiquan. ’Mom always said our brother-in-law is a man of honor and loyalty,’ she thought. ’Even after our eldest sister passed, he’s still willing to pay for me and my brother to go to school. Part of it is because he feels he owes our sister and can’t bear to sever ties with the Shi family. The other part, of course, is that he wants us to be close to him. The Lu Family has money, but not many heirs, so they want more family and kin to rely on. That’s why Mom always handles discussions with our brother-in-law and tells us not to interfere, as if we siblings already belong to him. Especially me. The Shi family decided long ago that I would be the one to marry into the Lu Family.’
Weiwei stuck his neck out, arguing with Shi Juhong, which only made her more frantic. She lunged for Weiwei twice, but Grandma Shi blocked her each time. Grandma Shi patted Weiwei, cooing, "My precious grandson, your second aunt is just teaching you right from wrong. She adores you! It’s much better than certain people who teach you nothing and say nothing, who’d rather you be spoiled rotten and grow up completely clueless. Then this whole household could be snatched away, and there’d be nothing left for you!"
Lu Jianling heard every word from outside. Unable to take it anymore, she strode back in. She shot her brother a disapproving look before bending down to embrace Weiwei, whose eyes were red and puffy. Looking at Grandma Shi, she said, "You can’t even raise your own daughter right. What gives you the right to lecture my nephew? With a daughter like that, don’t even think about setting foot in my family’s home again! You’re Weiwei’s grandmother, so when you visit, we have to show you respect and serve you. We accept that. But we are under no obligation to serve and respect a pack of rude, barbaric aunts and uncles! This is the Lu Family’s house. You are guests, and you have no right to scold and terrorize a child in our home!"
Shi Juhong lunged forward, shoving Lu Jianling’s shoulder and grabbing for Weiwei with her other hand. "Who are you calling rude and barbaric? What do you mean, ’no obligation’? Are his aunts and uncle not real relatives? Without my sister, the Lu Family wouldn’t have a damn kid to its name! Your family line would’ve died out! My sister gave her young life for the Lu Family, and this is how you treat her beloved siblings? How can the Lu Family even face my sister’s memory?"
Lu Jianling, who was still half-crouched and holding Weiwei, staggered from the push. Uncle Lu rushed over to steady his daughter and grandson, nearly tripping over a chair in the process.
Lu Jian Country reached behind the sofa, snatched up a wooden yardstick, and swung it. CRACK! CRACK! Two sharp sounds echoed through the room, followed by Shi Juhong’s piercing shriek. Shi Zhiquan and Shi Juying’s faces went deathly pale. Grandma Shi stood stunned for a second, seeing Lu Jian Country holding the long ruler while Shi Juhong collapsed against Shi Zhiquan. Her arms dangled limply as she trembled and howled in pain. Then, Grandma Shi charged at Lu Jian Country. "What a fine brother-in-law you are! Willing to cripple your own sister-in-law, are you? Why don’t you just kill this old woman while you’re at it!"