Ch 4: The Scumbag’s Daily Wife-Doting Life [QT]

“Eldest Aunt, why haven’t I seen Tiantian?”

Inside the main hall, cousin-in-law Jia Xiaotao, who had come to freeload another meal, had already swept through two large bowls of rice like a whirlwind. Suddenly remembering her real purpose, she glanced around the room searching for her target before raising her shrill voice to ask.

Hearing her own name mentioned, Li Tiantian’s attention was immediately drawn over. She tilted her ear to listen, only to hear Jia Xiaotao’s sour next sentence at the same time:

“Could she have gone out again? Eldest Aunt, it’s not that I’m criticizing, but a young girl shouldn’t always be wandering outside at night. You can’t keep spoiling Tiantian forever. You really need to discipline her properly. Otherwise, when she gets married, her husband’s family will definitely dislike her.”

Li Tiantian was instantly furious.

What business is it of yours?

Even stuffing food into her mouth could not stop her from talking. She came to freeload meals and still would not shut up! Besides, hadn’t they already finished eating? Why were they still here?!

Absolutely unbearable.

People with thick skin truly could not be understood by normal people.

As if that were not enough, Jia Xiaotao not only refused to leave, but after hearing Li Tiantian was resting in her room instead of going out, she barged in without even knocking. Wearing a bright delighted smile, as though she had not just insulted Li Tiantian moments earlier, she exclaimed:

“Oh my, Tiantian, so you’re in here! I just happened to have something to…”

Then she spotted what Li Tiantian was holding and her eyes widened instantly.

“Snow cream?”

Snow cream came in two types. One was sold in little packets for two mao each, beloved by many women. The other came in decorative tins with a larger amount inside, more refined in appearance, and cost three whole yuan.

There were barely any people in Xiaoxipo who used snow cream at all. Most simply used homemade lard, applying a thin layer to moisturize their dry winter skin. Even families with money who were willing to buy snow cream usually only bought the packet version. This was the first time Jia Xiaotao had ever seen the boxed kind.

She rushed over in a few quick steps and snatched it away, holding it beneath the kerosene lamp to examine it.

“Oh my heavens, I really wasn’t seeing things. It really is snow cream! Goodness gracious, your family is truly wealthy, Eldest Uncle. You’re actually buying boxed snow cream for Tiantian to use? This must’ve cost several yuan, right? Tsk tsk tsk, so rich!”

“What are you doing? Give it back!”

At first Li Tiantian had not reacted in time, but once she snapped back to her senses, she immediately lunged forward and snatched it back. Hiding it tightly behind her back, she glared at Jia Xiaotao defensively.

“Why are you in my room? Get out!”

“Oh my, you dead girl! I was only looking at it. Is there any need to be so fierce?” Jia Xiaotao had been startled and immediately clutched her chest while cursing. “I’m your cousin-in-law! Look at how stingy you are. Be careful or nobody will marry you in the future!”

Li Tiantian snorted.

Inwardly she thought: I already have someone who wants me. Of course I won’t fail to get married.

Turning her head away, she could not even be bothered responding.

Jia Xiaotao pulled down her mouth in displeasure and muttered quietly:

“What a debt-collecting little brat.”

Then she stormed back out unhappily.

After putting away the snow cream safely, Li Tiantian carried her bowl and chopsticks outside as well.

There was no point hiding anyway. She could not avoid them forever.

She set down her used dishes and noticed everyone else had already finished eating. Only her cousin was still eating, deliberately picking out all the meat from the cabbage-and-pork dish. Even though she had expected it, her heart still ached terribly.

They had finally managed to buy two jin of pork, and it had all gone into outsiders’ stomachs.

Li Tiantian was so angry she wanted to go outside into the courtyard just to get some fresh air.

“Wait. Tiantian, when did you get snow cream? Why didn’t I know about it? Where did it come from?” Li Jianguo asked with a stern expression and furrowed brows.

Li Tiantian froze mid-step, panic flashing across her face.

“What do you mean where did it come from? I bought it myself.”

“I definitely didn’t give you enough money to buy something like that. Besides, you haven’t gone to the county city recently either.”

The more Li Jianguo thought about it, the stranger it seemed. He nearly asked whether someone else had given it to her, but with outsiders present, he managed not to say it aloud.

Unfortunately, just because he did not say it did not mean others would stay silent.

“Oh? So Eldest Uncle didn’t buy it?” Jia Xiaotao’s eyes gleamed with mockery as she deliberately made a dramatic fuss, looking eager for entertainment. “Don’t tell me some wild man gave it to her?”

“What nonsense are you spouting?!”

Before Li Tiantian could explode in anger, Li Jianguo slammed the table violently.

“Cousin-in-law, you can eat carelessly, but you can’t speak carelessly! I already overlooked the fact that you stuff yourself with meat from our table and then insult us the moment you put down your chopsticks. But if you ruin my daughter’s reputation, then just you wait and see what I…”

He paused midway, seemingly unable to think of a proper threat. Then, noticing his wife Wang Cuihua beside him, he declared:

“Then just see whether Tiantian’s mother tears apart that filthy mouth of yours.”

Wang Cuihua shot her husband a speechless glance, but since they were united against outsiders, she did not undermine him in front of everyone. Instead, she followed up:

“That’s right. Cousin-in-law, if you can’t keep your mouth under control and keep spouting baseless nonsense like that, then I’ll personally teach you how to behave!”

Jia Xiaotao froze awkwardly and let out a dry laugh.

“Why are Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt so angry? You know me, I just have a loose tongue. I don’t mean any harm.”

At that moment she suddenly remembered why she had come in the first place. Slapping her thigh, she scooted forward excitedly.

“Oh right! I actually came because of Tiantian. I saw the meat earlier and got so distracted I forgot all about it.”

For once, she accidentally told the truth. Hadn’t she indeed forgotten her real purpose the moment she smelled meat?

Jia Xiaotao sat down eagerly and lowered her voice mysteriously.

“You know the Sun family from the neighboring village, right? Their son’s almost twenty and looking for a wife. They’re willing to buy the Three Big Items and even offer a hundred yuan in bride price. Such a great match! So naturally I thought of Tiantian and hurried over to let you know.”

“No need.” Li Tiantian, who had just enjoyed watching her parents put Jia Xiaotao in her place, was still secretly delighted inside. Seeing the topic suddenly shift, she quickly interrupted, “Anyone introduced by Sister-in-law is definitely unreliable.”

“Hey! You child, how can you talk like that?” Jia Xiaotao immediately became unhappy. She jabbed her husband, who was still poking through the empty dish with his chopsticks searching for leftover meat.

“Erniu, don’t you think this girl gets more unruly the older she grows?”

Li Erniu mumbled a couple vague responses and continued digging around for meat.

Frustrated, Jia Xiaotao glared at him in disgust before turning back to Wang Cuihua.

“Eldest Aunt, don’t you think those conditions sound pretty good?”

Wang Cuihua frowned. Honestly speaking, the prospective groom’s conditions did sound excellent, enough to make her hesitate slightly.

After thinking for a moment, she asked:

“Is he really as good as you say?”

“Mom…” Li Tiantian immediately became unhappy. She already had Xie Li now. She had absolutely no interest in meeting other men.

But Wang Cuihua ignored her entirely and continued chatting enthusiastically with Jia Xiaotao.

Li Tiantian grew so angry her face turned red. Stomping her foot, she saw her mother still refusing to acknowledge her and muttered quietly:

“Anyway, I’m not marrying him. Whoever likes him can marry him themselves.”

With that, she spun around and stormed back into her room, preferring not to look at them anymore.

Wang Cuihua did not take it seriously. What girl did not eventually get married? It was obviously just childish anger.

So she continued discussing the matter enthusiastically with Jia Xiaotao.

…

Furious, Li Tiantian marched back into her room. The moment she entered, she heard movement.

Looking up, she saw a chubby little boy inside her room, holding a very familiar-looking box and smearing its contents around recklessly.

“What are you doing?!”

Li Tiantian’s mind blanked for a second before she exploded in anger.

“Li Tiansheng, are you looking for a beating?!”

The chubby boy had always been spoiled rotten by his parents and had grown into a bratty little tyrant. Normally he never cared if Li Tiantian got angry.

But this time was different.

Seeing how terrifying her expression looked, he instantly panicked. His eyes darted around before he suddenly burst into fake tears.

“Mom! Mom! Save me! Help! Someone’s hitting me!”

Of the four adults chatting in the main hall, three immediately froze before scrambling toward Li Tiantian’s room.

Before leaving, Jia Xiaotao viciously pinched her husband under the arm.

“You big useless pig! Your son’s crying and you’re still stuffing your face. Why don’t you just choke to death eating?”

Li Erniu yelped loudly, but he did not dare argue with his fierce wife. He quickly stood up.

“Not eating anymore, not eating anymore. Let’s go see our son.”

The moment they entered the room and saw Li Tiantian trying to snatch something from her son’s hands, Jia Xiaotao panicked and shouted:

“What are you doing?! Li Tiantian, how dare you bully my son! Are you tired of living?!”

Then she rushed over protectively and forcefully slapped Li Tiantian’s hand away.

Caught off guard, Li Tiantian staggered from the force and nearly crashed into the cabinet nearby.

Wang Cuihua had a fiery temper too. Supporting her daughter, she suppressed her anger and swept a cold glance over Jia Xiaotao and her son before asking:

“Tiantian, why are you fighting with Tiansheng?”

Li Erniu and Jia Xiaotao’s son was named Li Tiansheng. He was eight years old, exactly the age where children were hated by everyone around them. Aside from kids his own age, there was practically nobody in the village who liked him.

Wang Cuihua had already decided it must have been Li Tiansheng causing trouble. Otherwise, her obedient and well-behaved daughter would never have gotten angry.

All she needed was one word from Li Tiantian before throwing them out.

“Mom, he ruined my snow cream.” Li Tiantian was both angry and anxious, nearly in tears.

Jia Xiaotao froze before glancing at the object in her son’s hand.

“Th-this…” She stammered for half the sentence before no longer knowing what to say. Pretending to be furious, she viciously pinched her son’s backside. “All you ever do is cause trouble for your mother!”

Then her eyes rolled cunningly before she turned toward Li Tiantian.

“Tiantian, your nephew’s still young. Don’t stoop to his level, alright?”

Protected by his mother, the chubby little brat already knew that, just like every other time, nothing bad would happen to him. Acting completely unconcerned, he dug out another huge glob of snow cream and raised it high.

“Mom, I just wanted to put some on your face. Lower your head. I’ll help rub it on.”

If Jia Xiaotao claimed she did not care about snow cream, that was obviously a lie. Seeing how thoughtful her son was being, she felt secretly delighted, though on the surface she scolded him:

“You child. I know you’re filial, but you can’t fool around in front of outsiders like this. Put it away. We’ll go home and use it later.”

It was obvious she had no intention whatsoever of returning the snow cream.

“Do you people even have any shame?!” Li Tiantian nearly died of anger. Looking toward Wang Cuihua, she called out pitifully:

“Mom…”

Wang Cuihua’s expression turned icy.

“Cousin-in-law, if you want to take the item, then pay for it.”

“Oh my, we’re all family. Why would taking one tiny thing require money?” Jia Xiaotao instantly forgot everything she had just said moments earlier. Calling themselves family over and over, she covered her mouth while laughing.

“Tiantian, dear, it’s only a little box. Sister-in-law knows you’re the most generous. Why not let your little brother have it to play with?”

“No!”

Forget paying for it. Even if they offered money, Li Tiantian would never sell it.

This was something Xie Li had given her.

Grabbing Wang Cuihua’s sleeve, she called out once more:

“Mom…”

Wang Cuihua had already started rolling up her sleeves.

“Jia Xiaotao, say one more word. Hand over the item right now, or don’t blame me for getting rough.”

Jia Xiaotao’s expression darkened slightly. She truly was afraid of this eldest aunt who never acted according to common sense, so she sneered in a mocking tone:

“Fine, fine, fine. We’ll return it. Isn’t it just some stupid thing? It’s not like we care about it anyway.”

After saying that, she snatched the snow cream from her son’s hands and threw it back rudely.

Thunk.

It hit the wall, bounced once, then landed on the bed.

Looking at the lid hanging half-open and the snow cream reduced to less than half a box, Li Tiantian’s nose suddenly stung. Large tears rolled down her cheeks one after another.

“…It’s all ruined.”

Catching sight of this, Wang Cuihua’s anger surged upward instantly.

“Pay for it!”

Did they really think the whole family was easy to bully if nobody lost their temper? She had already tolerated supporting those three freeloaders for more than ten years. Before, she had only endured it for her husband’s sake. But now she no longer wanted to.

“Li Jianguo, stop sitting there silently! You’re the one who insisted on helping them, and look what kind of ungrateful wolves you raised! Tell me clearly, what are you going to do about this?!”

Li Jianguo had been frowning deeply the entire time. Hearing those words, he glanced at his foolish nephew, then at his wife’s ugly expression and his daughter’s pitifully wronged face. Rubbing his temples helplessly, he finally said:

“Pay for it.”

“Pay for it?” Jia Xiaotao jumped up instantly. “It’s not even broken! Why should we pay? I don’t have any money!”

“I remember snow cream costs about three yuan a box.” Li Jianguo’s face remained expressionless as he swept his gaze over the family of three. “If you don’t repay this money… then I won’t support you with another single cent ever again. And don’t even think about getting another grain of rice from my house in the future!”

“What?” Even Li Erniu panicked. “Uncle, my family doesn’t have that much money!”

“Then you can owe it,” Wang Cuihua said coldly. One hand comfortingly patted her upset daughter while the fury in her heart refused to subside. “Until you pay it back, don’t come to our house again.”

So what Li Jianguo meant was that as long as they eventually repaid the three yuan, he still planned to continue supporting those three freeloaders afterward?

…

The farce dragged on for a long time.

Li Erniu and his wife rolled around making scenes and refusing to compensate them.

It was useless. Li Jianguo would not back down.

Furious, Jia Xiaotao grabbed her son by the ear and beat him viciously.

Wang Cuihua felt slightly soft-hearted seeing it, but after looking at her daughter, she still said nothing.

Facing the suddenly hard-hearted couple, Jia Xiaotao shot her useless husband a resentful glare. Throwing out one final hateful remark, she scooped up her son and stormed away bitterly.

Nobody had expected this matter would ultimately end with the two families completely falling out.

Once they had finally disappeared from sight, Wang Cuihua tidied the chaotic room while looking at her daughter, who still lay nearby crying. She let out a long sigh.

“Li Jianguo, I truly don’t even know what to say to you anymore.”

Li Jianguo looked dazed.

“Sigh… I don’t know how things ended up like this either.”

At first, he had simply felt that Li Erniu and his wife had it hard. They were children without parents or elders. If young people were lazy, then so be it. As their uncle, he could take care of them a little more in daily life.

He had never expected things would develop this far…

Narrowing his eyes, Li Jianguo finally hardened his resolve.

Sometimes, relatives needed to be cut off when it was time.

“In the future, if their family comes knocking again, don’t open the door. I’m only his uncle, not his father. I don’t have the obligation to support their entire family forever.”

Wang Cuihua looked shocked with delight.

“Old Li, you finally figured it out.”

Li Jianguo laughed bitterly.

What was so surprising about that?

Truthfully, he had long since grown sick of that parasitic family too. He had simply suppressed it before, stubbornly clinging to face and too embarrassed to say anything. Now that things had exploded, it was actually for the best.

Once the issue in his heart had been settled, Li Jianguo turned to look at his daughter. Remembering the question still bothering him, his expression became stern again.

“Tiantian, explain clearly first. Where exactly did that snow cream come from?”

“Xie Li gave it to me…”

Just thinking about it made Li Tiantian want to cry again. This was the first gift she had ever received in her life, and now it had been ruined like this. Holding the half-empty box of snow cream, the more she thought about it, the worse she felt. Her eyes reddened again.

Her parents said the other family would repay the money, but even with compensation, they could never buy the exact same gift again.

“You have some sort of improper relationship with that educated youth boy?”

Li Jianguo’s face suddenly darkened as he irritably patted his pockets searching for cigarettes.

“No.”

Still crying, Li Tiantian failed to notice his expression. She thought blankly: what improper relationship? They absolutely didn’t have one.

Feeling wronged, she explained:

“I just saved him that day and took him to the clinic, so today he gave me this as a thank-you gift. I originally wanted to keep it forever, but now it’s all ruined.”

“Was it really only a thank-you gift?” Li Jianguo asked suspiciously.

Li Tiantian hesitated briefly before lowering her voice.

“He also said he likes me, and I… I like him too.”

“No!”

“Huh?” Li Tiantian wiped her tears in confusion and looked at Li Jianguo, who suddenly seemed ready to explode. “What’s wrong, Dad? What do you mean no?”

“From now on, you’re not allowed to casually accept things from him anymore. And you’re absolutely forbidden from meeting that educated youth alone again.”

Li Tiantian froze.

“Why?”

She knew these matters could affect a girl’s reputation before marriage, making people gossip. But she had already said Xie Li liked her. Xie Li was such a good person. At worst, they could simply get engaged. Once engaged, normal interactions would no longer attract criticism from the villagers. So why was her father still this angry?

After thinking carefully, Li Tiantian spoke cautiously:

“Dad, if you think this isn’t proper, then I…” Her cheeks quietly reddened. “I’ll ask him to come propose marriage.”

“He’s a poor educated youth. What exactly is he going to use to support you?” Li Jianguo shot back mercilessly. “One box of snow cream was enough to buy you over? Think about it carefully. Compared to your cousin, he’s basically the same. Lazy, skipping work half the time, barely earning any work points from the production team, and constantly spending money. He’s been in the village for two years now. Every other educated youth receives packages from family, but he never does. Who knows how much money he even has left? How can you marry him? Can he even afford a bride price?”

Li Tiantian was scolded so fiercely she nearly went blank.

After finally recovering, she desperately thought for a long while before answering seriously:

“I don’t want a bride price!”

“If you don’t want a bride price, then what are you going to eat and drink?” Seeing his daughter’s elbow already turning outward toward another man, Li Jianguo felt heartbroken. “He doesn’t even have a house. If you marry him, where will you sleep? On the communal kang bed at the educated youth dormitory with him? Or in some broken straw hut outside?”

Watching his daughter fall silent in shock, Li Jianguo assumed he had finally persuaded her. Relieved, he stated firmly:

“So I absolutely will not allow you to be together with him. Return the money for the snow cream later and stop talking to him.”

Li Tiantian froze.

Then she glared fiercely at Li Jianguo before running out of the house with red-rimmed eyes.

“I’m not talking to you anymore!”

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