No one expected Chen Zhi, who had always been weak and at her mother-in-law's mercy, to finally stand up!
She didn't just talk the talk; she immediately went back to her room, packed her things, and left with her son, who was still asleep.
Seeing that she was serious, Aunt Qian was not to be outdone and immediately started a scene, crying and making a fuss.
But this time, Chen Zhi was resolute. If they wanted to die, she would die with them. She had long been fed up with this kind of life anyway. In any case, she had to leave this home today!
Shen Chunhua and Liu Dasheng tried to stop her, while Xia Weiliang helped hold her son, Zhuangzhuang.
Although Zhuangzhuang was only a little over five years old, he was well-nourished and grew up strong. Just as his name suggested, he was as sturdy as a little calf. Xiao Yi glanced at him and said, "Give him to me."
He then took the child from her arms. Zhuangzhuang was still groggy, seeming to be unaware of what was happening. However, seeing his grandmother and mother fighting, he didn't seem scared or flustered. He even yawned and nestled in Xiao Yi's arms to continue sleeping.
Without asking, it was obvious that for the child, this scene was commonplace.
Xia Weiliang wanted to go and help, but Xiao Yi pulled her back, shaking his head: "As a man, if he doesn't show his attitude, he will only harm the woman for a lifetime."
Xia Weiliang was stunned, then nodded resolutely.
Yan Zhi and Da Yang's task was to protect Xia Weiliang while preventing any real trouble from occurring on the other side.
Finally, it was Liu Dasheng who smashed a jar in anger, which finally stunned the two.
Chen Zhi came back to her senses and left without any further ado. She took her son from Xiao Yi, and without looking back, she left.
"You ungrateful wretch! Do whatever you want, even if you die outside, it has nothing to do with my Liu family! But you're not taking my grandson away!" Aunt Qian tried to chase after her, but her son stopped her.
"Mom, can you stop making a scene? Are you satisfied only when I'm separated from my wife and child?"
Seeing his son's tears, especially the intense resentment in his eyes, Aunt Qian was stunned. "Dasheng, how can you talk to me like that? I've done so much for you..."
"Don't talk about doing what's best for me anymore! If you truly wanted what's best for me, you wouldn't make things so difficult for the woman I married!"
In the courtyard, Aunt Qian began to wail loudly again.
But this time, her crying sounded much more heartbroken, indicating that she was truly hurt by her son.
When Shen Chunhua came out, she looked exhausted. "This family..."
She didn't say much more, as everyone understood.
"Sigh, let's go find Chen Zhi."
She didn't need to ask; she knew where Chen Zhi had gone, so she hurried to find her.
Upon arriving at Sun Xiaomei's doorstep, she heard crying from inside.
"Xiaomei, it's Mom's fault..."
"Mom..."
Seeing the mother and daughter hugging each other, Xia Weiliang's eyes welled up. She leaned towards Xiao Yi and whispered, "I like this ending."
He knew she was referring to the world after rebirth, where Chen Zhi had not erupted and had chosen to endure, even cooperating with her in-laws to cruelly abandon her daughter.
Compared to Sun Xiaomei in that life, even if she had been provided with educational opportunities and a different life, the pain of being abandoned in childhood would have become a lifelong shadow.
Xiao Yi naturally understood her. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his embrace, "Yes, me too."
Shen Chunhua had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. She scolded Chen Zhi for being useless and asked how she could be so heartless as to abandon her daughter here, leaving her to live alone for so long. It was as if she had no mother, no, it was more cruel than having no mother!
Chen Zhi felt even more regretful, her tears never stopping.
But after the scolding, Shen Chunhua quickly notified her husband and younger brother to come and help tidy up Sun Xiaomei's house so that Chen Zhi and her son could also stay there.
It was only when she truly moved in that Chen Zhi realized how difficult her daughter's life had been. She rarely visited, and when she did, she would quickly leave some rice, flour, oil, or give her some money, and then leave in a hurry.
Therefore, she had never properly looked at her daughter's home. Opening the cupboard, she saw only a small plate of pickled vegetables and half a hard, uncooked steamed bun. Knowing that this was what her daughter had left for her lunch, Chen Zhi couldn't bear it and crouched down, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Mom, don't cry, don't cry..."
Sun Xiaomei also started crying along with her.
Zhuangzhuang didn't understand what was happening. Seeing his mother crying again, he thought his sister had angered her. He picked up a stone and was about to throw it at her, yelling curses that Aunt Qian usually used.
Chen Zhi suddenly stood up, came over, grabbed him, and spanked him hard on his bottom: "This is your sister!"
Zhuangzhuang also cried loudly, not understanding why his mother no longer loved him after coming here.
As things were in chaos here, Liu Dasheng unexpectedly showed up at this moment, carrying his luggage.
Chen Zhi was stunned. "You..."
"I've moved out." He said in a low voice, his cheeks flushed. "I, I'll live with you from now on. From now on... I'll support you all, and I won't let you or Xiaomei suffer."
Chen Zhi was first stunned and remained unresponsive for a long time. Her reaction made Liu Dasheng feel even more uncomfortable.
Then, she turned her face away and forcefully wiped away her tears.
Sun Xiaomei was still a child, and upon hearing this, she was both happy and scared.