Chapter 16: Is She Planning to Rebel?

Glancing toward the ward, Liu Chuxue continued, "I've asked my brother-in-law to stay at the health clinic tomorrow to handle the paperwork and pack our things. That way, we can catch the morning bus back to the city right when we return, without any delays."

Chuxue was their mainstay now. The two of them responded in unison, "Alright."

Thinking back to the things her second daughter had told her in private, Mother Liu couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation. She had dreamed of splitting the family to live independently, but before, she hadn't even dared to think it.

That girl was right; before her husband was injured, their lives hadn't been much better. If her husband's leg truly couldn't be healed, their future would likely be even harder. For the second branch of the family, splitting the household would bring more benefits than drawbacks.

However, for the second branch right now, the most urgent priority was raising the money to take him to a major hospital in the city. Whether it was embarrassing or not was a concern they had no time for at the moment.

With such a commotion in the house tonight, the neighbors had surely heard most of it. The effect her daughter wanted had likely been achieved.

Having cleared her thoughts, Mother Liu took a deep breath and stepped into the ward.

Father Liu and his eldest son-in-law were just about to fall asleep, but seeing the three women enter, their sleepiness vanished instantly in fright.

The two of them asked in unison, "Why are you all here again?"

Mother Liu recounted what had happened back home. "That's how it went. Not a single person in the house agreed to use the money to treat your leg. In my agitation, I had a few words with them. The thirty yuan originally mentioned—Father hasn't brought it up again either."

Father Liu's breathing grew heavy with anger, but what could he say? He closed his eyes and said, "If it really can't be helped, then let it be. This is just my fate."

He said those words, but the bulging veins in his neck betrayed how unsettled he truly was.

After listening, Qiu Shaofeng retreated to his wife's side and whispered, "How could Grandpa and Grandma treat Dad like this?"

Mother Liu's eyes were filled with hostility. "Liu Shanliang, we are heading back to the village first thing tomorrow morning. If the family still holds this view, I'm afraid splitting the household will be the only way. Be prepared, and don't blame us for being 'unfilial' when the time comes."

Having said her piece, she didn't look at her husband again. Instead, she turned to her daughter and son-in-law. "It's getting late. Let's see if there's an empty bed in the next ward. If not, we can sleep on the benches in the office hallway. Just make do for tonight."

They were quite lucky; there was still an unoccupied bed in the adjacent ward. Qiu Shaofeng let his wife and sister-in-law rest there while he went to find the benches his mother-in-law had mentioned.

While things were unsettled here, the Liu household was equally restless.

Old Lady Liu tossed and turned on the kang, unable to sleep. "Husband, with the commotion the second family made today, if we truly do nothing, I'm afraid the villagers will point fingers at us."

"Let them point fingers; it's better than throwing money down a drain. Besides, we agreed before—you cannot go soft."

"Looking at the second daughter-in-law's attitude today, I'm afraid she won't compromise so easily."

"She hasn't even given birth to a grandson to carry on the line; do you think she can actually revolt?"

Thinking of something, she let out a cold sneer. "It might be for the best. If he becomes a cripple in the future, he can still work, and he'll be even easier to control. That Chuxue girl has grown up well; she'll graduate in half a year. When the time comes, we can demand a higher bride price from the Chen family, and our Dongzi will secure a good marriage."

"Old man, what if in the future..."

Before she could finish, Old Man Liu interrupted her, "How many times have I told you? Stop dwelling on the past."

The room fell silent instantly.

After a long silence, Old Man Liu spoke again. "Stop overthinking everything. If something was going to happen, it would have happened already. Besides, even if someone does come looking for us in the future, they can't blame us. Don't forget, we weren't even home that day.

Moreover, we've treated everyone fairly in this house all these years. No one can say anything against us."

(End of Chapter)