How I Tamed My Wolfish Husband Back in 80s-Chapter 71 - Itchy Skin_1
71: Chapter 71: Itchy Skin_1
71 -71: Itchy Skin_1
Qin Jin was not idle either, he helped set up the dishes, serve the rice, and the family gathered around the table.
The grandparents and grandchild complimented Li Qiao’s cooking while they ate.
Inspired by the praise, Li Qiao said, “I’ll cook again when I’m free next time.”
“…”
It was getting dark after dinner.
The family of three went out for a walk together to help digest their meal.
As Li Qiao picked up mushrooms, she couldn’t help but take a closer look whenever she passed by a haystack.
When they reached the entrance of the village, Old Mrs.
Qin said, “We didn’t collect any eggs early this morning; Jin, go and pick some up while it’s still dark.”
Qin Jin walked down the slope.
Li Qiao kept her eyes on his retreating figure and with her keen vision, caught a glimpse of light and shadow near the broken wall.
Was someone there?
Had the chickens been discovered?
If Qin Jin went to collect the eggs at this time, could he be mistaken for a chicken thief?
She immediately let out an “ouch.”
Qin Jin and the old lady looked at her at the same time.
They asked in concern, “Qiaoqiao, what’s wrong?”
The former returned.
Li Qiao whispered, “There seems to be someone in the house.”
“Someone?”
“Yeah, I saw someone using a flashlight.”
“Even with my glasses on, I didn’t see anyone with a flashlight.
How can your nearsighted eyes be so sharp?” said Old Mrs.
Qin.
Li Qiao replied, “You probably weren’t paying attention, besides, being nearsighted doesn’t mean I am blind.”
“I’ll sneak over and see who’s there.” Now mentally prepared, Qin Jin took a detour towards the broken house.
Old Mrs.
Qin and Li Qiao chatted idly while waiting.
After about half an hour, Li Qiao said, “Grandma, it’s been a good while, how come Jin hasn’t come back yet?
He didn’t go home, did he?”
“Impossible.”
While they were speaking, Qin Jin came back from the village with a happy expression and said:
“Feng Hu and his brother found the chickens.
They were catching chickens with flashlights.
Since I saw them, they shared, and I got half a chicken.
Just went home to pour boiling water and finished butchering the chicken.”
Li Qiao: “…..”
Old Mrs.
Qin doubled over with laughter, the story of the chicken really started with Yu Feng eating their family’s rabbit.
Today Yu Feng got a bowl of eel shreds from their family, and their family got half a chicken from the Feng Family.
A loss and a gain, in the end, it was still her family who benefited.
“I bet your auntie is seething.”
“Why did they let themselves get seen by me while catching chickens?
It’s quite decent of me not to report them.
Sharing half is only right,” Qin Jin said.
Li Qiao felt sorry for the old hen; there would be no more eggs to eat in the future.
…..
The family of three walked slowly back.
From afar, they could hear Yu Feng’s curses.
She didn’t dare to curse Qin Jin, nor did she want to spread the word about the chicken, so she took advantage of the knitting topic to berate her older daughter-in-law for being useless and stupid, unable to learn even simple knitting, couldn’t bear a son, had no ability to make money, and wasted the days away idly.
The older daughter-in-law had just finished dredging ditches, her waist and back aching painfully, and she hadn’t rested for a few days; she snapped back a couple of retorts.
Yu Feng threw herself on the ground and bemoaned her ungrateful eldest son, scolding that the daughter-in-law was walking all over her, and he didn’t even discipline her.
Provoked by anger, Feng Hu’s older brother Feng Bing clenched his fists and charged at his wife menacingly.
The older daughter-in-law, He Xiaohong, received a solid punch and fell to the ground distressed, unable to understand what had happened.
She ran inside, grabbed a bottle of pesticide, and drank it down.
The madness of her act completely dumbfounded the family.
Yu Feng reacted and screamed in alarm, “It’s terrible, she drank poison, help, help!”
Li Qiao was getting ready for bed after washing up.
Hearing the noise, she went out and said to Qin Jin, who was splitting bamboo, “Jin, who did Auntie say drank poison?
It wasn’t Xiaohong, was it?
Next time, just leave their family’s stuff alone.
Auntie is petty and vindictive; she wouldn’t dare confront you directly, so who knows what bad things she might say about you behind your back.
It’s not worth it.”
Previously, when Lame Feng’s case was the talk of the village, and Qin Jin was taken away for questioning, Yu Feng straightforwardly labeled him a murderer.
She was sneering and mocking towards Grandmother.
If something happens in the future, there would certainly be gossip.
She had no intention of teaching them how to knit.
But Yu Feng and Peng Chunhua’s mouths were too fast, and they were unkind.
She was worried that if more people from the village joined,
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law would scheme behind her back.
By teaching them together, she might as well shut their mouths.
Qin Jin had been listening in the yard and knew about the situation at Yu Feng’s home.
He had anticipated that Yu Feng would make a fuss, but he had not expected that in the end He Xiaohong would be the one to suffer, truly dying.
Now that Feng Bing had lost his woman, he would want to blame someone, and that would put Qiaoqiao in danger.
After having his concerns.
He decided to go out and see for himself.
“You go to sleep first, I’ll go over and ask.”
Li Qiao had to get up early for school the next day, so she went back to her room.
Closing the door, the noises from outside were still faintly audible.
She didn’t know how long it passed, but gradually the noise subsided.
And she fell asleep.
The next day, on her way to the outhouse, she bumped into Peng Chunhua and learned for the first time that He Xiaohong had been beaten by Feng Bing after quarreling with Yu Feng.
In a fit of anger, she had drunk pesticide and was rushed to the county hospital for emergency treatment, just regaining consciousness.
Li Qiao was deeply shocked.
She had thought it was merely a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law disagreement, but the men had gotten involved, too.
“Your elder brother too, even if he sides with his own mother, he shouldn’t have laid a hand on his wife.”
He Xiaohong was known as a decent and honest person in the village, impeccable to her children, to her man, to everyone, and yet she too had been beaten.
She didn’t understand.
“Disrespecting your elders warrants a beating, doesn’t it?
Look at me, I never go against my mother,” Peng Chunhua boasted about her filial piety.
Li Qiao disagreed, “Do you have a masochistic streak?
You don’t stand up to your mother-in-law even when she’s riding roughshod over you.
Your sister-in-law did nothing wrong!
If it were me, I wouldn’t drink the pesticide, I’d just take my daughters and get a divorce.”
“Get a divorce?
Where would you go after that?
Who would provide for you?
Not to criticize you, but if you divorced Jin, unless you got admitted to college and never came back, you’d be so hunched over from people poking and prodding the moment you did.”
Peng Chunhua also had her own fears; a woman married to a family where no one cared about her would truly have no way to live.
Li Qiao was rendered speechless.
She herself was an example, after all.
When she first arrived, she had considered divorcing Qin Jin.
But when she visited her own family, seeing Li Jinhua alone was frustrating enough; they weren’t as genuine as her in-laws.
Sigh, a woman without the support of her family had no right even to divorce.
Because she had no place to go.
Heartbroken, she could only heal and comfort herself.
Thinking it over, it was the women decades later who were fortunate; as long as they were diligent, they could find work and support themselves.
But in these times, even diligence was useless.
“Chunhua, where are you?
It’s time to get to work.”
Even at a critical moment like this, Yu Feng didn’t forget to make Peng Chunhua earn money.
Peng Chunhua’s face changed slightly, and she replied promptly, “I’m coming.” She turned to Li Qiao, “Aren’t you going to school?”
“Of course, I am.
There’s no rush,” Li Qiao strolled home leisurely.
After breakfast, she packed her school bag unhurriedly.
Taking her lunch box, she got into Qin Jin’s car.
As the car hit the road, Qin Jin said, “Why aren’t you talking today?” Normally she chattered away, looking for conversation.
Li Qiao spoke thoughtfully, “I was wondering when you will hit me.”
Qin Jin: “…..” Are you itching for a slap?
“If you really want to be hit that badly, I’m not opposed to obliging.”
Li Qiao chuckled, “Who in their right mind wants to be beaten?
It’s about Xiaohong, they said she drank poison after being beaten by her man, it’s really unsettling.”
“I would never hit you,” Qin Jin assured.
He only fought back at those who first annoyed him, who challenged his temper.
His wife was soft, adorable, and not vexing at all; he cherished her too much.
Even if she annoyed him, he could tolerate it.
If it became too much to bear, he could just leave home.
Li Qiao was silent for a long while, then asked, “What are the reasons your brothers have for beating their wives?”
Qin Jin thought for a moment, “Poverty, I guess.
When people are so poor they can’t fill their stomachs, arguments break out often and when men have a couple of drinks, their temper rises, thinking their woman looks down on them, beating them feels like a relief.”
Li Qiao: “….” So the less capable the man, the hotter his temper?
Arriving at the school gate, Qin Jin stopped the car.
Li Qiao got out and, as usual, planted a kiss on his face, “See you on Saturday.” Then she walked away.
Qin Jin touched his face, feeling a surge of pleasure and sweetness, waiting until Li Qiao entered the school gates before he drove off.
