USWHC -Chapter 108 Getting Beaten Up (Part 8)

Old Madam Ji sat at the head of the bed, utterly miserable, sighing and groaning. Her eyes swept over her daughter and daughter-in-law sitting beside her—one by one, all of them bore scars on their heads.

“What a disaster after another! How are we supposed to live like this? No way! We have to split the family—this time, there’s no avoiding it!” Old Madam Ji slammed her hand on her thigh, venting her fury.

Old Master Ji, however, curled up in the corner of the bed, back against the wall, sighing softly. “Is this really worth it over such a small thing?” he murmured.

“Small thing? Their faces are ruined! How is that a small thing?” Old Madam Ji’s voice shot up two octaves. “Our Mei’s face, so delicate and tender like a chick’s, that I worked so hard to raise such a beautiful girl… and with just one swing of a hoe, it’s all ruined—completely ruined!”

Old Master Ji kept his head bowed, humming quietly, “But it wasn’t Erhan’s doing.” His gaze flicked deliberately toward Sister-in-law You.

Hearing this, Sister-in-law You felt even more wronged. “Mother, it’s not my fault, really!”

Old Madam Ji shot her a scornful look, but it wasn’t the time to dwell on blaming her. She sneered coldly, her tone laced with sarcasm, “Who’s to blame for this? We all know it in our hearts.”

She slammed the big bowl on the table in anger. “Fine, I admit it. I can’t handle a daughter-in-law like this! Husband, we have to split the family. If this keeps going, I’m afraid I’ll end up cracking my skull too!”

Old Master Ji groaned but remained obstinate. “No. This family belongs to Yi. Nobody can split it. If it’s going to split, then we leave!”

At that, the whole room erupted. “How can this be?”

“That’s right! Father, aren’t you being too biased? How can this family just belong to Erhan?” Elder Sister-in-law You was the first to protest. “Even if Erhan contributed more at home, I’ve worked diligently all these years. Even if I didn’t earn merit, I’ve earned sweat! How can it all belong to him alone?”

“Exactly! All these years, haven’t we fed and clothed him? We’ve spent a lot on him, so how can it all be his?” Old Madam Ji also started shouting, “I’ve never wronged him even a bit. You can’t speak such nonsense!”

Old Master Ji countered in a low voice, “Wronged him? You don’t even know if you did.”

“I do know!” Old Madam Ji stomped her foot. “Go ask around. If even one person says I wronged Erhan, I’ll pack up and leave myself!”

Old Master Ji could only chuckle coldly to himself, but seeing Old Madam Ji’s fierce glare, he ducked his head in fear. He didn’t dare take her outside. “Even if you didn’t wrong him, you didn’t treat the eldest or Mei well, right?”

“I didn’t treat him badly?” Old Madam Ji yelled in indignation. “Look at how tall our eldest is, how tall he is! If I treated him badly, could he have grown that tall?”

She waved her hands furiously at Old Master Ji’s forehead, tapping the smooth surface until it made a thudding sound.

Honestly, if one compared them fairly, people might really think all the good things in this household went to Ji Yi.

Just talking about height: Ji Yi stood out like a crane among chickens. Old Master Ji bent over constantly; walking past him, his head barely reached Ji Yi’s waist. Even if he straightened up, he probably wouldn’t reach his chest!

The eldest son grew even smaller, especially next to the burly Ji Yi. From afar, he looked delicate and fragile.

Within the family, the one who looked most “normal” was Ji Mei. Even then, she was only as tall as Zhu Jie; even standing on tiptoe, she could barely reach Ji Yi’s neck.

If people saw them together, they wouldn’t believe Ji Yi grew up tough while the others were pampered.

“Hmph, they grew up on sweet potatoes. If they don’t grow tall, are they going to blame Ji Yi for stealing something from them?” Old Master Ji said stubbornly. “Besides, weren’t the smallest and worst sweet potatoes always given to Yi anyway?”