Chapter 106: You Heard It

“Wait!”
Du’s mother stopped Du Man.

“Mom, what are you doing?”
Though Du Man resented her mother’s attitude toward Xu Fei, after all, she was still a member of the Du family.

“What am I doing? Is this how a sister-in-law should speak to me? And you, as her sister-in-law, have nothing to say?”
Du’s mother glared at Xu Qing.

“You insolent girl, how dare you speak to me like this in my own house? There’s not a decent person in your Xu family.”

“What did you say?”
Xu Qing straightened her chest, but as a young girl, she seemed to lack confidence before Du’s mother.

With a sharp slap, Du’s mother struck Xu Qing across the face.

“Did I give you too much face? Who do you think you’re talking to?”

“Mom?”
Du Man was shocked to see her mother hit Xu Qing. She hurried forward, shielding Xu Qing.

“Xu Qing, are you alright?”
Xu Qing had never suffered such humiliation. Pointing at Du’s mother, she cried, “You—you dared to hit me?”

“Hit you? I’m disciplining you for your sister-in-law’s sake, teaching you what rules are. Speak to me politely, do you understand?”

Xu Qing cared little for such words. She shoved Du Man aside and charged forward, knocking Du’s mother to the ground.

Du’s mother, already in her fifties, landed flat on her back, limbs splayed. She lay there, rubbing her waist.

“Oh heavens! The Xu family has come to assault us! Is there no one left in the Du family?”

Her cries lit up the house. A man in his fifties emerged, followed by Du Man’s elder brother, Du Ying.

“Who’s there?”
Du Ying saw his mother sitting on the floor, wailing, and rushed to her side.

“Mom, what happened to you?”

With her husband and son present, Du’s mother immediately felt emboldened.

“Du Ying, look! This insolent girl is Xu Fei’s sister. She and your sister have come to fight today.”

Du Ying had never liked the Xu family. Xu Fei had embarrassed him in the street before. He shot to his feet, his anger boiling over.

“You’re Xu Fei’s sister?”

“Yes, what of it? Xu Fei is my brother. Who are you?”
Xu Qing glared at Du Ying.

---

Du Man knew her brother’s temper. She feared tonight’s quarrel would escalate and hurried forward to pull Du Ying back.

“Brother, Xu Qing didn’t mean it. She’s young and doesn’t understand. Let’s not fuss over a child.”

Du Ying glared at Du Man.

“You traitor! Didn’t you see her push our mother?”

“I told you, it wasn’t intentional, brother…”

But Du Ying refused to listen. He dragged Du Man aside, rolled up his sleeves, and strode up to Xu Qing, grabbing her collar.

“You little brat, are you looking for trouble?”
He slapped Xu Qing’s face again.

“Stop!”
Du Man cried out, rushing forward and pushing Du Ying away, spreading her arms to shield Xu Qing.

“Why are you hitting her?”

“She pushed our mother. Why shouldn’t I hit her?”
Du Ying’s face was furious; he pointed at Xu Qing coldly. “Hitting her is nothing. Listen, little thing, if my mother’s injury is serious, I’ll make you pay, believe it!”

Xu Qing clutched her face, her head spinning from the two slaps.

“Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, I want my brother!”
Xu Qing sobbed and ran out the door.

“Xu Qing!”
Du Man glanced back, then turned to her mother. “Mom, you started it. If Xu Fei hears about this, what are we going to do?”

At that moment, Du’s father, who had remained silent, spoke coldly. “Du Man, so what if Xu Fei knows? His sister pushed your mother—just look at her now.”

He stepped forward. “Fengzhi, are you alright?”

Du’s mother laughed as she stood. “I’m fine, just wanted to scare that girl.”

She looked at Du Man. “Look at our precious daughter, siding with outsiders for her sister-in-law’s sake, even angry with me.”

She pointed at Du Man. “I’ve truly wasted my efforts raising you.”

Du Man realized her mother was pretending. Furious, she stomped her foot.

“You people!”

She knew reasoning with her family was impossible, so she turned to chase after Xu Qing, worried that something might happen to the girl in the night.

She soon caught up, finding Xu Qing ahead, wiping tears as she walked.

---

When Du Man caught up, Xu Qing glanced at her with annoyance.

“Why are you following me? Go back to your family.”

“You…”

Du Man couldn’t find the words.

“I’m sorry.”

Xu Qing shot her a sideways look. “Sorry? What good does an apology do?”

Du Man frowned deeply.

“Xu Qing, I really have no choice. They…”

She truly had nowhere to turn—caught between her mother and brother on one side, her sister-in-law on the other. How could she, as both wife and daughter, balance these relationships?

Soon, they entered the house.

Xu Qing went straight to Xu Fei’s room.

“Xu Fei, Xu Fei…”

She stood inside, and Xu Fei opened his eyes, rubbing them as he looked at Xu Qing.

“What happened to you two?”

Du Man stepped forward. “Does your waist still hurt?”

“It’s much better,” Xu Fei replied, though in truth, a tendon injury takes a hundred days to heal; it would be at least ten days before his waist recovered.

“Xu Fei, are you even a man of the Xu family anymore?”
Xu Qing pointed at him.

“What are you talking about?”
Xu Fei was taken aback.

“We just went to the Du house…”

Xu Qing glanced at Du Man.

“You went to the Du house?”
Xu Fei turned to Du Man.

“It’s like this: Xu Qing said your waist needed ice, and I remembered my father often has ice cubes in the fridge for coffee.”

“Ice—my waist will heal with rest,” Xu Fei said helplessly, then looked at the furious Xu Qing. “What’s wrong with you?”

“What’s wrong with me?”
Xu Qing glanced at Du Man.

“Your mother-in-law and brother-in-law each slapped me. They said there’s not a decent person in the Xu family.”

She finished, pointing at Xu Fei. “Xu Fei, you heard it. As a Xu family man, the only man in this house, what are you going to do about it?”