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墨書 Inktalez
I dodged to the side, and she lost her balance, falling face-first into the dirt. My brother-in-law kicked at me with his big foot, but I seized his ankle and flipped him onto the ground.
My father-in-law and mother-in-law were still eager to join in. Just then, my cousin couple returned, each grabbing one of us: "He took back the yard and wants our money! If you dare to shortchange us even a single cent this year, you can forget about having a good time!"
In an instant, chaos erupted.
I pulled my son aside and pretended to make a phone call. "Director Jin, someone is fighting in my house again. Hurry up and take them away!"
My cousins immediately stopped but continued to berate my father-in-law: "You old fool, you've harmed your own daughter and now you're trying to harm your son-in-law too. Aren't you afraid of retribution?"
My mother-in-law angrily retorted, "Did you not benefit at all? You got that huge yard for just eighty thousand! The yard and house belong to you now; if you can't keep it safe, don't blame us!"
Suddenly, my cousin jumped next to me. "Brother-in-law, I was deceived by these old fools' sweet talk. Let me tell you about my sister..."
My father-in-law interrupted him like a deflated balloon: "Nephew, let's keep our matters private. Come on, let's go home; I'll give you some money..."
The noisy group left.
After moving the New Year's goods I had bought with a month's salary into the house, my son and I began preparing food and drinks.
Every year, I bought these things, but they all had to be taken to my father-in-law's house. Not only that, but we also had to take care of everyone's meals. They would sit there playing cards or chatting, and as soon as the dishes were served, they would dig in without waiting for us. By the time we finished our work, we could only eat what was left over.
Once, my wife secretly gave our son a chicken foot, which was snatched away by Haohao from my sister-in-law's family. He held it up triumphantly in front of his mother and my mother-in-law: "Auntie stole food for that little brat!"
My mother-in-law rushed into the kitchen yelling: "You spoil this little rascal!"
My wife said quietly, "Mom, you've all eaten enough; what's wrong with giving the child a chicken foot?"
My father-in-law came in and slapped her on the head: "How can you talk to your mother like that?"
How have we been living all these years?
My wife passed away five years ago.
I took her memorial photo out from the cabinet and placed it properly on the table facing the door. I set up offerings and lit three incense sticks: "Son, come here and bow to your mother!"
In the first year after her passing, when I wanted to display her photo, my mother-in-law came over and snatched it away: "Her parents are still alive; who are you trying to irritate with this?"
I endured it and had to put the photo back in the cabinet.
One night I woke up to see my son holding his mother's photo, crying inconsolably.
In the years since then, my wife has had to stay hidden in the cabinet.
Now, I want my wife to receive our mourning and offerings just like other departed souls.
After a long night of tidying up, I suddenly heard a loud bang at the front door. My Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, Sister-in-law, and Brother-in-law stormed in with an intimidating presence.
"Cheng, get out here! I'll break your legs!" my Brother-in-law shouted, brandishing a butcher's knife.
My Father-in-law and "A Load to Carry" began smashing things in the yard—water tanks, the carport, duck frames... even the glass and headlights of my battered van were shattered.
As I remained inside, their ruckus grew louder. My son looked anxiously outside and asked, "Dad, what should we do?"
"Don't be afraid, son!" I reassured him while dialing a number. "Director Jin, it's me..."
The police car arrived with sirens blaring, catching the family red-handed. I showed the officer the video I had recorded on my phone.
Director Jin surveyed them with a stern expression. "Damaging someone else's property is serious. Let's go; you'll spend New Year's in detention!"
My Father-in-law and the others were completely taken aback by my actions.
"Comrade, we're family! We're just having a little domestic dispute! Brother-in-law, say something!" my Brother-in-law pleaded as he was handcuffed.
I glanced at the chaos and destruction in the yard. "Is this how you handle family matters?"
My Father-in-law stubbornly retorted, "Cheng, who do you think you are? Do you believe I won't kill you one day?!"
Director Jin waved his hand dismissively. "Take them away. A couple of days in a cold cell will teach you not to threaten anyone!"
With shiny handcuffs on each of them, the police pushed them into the patrol car.
Seeing things getting serious, my Brother-in-law's wife softened first. "Brother-in-law! Your little nephew is still sleeping at home... Please don't let them take me away!"
Director Jin shot me a look, and reluctantly I said, "You all broke so many of my things..."
"We'll pay! We'll pay!" Everyone quickly backed down.
After all the commotion, neighbors gathered around to watch the spectacle. My Father-in-law and Mother-in-law were notorious in the village for being unreasonable and difficult to deal with. People whispered among themselves:
"What kind of people are they? This is their daughter's home! Even if they don't care about their deceased daughter, they should think of their grandson!"
"How can they not care? They treated her the same way when she was alive!"
"A cornered rabbit will bite; this honest son-in-law is truly desperate now!"
"Exactly."
Uncle Village Chief was called over by Director Jin. Uncle Village Chief was a good man, but unfortunately, my husband and I had been too timid to stand up for ourselves in the past, leaving him helpless in urgent situations. Now that I was standing firm, his eyes were filled with gentle admiration.
After compensating for my losses and receiving a scolding from Director Jin, my father-in-law and his wife walked through the crowd with their heads down, accompanied by a group of people.
On the first day of the New Year, we still had to go through the customary rituals. My son and I brought New Year gifts and went to visit my mother-in-law's house to pay our respects. Many people looked at me with unfriendly eyes, but no one said anything. After all, my son was also part of their family, so for the sake of appearances, I didn't want things to become too awkward.
Since my husband and I were outsiders, we needed to visit each relative in the family to pay our New Year greetings. My sister-in-law called out to my son, "Cheng Cheng, you don't need to follow your dad anymore. Stay at home and play with your two cousins."
Within five degrees of kinship, there were more than ten families related to my father-in-law. By the time we finished visiting them all, it was already time for lunch. Just as we reached the entrance of my father-in-law's house, we heard my son's piercing cries coming from inside.
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