AD (QT) Chapter 116

Sixth Aunt Han saw Han Ze from a distance, hurrying along with a slab of meat in his hand. She was just about to tease him with a couple of jokes, but Han Ze acted as if she didn’t exist, sweeping past her like a gust of wind.

She stood dazed, staring at Han Ze’s receding back before spitting on the ground. She cursed under her breath, calling him a “white-eyed wolf” and a traitor who looked after outsiders but not his own.

Following the original owner’s memories, Han Ze arrived at the house. Standing at the entrance, he glanced at the brick-and-tile courtyard before him, compared it to the mud huts of the neighbors, paused for a moment, and then walked inside.

Ge Hongbu was hanging laundry with the eldest daughter, Da Niu. When they saw Han Ze approaching with a dark expression, their bodies instinctively trembled.

Han Ze frowned slightly at their reaction. From the original owner’s memories, he knew that ever since Ge Hongbu gave birth to a string of girls followed by a silly son, the original owner had despised her. He frequently beat and scolded the mother and children over the slightest dissatisfaction, leaving them terrified of him.

Seeing her husband’s face grow even darker, Ge Hongbu’s fingers involuntarily tightened around the clothes in her hands. Han Ze shot her a glance but said nothing. He looked toward the kitchen and saw his stepmother, Wang Lanhua, leading his two younger sisters in preparing the midday meal. He looked at the pork in his hand and turned into the kitchen.

Seeing that her husband didn’t speak and instead went to the kitchen, Ge Hongbu breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She looked at her pale-faced daughter beside her, her heart aching with helplessness. She only urged, “Hurry up and finish hanging the clothes,” lest the man get angry if he saw something he didn’t like.

Wang Lanhua was steaming buns in the pot, Han Xiaodong was tending the fire, and Han Xiaochun was washing vegetables. The mother and two daughters were working harmoniously, chatting and laughing.

When Han Ze entered, the three immediately fell silent. Han Ze glanced at them expressionlessly, tossed the pork onto the chopping block, and said, “We’re having braised pork for lunch.”

Without waiting for a response, he walked back out.

The three women looked at each other in bewilderment. Han Ze was overbearing and ruled this house; he never had a kind word for his wife, children, stepmother, or sisters. That piece of pork on the block was actually bought by Wang Lanhua in town that morning. As soon as she had brought it back, the original owner had seen it and tossed out the line, “My mother hasn’t had meat in a long time; I’ll take this to satisfy her craving,” before walking off with it.

Wang Lanhua had wanted to say that the pork bought the last two market days had also been taken to his mother—yet his own father, wife, and children hadn’t tasted meat in ages, and he hadn’t shown a shred of pity for them. But the words stayed stuck in her throat. If she had actually said them, their lives would have been over; Han Ze would have surely turned the world upside down.

Thus, Wang Lanhua hadn’t dared say a word. Even his biological father, Han Maode, didn’t dare provoke this “tyrant,” and had only grumbled a few curses after Han Ze left.

Who would have thought that after leaving with the meat, he would bring it back today? Was the sun rising from the west? Wang Lanhua murmured to herself, but regardless, since Han Ze said to cook it, they would cook it. It was better for the family to eat it than to feed that bottomless pit, Liu Jiahua. She washed and sliced the meat, added plenty of oil and seasoning, and cooked a large, overflowing platter.

When the food was brought to the table, Han Maode returned from outside. The whole family sat around the dining table. Han Ze sat down and glanced at Ge Hongbu and the girls. Seeing them sitting stiffly in fear of his gaze, he snapped irritably, “I’m your father, not a monster that’s going to eat you!”

As soon as he said this, the hands of Ge Hongbu and the girls began to tremble as they held their chopsticks.

Wang Lanhua and her daughters, however, had looks of mockery on their faces, thinking to themselves: With a father like you, it might be easier if you did eat them.

Han Maode shot a cold look: “If you’re going to eat, eat. What are you shouting for?”

Han Ze threw his chopsticks onto the table. “Eat? What’s there to eat? If we don’t clear things up today, nobody’s eating.”

Han Maode’s anger flared, but as the patriarch who knew his son’s temperament, he could only suppress his irritation and ask, “What are you making a fuss about now?”

Han Ze looked at him with a stern face: “I just want to know—whose son is Han Chengming, exactly?”

As soon as these words came out, Wang Lanhua and her daughters were stunned and looked at Han Maode. Ge Hongbu and the girls wished they could shrink into the cracks of the door.

Sensing the scrutiny in Wang Lanhua’s eyes, Han Maode felt ashamed and annoyed. If you were to list the people Han Maode hated most, Liu Jiahua was first, Han Xingwang was second, and Han Chengming was definitely third.

How could he not be? That boy was the living proof of the green hat Liu Jiahua had given him while she was his wife. Seeing him reminded Maode of her betrayal. But since they lived in the same village, Han Maode usually just treated Han Chengming as if he didn’t exist. Now that his son had brought him up so blatantly at the dinner table, how could he not be enraged?

He immediately shouted angrily, “Who does he call ‘Dad’? Don’t you know?”

Han Ze’s eyes widened, and he said with soaring fury, “So, Han Chengming really isn’t your son, Dad?”

Han Maode slammed his chopsticks onto the table with a thwack and roared, “You bastard! If Han Chengming were my son, would I let him call that villain Han Xingwang ‘Dad’?”

Han Ze gritted his teeth and said, “Mother… she really lied to me.”

Han Maode didn’t bother asking what she had lied about; he knew nothing good came from her. He said crossly, “Liu Jiahua is a woman who won’t get out of bed without a profit. Only you would believe her, taking every good bit of food and clothing in this house to her. You think she truly loves you? If she did, why didn’t she show any love before your uncle gave you that silver and land?”

He finished with a sigh of dejection. He had said these words to his son countless times, but the boy never took them to heart. The more Maode spoke, the more it pushed him toward Liu Jiahua. Over time, Maode had become discouraged and given up.

Han Ze’s face flushed: “She lied to me, saying Han Chengming was my biological brother and your son.”

Han Maode looked at Han Ze in disbelief: “She actually said that?”

Han Ze said hatefully, “She didn’t just say that. She also said Xiaoliu is a fool and no one will provide for me in my old age, so I should count on Jixue and Jiwen in the future. If I had known Han Chengming wasn’t my brother, I…”

Han Maode finished his sentence: “You what? You wouldn’t have given them the family’s things?”

Han Ze remained silent.

Han Maode continued, “If you had shown even a shred of trust in me as your father, you would have asked me about Han Chengming long ago instead of working against me and giving our things to our enemies.”

He glanced at his son, whose head was bowed, hiding his expression, and jabbed, “Relying on Han Xingwang’s grandsons to provide for you in your old age? Aren’t you worried you won’t even live long enough to get old?”

In Han Maode’s heart, Han Xingwang was the enemy who stole his wife. Although he no longer had feelings for Liu Jiahua and had remarried, the hatred of a stolen wife is something no man ever forgets.

Han Ze looked up at Han Maode, his eyes bloodshot and filled with immense rage: “I’m going to find Han Chengming and make him spit out everything he swallowed of mine.”

Looking at his son like this, Han Maode felt both angry and pained. He was his only son, after all. He said grimly, “Han Xingwang is a typical villain, a hypocrite. With that old man around, you expect the son to spit back what he’s swallowed? Be smarter from now on. Don’t let Liu Jiahua coax you with a few sweet words until you don’t know north from south and give them everything.”

Han Ze also knew that since there was no evidence for the things he’d given Liu Jiahua in the past, they were likely gone for good. The chance of getting them back was slim. He didn’t actually expect them back; he was just taking a stand. Given the original owner’s overbearing and selfish nature, it would be impossible for him to say nothing after discovering he’d been duped.

Thinking of this, he looked at his silly son, only to see the boy taking advantage of the adults’ distraction. He had extended a grimy little paw into the dish, grabbed a piece of meat, and was stuffing it into his mouth.

Ge Hongbu hadn’t been paying attention to her son. When she saw her husband looking at him, she noticed his actions and broke into a cold sweat. She quickly pulled his hand away and scolded him in a low voice.

Han Ze suddenly spoke: “My son is eating a piece of meat—why are you scolding him? Is that any way to be a mother?”

Ge Hongbu was filled with grievances. In the past, if the boy grabbed food with his hands, the man would either beat or scold him. She had only scolded the child first to lower the man’s temper and prevent a beating. She never expected his attitude to flip so quickly.

Han Maode and the others were also surprised by Han Ze’s reaction.

Han Ze said with a flushed face, “Hmph! Does only Han Chengming have sons? Do I not have a son? Xiaoliu might be a bit silly, but he’s my seed. I, Han Ze, have silver and land. If the town doctor can’t cure him, I’ll go to the county. If the county has no good doctors, I’ll go to the provincial capital. I will find a divine physician to cure him. Even if he doesn’t become as smart as a normal person, as long as he’s better than he is now and can marry and have kids, it’ll be fine. If I can’t count on my son, can I not count on a grandson?”

Hearing her husband’s words, Ge Hongbu’s face lit up with joy.

Han Maode frowned, then thinking of a potential great-grandson, he suddenly slapped the table: “We’ll treat him! Even if it costs a fortune in silver, we will cure Xiaoliu. If you don’t have enough silver, I have some here.”

Han Ze picked up a piece of braised pork and ate it, his thick brows arching: “He’s your grandson; of course you should pay.”

Wang Lanhua remained silent. She never interfered with the family’s money. As long as her two daughters had decent dowries when they married, she had nothing to say. She believed the old man wouldn’t mistreat his own daughters. As for her two sons, the old man hadn’t mistreated them either, having built them houses and helped them start families; their future was up to them. She was quite satisfied with the status quo.

The sisters, Han Xiaodong and Han Xiaochun, remained even more silent. There was no room for them to meddle in the family’s finances.

Han Maode cursed, “You rascal,” but a smile appeared on his face.

Han Ze looked at Ge Hongbu and ordered, “Get a bowl and pick out a few pieces of meat for Xiaoliu. Let him eat. From now on, my son eats whatever he wants. I can neglect anyone, but I won’t neglect my son.”

Ge Hongbu looked at Han Ze cautiously. Han Ze glared: “I told you to get the meat, so get the meat. Why are you looking at me?”

Ge Hongbu hurriedly obeyed, taking a bowl and carefully picking out a few pieces of meat for Xiaoliu.

Han Ze watched her and said impatiently, “Pick more! Are those few pieces meant for a cat?”

Ge Hongbu’s chopsticks paused, and then she added several more pieces.

Han Ze was satisfied. Then he looked at his five daughters and said, “You all eat too. Eat more and put on some weight. Given Xiaoliu’s condition, he won’t be much of a support for you in the future. From now on, not only can you not rely on your brothers from your mother’s side, but you’ll also have to look after Xiaoliu. So, you need to stand tall and be the backbone for your brother.”

Wang Lanhua felt a bit dismissive of Han Ze’s words. With these girls’ timid, quail-like personalities—too scared to even speak a word—he expected them to be a backbone for Xiaoliu? She worried the “mountain” would crumble and bring the whole family down with it.

In fact, it wasn’t just Wang Lanhua who didn’t take Han Ze’s words seriously; even Ge Hongbu and the girls didn’t take them to heart. It wasn’t that they were unwilling to support their brother, but in this era, a married daughter is like spilled water—it wasn’t proper to interfere in her natal family’s affairs. Even Han Maode felt it was unreliable.

Of course, Han Ze wasn’t in a hurry. His goal wasn’t actually to make the girls a backbone for their brother, but to change their temperaments so they could be their own backbones. Naturally, this wasn’t the work of a single day; it would take time.

Han Ze said, as if out of spite, “Let others see—so what if my son is silly? As long as I can afford to raise him, he can provide me with a grandson and perform my funeral rites in the future. I won’t beg anyone, and I certainly won’t count on anyone else’s son for my old age!”

One mention of ‘old age’ after another—your father is still alive and well, and your own twilight years are a long way off, yet you’re already in such a hurry, Wang Lanhua thought. She wondered if this “tyrant” had been driven mad by the provocation from Liu Jiahua and Han Chengming.