The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 42 - 41: A Fight Broke Out

The next morning, when He Ze and Gao Cuiyun returned, He Lang and the others had already gone to work.

He Ze had heard from Gao Cuiyun at the hospital the night before that He Lang was going to build a new house, which made him even more annoyed.

Upon his return, he saw Xue Yue in the courtyard, and his eyes filled with sullen resentment.

The moment Gao Cuiyun saw Xue Yue, she headed straight for her.

Xue Yue saw the couple enter and then saw Gao Cuiyun striding quickly toward her. She immediately assumed a defensive posture.

Sure enough, Gao Cuiyun reached out to hit Xue Yue, but Xue Yue grabbed her hand.

Xue Yue was only stopping her. Thinking of the baby in Gao Cuiyun’s belly, she didn’t fight back.

Seeing He Ze approaching as well, Xue Yue shouted toward the main house, "Ma!"

As soon as Mrs. He stepped outside, she saw He Ze throw Xue Yue to the ground. The sight scared her half to death.

"Good heavens." Mrs. He rushed over to find Xue Yue sitting on the ground, her eyes red-rimmed.

Furious, she glanced around, then ran to grab a stick of firewood and began beating He Ze with it.

"Well now, Second Son! You think you’re so tough now, do you? How dare you hit your sister-in-law? Are you even a man?"

He Ze dodged repeatedly, yelling, "Ma, I didn’t hit her!"

"Am I blind? You beast! You even hit your own sister-in-law."

He Lang had seen He Ze and Gao Cuiyun returning from the village entrance. He felt uneasy, afraid Gao Cuiyun would start trouble with Xue Yue again, so he hurried back. The moment he walked through the gate, he heard his mother’s shout. He saw Xue Yue still sitting on the ground, her eyes brimming with tears. His pupils contracted, his eyes filled with fury, and he clenched his fists.

He went over and helped Xue Yue up. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Xue Yue held up her hand. She had scraped it on the ground, breaking the skin on her palm. Her backside hurt too, but she didn’t say anything.

When Mrs. He saw He Lang come in, she knew there would be trouble.

Sure enough, He Lang strode over, grabbed He Ze by the collar, and punched him in the face.

He Ze was still stunned when He Lang began to beat him. By the time he snapped out of it, the two brothers were brawling.

When Gao Cuiyun saw her husband getting beaten, she screamed. She looked like she was about to pounce, but Mrs. He held her back.

’She just got back from the hospital. The baby must not be harmed.’

As Xue Yue watched the scene unfold, much of her earlier indignation faded. She didn’t step in to pull them apart, mostly because it was obvious that He Ze was the one taking a beating.

It wasn’t until the commotion drew in outsiders, who then called for Mr. He and the others, that the two were finally pulled apart.

He Lang had taken a punch to the corner of his mouth, leaving a slight bruise. He Ze was far worse off—his entire face was a mess.

"What in the world happened here?" Mr. He demanded in a stern voice.

The courtyard fell silent, the only sound being Gao Cuiyun crying off to one side.

Xue Xingzhou walked up to Xue Yue, looked her up and down, and noticed her hand.

"Who hit you?" Xue Xingzhou’s expression was dangerously dark.

All eyes turned to them. Mrs. He’s eyelid twitched, and she quickly tried to signal Mr. He with her eyes.

Mr. He saw his wife blinking repeatedly at him, but for a moment, he didn’t grasp her meaning.

Xue Yue shook her head. "Forget it."

Xue Xingzhou looked at He Lang. "Who hit my sister?"

He Lang glanced at He Ze.

Xue Xingzhou finally understood why the two men had been fighting. He didn’t ask for details. He just strode over to He Ze and sent him flying two meters with a single kick.

"And you call yourself a man? If you’ve got any spine, take me on."

The kick almost knocked the wind out of He Ze. He clutched his stomach, unable to stand up for a long moment.

Mrs. He cried out, "Oh my heavens," and ran over to check on He Ze.

Mr. He’s hands, clasped behind his back, trembled slightly. He glanced at He Ze, then said to Xue Xingzhou, "Kid Xue, calm down. Let’s find out what happened first."

"Xue Yue, what exactly happened? Did He Ze hit you?"

Xue Yue explained, "I was working in the courtyard when Cuiyun came in and tried to hit me. I was worried I might hurt her stomach, so I only grabbed her arm to stop her. Then I saw He Ze coming over. I cried out for Ma, and the next thing I knew, He Ze had thrown me to the ground."

Xue Yue hadn’t added a single lie. She just stated the facts.

Crying, Gao Cuiyun said, "Xue Yue slapped me yesterday, so what’s wrong with me hitting her back today? Why did they get to beat my husband? We’re calling the police! We’ll have you all arrested!"

Mr. He shot Gao Cuiyun a look. "We all know you were also at fault in what happened yesterday. How could you start another fight today? Can’t you talk things out instead of resorting to violence?"

Gao Cuiyun glanced at He Ze. "Then what about my husband? Two of them beat him up, and we’re just supposed to let it go? I won’t accept it. I’m calling the police."

Mr. He said sharply, "Call the police? Weren’t you and your husband the ones who started this? And you, He Ze! A grown man, and you dare to lay a hand on Xue Yue? Is that what I taught you? You think you were wronged when He Lang beat you up? In my eyes, you brought it on yourself!"

He Ze kept his eyes downcast and said nothing.

Gao Cuiyun wiped her nose. "Dad, you’re all playing favorites! It was two of them against my husband!"

Mr. He snorted. "If he’s not satisfied, he can fight back. If he’s not capable, then he should shut his mouth."

This left Gao Cuiyun with nothing to do but cry.

Mr. He asked He Ze, "Are you badly hurt? If it’s serious, we’ll go to the hospital."

He Ze shook his head. His stomach was in intense pain, but his pride wouldn’t let him admit he needed to go to the hospital in front of everyone.

"Alright, go inside and lie down then."

Wiping her tears, Mrs. He helped He Ze into the room. Gao Cuiyun followed them in.

Only then did Mr. He look at He Lang. "Are you hurt?"

"No."

"Then get back to work if you’re not hurt." Aside from their own family, the other workers were hired for two mao a day. They had to be paid whether they were working or not.

He Lang glanced at Xue Yue. Only after she nodded did he leave with Mr. He and the others.

Xue Xingzhou looked at Xue Yue. "Does your hand still hurt? Do you want to go to the hospital to get it disinfected?"

Xue Yue shook her head. "It’s fine, it doesn’t hurt anymore. It’s just a scrape. We have gentian violet at home. I can just put some on myself."

Seeing that Xue Yue was fine, Xue Xingzhou said to her, "Alright, I’m heading back to work then. You be careful here."

"I will, Brother."

In He Ze and Cuiyun’s room, He Ze lay on the kang with his eyes closed.

Gao Cuiyun sat on the edge of the kang, wiping her tears. Mrs. He looked at He Ze, her heart aching for him, but she also felt a sense of disappointment in him.

Mrs. He scolded Gao Cuiyun, "This is all your fault, you little troublemaker! You’re pregnant, yet you can’t seem to stay out of trouble. Now look at the mess you’ve made between the brothers, and you still have the nerve to sit here and cry?"

Gao Cuiyun sobbed quietly, "How is this my fault? He Ze just gave her a little push. She’s the one who lost her footing. How can you blame us? He Lang and that outsider ganged up on his own brother. What kind of brothers are they?"

"Just shut your mouth! You’re a menace to this family, always stirring up trouble between the brothers and destroying the peace of this home."

He Ze slowly opened his eyes and asked Mrs. He, "Ma, why didn’t He Lang say anything about moving out before?"

Mrs. He sighed. "There was no other way. Our family has too few rooms. It’s fine for two people, but with a child, there’s no place to live. Look at your Little Chen and Xiao Yang. In a few years, they’ll have to get their own space too, won’t they? You can’t have such big boys still sharing a kang with you, can you?"

"Then where did He Lang get the money to build a brick house?" This was the question that had been weighing on He Ze’s mind. He had always considered himself the most successful son in the family. He worked a job in town, and everyone in the village looked up to him. But now, his younger brother not only had a better job, but he was also building a new house. It made He Ze feel completely defeated.