Free Web NovelChapter 230: Chapter 230: Rage
"I have money, Dad. There’s not much left at home, so don’t worry about the cost. You should get back to work. Li Zhi and I are here."
Gu’er nodded to her father. She knew he was only getting involved for her sake.
Lin Shan left for work, and Gu’er sat down by Li Hua’s bedside.
Li Hua had lost a lot of weight. Her face was ashen, with bruises still visible, but the blood was gone. ’Either Dad or Uncle Zhao must have fetched some water and cleaned her up,’ she thought.
Seeing Li Hua lying there lifelessly with her eyes closed, Gu’er couldn’t hold back her tears. Her adoptive mother had probably never spent even a few days lying down like this in her entire life.
Back when she lived at home, her maternal grandfather had always treated her worse than his other grandchildren because he saw her as an outsider.
She married Cui Tie, but because she couldn’t conceive, she endured immense pressure and couldn’t hold her head high in public.
Then she remarried Zhou Mazi, and that was the beginning of her true suffering. ’If it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have had to marry Zhou Mazi. She wouldn’t have had to suffer.’
Gu’er gently took Li Hua’s hand and pressed it against her cheek. She prayed silently, hoping her adoptive mother would be blessed with good fortune and pull through.
’If she gets better, I’ll make her divorce Zhou Mazi. I’ll send him to prison, and I’ll bring her to the city to take care of her myself.’
’After this, Mom should be completely disheartened. Even if she’s a total doormat, this lesson has to be enough. If she keeps living with Zhou Mazi, there’s no guarantee he won’t actually beat her to death next time.’
’And those three siblings from the Zhou family... they didn’t even care about their own mother. She must feel let down by them now, right? Since they don’t care about her, let them live their lives in the village. But if Zhou Mazi really gets arrested for assault and battery, Mom definitely won’t abandon her children. Then those Zhou siblings will surely cling to her.’
Gu’er didn’t want her adoptive mother to have anything to do with those little wolves anymore. ’But if that’s the case, should I not send Zhou Mazi to prison?’
’Sigh... I should just wait until after Mom’s surgery, once she’s out of danger.’
"Gu’er, don’t be so sad. She’ll be okay."
Li Zhi patted Gu’er’s shoulder consolingly. Looking at the woman in the hospital bed, he felt a knot in his stomach. He had grown up in a well-off family and had never truly suffered. It was only after knowing Gu’er for a long time that he learned about her past. He finally understood why she was so set on marrying Sun Jiaming. It was because Sun Jiaming had been by her side through her most difficult times. During that hellish period of her life, he was her only hope. That’s why no matter what happened later, she would always be devoted to Sun Jiaming.
Li Zhi looked at Li Hua on the bed. He had always wondered just how hard Gu’er’s life could have been, thinking her descriptions were probably exaggerated. But now he knew it wasn’t an exaggeration at all. One look at Li Hua was enough to tell him. If Gu’er hadn’t left that home, she might be the one lying in this hospital bed right now.
The thought of Gu’er lying here, her face pale as death, made anger and heartache surge within him. If Zhou Mazi were here right now, he would beat him to a pulp.
Gu’er heard Li Zhi’s comforting words and nodded, but how could her heart not ache?
"Are they still not here?"
Gu’er’s voice was already a little hoarse.
"I’m afraid it’ll be a little while longer." frёewebηovel.cѳm
Li Zhi didn’t have the heart to tell her that Sun Jiaming and Dingzi had left less than half an hour ago. Even if they had hired a car, they couldn’t possibly be back so soon.
Gu’er lost track of how long she waited. It felt like a year had passed, but in reality, it was only a little over an hour before she heard a clamor of footsteps outside.
Gu’er let go of Li Hua’s hand and scrambled to her feet. She shot up so quickly that she nearly stumbled, her legs having gone numb and tingly from sitting still for so long.
Li Zhi’s quick reflexes saved her, and he steadied her.
"Slow down. Don’t rush. They should be here."
Li Zhi looked at Gu’er, his eyes filled with deep sympathy.
"I’m fine."
Gu’er waved her hand, shook out her legs, and then walked out of the hospital room.
Before she even reached the doorway, Gu’er heard Zhou Mazi’s miserable cry.
"Shut up."
Dingzi’s cold command was all it took for Zhou Mazi to fall silent. The bruises on his face showed he’d been beaten, and his obedience made it clear he was terrified of Dingzi.
Behind Sun Jiaming and Dingzi, who were dragging Zhou Mazi between them, came Uncle Zhao and his son, followed by the Zhou siblings—Zhou Feng’er, Zhou Duo’er, and Zhou Cai.
Everyone had arrived. Gu’er’s eyes blazed with fury, but the angrier she got, the calmer she became. ’I want to beat the hell out of Zhou Mazi right now, but what good would that do? Will hitting him make Mom wake up?’
’No. The most important thing now is to get Zhou Mazi to sign the consent form so Mom can have the surgery.’
"Gu’er! Daughter! Help your dad! Tell them to stop hitting me! OUCH, I think my bones are broken!"
When Zhou Mazi saw Gu’er, the usual disgust and arrogance in his eyes were gone. He looked at her as if she were his savior, pleading with her. freёwebnovel.com
The Zhou siblings looked at Gu’er but didn’t move or say a word.
"Brother Li, please go get the doctor. We need him to sign."
Gu’er said to Li Zhi, not wanting to waste a single word on Zhou Mazi.
"Sign what? I’m not signing! Surgery on her head? That’s a death sentence! You want me to let them kill her and then make me pay for it? No way! Li Hua is my woman. If she dies, she dies as a ghost of the Zhou family. If she’s not going to make it, we’ll just drag her back home to die. Once that jinx of a woman is dead, I can just marry a new one. I’m not signing. I’d rather die than sign!"
Zhou Mazi yelled at the top of his lungs. When Uncle Zhao had found him and dragged him to the city hospital, he’d already explained the situation, telling him about the need for surgery and the costs involved. So Zhou Mazi knew what was going on. It wasn’t just that he had no money; even if he did, he would never spend it on surgery for Li Hua. If his wife died, he could just find another one. Besides, what was a wife for, other than to have kids and cook for him? He had a son now, and his two daughters were old enough to handle the cooking. He didn’t need a wife, so he didn’t care. He couldn’t care less whether Li Hua lived or died.
"You won’t sign? You said you’ll just find another one if she dies?"
Gu’er gritted her teeth, her gaze turning ice-cold. She had been trying to control herself, but now she couldn’t anymore. Like an enraged she-dragon, she lunged at Zhou Mazi and began to beat him senseless.
In two lifetimes, this was the first time Gu’er had ever laid a hand on Zhou Mazi. In her past life, no matter how much she resented him, she never dared to fight back. In this life, even after leaving the Zhou family, she’d never thought of hitting him. But now, Gu’er was like a madwoman, striking him with all her might.
Zhou Mazi was restrained by Sun Jiaming and Dingzi. Dingzi especially had him in a hold that made it impossible for him to move. He was like a human punching bag, able to do nothing but cry out in pain as Gu’er hit him, unable to dodge or fight back.
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A quick author’s note: I made a mistake. A reader, Duan Ya Qin, pointed out that there were no trains to Wenzhou during the time period of the story. This was indeed my error; I didn’t think to check that. I will go back and revise the mention of the transportation company in an earlier Chapter. Thank you, Duan Ya Qin! There are many other mistakes in my book, so thank you all for your continued patience. Love you all. And thanks to ’Qiu Bao’er 1’ for the monthly ticket, and to everyone for your support.
