[Family Tradition] Part 1

page views:1 Publication date:2023-03-24

Author: Tianseyiwan1963
Published on February 24, 2018 in forums or forum 001 (
first published on this site)
Word Count: 29716
Introduction
In Southwest China, there is a region called Qinglong. Before the reform and opening up, it was a prefecture with nineteen counties under its jurisdiction. Longshan County was
the central county of Qinglong Prefecture, where all prefecture-level government agencies were located. After the reform and opening up, Qinglong Prefecture was divided into
four prefecture-level cities. Qinglong Prefecture was renamed Qinglong City, and Longshan County was renamed Longshan District. The entire Qinglong
City is a densely populated area. The exact population is unclear, but it now exceeds five million, making it
a large city.
Qinglong is neither mountainous nor plain; it is a hilly area. Longshan is a major agricultural county. Besides growing rice and
vegetables, raising pigs and livestock, and producing some black fungus, there are no other more valuable products. Therefore, the people here are
neither rich nor poor; they are just getting by.
Below Longshan Mountain lies Huaqiao Town, a large town only about ten kilometers from Longshan City. It boasts several crisscrossing
streets, larger than some county towns. Qinglong is vast, Longshan is populous, and Huaqiao is also densely populated, usually
bustling with activity, especially on market days when it's teeming with people.
Huaqiao is a picturesque place, rich in black fungus, not exactly a poor backwater, but not wealthy either. Due to its mountainous terrain and narrow roads,
transportation is inconvenient, so even with a bumper harvest of black fungus, it can't be fully transported out, yielding little profit.
The men of Huaqiao are simple and honest, polite and courteous, showing no particular personality traits or domineering nature.
The women of Huaqiao are all beautiful and charming, truly earning Huaqiao the reputation of a land of beauties. However,
it would be a grave mistake to assume that the men are easy to bully and the women are domineering. The people here have very conservative family values,
making intermarriage with outsiders very difficult. No matter how honest and incompetent a man may be before marriage, once he becomes a married man,
he shoulders the responsibilities and authority of the family, naturally becoming the head of the household. No matter how beautiful, how
strong-willed, or how capable a woman may be, once she becomes a married woman, she naturally becomes a submissive wife. At home
and outside, in all matters, big and small, the man makes all the decisions; the woman has little say. In short, the man is the head and the woman is submissive
—this is the main characteristic of Huaqiao families.
Curious outsiders, newly arrived in Huaqiao, unfamiliar with the local customs, seeing the seemingly honest and straightforward
Huaqiao men, often can't help but ask, "Can the men here control the women?"
The locals, upon hearing this, will laugh and call the person "foolish."
If an outsider were to ask, "Are there any men who don't beat women?"
the locals would readily reply, "Yes, but they haven't been born yet."
Below Huaqiao Town lies Furong Village, less than ten li (approximately 5 kilometers) from the town center. It houses several hundred households,
with a total population of over a thousand, young and old, though most are descendants of migrants from elsewhere. Perhaps the land is fertile,
or perhaps they sought refuge from the chaos of war; whatever the reason, they gathered here, and thus, many stories unfolded.
The first story is about Chen Dehai
.
In Furong Village, there lived a man named Chen Futian, an ordinary villager. His most notable traits were
honesty, kindness, and diligence; he had no other skills. His family was poor, owning no land and relying on rented
plots of meager land from landlords to make a living. However, his family had something to envy: his wife, Wu
Chunhua. Huaqiao was known as a land of beautiful women, and Wu Chunhua was one of the most beautiful women in the village,
possessing not only exquisite features but also flawless, fair skin. Chen Futian, though he didn't say it aloud, was secretly very pleased to have such a beautiful wife as Wu Chunhua
. Therefore, although Chen Futian was poor, he couldn't bear
to let Wu Chunhua do any hard work; he did all the farm work himself, never letting his wife help. As a result, Wu Chunhua, due to less exposure to the elements, although over
30, didn't prematurely age like other village women her age.
Wu Chunhua married Chen Futian when she was 14. By today's standards, that's a bit early. But in the countryside
, it was just right. Some women even gave birth at 13. The reason Chen Futian was able to
marry such a beautiful woman as Wu Chunhua was entirely because her father had saved his life. The exact reason is
unclear, but in any case, Wu Chunhua's father, out of gratitude, voluntarily gave his daughter to Chen Futian. Without the life-saving
incident, such a good thing wouldn't have happened to Chen Futian.
After Wu Chunhua married into the Chen family, she was deeply loved by Chen Futian. She was also quite capable,
giving birth to two sons and a daughter, Chen Dehai, Chen Dehe, and Chen Xiaofeng, starting in her second year of marriage. He was overjoyed
.
According to common family custom, "the emperor loves his eldest son, the common people love their youngest," so Chen Futian should have doted on his youngest
daughter, Chen Xiaofeng. However, Chen Futian thought differently; he believed that sons belonged to his family, while daughters belonged to others. Therefore,
he loved his sons more than his daughters. Chen Xiaofeng did the most housework and was beaten second only to Wu Chunhua.
Incidentally, although Wu Chunhua was a great beauty, she was also frequently beaten at home. Although Chen Futian couldn't bear to
see her do hard work, he wouldn't spoil her in every way, nor could he always give in to her wishes. Every three to five days, he would
give her a slap on the bottom. Of the two sons, Chen Dehai never received a single finger, while Chen
Dehe was occasionally punished.
Chen Dehai was exceptionally clever and resourceful from a young age, possessing a strong personality. Chen Futian believed he had a
bright future and doted on him immensely, much like he doted on Wu Chunhua. He preferred to suffer himself rather than let his eldest son
work in the fields. Moreover, even when money was tight, he gritted his teeth and intermittently supported his education at
a private school for several years.
This pampering fostered a stubborn character in Chen Dehai, characterized by both generosity and a fiery
temper, refusing to back down when in the right. At school, he loved to meddle in injustices
, even those unrelated to him, insisting on arguing. In heated
arguments, he would often resort to physical violence. Sometimes, outnumbered and outmatched, he would return home bruised and battered,
enduring the pain without uttering a sound. Because of his stubbornness, the village elders gave him
the nickname "Bearded Man," meaning he was rough and had a bit of a bandit-like air about him. This nickname was just for show.
Many people forgot his real name, "Chen Dehai," and only knew him by his nickname, "Chen the Big Beard."
When Chen Dehai was 10 years old, an old Taoist priest wandered through Huaqiao Town. Seeing his intelligence and quick wit, the priest took the initiative to teach
him martial arts for several years. Thus, Chen Dehai's temper had a strong backing. When he was 15, he
fought a group of people single-handedly. He himself was unharmed, but he seriously injured several people. Chen Futian said
a few words to him, and he couldn't stand it, so he ran away from home. He didn't go far and ended up wandering around Longshan County. Unexpectedly, he was
spotted by a gang leader, who took him into the underworld. After two years, his skills improved greatly. At only 17 years old, he actually
became the third most powerful figure in the underworld, a person of great influence and power. He used this to accumulate a lot of money for himself
.
Two years later, in 1937, on Chen Dehai's 18th birthday, his brothers celebrated his
birthday. That night, he drank too much and tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. He pondered many
questions he'd never considered before: "Am I destined to walk this path forever? When will it end?"
He thought about it all night and finally understood a simple truth: staying in the underworld, making a living through violence
, ultimately had no future. Furthermore, the political situation was turbulent, with several opposing forces constantly trying
to win him over, causing him great distress. Therefore, he made the wisest choice—to leave the underworld and return to
normalcy.
But the underworld is the underworld; getting in is difficult, getting out is even harder. Escaping was easier said than done. Fortunately, Chen Dehai
had saved the underworld boss's life several times in times of crisis, accumulating considerable wealth. When he proposed leaving, the underworld boss
was extremely reluctant, using both soft and hard tactics, spending an entire day trying to persuade him, but Chen Dehai still insisted on leaving.
Anyone else would have been beheaded, but the gang leader showed him extraordinary mercy, granting
his request for the first time ever.
So, Chen Dehai left the gang, left the county town, and returned to Furong
Village, the place where he was born and raised, which he hadn't visited for three years.
Chen Futian and Wu Chunhua were overjoyed to see their son, who hadn't returned for years, unharmed
. Their son had grown taller, stronger, more mature, and had become a handsome and dashing young man; their
hearts were filled with immense comfort.
Upon returning to the village, Chen Dehai quickly became the pride of the Chen family. He was not only mature and handsome but also extremely
capable. Years ago, when he was 15, he had left home empty-handed, and upon returning just three years later, he had become
the richest man in the mountain village. No one knew what he had done all those years away, nor
where his wealth had come from. Chen Futian asked him, but he didn't say a word; he simply said, "Use the money if you have
it."
Chen Dehai's personality was originally generous, and now that he had money, he became even more so. First, he fulfilled his filial duty by rebuilding the Chen family
compound, bringing honor to the Chen family; then, he did good deeds by building a road to facilitate the travel of the villagers, winning
their praise. In addition, he bought a lot of land, becoming a landlord and lending money at high interest rates, which made his
family's life prosperous.
Although Chen Dehai was a landlord, Chen Futian still did farm work. Chen Dehai felt it was unnecessary to do this and advised his father
to rest and hire some people to farm. But Chen Futian refused, saying, "I'm used to it, I can't stand
being idle. Besides, before, I worked for others to make a living, but now working for myself is a pleasure." Hearing
Chen Futian say this, Chen Dehai didn't try to persuade him any further. He said, "I can't help with farming."
Chen Futian said, "Don't worry about it. I can't do it anymore, and there's Erwa to
take care of." Chen Dehai was too lazy to care about his father Chen Futian's affairs anymore. When he had nothing to do, he liked to go to the teahouse in Huaqiao Town
to drink tea and chat with people, making many new acquaintances and enjoying himself immensely.
However, Chen Dehai sometimes didn't want to continue living like this, and he still wanted to find something
to do. But he would never do anything shady. It's just that he didn't want to do anything substantial for the time being.
Chen Futian continued farming for a while, and the villagers said to him, "Futian, you don't know how to enjoy
life. Your son is so rich, why do you need to farm yourself? Besides, it's not a problem if you farm, but
where will your son's face be?"
Chen Futian thought about it and realized that the villagers were right, so he hired people and stopped working himself. After spending some time at home
, Chen Futian found it quite boring and became restless. He often asked Chen Dehai to accompany him on
trips to sightsee and wander around.
One time, Chen Dehai took Chen Futian to the provincial capital. Chen Futian had never been to the provincial capital before, and this visit broadened
his horizons. Seeing how bustling and prosperous the provincial capital was, he became envious and disliked the isolation of his old village, Furong. He
thought how wonderful it would be to live in the provincial capital and become a local. So, while touring the provincial capital, he intentionally
or unintentionally started looking at properties. Sure enough, he saw a property that was cheap and was immediately delighted, urging his son to buy it.
Chen Dehai, being a filial son, didn't ask many questions and bought it.
After all the paperwork for the property was completed, Chen Futian made a surprising move: he wanted to move the whole family to the provincial capital.
Chen Dehai had spent some time in the provincial capital during his years of wandering the world, but he felt that life there wasn't
as peaceful as in the countryside. He found it too crowded and chaotic, and had no interest in moving there, resolutely refusing to leave. Besides, he owned land
and property, and someone owed him money that hadn't been repaid; why would he leave? So he told Chen Futian, "
You go if you want, I'm not going."
Initially, Wu Chunhua was overjoyed when she heard Chen Futian say he was moving to the provincial capital, excited about becoming a city
dweller. In her excitement, she couldn't help but tell her close friends about Chen Futian's relocation
. As a result, the news spread like wildfire, and soon the entire village knew.
This greatly displeased the discreet Chen Futian, who severely punished Wu Chunhua's loose
tongue with the sole of his shoe and also whipped his usually reluctant, white buttocks with a thorny branch.
Wu Chunhua's face was swollen, and her buttocks were raw, but she was still happy—after all, she was almost a city dweller, so
what was a beating?
But Wu Chunhua's happiness didn't last long. When she heard that Chen Dehai wasn't going to the provincial capital, her mood plummeted
. Even her eldest son wasn't going, so what was the point of her going? After thinking it over, she decided not to go. But this thought...
How could she dare tell Chen Futian directly? Chen Futian was honest and kind, but that was just
his outward image. At home, he was the one who made the decisions, and Wu Chunhua dared not disobey him in the slightest. So, she had no choice but to ask Chen Dehai to help her speak to Chen
Futian.
That day, while Chen Futian was at the market in town, Wu Chunhua slipped into Chen Dehai's house. Before she could say
a word, she knelt straight down in front of Chen Dehai.
Chen Dehai was lying in a chair reading a novel and naturally saw this scene, but he wasn't surprised. Let alone now that
they were rich, even in the poor days of the past, there were still certain rules. There were
too many unbelievable rules in the Huaqiao area. It wouldn't be easy to list them all in one go. Some
rules have disappeared, and some still exist today; we'll talk about them later. For now, let's talk about the kneeling rule. Women
must kneel before elders, kneel before their husbands, and even kneel before their eldest son. This likely stems from
the traditional Chinese concept of "obedience to the father," "obedience to the husband," and "obedience to the three wives." Wu Chunhua was beautiful, very well-mannered, and
had always upheld tradition well. Chen Dehai, accustomed to kneeling before his own mother since childhood, hadn't wasted his three years away; he was quite
composed and didn't rush to chat with Wu Chunhua. Instead, he continued reading for a while before casually asking, "Mother,
Father went to the market. Didn't you go with him?"
Wu Chunhua replied, "No."
Upon hearing this, Chen Dehai feigned a dark expression and drawled, "Why didn't you go?"
Wu Chunhua said, "Father left early this morning without saying he'd take me."
"Did you upset Father again?"
"No."
"No? You're lying."
"Really, no."
"Still being stubborn. Then let me ask you, why did Father beat you last night?"
"Who knows? Ever since you came back, I don't know why, Father has become a different person. He beats
me when he's unhappy, and he still beats me when he's happy."
"Really? That only shows you're becoming more and more immature. Mother, let me tell you, Father is the head of the family, whether we're
poor or rich. As his wife, you naturally need to learn to read people's expressions, to please him, and to always
think of him. Father hasn't had much education, so he's not very good at reasoning. But not being good at reasoning doesn't mean he doesn't understand. You must
have done something to anger him, which is why he had to beat you. When you go to the provincial capital with Father, you'd better be more careful
and not keep asking for a beating without knowing why."
"Dehai, I want to..."
"What do you want to say?"
"Mother wants to ask you to tell Father that I don't want to live in the city anymore."
"Don't want to? Mother, look what I just said! Did I say it all for nothing? I told you to learn to
please him, how come you can't remember? You've already said the wrong thing again in just a short while."
"If you're going, you should come with me. What's the point of me going if you don't go?" Wu Chunhua insisted.
Upon hearing this, Chen Dehai reached out and pinched Wu Chunhua's cheek, saying, "Mother, you really don't understand men's hearts!
With such a pretty mouth, how can you say such foolish things? I'm your son, not your father.
Why don't you go with me instead of your father?"
After a brief, unspeakable verbal and physical altercation, Wu
Chunhua finally understood and said nothing more.
However, Chen Dehai also covered for Wu Chunhua, not telling Chen Futian about her reluctance to go to the provincial capital,
which deeply moved Wu Chunhua.
Some time later, Chen Futian took his family to settle in the provincial capital. With his family gone, Chen Dehai felt
much
more relaxed, enjoying himself carefree and thoroughly enjoying himself. He still frequented
Huaqiao Town.
Huaqiao Town was vibrant and colorful, offering almost anything one could want. However, Chen Dehai had little interest in women. Those
women who had been with thousands held no appeal for him; the women he wanted had to be pure. If they weren't
pure, no matter how beautiful they were, they were just worthless in his eyes.
When Chen Dehai arrived in Huaqiao Town, his favorite pastime was drinking tea. While others drank tea to play cards or gamble,
he didn't do any of that. He liked to sit in the teahouse, either listening intently to people chatting
or engaging in verbal sparring, living a carefree and enjoyable life.
During a casual conversation, Chen Dehai heard that a new school had opened in Huaqiao Town and was hiring teachers. He immediately
had an idea. Although he was now wealthy, he was quite idle, and this life was becoming meaningless. He
wanted to teach, partly to add some rhythm to his life, and partly to dispel the rumors that he was a
bandit. He thought, "I've attended a private school for a few years, and I've
seen a lot in my life. Teaching people to read and write is more than enough for me."
So, Chen Dehai volunteered to sign up.
When the principal found out, he thought it absurd for a bandit to teach, but he didn't dare refuse directly for fear of
causing trouble. So, he said to Chen Dehai, "Of course, I welcome you to teach, but you have to pass an exam.
What do you say?"
Chen Dehai smiled and said, "Take the exam. If you don't pass, it's not your fault."
So the principal didn't hold back and gave him a separate test. Seeing that he answered correctly, the principal had no choice but to grant his
request.
Chen Dehai became a schoolteacher. Aside from the villagers' surprise and astonishment, his life
was undeniably more structured than before, and he was respected more. People no longer called him "Big Beard
" in his presence but "Mr. Chen," which naturally pleased Chen Dehai.
This day was market day, and school was closed, so Chen Dehai was off. He put on brand-new clothes, combed his
hair into a neat parting, wore black-rimmed glasses, and fanned himself with a paper fan. Upon arriving in Huaqiao Town, he didn't rush to the teahouse but instead
strolled around the streets.
The men and women on the street, young and old, surrounded him, asking him all sorts of questions.
Chen Dehai was indeed a man of substance. Since becoming a teacher, he had read extensively, and coupled with his
years of traveling the world, he had seen and heard countless wonders. Naturally, he seemed to
know everything—ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, astronomy and geography—and when he spoke, he was a torrent of words, spittle flying everywhere, attracting a crowd of people to surround him.
He was not allowed to leave.
Chen Dehai, as carefree as he was, was still 18 and single. It wasn't that he was hard
to find a wife; with his qualities, why would he have trouble finding a suitable woman? Matchmakers from the town and village came one
after another to propose marriage, and his desk was piled high with photos of young women. But because of
his high standards, he hadn't settled on any of them.
Although Chen Dehai didn't want to live in the city anymore, he really wanted a city girl as a wife. City women, while
not as beautiful as country girls, knew how to dress, had style, and were sexy. More importantly, for a wealthy country
man like him, having a city wife to maintain appearances would be a source of pride. The matchmakers had introduced him to several city
girls, and he had met them, but ultimately, nothing came of it. The city girls didn't mind that he was from the countryside; they thought he
was good-looking, had refined manners, and was relatively wealthy. However, their fathers had conditions:
if he was willing to move to the city, they would marry their daughters to him. But he refused; he wanted to take the city
girls to the countryside. But how could city girls be willing to become country wives? As a result, no one agreed to his
request, and naturally, no couples formed.
Chen Dehai could use some tricks to lure city women into his family, but he refused; doing so would
be too unromantic. Marriage should be more romantic. So he gave up on finding city girls and
turned his attention back to the countryside.
In the countryside, Chen Dehai's conditions were much better.
Huaqiao Town wasn't known as a land of beautiful women for no reason; it had no shortage of pretty women. But Chen Dehai's requirements
weren't low either. Anyone he didn't like at first glance was immediately rejected; even those who met his criteria weren't immediately decided upon, but
rather compared repeatedly. After much selection and screening, he now had only three women left. Each of these three women had their own characteristics, and
he couldn't decide right away. The
first was Li Xiuqin from the west village. This girl was 17 years old, a junior high school graduate, from a well-off family, and pretty. Her features
were quite striking, but unfortunately, her skin was a bit dark.
The second was Wu Xiaoxia from the east village. She was related to her mother, Wu Chunhua, because her family was
somewhat wealthy. She had received considerable education, had fair skin, and was considered honest and upright. The problem was that her mouth
was a bit too big, which made some people uncomfortable.
The third was Sun Lanhua, the eldest daughter of Sun Tingwang's family in town. She was 15 years old, beautiful, taller than most girls
, with a good figure, cherry lips, big eyes, long beard, a high nose, and skin as white as if made of dough, so
tender and soft that you could probably squeeze water out of it. She had some schooling, but it was said she had a
bad temper and was somewhat lazy and gluttonous.
Just as Chen Dehai was hesitating, he happened to see her on the street in Huaqiao Town one day, which made him decide
. That day, he was chatting with someone when he suddenly saw a young woman walking by. He felt she looked familiar and
stared at her intently. After the woman had walked away, he came to his senses and asked the people around him, "Whose daughter
was that?"
Someone told him, "Sun Tingwang's eldest daughter, Sun Lanhua. Isn't she beautiful? She's 15 and still unmarried
."
Chen Dehai was startled and said, "Wow, Sun Tingwang's daughter is so beautiful
! She's even prettier than in the photos."
Someone else asked, "What photos?"
Chen Dehai didn't want to say more, changed the subject, and continued chatting.
That afternoon, Chen Dehai locked himself in his room and thought about it all afternoon. Finally, he decided on Sun Lanhua.
He thought that for a girl, the most important thing was her appearance, figure, and temperament. As for her personality and temper
, that didn't matter; he could train her slowly after marrying her.
After making up his mind, Chen Dehai should have asked a matchmaker to propose to the girl's parents, but he
found it troublesome and decided to meet Sun Lanhua's father, Sun Tingwang, himself and settle the marriage directly.
Tomorrow happens to be market day, no classes, perfect for running errands.
Chen
Dehai woke up early and, seeing the weather outside, felt even more cheerful. After several days of rain, the weather had been
gloomy and unpleasant. Last night, Chen Dehai had been thinking that going to propose marriage in such awful weather might be inappropriate, and
he'd wait for a sunny day. Unexpectedly, the weather cooperated perfectly, suddenly becoming exceptionally bright and refreshing. He ate a simple breakfast and
then went to Huaqiao Market Town.
Furong Village was only about ten li (approximately 5 kilometers) from Huaqiao Market Town, not far, just over an hour's walk.
When he arrived in Huaqiao Town, the streets were even more bustling than usual. The townspeople, drawn by the long-awaited good weather, had all come out
to stroll.
Chen Dehai, remembering he was going on a blind date today, decided to bring some gifts. So, he walked several streets, bought
several bottles of good wine, carried them in his hand, and enjoyed the lively atmosphere along the way. As usual, he went to his usual teahouse
, ordered a cup of tea, and sat there alone. He then found someone who recognized Sun Tingwang and asked them to invite him
over.
He had only taken a few sips of tea when Sun Tingwang arrived.
"Oh, Mr. Chen, you were looking for me?"
"Yes, yes," Chen Dehai said with a smile, "I was just wondering if you, my brother, would come."
"Oh, Mr. Chen invited me, how could I not come? Just now, when the waiter said Mr. Chen was calling me, I was afraid I had misheard, so
I quickly asked if he was looking for me. He repeated it several times before I believed him, so I quickly put down what I was doing and rushed
over."
Sun Tingwang was also a playful person, and Chen Dehai enjoyed talking to such people—straightforward, saying what
he meant, and never tiring.
At this moment, the teahouse waiter came up to make tea for Sun Tingwang.
Sun Tingwang waved his hand and said, "Let's skip the tea today. Since Mr. Chen thinks so highly of me, why
don't you come to my house for a visit?"
Chen Dehai smiled inwardly, thinking, "I don't think highly of you; I've taken a liking to your girl." But he felt it inappropriate to invite Sun Tingwang
to his home. He said, "Brother, let's not trouble ourselves. It's much more comfortable to chat here
. If I go to your house, I'll be busy with this and that, which would be too much trouble."
Sun Tingwang said, "It's no trouble at all. It's just a cup of tea; what's the big deal?"
Chen Dehai was still somewhat reluctant, saying, "Brother, don't let my being a teacher and fond of lively gatherings fool you; I'm not really
used to visiting people's homes. So, let's just chat here, no need to be so polite."
Sun Tingwang said, "Actually, even if you hadn't said anything, I know what you wanted to see me about. Discussing family matters here
would be too noisy with so many people around, so I'd like to invite you to my humble abode. I think you wouldn't refuse, would you
?"
Since Sun Tingwang had put it so bluntly, Chen Dehai couldn't refuse any longer. Besides, he had indeed come today to discuss
marriage, so a visit was only natural. He stood up, picked up his wine bottle, and joked, "Alright, I
'll accept your invitation. Let's go to your house then. Consider the tea money was wasted today; I only had a few sips, haha." "
Mr. Chen, you still care about that?" Sun Tingwang smiled.
Huaqiao Town was a large town, with several streets crisscrossing its streets. It was bustling with people and businesses, and the streets were
crowded with people and vehicles, filled with the cries of vendors.
Sun Tingwang led Chen Dehai through one street, then turned a couple more corners, and entered another busy street. He
pointed to a shop across the street and said, "Little brother, that's my shop."
Chen Dehai followed Sun Tingwang's finger, and his eyes immediately lit up. Of course, it wasn't because of Sun Tingwang's
shop itself; that shop was no different from any other, just a bit larger. What caught Chen Dehai's attention was
the woman inside the shop, who was as beautiful as a fairy, leaving him breathless with admiration. However, not wanting to be impolite, he quickly
withdrew his lecherous gaze and laughed, "Brother, not bad, you've actually found a beautiful woman to
help you manage the shop."
Sun Tingwang said, "Beautiful my foot! She's not an outsider, that's my wife, Jiang Guifang."
Chen Dehai was taken aback. Wasn't Sun Tingwang's wife his future mother-in-law? She looked
like a woman in her early twenties, so he exclaimed, "Wow, brother, you're so lucky! Your wife looks
so young and beautiful."
Sun Tingwang, secretly pleased, said, "Look at what you're saying, brother. She's young my foot! She's a
30-year-old woman!"
Chen Dehai looked her over, unable to reconcile Jiang Guifang's appearance with 30. He even
suspected she might be Sun Tingwang's concubine, so he said, "Brother, are you kidding? She's clearly
a woman in her early twenties, not 30 at all." Chen Dehai wasn't just flattering her; he was speaking
from the heart.
Sun Tingwang became even more smug, laughing heartily, "Brother, you truly are a teacher! You're quite the smooth
talker, and your judgment is spot on. My wife came into our family at 13, gave birth to our eldest daughter at 14, and is
29 this year."
In the countryside, it wasn't unusual for someone to have a child at 14 or 15. Chen Dehai's mother, Wu Chunhua, gave birth to him when she was 15. The key
point was that Jiang Guifang was the biological mother of his future wife, Sun Lanhua, which added another layer of comfort.
The two walked towards the shop as they talked.
When Jiang Guifang saw her husband leading a tall, strong, and handsome young man, a shy expression appeared on her face
. She didn't dare look at Chen Dehai at all, but instead greeted Sun Tingwang sweetly, "Father has returned."
Chen Dehai was delighted to hear this; it turned out that Jiang Guifang, like his mother, also called her husband "Father
."
In the Qinglong area, especially in the countryside, women's terms of address for men were incredibly diverse. Some called him
"the head of the household," some "my man," some "sir," and some "master," but among all the titles,
Chen Dehai particularly liked it when women called him "Daddy" or "Papa." Whenever he heard such a title, his
manhood would spring to life. He couldn't explain why, but he felt immense pleasure.
Sun Tingwang, seeing his wife staying in the shop instead of greeting customers, was quite displeased and seized the opportunity to unleash his shrewishness:
"You damned woman, are you blind? The customers are already here, what are you waiting for? Hurry up
and get out here to greet them!"
There were many shoppers around the shop, including some acquaintances. Hearing Sun Tingwang's words, they joked
, "Oh, Mr. Sun, are you yelling at your eldest daughter again?"
"That damned woman deserves to be scolded, she's so insensible," Sun Tingwang said bitterly.
Don't let Sun Tingwang's smiling face fool you; at home, he's a local tyrant, his word is law
, and women and children tremble before him.
Seeing her husband's anger, Jiang Guifang responded and quickly ran out of the shop. Just as she reached Sun Tingwang
, he slapped her hard on the bottom: "You son of a bitch, you don't know any better! You won't speak up unless you yell
!"
Jiang Guifang cried out coquettishly, "Father, Guifang was wrong, Guifang won't do it again."
This playful banter between the couple aroused Chen Dehai even more; his erection became
even more pronounced. Besides being sensitive to women's terms of address, he
reacted even more strongly to men spanking women—it was an instinct, innate, and he couldn't control it.
Sun Tingwang glared at Jiang Guifang and said, "Say hello! This is Mr. Chen."
Chen Dehai was a celebrity, mainly known for being a "bandit turned schoolteacher." Jiang Guifang, being a woman,
spent most of her time in the shop and never wandered around, so she had never met Chen Dehai,
though she was already familiar with his name. She first heard Chen Dehai's name from the matchmaker. When the matchmaker came to her house, she
sang Chen Dehai's praises to the skies, and the neighbors also lauded him for abandoning his evil ways and becoming a teacher, so Jiang Guifang
remembered it. Upon seeing Chen Dehai today, and judging from his appearance and attire, she secretly rejoiced, thinking, "He truly
is a handsome man; our Lanhua is so lucky to have him." She then greeted Chen Dehai with a smile, saying,
"Welcome, Mr. Chen, to our home."
Chen Dehai replied, "Sister-in-law, you're too kind. I've only been teaching for a few days; calling me 'teacher' is unacceptable.
Besides, Brother Sun and I hit it off immediately; we're practically brothers. You don't need to be so formal. Just now, from afar
, when he mentioned you as his wife, I was truly envious. He's so lucky to have married such a beautiful
woman; it's something to be envied."
Sun Tingwang was very pleased with others praising his wife, but he didn't want her to become arrogant
. So, he glared at Jiang Guifang and said, "Guifang, tell Mr. Chen,
who's more fortunate to have married me, you or me?"
Jiang Guifang quickly smiled and said, "Of course, Guifang is more fortunate! If it weren't for Father taking Guifang in back then,
who knows where she'd be suffering now? Father is like a second parent to Guifang."
Sun Tingwang was pleased to hear this and pinched Jiang Guifang's bottom, saying, "I haven't spoiled you for nothing." He then
turned his gaze to Chen Dehai and said, "Mr. Chen, my wife is nothing special. With your handsome appearance, if you
were to find a wife, her looks must be exceptional."
"Brother, please stop calling me 'Sir' all the time, it's embarrassing for me. From now on, just call me 'Little Brother
.' I'm 18 this year and still a bachelor, I'm ashamed, ashamed indeed."
Sun Tingwang patted Chen Dehai and said, "Alright, since Mr. Chen thinks so highly of me, I won't
stand on ceremony anymore, calling me 'Little Brother' is fine too. The reason you're still single is because you have high standards, unlike us
ordinary folks who are content with just finding a wife to settle down with."
Chen Dehai said, "Brother, it's not that I have high standards, it's just that my past status
keeps people at a distance."
Jiang Guifang, who was usually quiet because Sun Tingwang was very strict, had been
standing next to him listening to him and Chen Dehai chatter since the man hadn't left. But now she couldn't help but chime in. She said to Chen Dehai:
"Mr. Chen, since you're my father's brother, it seems I should call you uncle." Before Chen Dehai
could speak, she turned to Sun Tingwang and asked, "Father, is that right?"
Sun Tingwang glared at his wife and said, "You son of a bitch, how old are you? Do you even need to ask?" Having
received confirmation from the man, Jiang Guifang turned to Chen Dehai and called him "Uncle."
This Jiang Guifang was a 29-year-old woman, yet she called the 18-year-old Chen Dehai "uncle"
so naturally. Chen Dehai felt extremely pleased, thinking, "This beautiful woman is really captivating. Today, I'll
temporarily let her..." "You call me 'Uncle,' but when the opportunity arises, I'll make you call me 'Daddy.'" However, on the surface,
he remained modest: "Sister-in-law, please call me 'Brother Chen.' How could I let you call me 'Uncle'
? I'm only 18 this year; it would be too unfair for you to call me 'Uncle.'"
Sun Tingwang, unlike Chen Dehai, had no such ulterior motives. He felt his wife was right, and hearing
Chen Dehai's words, he felt it was inappropriate. So he said, "Little brother, what are you saying? How can you spoil
a woman? Rules are passed down from the previous generation; they can't be changed casually." "No matter how young you are,
as long as you're my brother, it's only natural for my wife to call you 'uncle.' If she dares to call you anything else—" Sun Tingwang
said, turning to Jiang Guifang and asking, "Jiang Guifang, tell me, what will you get?"
Jiang Guifang said sweetly to Chen Dehai, "Oh, good uncle, you'd better agree. If you don't,
Daddy will scold me for being stupid, for being foolish, for not knowing how to please people. After you leave, he'll punish me by making me kneel,
slapping me, and hitting my buttocks. My daddy hits people really hard; Guifang's face will definitely be beaten into a
pig's head, it'll be horribly ugly; my buttocks..." "I can't even sit down, it's so uncomfortable. How can I face anyone?
I can't even do business anymore."
Chen Dehai laughed and said to Sun Tingwang, "Brother, you're too strict.
Why punish your woman so severely for such a small thing?"
Sun Tingwang said, "Little brother, you're not married yet, so you don't know. How can you not be strict with your woman? If you don't discipline her for three days, she'll be climbing
on the roof and tearing off the tiles. A woman's docility needs to be trained by a man. If she can't be trained properly, can a man still be called a man?"
Chen Dehai looked at Jiang Guifang's expression again. She looked serious and expectant, and he felt that the couple were not
joking. Besides, he was a native of Huaqiao, so how could he not know these customs? So he
stopped making things difficult for her; further modesty would be too fake. So she said repeatedly, "Okay, okay, I'll listen to you."
Sun Tingwang said, "That's right. You've been standing here for so long, please come inside and sit down."
Jiang Guifang said, "Father, I'll go make some tea."
Sun Tingwang patted Jiang Guifang on the buttocks and said, "Go quickly."
Jiang Guifang turned around and went into the house. 　　Seeing Jiang Guifang so obedient, Chen Dehai was extremely envious and said, "Brother, you seem like a very kind person, 　　but I didn't expect you to be so skilled at training women. I really need to learn from you." "
Haha 　　, little brother, look at you, what are you being so modest about? In our Huaqiao area, we may not 　　be very successful elsewhere, but when it comes to training women, everyone is incredibly skilled. You're also from Huaqiao, and you 　　've seen the world and experienced many things. Your methods for training women are many times better than those of us old folks from Huaqiao. 　　You don't need to learn anything, haha." 　　"Brother, you're exaggerating too much." " 　　Hahaha, not at all, not at all. Come on, Brother Chen, come inside and sit down so we 　　can talk slowly." 　　Just as the two were about to go inside, a young woman ran out. Chen Dehai knew, of course, that this was Sun Tingwang 　　's eldest daughter, his future wife, Sun Lanhua. He had come here today specifically to see her. She looked so much like Jiang Guifang; 　　at first glance, she even resembled Jiang Guifang's younger sister rather than her daughter. 　　Sun Tingwang roared, "Lanhua, where are you going?" 　　Sun Lanhua quickly stopped and called out, "Father's back." 　　Sun Tingwang introduced her to Chen Dehai, "Little brother, this is my eldest daughter, Sun Lanhua." 　　Chen Dehai did admire Sun Tingwang somewhat; although he wasn't handsome, his wife and daughter were both beauties. 　　Looking closely, Sun Lanhua was strikingly beautiful, with long, flowing black hair, and two 　　charming dimples when she laughed, captivating and alluring; her cherry-like lips were small and delicate, and her voice was soft and melodious. 　　She was tall and slender, with a round and pert bottom, even more outstanding than Jiang Guifang. The photos couldn't compare to her real appearance. 　　Chen Dehai was already itching with desire, and his manhood immediately swelled, making him both excited and uncomfortable. 　　Sun Tingwang said to Sun Lanhua, "Call me Uncle Chen!"

Sun Lanhua looked at the handsome young man in front of her, feeling a little embarrassed. She blushed and greeted him, "
Hello, Uncle Chen."
Chen Dehai thought to himself, "My mother calls him uncle, and my daughter calls him uncle too. I wonder if this is messing up
the family hierarchy." He smiled and nodded to Sun Lanhua.
Sun Lanhua said, "Daddy, I'll be right back."
"You silly girl, why aren't you staying home? Where are you running off to?" Sun Tingwang asked.
Sun Lanhua explained, "I'm not going to play. I'm going to return some money."
"Return some money? What money?"
"Aunt Liu came to buy something, but Mom wasn't home, and I didn't have any change. I'm going to take the change to her now."
Sun Tingwang waved his hand and said, "Go quickly and come back quickly."
"Okay." Seeing that her father agreed, Sun Lanhua was about to leave when she saw Chen Dehai looking at her. A little
embarrassed, she said to him, "Uncle Chen, take your time."
Chen Dehai said, "Okay, go ahead."
Sun Lanhua jumped up and ran away.
Sun Tingwang, watching his daughter's retreating figure, said to Chen Dehai, "That wild girl needs someone to keep her in check.
She gets anxious if she doesn't run around outside every day."
"How old is your daughter?" Chen Dehai asked knowingly.
"Fifteen."
"She looks so much like Guifang that people easily mistake them for sisters," Chen Dehai sighed
.
"That's true. Many people have made the same mistake when they first see Guifang and Lanhua, thinking Guifang is my
eldest daughter and Lanhua is my youngest, haha." Sun Tingwang laughed as he led Chen Dehai into the main room.
Inside, there was a grand chair. Sun Tingwang invited Chen Dehai to sit down, but Chen Dehai said, "You are the host,
I am the guest. There's no reason for a guest to sit in the seat of honor. You should sit."
"Although you are a guest, you are not an ordinary guest. You are a distinguished guest of our family, and you should sit in the seat of honor."
After some back and forth, neither of them sat in the grand chair, but instead sat facing each other in the guest seats.
Chen Dehai looked around the room and said, "Brother, this house doesn't look very nice from the outside, but the furnishings inside
are quite unique."
Sun Tingwang sighed and said, "This is all inherited from my family. It's declined by my generation."
Chen Dehai said, "Brother, you're too modest. Your family business is so good, how can you say it's declined?"
Sun Tingwang said, "Alas, to be honest, little brother, I have a very bad habit—a huge gambling addiction, and I always lose,
so this is how I ended up."
"Gambling is really bad; you should quit."
"Little brother, you don't gamble?"
"Never."
"That's really rare. These days, how many people don't gamble? I mainly got into gambling because I was stressed."
"Oh, brother, what's bothering you? Your wife and daughter are so beautiful and obedient;
what could you possibly have to worry about?"
「这都要怪我那背拾的婆娘，连到几年就给我生了三个丫头片子，没一个带
把的，气死我了。」
陈德海迎合道：「这倒是个问题，一个家没有个儿子是有些恼火。」
孙廷望说：「想当初，我婆娘的家穷得丁当响，只因她长得人模人样的，便
娶了她。没想到，她太不给我争气了，接二连三生了三个赔钱货，让老子孙家断
了香火。气得我经常揍她，往死里揍的那种。可揍有啥用呢？揍了还是没生出个
带把的来。有一年我想休了她重找，可这年头兵荒马乱的，收成不好，生意难做，
有钱娶没钱养，我也就打消了这念头。但心头的气难以消尽，所以我开始赌上了，
久而久之，瘾就越来越大了，所以家也就越来越衰败。」
"Your eldest daughter is quite pretty, haven't you found her a husband yet?"
In the countryside, people usually marry young; it's common for girls to marry at fourteen or fifteen.
Sun Tingwang said, "I'd like to too. Keeping a girl at home all the time is a financial loss; who
wants to raise her for years? But three children need food, drink, and care. My wife has to manage the stall and
the children all by herself; it's impossible. So I had to keep my eldest daughter to help take care of the younger ones." Just as
Sun Tingwang was getting into his spiel, Jiang Guifang came in with a tea tray. There were two cups of tea on the tray. She went to
Sun Tingwang first, placed the tray on the coffee table, and picked up a cup of tea from the middle. Chen Dehai initially paid no attention to Jiang Guifang's actions, but when she knelt down and 　　presented
the brewed tea to Sun Tingwang, a surge of lust coursed through his body, and his manhood 　　involuntarily sprang to life. He had to cross his legs to suppress the bulge so that no one could see it. 　　At this moment, Jiang Guifang respectfully said, "Father, please have some tea." 　　Sun Tingwang, however, didn't forget the few money-losing children she had given birth to because of his wife's submissiveness. His anger 　　flared up again, and he slapped her buttocks hard several times, yelling, "You worthless widow, you gave me 　　so many money-losing children!!" 　　Jiang Guifang, disregarding Chen Dehai's presence, cried out in pain a few times, but didn't dare linger. She quickly 　　got up and placed the tea tray on the tea table next to Chen Dehai, kneeling on both knees, holding the teacups with both hands, and 　　said to Chen Dehai, "Uncle, please have some tea." 　　Chen Dehai said, "Thank you, Guifang." 　　Jiang Guifang smiled broadly and said, "Uncle, you're welcome." She got up, took the empty tray, and quickly left. 　　After Jiang Guifang left, Chen Dehai sipped his tea and said with a smile, "Brother, your family is quite disciplined." 　　Sun Tingwang replied, "Of course, nothing can be accomplished without rules." 　　Chen Dehai took a few sips of tea and said, "Brother, I have something to say, but I'm not sure if I should." 　　"Little brother, look at you, do you think I'm being polite with you? Just say what you want to say 　　." 　　Sun Tingwang knew exactly what Chen Dehai was going to say. 　　Sure enough, Chen Dehai took a sip of tea and said, "It's like this, a few days ago, the matchmaker introduced Sun Lanhua to me, 　　but I was busy those days and didn't get around to it. Yesterday I looked at her photos carefully and thought she was quite nice, so 　　I came to you today to propose marriage and see what your opinion is."

Sun Tingwang was naturally satisfied, but he was very good at keeping his composure. Not only did he not say what he was thinking, but he also
said something else entirely. He said, "Young brother, to be honest, I've wanted to marry off this young lady to someone for a long time.
Now that you, a handsome and wealthy young man, have taken a liking to her, it must be
a blessing she earned in her past life. I have no reason not to give her to you."
Chen Dehai, thinking Sun Tingwang was about to try and extort him, politely replied, "
I've heard about your family situation, brother. Since I like your young lady, and you're willing to give her up, I
certainly won't skimp on the dowry. You can rest assured."
"Oh, young brother, what are you talking about? I am short of money, but that's not the point. I do
have some difficulties, and I wonder if you would be willing to help."
"Brother, just tell me what you need. I'll go through fire and water for anything I can help,"
Chen Dehai said decisively. After all, he had spent several years in the martial world and had learned many heroic words.
Sun Tingwang said, "It's not a matter of heroic sacrifice. It's just that this matter is indeed a bit tricky. As long as you
're willing to help, even if you can't, it doesn't matter; your eldest daughter will still be yours."
"Brother, stop beating around the bush and just tell me what's wrong?"
"It's like this. My youngest brother is called Sun Tingli, about your age. He's very smart and capable, but
he's young and impetuous, and doesn't know any better. He participated in a demonstration in the county town, got reported, and was arrested by the police
. I know you have connections, so I hope you can help me see if you can get him released."
Chen Dehai knew that such politically charged matters would be troublesome, but having been in the underworld for so
many years, he was used to it and readily agreed.
When Chen Dehai arrived in the county town, he inquired and found that Sun Tingli was not only a participant in the demonstration, but also
an organizer, which was indeed troublesome. However, for Chen Dehai, it wasn't a big deal. He
was sworn brothers with the county magistrate's son and also very familiar with the police chief, so he spent some money and went through some trouble to quickly
bail out Sun Tingli.
A
month later, Chen Dehai, brimming with confidence, went to town to find Sun Tingwang again. However, the gates to his house and shop
were tightly locked. He assumed Sun Tingwang was trying to betray him and was deliberately avoiding him, so he asked the people in the neighboring shop, "Do you know
where this family went?"
The neighbor shook his head and said, "No."
"Why did they suddenly leave?"
"It's because they owed someone gambling debts and went to hide from them."
"Really?"
"This Sun Tingwang owes quite a lot. One gambling debt was incurred a few years ago. He hadn't had time to pay it
back when the creditor got into trouble and ran away. Sun Tingwang thought he didn't have to pay it back, but now the creditor
has returned, adding interest and chasing him for more. Sun Tingwang has no money, how can he pay it back? The creditor threatened to
burn down the house and kill people if he didn't pay. Hearing this, Sun Tingwang took his family and ran away that very night, and they
haven't returned yet."
"Do you know where he might go?"
"Probably to his wife's family home."
"Oh, thank you."
After much trouble, Chen Dehai indeed found Sun Tingwang at Jiang Guifang's family home. Upon seeing Sun Tingwang, Chen
Dehai said, "Brother, it's just a matter of money, right? No problem, I'll help you pay it off."
"Sigh, little brother, this is no small sum."
Chen Dehai smiled and said, "There's a limit to how much you can pay, it doesn't matter."
So Chen Dehai found the creditor, and no one knows what methods he used, but the creditor only took the principal and didn't dare
to charge interest. Thus, Chen Dehai resolved the crisis.
As a result, Sun Tingwang was even more grateful to Chen Dehai and readily betrothed Sun Lanhua
to him.
Originally, marriages were arranged by parents and matchmakers, and once it was settled, it was settled. However, Sun Lanhua was somewhat unwilling. Her
unwillingness was not because she didn't want to get married. She had long been eager to find someone to marry off;
she simply couldn't stand living in this house anymore. Her father gambled away any money he had, and when he
ran out, he beat his wife and daughters, leaving the whole family struggling to make ends meet and constantly causing unrest. If she got married, she could escape
this torment. But even if she were to marry, she couldn't marry someone like Chen Dehai. First, it was her vanity. She was
from the town, beautiful, while her female companions were far less attractive, yet most of them had married into the city
and become city dwellers. Why should she marry a pure country bumpkin like Chen Dehai? Marrying from the town to the countryside
like Furong Village would be too beneath her. Second, Chen Dehai was a swindler; who knew what kind of person he really was? He was probably
involved in organized crime, otherwise, why would he have so much money? And why would a scoundrel like a creditor be so terrified of him
? Marrying someone like that, no matter how rich he is, would be
meaningless if you lived in constant fear and insecurity. Originally, this was just something Sun Lanhua thought about; she had no intention or
courage to disobey her father's orders. However, one day, while she and her mother Jiang Guifang were minding the shop, they were just idling around and
naturally got caught up in this marriage.
Jiang Guifang said, "Lanhua, you're so lucky! Your father has married you off to Uncle Chen, who is both handsome and rich."
Sun Lanhua blurted out, "Mother, I don't want to marry him!"
Jiang Guifang thought this was just her daughter being coy and laughed, "You silly girl, don't say that! You're already 15
years old. Your father finally agreed to marry you off. If you say you don't want to, your father really won't marry you. If you stay
at home and get older, who will want you?"
Sun Lanhua said, "Mother, what are you listening to? Saying I don't want to marry him doesn't mean I won't marry anyone else."
"You're the stupid one! Uncle Chen is both rich and handsome. Who else would you marry if not him?"
"But he's a bandit!"
"You silly girl, what nonsense! Uncle Chen isn't a bandit! If your father heard this, he'd slap
you across the face!"
"I'm not talking nonsense. If he wasn't a bandit, firstly, how could he have saved my uncle? Secondly..."
Where would a country bumpkin like him get so much money? And why was the creditor so afraid of him? "
You silly girl, why are you worrying about all that? What do you care where his skills and money come from? Orchid, a young woman
shouldn't think so much. Listen to your father; he
's right." "I just don't want to."
"You silly girl, I think you don't know how lucky you are. Marrying into such a good family is
a blessing you've accumulated over eight lifetimes. Besides, your father has already promised, and there's no way he'll go back on his word. If your
father heard you say that, wouldn't he want to spank you?"
"Mother, you have to think about me! I'm from a small town. If I married into a poor family in the city, I'd
be willing, but to marry into the countryside? I'm not a divorcee; why should I lower my standards?"
"Although Furong Village is in the countryside, Uncle Chen is rich, and he's helped your father so much.
Even if you marry him, you'll probably still owe him a debt of gratitude."
"So what if he's rich? His money must have come from shady sources. I've heard people say he used to be a bandit."
"That's just hearsay. Even if he really was a bandit before, so what? At least he's not anymore
. He has land, a house, and money. You can marry him and enjoy a life of luxury. What's wrong with that? Look at me. My father
thought he was something special just because my current father is from the town. In the end, I married into poverty and
was beaten and scolded every day."
"You think I won't get beaten if I marry Uncle Chen? Don't be fooled by his smiling face now.
When he's not smiling, he looks fierce. If I really marry him, I don't know how badly he'll beat me."
"Silly girl, what woman isn't destined to be beaten? Just be sweet-talking, work hard, and avoid
getting beaten."
Chen Dehai didn't know Sun Lanhua's thoughts at first. He thought that with his conditions, Sun Lanhua would
be more than happy to marry him, so why would she have any second thoughts? So he would go to the Sun family home whenever he had the chance. Sun Tingwang's second daughter
was named Sun Lanchun, a very clever girl. Every time Chen Dehai came to visit, she would tell him many stories. What
interested Chen Dehai most was what Sun Lanchun said about her father frequently slapping her older sister, Sun Lanhua. Sun Lanhua would always let
her father slap her, never dodging. Every time Sun Tingwang slapped Sun Lanhua, she would say, "Father, hit me,"
and then stand in the position to be slapped. Once, when Chen Dehai visited the Sun family, Sun Lanhua was also home. Sun Lanchun accidentally
broke a vase, which was Sun Tingwang's prized possession. When Sun Tingwang returned home and learned of the incident, he was furious.
He immediately summoned Sun Lanhua and asked what had happened. Sun Lanhua replied, "I didn't watch my sister properly, and she
broke the vase."
She stood still, waiting for her father to scold her. Then, Sun Tingwang slapped Sun Lanhua's pale face, once on the left cheek and
once on the right, the sound crisp and clear, like splashing water. Her hair, usually covering her ears, whipped around.
I felt a surge of excitement and satisfaction as she received the slaps. After a good beating, her cheeks turned bright red, all the way
to her ears. Her father's anger finally subsided somewhat, and she said, "Father, keep hitting me. It's my fault for not watching
my sister properly."
That day, Sun Lanhua received twenty or thirty slaps. Sun Tingwang was going to the county town that day and wouldn't be back for several days.
Thinking that Chen Dehai was about to become his son-in-law, he asked him to look after the house. Chen Dehai agreed. But when
he arrived at the Sun family home the next day, Sun Lanhua was nowhere to be found. He asked Jiang Guifang, "Where has that brat Sun Lanhua
gone off to again?"
Jiang Guifang replied with equal dissatisfaction, "Whenever Father isn't around, that brat loves to run off."
Chen Dehai said, "Why don't you do something about it?"
"Oh, Uncle Chen, you know our family's situation. I'm controlled by Father every day, how can I have
the time to care about a girl's affairs?"
Chen Dehai's face showed no change, but in his heart he thought, "That brat
doesn't know what's good for her. Once you're mine, I can make you as I please, it all depends on
my mood."
Of course, Chen Dehai didn't force her; he used his wits. He knew that forced marriages are never sweet. If she really didn't
want to marry him, no matter how strictly he disciplined her, even if he conquered her body, he might not be able to conquer her heart. If a
woman's heart wasn't in the Chen family, what difference was there between that and bringing home a corpse? So he said to Sun Tingwang,
"Since Xia has objections to this marriage, I'll spend more time with her. Marriage is
only meaningful if both parties are truly willing to be together."
Sun Tingwang said, "I didn't expect you to have such a womanly side, young man. Your thinking is terrible!
Who has the right to dictate things in this world? If she doesn't agree, I'll skin her alive!"
Chen Dehai laughed and said, "Brother, you know, forced relationships are never sweet. If I use force, people
will laugh at me, saying I can't even control a woman, what am I doing here?"
Sun Tingwang replied, "Sigh, you young people always have so many ideas. Whatever."
After staying at Sun Tingwang's house for a few days, Chen Dehai actually managed to persuade Sun Lanhua. Actually, it wasn't just talk;
he really made Sun Lanhua feel comfortable, and she couldn't live without him. Of course,
Jiang Guifang also couldn't live without Chen Dehai. A few days later, when he left the Sun family, Jiang Guifang felt quite sad, but she
dared not say it aloud. Sun Lanhua desperately wanted Chen Dehai to take her away now, but Chen Dehai had to go to
the provincial capital on business, and it wouldn't be convenient to bring a woman along. Jiang Guifang and Sun Lanhua were reluctant to part, and Chen Dehai
slapped both of their buttocks, saying, "In a few days, I'll bring Sun Lanhua to my door in a bridal sedan chair."
The
news that Chen Dehai was getting married spread quickly. His gang of scoundrels from the underworld
, upon hearing it, were all busy giving him mischievous ideas and bad schemes, telling him to play a good prank on
his bride on his wedding day. Upon hearing this, Chen Dehai cursed, "You bunch of bastards, are you deliberately trying to make a fool of me?
You dare to tease my wife? Are you tired of living?"
Seeing Chen Dehai's anger, his friends spoke up seriously, "Big Beard, don't be angry
. We were just joking around. Actually, it wasn't entirely a joke. Think about it, your..."
"That young woman is from the town. Do you really think she's happy to marry into your poor Furong Village? I'm afraid that
after you get married, she'll find something to cause you trouble every now and then, making your life a mess. That would be a real problem.
So, on the day you marry her, you have to give her a little warning, control her temper first, make her
feel afraid, and your life will be smoother from then on. Don't you think that makes sense?"
Chen Dehai listened and thought about it carefully, and it made some sense. He had a good understanding of Sun Lanhua's temper; she was
quite stubborn. Dealing with a stubborn woman required some tactics. When he was a child, his father, Chen Futian, often
said to him, "A beaten wife is like dough that's been kneaded."
He didn't think much of it back then, but now that it was his turn to get married, those words seemed
quite relevant. Kneading dough well has many advantages; you can make it into noodles
, wrappers, or dough at will—it all depends on the eater's taste. What's the point of marrying a wife?
Isn't it to serve the men, to be at their beck and call? But if the wife is stubborn and disobedient, that's
quite troublesome, so it's important to get things right from the start. But how do you knead dough well? That's a skill in itself.
During the years Chen Dehai worked as a runner, he occasionally did kitchen work. He knew that when kneading dough,
too much water makes it too thin, and too little makes it difficult to knead. Therefore, kneading dough requires considerable patience; you can't rush it,
you have to knead slowly and evenly. When the dough reaches a certain consistency, you have to pound it with a dry dough stick.
To knead Sun Lanhua's dough well, it was necessary to give her a good beating. Chen Dehai accepted his friends' advice
and played a trick on the young woman. However, the methods they suggested weren't suitable. He quickly came up with a
way to torment his wife. He would place a bamboo pole across the entrance to the Chen family's courtyard. The new bride wouldn't be able
to walk in casually; she would have to crawl in on all fours. The idea was to teach
her a lesson about how to behave within the Chen family. Chen Dehai was genuinely pleased with his idea
.
But he wasn't one to act rashly. He didn't want the bride to stubbornly refuse to crawl on the wedding day,
ruining the celebration and making him a laughingstock. To ensure a smooth process, he sent the matchmaker to
the market town to discuss the wedding arrangements with Sun Tingwang, explicitly mentioning the bride crawling into the Chen family courtyard
, pretending it was a Chen family tradition. Fearing Sun Tingwang might
object, Chen Dehai prepared money, ready to give him more if he objected. The matchmaker went and
relayed Chen Dehai's words verbatim. Surprisingly, Sun Tingwang was quite content; he had already received enough from Chen Dehai
and didn't want to go further. He immediately told the matchmaker, "Go back and tell my brother that once my eldest daughter leaves the Sun family
, she belongs to the Chen family. As for the marriage, he can decide; I have no objections."
The matchmaker relayed Sun Tingwang's words to Chen Dehai. Chen Dehai was moved, thinking Sun Tingwang
was an honest man, and gave him even more of his bribe. Having received Chen Dehai's money, Sun Tingwang felt even more certain that he
had made the right decision to marry his daughter to him. The Chen family was coming to fetch the bride the next day. According to tradition, after dinner,
Sun Tingwang called his wife, Jiang Guifang, and his eldest daughter, Sun Lanhua, to the main room for a talk. Before his lecture, he first ordered Sun Lanhua
to strip naked and kneel on the ground. Then, he picked up his family's "rules" and gave her a severe beating, saying
it was part of the "rules" to teach her that as a wife, she should be honest, obedient, and hardworking.
Jiang Guifang knelt beside her, telling Sun Lanhua that on her first day married into the Sun family, she too had been
severely beaten by her mother-in-law and husband; every woman has to go through that day sooner or later. The next day, after breakfast, Sun Lanhua
and Jiang Guifang waited in the house. The Chen family's matchmaking procession was about to arrive, and as was customary, the mother and daughter embraced
and wept, though neither was truly saddened. Although Chen Dehai hadn't become Jiang Guifang's wife,
the heavy slaps he had given her while joking around when Sun Tingwang wasn't home during those days left a lasting impression on her
. Sun Lanhua, after a night of somewhat forced intimacy with Chen Dehai, had been eagerly anticipating this day. Her
insecurity had long been banished by his domineering masculinity; instead, she feared he
would abandon her after his time with her. Now that Chen Dehai's wedding procession was approaching, Sun Lanhua was overjoyed
, showing no sign of sorrow. Jiang Guifang was even happier. She had always wanted her daughter to marry a
wealthy man, unlike her, who had married a man with little ability and couldn't earn much money, leading
a life of poverty and suffering. Of course, Chen Dehai would certainly be better at managing women than her own husband, and would definitely make his woman
completely obedient, but that was normal. What kind of man couldn't control his woman?
The mother and daughter pretended to cry when the door was pushed open. Sun Tingwang entered, saw the two women sobbing uncontrollably, and cursed:
"You motherfucker, did you lose your father or your mother? Why are you crying like this?"
Upon hearing this, the mother and daughter immediately fell silent, and the room instantly became quiet. "Both of you kneel down. I have
a few words to say,"
Sun Tingwang commanded as he sat down in his armchair. Jiang Guifang and Sun Lanhua obediently knelt
before Sun Tingwang. Sun Tingwang said, "My dear girl, once you leave the Sun family, you belong to the Chen family. You must listen to your husband
. If you displease him, whether he beats you or scolds you, you must endure it. Do
n't be like your mother back then, running back to her parents' home as soon as she was beaten. She almost got her legs broken by me, but she didn't escape. You must learn your lesson
. I'm telling you this now: if you dare to run back to your parents' home without your husband's permission, I'll break your
legs and send you back to your husband's house. Do you understand?"
Sun Lanhua lowered her head and said meekly, "Father, I understand."
"And you—Jiang Guifang, once a daughter is married, she belongs to another family. Don't
take in a daughter who has run away from her husband's home while I'm not home. If I find out you've done such a thing, I'll skin you alive."
Jiang Guifang said, "Father, Jiang Guifang wouldn't dare." 　　Chen Dehai spent a fortune on his wedding procession, hiring a sedan chair and a suona band, making a grand and impressive spectacle along the way
.

Upon arriving at the market town, Sun Lanhua was carried into the bridal sedan chair. On the return trip, the sound of suona horns and firecrackers filled the
air as they entered Furong Village in a lively and bustling manner. At the village entrance, the sedan chair attracted a crowd of villagers eager for a spectacle, who lined
the roadside to watch the spectacle. The sedan chair didn't stop at the entrance to the Chen family compound, but rather at the entrance to
the compound itself. Sun Lanhua was led out of the sedan chair. The villagers immediately gathered around, eager to see what their new bride looked
like, but how could they see clearly? The bride's head was covered by a veil, her face completely obscured. However,
her figure was clearly visible: tall, slender, with a round and shapely
bottom, making the women and daughters of the village, who toiled year-round in the fields, envious and drooling. Sun Lanhua was
helped to the Chen family's courtyard gate, but they couldn't enter; a bamboo pole was placed across the gate, blocking the way. She
peered through her veil, but the view was blurry. The others didn't say much, only, "There's a bamboo pole, be careful."
Sun Lanhua cautiously approached, bending down slightly when she touched the pole, thinking she could get through. But
it was impossible; the pole was set too low. She was completely flustered, standing there unsure what
to do. Seeing the bride standing there dumbfounded, the villagers who had been watching the spectacle burst into laughter, jeering,
"Crawl! Crawl! Kneel down and crawl in!"
They all shouted in unison, like a cheering squad for a competition. Sun Lanhua blushed deeply. Fortunately, the veil covered
her face, so no one could see the change in her expression. However, she didn't take the villagers' words seriously. Although Chen
Dehai had sent someone to tell Sun Tingwang about this play, Sun Tingwang forgot to tell Sun Lanhua about this so-called
"tradition" of the Chen family. Therefore, Sun Lanhua was unaware of this and assumed the villagers were just making fun of her. So she remained standing there,
waiting for someone to take down the bamboo pole. At this moment, someone ran over and told the Sun family's wedding party, "Young Master Chen said
the bride must crawl into the courtyard on her knees."
The Sun family's party then relayed Chen Dehai's instructions to Sun Lanhua. Upon hearing this, Sun Lanhua realized she was indeed to crawl into the courtyard
. She felt deeply humiliated and wronged, thinking, "What kind of nonsense is this? I'm a human being! How can I crawl
into the house like a female dog? Besides, with so many people watching, how can I ever hold
my head up again?" Although she thought this, she didn't utter a word and simply stood there motionless. Seeing the bride remain steadfast
, the villagers became even more gloating. In this culturally impoverished area, even the slightest unusual or exciting event made them extremely happy
. This farcical scene, a mere attempt to torment the bride, only fueled the jubilation of the crowd
, making them as gleeful as if it were New Year's Day. They began whispering amongst themselves. Woman A said, "Good heavens! I don't know which
unlucky person came up with this terrible idea. Isn't this deliberately making things difficult for her?"
Standing next to her was her husband. Man A immediately snapped, "You silly woman, what do you know! A
new bride has to be treated like this. Once she's subdued, she'll be obedient from now on. When I married you, I was far too lenient with you,
and that's why you have such a foul temper."
Woman A, silenced by her husband's retort, watched with wide eyes, like the others, to see how things would
unfold. Then, another couple started gossiping. Man B said, "That stubborn old woman is really headstrong
. Looks like she's not going to come in."
Man B's wife scoffed, "What a fool! What's with all the stubbornness?
We'll have to get through this anyway, might as well just do it already. If you keep being so stubborn, you'll only annoy your husband. When I married into
your family, they said they wanted to check my kneeling skills, and I had to kneel three times in the yard. I didn't dare utter a
word back then, and I did it anyway. These days, men are the sky, women are the earth; once you're a wife, you have to obey."
Man B praised his wife's words, "That's why my wife is so sensible and obedient! If every woman were
like you, the world would be a peaceful place." "That's it."
The woman standing next to them, C, chimed in, "I bet this woman comes from a wealthy family. She's never been
beaten before, so she doesn't know any manners. Once she's married, let's see if Chen Dehai doesn't beat her up."
The woman next to her, D, said, "What wealthy family? She's just the daughter of a small shop owner in town
. Chen Dehai marrying her is a blessing she earned in her past life. She dares to be so stubborn; if Chen Dehai really beats her
, she deserves it, she brought it on herself."
At this moment, another person approached Sun Lanhua and whispered, "Young Master Chen said that if the bride
doesn't want to, he won't force her. She should return the way she came."
Upon hearing this, Sun Lanhua broke out in a cold sweat. Return the way she came? That's just annulment! She
wouldn't dare do that even if she had a thousand lives. She'd already been his woman; how could she possibly go back to her parents' home
? Even if she did, wouldn't her father really break her legs? Sun Lanhua was never a stubborn
woman, much less the kind of person who would sacrifice herself for so-called dignity. The thought of her father's fierce appearance
made her tremble, and the humiliation before her vanished instantly. She agreed without any objection. However, she
was extremely embarrassed, but thankfully her veil covered her face, so others couldn't see it and she didn't feel too ashamed. She
took a deep breath, calmed herself, and, no longer shy, slowly walked to the bamboo pole. After standing still, she bent her knees and
knelt straight down. The villagers, lustful and holding their breath, stared intently. The women who had been gossiping earlier
started talking again. "Is this woman still scared? Why isn't she hard enough?"
"Hard my foot! How could she dare? Chen Dehai's family discipline is waiting."
Sun Lanhua knelt there, not crawling immediately, but standing upright, without moving an inch, just
kneeling there. The villagers' throats were itching with anticipation; they wished the beautiful woman could kneel there forever.
A few dozen seconds later, Sun Lanhua braced herself on the ground, her chest almost touching the earth, and then carefully
crawled under the bamboo pole. She crawled very cautiously, afraid of touching the pole and falling, making
a fool of herself and embarrassing her husband. Finally, she crawled into the courtyard, letting out a long sigh of relief, and then straightened up,
kneeling there to catch her breath. At this moment, someone came over, helped her slowly to her feet, and led her
to Chen Dehai. Chen Dehai coldly whispered in her ear, "It took more than 20 minutes."
Sun Lanhua blushed and lowered her head, remaining silent. Although the man's words were spoken softly, she clearly felt threatened.
The skin on her buttocks twitched involuntarily. She wanted to say something to beg for mercy, but with people standing nearby
, she couldn't speak. What followed was the wedding ceremony, the feast, the wedding night festivities—a lively, joyous, and exhausting day that
quickly came to an end, and Sun Lanhua officially became Chen's wife.
On
their wedding day, Chen Dehai's rudeness and vulgarity, especially his violence that night, were firsthand experiences for Sun Lanhua. Initially,
she was terrified, feeling like she had fallen into a demon's den, and that living with such a man for the rest of her life was a terrifying
prospect. But in the following days, Chen Dehai's gentler touch allowed Sun Lanhua to experience the pleasure, excitement
, and enjoyment of the night, making her realize how fortunate she was to have married such a man. She quickly adapted
to her role as a wife. That day, just as dawn was breaking, Sun Lanhua got up. Chen Dehai was still fast asleep in bed beside her
. Not daring to disturb him, she quietly dressed and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. The meal was ready
, and it was already broad daylight. Chen Dehai was still asleep, so Sun Lanhua didn't dare to wake him. She fed him the cooked rice
and went to the courtyard to sweep it. Just then, someone knocked on the door. Sun Lanhua opened it, and a
boy of about ten years old stood outside. Sun Lanhua smiled and asked, "Little brother, who are you looking for?"
"Brother Chen."
"Oh, then come in."
Sun Lanhua greeted him. As soon as the boy entered, Sun Lanhua, afraid he would disturb the man, quickly said, "
Is your Brother Chen still sleeping? Is there something you need from him?"
"My dad called me to come and pay back the money."
The boy touched his bag. "Pay back the money? Pay back what money?"
Sun Lanhua asked. The boy said, "Pay back the money I borrowed."
Sun Lanhua smiled, realizing how silly her question was, but the boy's answer was quite clever. She asked, "Little
brother, what's your name?"
"My name is Cui Guangtian, and I live at the edge of the village."
"Oh, then play inside for a while. Your brother Chen might be up soon."
Cui Guangtian said, "Okay."
Sun Lanhua led Cui Guangtian to the main room and poured him a glass of water. As soon as Cui Guangtian sat down on the stool, he
asked, "Should I call you sister-in-law?"
Before Sun Lanhua could answer, he continued, "Sister-in-law, you're so beautiful!"
Sun Lanhua had intended to follow the local custom—since this child called his husband "elder brother," she should
call him uncle—but seeing that he was only about ten years old, how could she bring herself to say it? Cui Guangtian's generosity made
Sun Lanhua a little embarrassed. She blushed and said, "How old are you to be talking about this?"
Cui Guangtian replied, "Not young anymore, 11 years old."
"11 years old isn't young? Are you in school yet?"
"Yes, first grade."
"Are your grades okay?"
"I don't know, I just started."
Sun Lanhua chatted with Cui Guangtian for a while, then, seeing that Chen Dehai hadn't gotten up yet, and worried that Cui Guangtian would be waiting too
long, she went to the room. She didn't push the door open directly; instead, she stood still at the doorway, bent her knees, and knelt on the ground
before gently pushing the door open. Although Chen Dehai had mentioned this rule on their wedding night, Sun Lanhua had been too dazed
to listen at the time; she had only followed her mother Jiang Guifang's example. Every time her mother entered her father Sun Tingwang's room,
she knelt down, and she imitated her, hoping it would please the man. The Cui family didn't have this custom, and when they saw this
scene, they were extremely surprised. Like the villagers who watched the wedding with curiosity, they stared wide-eyed, thinking:
"Wealthy families are indeed different; even such a beautiful young mistress is so obedient and docile."
Actually, Chen Dehai had woken up earlier, but he hadn't gotten out of bed. He was sitting on the edge of the bed smoking. When he saw Sun Lanhua kneeling in,
he felt satisfied. When Sun Lanhua crawled to the bedside, Chen Dehai laughed and said, "I see you're quite a silly woman. You
've been so tired these past few days, and you don't even know how to sleep a little longer. Why are you up so early in the morning?"
Sun Lanhua said coquettishly, "This is a rule you set, Father. You told Lanhua not to sleep in, so
when Lanhua woke up in the morning and saw that it was already getting light, she didn't dare to sleep any longer."
Chen Dehai was pleased to see that Sun Lanhua called him "Father"
so smoothly. He thought this woman was capable and adaptable, and would save him a lot of slaps.
"You silly old woman, I didn't call you to get up early in the dark!"
"Okay, Father, Lan Hua understands."
"By the way, who's outside?"
"A little kid named Cui Guangtian. He said his father called him to come and pay back the money,"
Sun Lan Hua replied. Chen Dehai said, "His father is too lazy to even burn fleas, how can he call some idiot to pay back the money?
Okay, you go out and greet him first, I'll be right out."
"He's been here for a while, Lan Hua was afraid Father was still sleeping, so she didn't dare disturb him."
Chen Dehai didn't say anything, put on his clothes, and sat on the edge of the bed. Sun Lan Hua brought his shoes and
socks, knelt down beside him, and put the shoes on for him. After he was dressed, Chen Dehai got up and walked outside, Sun Lan Hua kneeling behind him
until they reached the door before getting up. "Oh, Zhu Zi, so early,"
Chen Dehai greeted. "Brother Chen, my father told me to return the money to you."
She said, handing the bag of money to Chen Dehai. Chen Dehai took the money and sat down in the chair. "Where's your dad?
Why did he call you if he didn't come?"
"My dad went to the market early this morning and probably won't be back until tonight, so he asked me to return it."
"There's no need to rush to return it today."
"My dad said he's afraid he'll get itchy fingers and take the money again."
"Hehe, that's true."
Chen Dehai sat down, counted the money, and said, "Is your mother better now?"
"She's been better for a while."
"Wow, how did she get better so quickly?"
"My mother said she was cured by my dad beating her."
"Hehe, cured by beating? How did he cure her? Your mother really knows how to talk."
"My dad used to gamble, but now he doesn't gamble anymore. He's at home almost every day, and when he gets bored, he beats my mother. As a result,
my mother's illness got better."
"Hehe, it seems your mother had a mental illness."
"What's a mental illness?" "
Hehe, I can't explain it to you clearly. You'll understand when you grow up."
At this moment, Sun Lanhua brought tea with both hands, knelt down to offer it to Chen Dehai, and then knelt there
to ask Cui Guangtian, "Guangtian, how old is your mother?"
Cui Guangtian generously replied, "My mother is 27." "
Father, you see, early marriage and early childbirth have their advantages. You're still young, and the child is already so big."
Chen Dehai patted Sun Lanhua's head and said, "Then you'd better make me proud and give me a son."
"Yes, Father."
Chen Dehai took out some money from the pile and pushed it to Cui Guangtian: "This is the interest your father gave you.
Just pay back the principal, and take the interest back to your father."
Cui Guangtian said, "Brother Chen, no, my father didn't tell me to take the money back."
"It's alright, just say it's from Brother Chen."
"Then thank you, brother. Your wife is so beautiful." "Really? Then you must study hard, grow up to be successful, and I'll find you a 　　beautiful wife
like yours ." 　　"Thank you, brother. I'll be going now." 　　"Alright. Lan Hua, see Guang Tian out." 　　Sun Lan Hua got up and followed Cui Guang Tian. After seeing him out the door, she turned back and said, "Father, 　　Lan Hua will bring you the food right away." 　　"Mm." 　　After breakfast, Sun Lan Hua had just finished tidying up the kitchen when Chen De Hai came in. Sun Lan Hua's heart pounded 　　, because the man had told her that the kitchen was a woman's place, and men wouldn't easily enter. If he went into the kitchen 　　, she would definitely be in trouble. She didn't know what kind of trouble the man would cause her, so she quickly wiped her hands, stood obediently with her 　　head bowed before him, and waited for his judgment. Chen De Hai didn't say a word, scooped Sun Lan Hua into a basket, and 　　left the kitchen. Sun Lan Hua didn't understand his meaning, but the man had lost his previous gentleness and suddenly became fierce. 　　She felt scared, didn't dare to struggle, didn't dare to cry out, and let the man do as he pleased. In the middle of the courtyard, Chen De Hai put Sun 　　Lan Hua down. Sun Lanhua noticed a wooden stool under the big tree. Before she could figure out its purpose, Chen Dehai yelled 　　, "Take off your pants and kneel down!" 　　Terrified, Sun Lanhua cried and asked, "Dear Father, what have I done wrong to deserve this 　　punishment of taking off my pants and kneeling in broad daylight?" 　　Chen Dehai, not expecting a woman to dare question his command, which he considered a serious breach of authority, 　　slapped her hard across the face, scolding, "Serves you right for talking so much nonsense!" 　　The slap was quite forceful; Chen Dehai's five fingers immediately appeared on Sun Lanhua's face, and she felt a burning 　　pain. Chen Dehai, however, ignored her pain, enjoying the change in her expression. 　　Under Chen Dehai's scrutiny, Sun Lanhua dared not touch her slapped face or ask any more questions, 　　quickly obeying his orders. Sun Lanhua was wearing baggy pants with a belt; as soon as she unbuckled the belt 　　, the pants automatically fell to the ground. Seeing this, Chen Dehai laughed and scolded, "You stupid woman, who told 　　you to take your pants off like that? Just pull them up, show your buttocks." 　　Sun Lanhua thought, "Why only show my buttocks? Wouldn't that be even more embarrassing?" 　　But despite her thoughts, she dared not utter a sound. She bent down, pulled her pants up to just the right amount, and then knelt 　　on the bench, afraid that her pants would fall down again. She held on tightly, not daring to let go. At this moment, because 　　she was kneeling on the bench and holding up her pants, she couldn't support herself and her body was a little unsteady, swaying from side to side, looking 　　trembling with fear. Chen Dehai said again, "I see you're really stupid. Let go and put your hands on the tree!" 　　Sun Lanhua let go, and as soon as she put her hands on the tree, her pants slipped down to her knees, exposing not only her buttocks 　　but also her thighs. She thought she was going to be scolded by the man again, and her heart was filled with anxiety. This time, Chen Dehai not only didn't scold her, 　　but he was also satisfied with her posture, not caring that her thighs were exposed. He simply said, "Fine, 　　kneel like that." 　　After saying that, he left her there, went straight to the courtyard platform, brought out a chair from the house, sat down, crossed 　　his legs, and smoked while enjoying watching his wife's kneeling posture. About half an hour later, Chen Dehai 　　had finished smoking and enjoying the spectacle. He took a bamboo stick, went down the steps, walked to Sun Lanhua's side, and simply said 　　, "Get ready, I'm going to spank you!" 　　Sun Lanhua thought, "Oh God, what did I do wrong to deserve this kneeling punishment and beating?" 　　Chen Dehai didn't give Sun Lanhua time to protest. With a flick of his wrist, the bamboo stick struck her buttocks. Perhaps it was 　　the first strike, the force wasn't too strong; although a red mark appeared on Sun Lanhua's buttocks, the color was very light, and she 　　didn't react much. Chen Dehai touched her buttocks, pinched them—plump and elastic—and Sun Lanhua groaned. 　　A casual smile appeared on Chen Dehai's face. Then, he raised the paddle again. "Smack!" 　　The sound alone showed it wasn't as gentle as the first. A red mark immediately appeared on Sun Lanhua's buttocks. This 　　time, the pain was excruciating; she couldn't control herself and burst into tears. Chen Dehai roared, 　　"Shut up!" 　　Sun Lanhua shut her mouth, clenching her teeth, trying her best to stop crying. Chen Dehai didn't immediately continue 　　hitting her. Standing aside, he teased, "How does it feel?" 　　"It hurts." 　　"You seem very unconvinced, don't you?" 　　"No. Father, Lanhua submits." 　　Even if Sun Lanhua was unconvinced, she dared not say it. The paddle was still in the man's hand, ready to fall at any moment. "Where 　　do you submit?" 　　Sun Lanhua said, "In my heart." 　　Chen Dehai pinched Sun Lanhua's mouth, "So you're saying you're not convinced verbally?" 　　"Father, Lanhua submits verbally." 　　"Smack!" 　　Chen Dehai slapped Sun Lanhua's bottom again, saying, "That means you're not convinced in your heart." 　　"No, Father, Lanhua submits both verbally and in her heart." 　　"Submitted? You're submitting after just a few slaps? You're just lying to me." 　　"No, Father, Lanhua is telling the truth, Lanhua truly submits to Father." " 　　Haha, even if you truly submit, you're still going to get a beating." 　　"Ah, why?" 　　"You dare ask why? It seems you're truly not convinced."

As he spoke, Chen Dehai's paddle struck Sun Lanhua's buttocks several times with force. Sun Lanhua gritted her teeth,
trying to hold back her tears, but she couldn't bear it any longer and cried out again. The pain was so intense that she couldn't stop screaming,
each cry more pitiful than the last. Finally, her screams became like the howls of a pig being slaughtered.
Sun Lanhua's screams were like the rallying cry for battle, alarming the surrounding neighbors. These
villagers, who never missed a single moment of excitement, came from different places and gathered outside the gate to watch the free
spectacle. It's not strange for men to come and watch the fun; watching other men beat women has many benefits. First, they can learn some
experience in beating their wives, and second, they can get a glimpse of the woman's bare, plump buttocks—a free Western spectacle, quite
a unique experience. But it's strange for women to come and join the fun; they are also being beaten by men. In Furong Village, a mountain valley
, lived one or two hundred households. It was unheard of for any woman to have escaped a beating; the only
difference was the frequency and severity. These women, at this moment, forgot their own miserable state after being beaten, but instead relished talking about other women being
beaten.
Chen Dehai had only intended to give Sun Lanhua a few lashes on the buttocks, just enough to make a sound, but he hadn't expected
her to wail and scream so loudly, attracting so many onlookers. This infuriated him, and now
he couldn't stop even if he wanted to. If he stopped, the villagers would laugh at him for being too lenient with women, unmanly
, ruining the tough-guy image he had cultivated over the years.
Chen Dehai stopped whipping her after a while, walked up to Sun Lanhua, grabbed her hair with one hand,
and slapped the paddle across her face with the other, saying, "I'll teach you to cry! I'll teach you to yell! Damn it,
I only hit you a few times and you're already howling. Fine, I'll give you
a taste of my paddle. Let's see if you dare to yell like that again."
Sun Lanhua was in excruciating pain, her face almost swollen, but her mind wasn't clouded. She had attended junior high school and had some education;
she quickly realized she had committed a grave offense. Women shouldn't cry when beaten by their husbands, and even if they did, they
shouldn't cry too loudly, attracting onlookers and making the man lose face. People would laugh at the man for being incompetent and
unable to control his wife. Women in the village were beaten every day; if every woman howled like this young woman
, wouldn't they cause chaos? In a village where people depended on the heavens for survival, offending the heavens was a grave sin.
That would bring retribution! So she begged for mercy: "Father, Lan Hua knows she was wrong, Lan Hua will never dare to
do it again, please don't hit her anymore, it hurts too much. This lowly daughter will never dare to make Father angry again."
Before Sun Lan Hua could finish speaking, "Smack!" A crisp and loud sound came from Sun Lan Hua's bottom
.
"Damn it, you're starting to dictate to me. You're my wife, it's my decision when I stop hitting
you, who gave you the right to tell me? Kneel up straight right now, I'm going to teach
you a lesson for your filthy bottom."
This time, Sun Lan Hua became obedient and dared not cry anymore. She was afraid she would lose control, so she kept her mouth tightly shut
. Although Chen Dehai did not stop hitting her, the force was much lighter. After all, she was his wife,
and he was too embarrassed to ask someone to treat her injured bottom. Whether Sun Lanhua's buttocks hurt or not was secondary; the key issue was
the humiliation of having so many villagers watching. To get the man to finish quickly, she kept begging for mercy: "Ah! Father, it hurts!
This lowly daughter knows she was wrong! Ah! This lowly daughter will never dare to do it again!"
*Crack crack crack crack*, these past few days, Chen Dehai had been beating her hard. He said, "Forgot the rules? Still dare to cry out? Then give her
another 30 strokes, as a way of showing you know the rules. Tell me, do you accept it?"
"Daughter accepts."
"One...two...three..."
With each stroke, the flesh on Sun Lanhua's buttocks trembled. By the time the 30 strokes were finished, her buttocks were
swollen, and in some places, the skin was broken. Sun Lanhua pleaded, "Father, I know I was wrong. Please don't
hit me anymore, okay? I still have to serve you."
Chen Dehai slapped her across the face and said, "Behave yourself and kneel properly!"
Sun Lanhua knelt upright on the stool, not daring to move, still begging for mercy, "I won't do it again."
Chen Dehai made her kneel for a while, then said, "Alright, get down."
Sun Lanhua struggled to get off the stool, thinking her knees were finally free. Kneeling on the stool and being hit
not only hurt her buttocks but also her knees. She rubbed her knees. Chen Dehai said, "What are you rubbing? It's not over yet.
Kneel on the ground, we're going to keep whipping you."
Sun Lanhua cried out in her heart, "Oh my god, when will this end?"
But she dared not disobey the man. She had just finished putting on her pants when Chen Dehai yelled at her, "Who told you to put on
your pants?"
"But, Father, your daughter..."
Chen Dehai said, "It seems the beating wasn't enough. You're still not behaving."
Sun Lanhua dared not say anything more. She knelt directly on the ground, covering her private parts with her hands and straightening her body. About
half an hour later, Chen Dehai approached Sun Lanhua and asked, "Do you know how to be a wife from now on?"
"Father, I know."
"Tell me, what do you know?"
"From now on, I will listen to you, Father. If I'm naughty, you'll have to use family discipline."
"What will you use family discipline for?"
"I'll kneel on the ground and have you spank me naked, and slap me."
"You're sensible. Now, go back to the main room, I have a lecture!"
Sun Lanhua heard this and quickly stood up, but her buttocks and knees ached, and she couldn't stand. Just as she tried to stand,
her knees gave way and she knelt on the ground again. Chen Dehai said, "Don't dawdle, or I'll hit you again."
Sun Lanhua panicked. Unable to walk, she had no choice but to crawl. She had already crawled on her knees yesterday, so
what harm was there in crawling again today? So, step by step, she crawled from the middle of the courtyard towards the main room. The villagers who had been watching the commotion at the courtyard gate didn't
leave until they saw Sun Lanhua climb into the main room and disappear from sight.
Inside the main room, Chen Dehai sat smugly in his armchair. After climbing into the main room, Sun Lanhua, without waiting for the man's instructions
, endured the pain and quickly knelt before him, her back straight and her head slightly bowed. Such a kneeling posture...
This was Chen Dehai's favorite woman, and he thought to himself, "This woman really has captured my heart."
However, on the surface, he didn't show his delight. He cleared his throat and began to tell Sun Lanhua about the history and various
rules of the Chen family. Although Chen Dehai wasn't highly educated, he spoke eloquently, leaving a deep impression on Sun Lanhua.
For example, Chen Dehai had already explained the forms of address the previous night, but today he emphasized again that these forms of address represented
each person's status and position, and must be strictly followed. In the Chen family, women didn't address men as "Master," and were even
less allowed to call them by their given names or any other random terms; they could only call them "Father." However, men
could address women as they pleased: "Girl," "Lanhua," "Wife," and so on, as long as the man wanted. Once
a woman married into the Chen family, she was a member of the Chen family in life and in death, and must completely obey the discipline of the Chen family patriarch,
wholeheartedly serve her husband, bear children for the Chen family, and fulfill her duties as a good woman. In the past, women took their father's surname after marriage. Once married, they took
their husband's surname, much like a newborn woman whose only authority was her husband. She
no longer needed to worry about her maternal family. If her maternal family needed help, it was a matter between the man and the
woman, not hers. Women were not allowed to return to their maternal home at will; they had to ask
permission beforehand. The same applied to leaving the Chen family compound. In short, permission was always granted. When Chen Dehai explained the family rules
, he didn't finish them all at once. Instead, he had Sun Lanhua repeat each rule after he explained it, ensuring she memorized it before moving on
. This process took almost the entire morning.
Sun Lanhua was clever and remembered all the family rules Chen Dehai explained. However, one thing remained unclear: she didn't
know why she had been beaten today. She wanted to ask, but with the man's fierce expression, she dared not.
After dinner, Sun Lanhua was cleaning the kitchen.
Unexpectedly, Chen Dehai roared impatiently, "What are you babbling about? Want to get beaten up?
Get the hell in here!"
Sun Lanhua, startled, quickly said, "Coming, coming!"
She wiped her hands and ran into her and Chen Dehai's bedroom. Chen Dehai was sitting on the bed, his cigarette almost finished.
Seeing Sun Lanhua enter, he cursed, "Damn it, you always go against me.
Whatever I ask you to do, you waste my time. Get to the door and kneel down!"
Sun Lanhua retreated to the doorway and knelt upright. "Kneel in!"
the man ordered, throwing his cigarette butt on the ground. Sun Lanhua crawled into the room. "Get the hell up
here right now!"
Sun Lanhua got up and knelt on the edge of the bed. Chen Dehai slapped her hard across the face, then
yelled, "You worthless thing, have you forgotten your manners again? Don't you know what I'm going to do? Get down on the floor and kneel.
Slap yourself, don't make me do it."
Sun Lanhua raised both hands and slapped herself hard, left and right. She slapped herself several times
, her fair cheeks turning red. Seeing that his wife's cheeks were swollen and that
she seemed to be admitting her mistake, the man didn't make her kneel for long before telling her to fetch water to wash his feet. As Sun Lanhua knelt on the ground washing the man's
feet, she saw a look of joy on his face. Only then did she muster the courage to ask nervously, "Father,
what did Lanhua do wrong this morning to deserve a beating?"
Chen Dehai laughed loudly and scolded, "You ill-mannered brat! Didn't your mother tell you?"
Sun Lanhua shook her head, confused, thinking, "It's me who got beaten, what does it have to do with my mother?"
Seeing Sun Lanhua's confusion, Chen Dehai added, "It seems your mother really deserves a beating. She
didn't even tell you something so important."
As Chen Dehai said this, a hint of elation crept into his mind. The thought of Sun Lanhua's mother's sexy figure and extraordinary charm
made him feel hot all over, and he fantasized about having the chance to sleep with her. However, for now, he could only think about it
; actually doing it was absurd, and he wouldn't be foolish enough to do such a thing. Sun Lanhua, of course, had no
idea that the man was thinking about having sex with her mother. She was even more confused and said, "Father, please tell
Lanhua! Lanhua will remember and won't do it again."
Chen Dehai said, "Stupid woman, this isn't a matter of right or wrong. These are the rules of the Chen family! When I
proposed marriage to the Sun family, I told your parents about these rules. I said the bride would crawl into the house and get a
beating, to transform you and make you a devoted woman of the Chen family. Your father asked your mother to relay my
words to you. Didn't she tell you?"
Sun Lanhua now understood why she had been beaten. But she didn't know whether to nod or
shake her head at the man's question. If she nodded, it meant her mother had told her, and then asking this now would be feigning ignorance and
deceiving the man, which, according to the family rules, meant she would be beaten. But her buttocks were already sore; how could she withstand another beating? Besides,
her mother had never told her about these rules of the Chen family. But if she told the truth, her husband would
tell her father about it on her return visit, and her mother would definitely be beaten by him. While Sun Lanhua was in a dilemma, Chen
Dehai didn't delve into it, only saying, "It's enough that you understand now. The key is your future behavior."
Seeing that her husband didn't pursue the matter further, Sun Lanhua was very grateful and said softly, "Father, don't worry.
From now on, Lanhua is a member of the Chen family. Lanhua will definitely listen to Father, serve Father well, diligently
manage the household chores, and bear children for Father to continue the family line. If Lanhua does anything wrong or violates the family rules, Father is Lanhua
's second parent; please discipline her as you see fit. Lanhua will never dare to have any complaints."
Chen Dehai was very satisfied with Sun Lanhua's confession. He played with her on the bed for a while until
she fell asleep, her mouth agape.

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