Chapter 1 — After My Husband Slagged Me To Please My Mother, I Cleaned The Whole House

After my husband beat me, he ran to show off his work to his mother-in-law. That same day, I cleaned the whole house. My mother-in-law, while chewing peach cake, said:

"Woman, if you don't fight, you're not a good person."

The moment the slap landed on my face, his hand was shaking. Not out of pity for me. But because he was afraid that if he didn't hit hard enough, his mother would be dissatisfied. After slapping me, he cautiously turned his head to look at his mother, his eyes anxious like a dog waiting for his owner to reward him. The corners of her mother-in-law's lips curled slightly, she nodded with satisfaction.

"Should have done that a long time ago."

I raised my hand to touch my burning cheek. Don't cry. Don't make a fuss either. Just quietly stood up, walked into the bedroom and locked the door. Fourteen hours later, he knelt in the middle of the empty living room, crying, calling me. Unfortunately... His number has been on the block list for a long time. My ears rang. The whole world suddenly fell silent for about two seconds. The pain exploded from his left cheek, spreading straight to his brain. My whole body tilted to the right, my shoulder hitting the corner of the coffee table hard. The cup on the table toppled over, water splashing onto the carpet. The TV in the living room was still playing a health program. An on-screen expert just said:

"Middle-aged and elderly people need to learn how to control their emotions."

I knelt on the half-wet carpet, clutching my cheek, everything was shaking before my eyes. Tran Kien Quan. Height is one meter eighty-two, weighs eighty-five kilograms. He slapped me.

"I told you to fight, so why are you still hesitating?"

Those words are not his. It belongs to Luu Que Phuong, my mother-in-law, sitting cross-legged on the sofa. She held half a bowl of peach cake in her hand, and in front of her was a cup of Long Tinh tea that I had brewed since morning. The eyes looking at me were no different from when I was choosing each cabbage at the market.

"Hit too lightly."

She took another bite of cake, and crumbs fell all over the floor that I had just wiped three times.

"If a woman doesn't educate her, she won't know the height of heaven and earth."

My mouth smelled like blood. The tip of the tongue glides across the inside of the lips. What happened ten minutes ago? Just a small thing. I said I wanted to take two days off to take my biological mother to the provincial hospital to have her knee checked. Her feet have been hurting for half a month now. Luu Que Phuong placed his chopsticks firmly on the table.

"Do you have to pay for your mother to go see a doctor? She doesn't have health insurance? You've already married into the Tran family, so you didn't come here to support your mother's family."

I calmly replied:

"Mom, I used money from my own salary card, no..."

"Isn't your money the money of this house?"

Her voice immediately rose.

"Every penny you earn belongs to the Tran family! Do you think earning a few dollars is so big?"

I turned to look at Tran Kien Quan. He sat at the other end of the dining table, bowed his head and scrolled through his phone, as if there was a black hole in the screen that was strong enough to suck his entire body in. I didn't even bother to raise my head. The more Luu Que Phuong spoke, the more enthusiastic he became. From me spending money on my mother's house... to criticizing me for being a bad cook. Then from the bad cooking... He scolded me for being married for three years but still haven't given birth to a child. It eventually turned into a tirade of accusations. This is disrespectful. Which is disobedience. Who doesn't know the rules?

"Jianjun!"

"You can't even control your wife? You're still a man no?"

Finally, Tran Kien Quan put down the phone. He looked at his mother. Then look at me. That look... I've seen it too many times. No hesitation. Not a struggle. It's not heartbreaking either. Under consideration. Consider how angry your mother is. And how much does he have to do... Only then will she be at peace. He stood up.

"To Man, can't you tolerate my mother for a bit?"

"I've never been able to hold back..."

I haven't finished my sentence yet. The slap has fallen. The earring was knocked out, bounced twice on the floor and then rolled under the TV shelf. Those are the earrings I bought for myself for my thirtieth birthday. Luu Que Phuong sat on the sofa looking at everything, calmly raised the Long Tinh tea cup and took a sip.

"That's right."

She raised her voice with satisfaction.

"Women, if they don't hit, they won't listen. Look at my sister-in-law..."

Then she turned to Tran Kien Quan and said something that I will never forget for the rest of my life.

"Hit one more."

"Don't act like you're coaxing a child."

Tran Kien Quan bowed his head and looked at me. I lay on the ground, raising my head to look at him. His lips moved slightly. As if wanting to say something... But in the end, he still didn't say it. He raised his hand again. Stronger than last time. My whole body was knocked to the ground, the back of my head hitting the leg of the tea table. It really hurts. Not the kind of pain that covers your face and cries like in the movies. It's a dull, heavy pain, as if it's seeping little by little from deep into the bones. Then I saw a scene. After beating me... Tran Kien Quan never looked at me. He turned his head towards Luu Que Phuong sitting on the sofa. Those eyes... Just like an elementary school student who has just finished his homework, looking up at the teacher, waiting to grade, waiting to receive a stamp of praise. Even slightly hunched over. As for Luu Que Phuong... The corners of her lips curled up slightly.