Pan's father was shocked to hear this. When his parents were alive, she dared to do this. After they were gone, would their son stand a chance? Perhaps she would abuse their son to death and then find another partner. The thought of this possibility made him restless. He had to suppress her arrogance, no matter what.
So, he took Pan's mother and son to the kitchen and gave an order. The three of them were to fight Zhang Taohong alone. Zhang Taohong was not the type to endure silently. The reason she had been heartbroken before was that she had sought help from her father multiple times, and each time he told her to tolerate it. When she returned to the Zhang family, everyone would mock her, and she had no way out.
At this moment, the thought that her father had promised to rescue her gave her an inexplicable sense of security. Besides, what if her father broke his promise this time? She was going to die anyway, so she might as well fight them with all her might.
Thus, she grabbed the firewood behind her and engaged them in a fight. Zhang Taohong knew that she could not escape this fate today. She put all her strength into swinging the firewood, hitting them with every blow. They all took a few hits. Unfortunately, as a woman, she was no match for them. Not only was her firewood snatched away, but she was also pinned to the ground.
Pan's father slapped her and angrily said, "You wicked woman, you dare to hit us? You're out of line! Today, I'll teach you the rules of being a daughter-in-law."
He touched the spot where he had been hit by the firewood, wincing in pain. He gestured to his son to drag her to the main house. During this time, Zhang Taohong struggled a few times with all her might but could not break free.
When she was pinned to the ground again, she felt no remorse. After all, this was something she had wanted to do for a long time, and today she finally did it. She felt incredibly exhilarated and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Pan's father became even more furious. Not only did she hit him, but she was also happy about it. He walked directly to the ancestral tablets, took out a whip, and prepared to administer family punishment.
Looking down at her from above, he said, "Zhang, do you plead guilty? Do you know your mistakes?"
Zhang Taohong's laughter grew louder when she heard this. She mockingly replied, "Guilty? You're acting like a magistrate, interrogating me like a criminal. What crime have I committed? I merely defended myself, and you can't stand it. How many times have I been beaten in your house? You are human, am I not? I feel pain, I get hurt, but you people never care about my feelings."
"Why? You were bought by our family. Your life and death are ours. We spent so much money, shouldn't you be obedient? What's a few beatings?" Pan's father was angry, still pained by the money he had spent.
"You could have chosen not to spend money to buy me. I didn't want to marry into your family either. If you hadn't bought me, perhaps I could have married a good man, lived a happy life, and not be stuck guarding a fool like this." Zhang Taohong poured out her heart. It was a willing transaction, yet they took their anger out on her, a weak woman. What kind of men were they?
"You still dare to argue? Today, I'll beat you until you have no teeth left." Pan's father was enraged. Zhang Taohong's words had rendered him speechless, so he could only try to distract her.
As he swung the whip down, the courtyard gate was kicked open. Seeing the two people standing at the entrance, Pan's father frowned and asked irritably, "Why are you here?"
"If I didn't come, you would be beating my daughter. My daughter married into your family, she didn't sign a contract of indenture," Zhang Dahai said calmly, walking forward.
"She didn't sign a contract, but ask any family that married a daughter-in-law for five taels of silver?" Pan's father said irritably. Although he felt he had done nothing wrong, he was a little uneasy about hitting her in front of her father.
"Since it was a willing transaction then, you must treat my daughter well, or I won't be done with you," Zhang Dahai said sternly.
Pan's father suddenly felt a sense of pressure. This was the first time he felt fear when facing Zhang Dahai. His tone of voice softened considerably. "You won't be done with me? How won't you be done with me? Based on you?"
After saying that, he looked him up and down dismissively. "If you can return the betrothal gifts we gave back then, I'll respect you as a good man."
Zhang Dahai immediately looked up at him. "Is that true?"
"True," Pan's father said without hesitation. He didn't believe Zhang Dahai could come up with five taels of silver in such a short time. He had no intention of replacing Zhang Taohong, as his son was a fool, and finding a wife for him was extremely difficult, a fact he knew all too well. The reason he opposed Zhang Dahai was mainly to suppress their arrogance and prevent them from dictating terms in his household.
"How about this? We can find someone literate in the village to write a contract. The content would be that if I can repay five taels of silver, you will let your son divorce my daughter. If I cannot repay the silver, then my daughter will be at your disposal. What do you say?" Zhang Dahai looked at him steadily.
"Isn't a verbal agreement good enough? Why involve others? Family shame should not be publicized." Pan's father immediately refused. If he truly signed this contract with him, he believed that within an hour, the entire village would know, and others would laugh at him. He was unwilling to do that.
"Alright then. Starting today, I'll be staying at your house. As your in-law, you can't make me sleep outside, can you? Otherwise, I'll find your village chief to settle this." With that, Zhang Dahai sat down on a stool in his main house, crossing his legs leisurely.
Wu Caiwei added fuel to the fire and instructed Pan's father, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Zhang Taohong's future mother-in-law and Zhang Dahai's current fiancée. If he is here, I will stay here too. You must prepare a room for me."
After speaking, she found a stool and sat down, even pouring herself a cup of tea and drinking it slowly, as if she were at home.
Pan's father pointed at them with trembling fingers, unable to speak for a long time. He felt that these two were like scoundrels.
Zhang Taohong immediately got up from the ground and moved a stool to sit next to her father. She observed the faces of the Pan family members while looking at the woman opposite her. Her thoughts were similar to her two younger sisters. Such a beautiful woman was going to be her mother-in-law? Was there something wrong with her eyes? How could she fall for her father?
For a moment, the room fell silent. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts. Pan's father initially thought they were just talking, but they sat there until dark. Wu Caiwei calmly said, "Mrs. Pan, it's mealtime. Aren't you going to cook? Do you want us to starve? We are your in-laws. Is this how you treat your in-laws?"