A fierce wife enters the house: She helps up a house full of spineless people.

The old Chen family house, the second branch's dilapidated room was filled with an unpleasant stench of rancidity and excrement.

Chen Xiufen lay face down on the hard wooden bed, her lower body aching as if on fire. In the past month, she had truly seen through the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys of the Chen family.

"Ugh, this smell is awful! Can't a person live like this?!" In the courtyard, Old Mrs. Chen pinched her nose and cursed loudly, "That good-for-nothing who eats for free has disgraced the Chen family. He'd be better off dead in jail!"

Liu Yiyi sat under the eaves cracking sunflower seeds, and chimed in sarcastically, "That's right, Grandma. Shuyan studies hard at the academy every day, and then he has to come back and smell this stench. How can he concentrate on studying?"

Just then, Chen Shuyan returned from outside. As he passed Chen Xiufen's window, he quickened his pace, covered his nose, and didn't even glance inside.

With a creak, the door opened. Chen Yang walked in carrying a chipped, rough porcelain bowl and placed it on the rickety table by the bedside. The bowl contained half a bowl of white porridge and a hard, dark cornbread.

"Eat up," Chen Yang said curtly, then turned and left.

"Honey," Chen Xiufen's chapped lips moved, "I need to relieve myself..."

Chen Yang paused, but didn't turn around: "I still need to get out of bed later." With that, he strode out the door.

Chen Xiufen watched his retreating figure, her eyes dry, unable to shed a tear. She gritted her teeth, dragging her festering flesh, inching her way off the bed. Every movement was excruciatingly painful. By the time she reached the toilet, she was drenched in a cold sweat.

That's how she endured the past month. Her heart was completely dead.

Half a month later, Chen Xiufen's wounds scabbed over, and she was able to walk with difficulty.

Early that morning, she changed into clean clothes, took out the last bit of silver she had hidden away, and went to town.

At the butcher's stall, she gritted her teeth and cut two pounds of streaky pork with alternating layers of fat and lean meat. Carrying the meat, she turned and headed towards the town's academy.

Chen Shuyan was called out by his classmate. Upon seeing Chen Xiufen, his face immediately darkened. He quickly stepped forward and lowered his voice, "Mother, what are you doing here? My classmates are all watching!"

Chen Xiufen looked at the son she had doted on since childhood, and forced a stiff smile: "Mother's injury is healed. I'll make braised pork for lunch today. After this meal, I'll leave, and I'll never be in your way again."

Chen Shuyan was about to explode, but upon hearing the word "go," he swallowed his anger and waved his hand impatiently: "Alright, I know. I'll go back at noon."

After leaving the academy, Chen Xiufen carried the meat and went straight to Wang Jinzhu's workshop.

The workshop was bustling with activity, and Wang Jinzhu would occasionally take a look around to see if the workers were paying enough attention.

"Jinzhu," Chen Xiufen stepped forward, her tone unusually calm.

Wang Jinzhu raised her head, her eyes cold: "Second Aunt Chen, is there something you need?"

"Second Aunt is here to apologize to you." Chen Xiufen lowered her head, her voice dry and weak. "I was blind before, and I didn't even finish imitating your work, which tarnished your reputation. This noon, I bought some meat and invited your whole family over for a meal as an apology."

Wang Jinzhu didn't think Chen Xiufen was the kind of person who could recognize her mistakes, and looked at her indifferently: "I won't eat. As for your counterfeit goods, not only have they not affected me, but they've also let the ladies in town know that buying cheap fakes will ruin your skin. My business with genuine products is even better than before."

Chen Xiufen's face stiffened for a moment, then she turned to look at Old Man Chen, who was sitting in the yard weaving bamboo baskets, and Wang Tianfang, who was chopping firewood: "Dad, Tianfang, you..."

"I'm not going!" Old Chen didn't even lift his eyelids. "I'm eating well and sleeping soundly now, I don't want to go looking for trouble."

Wang Tianfang didn't even glance at her before raising his axe and splitting the firewood in two.

Chen Xiufen didn't say anything more, turned around and left the new house, then went to the old house where Chen Shi and Chen Yuxiang now lived.

Chen Yuxiang was picking vegetables in the yard when she heard that there was braised pork. Her eyes lit up and she was about to stand up when Chen Shi, who was sharpening a sickle next to her, grabbed her and pressed her down.

"Second sister-in-law," Chen Shi said gruffly, "your second branch's affairs are none of our business. An apology should be offered to Jinzhu; we won't get involved."

Chen Yuxiang pursed her lips, but didn't dare to say a word.

Chen Xiufen looked at Chen Shi, nodded, and turned to leave, thinking it was a pity.

Around noon, the aroma of meat wafted from the kitchen of the second branch of the Chen family.

Chen Xiufen stood in front of the stove, watching the braised pork bubbling in the pot, its color a rich reddish-brown, fatty yet not greasy. She pulled a small paper packet from her sleeve, her fingertips trembling. It contained rat poison she had bought in town.

She tore open the paper packet, poured all the white powder into the pot, picked up a spatula, and slowly stirred it until it was evenly mixed.

Inside the main room, the table was already set up. Old Mrs. Chen and Liu Yiyi, drawn by the aroma of the meat, sat down at the table early, their mouths watering.

Chen Yang sat on a bench nearby, also waiting for his meal.

Chen Xiufen carried in a large bowl of braised pork and placed it heavily in the center of the table.

"Why hasn't Shuyan returned yet?" Chen Yang tapped his pipe.

Chen Xiufen glanced at the door, pulled out a chair and sat down, muttering under her breath, "He's lucky."

"What did you say?" Chen Yang didn't hear clearly.

"It's alright. The academy might be busy, let's eat first." Chen Xiufen picked up her chopsticks.

Before she could finish speaking, Old Mrs. Chen had already dipped her chopsticks into the bowl, picked up the largest piece of fatty meat, and stuffed it into her mouth, saying indistinctly, "Eat! Don't wait for him! If he's not back by now, he definitely won't be coming back..."

Not to be outdone, Liu Yiyi quickly rummaged through the bowl with her chopsticks, picking up three pieces of meat and putting them in her own bowl, as if afraid of being left out.

Chen Yang sighed as he watched the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law wolf down their food. He picked up two pieces with his chopsticks. Just as he was about to put his hand back, he caught a glimpse of Chen Xiufen's bare bowl.

She truly suffered greatly during that month.

Chen Yang picked up a piece of meat and placed it in Chen Xiufen's bowl.

Chen Xiufen was startled. She stared intently at the braised pork in the bowl, coated in rich sauce, then looked up at Chen Yang, who was shoveling rice into his mouth.

Grandma Chen and Liu Yiyi were still chewing heartily, their mouths dripping with oil.

Chen Xiufen suddenly laughed, a laugh that conveyed a profound sense of sorrow and relief.

Perhaps, this is fate.

She picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of meat, and slowly put it into her mouth.

As husband and wife, we are destined to die together.

About half an hour later, Old Mrs. Chen suddenly clutched her stomach and let out a pig-like scream, falling to the ground along with the stool. Liu Yiyi also clutched her throat, her face turning blue and purple, writhing on the ground in agony.