If you don't consummate the marriage for three years and then marry a successful educated youth

Douzi's mother changed the subject, not saying directly that her mother-in-law walked out. She didn't say that a person who had been paralyzed for three years could walk out; even if she said that, the man wouldn't believe it.

She was even less likely to be willing to go out and see, so how could she discover her mother-in-law's lie? In that instant, the thought came to her mind, and she changed her mind.

Sure enough, Douzi's father woke up with a start and lowered his voice: "Wife, lock the door. I'm going out to see which bastard it is. Protect yourself and little Douzi."

"Okay, I understand."

After the man left, Douzi's mother took out a gong from under the bed, hid behind the door and watched outside. She was so nervous that she even held her breath, quietly watching her husband take the carrying pole and look for the thief.

Bean's dad listened intently and quickly noticed something. He peeked out the kitchen window and saw a dark figure opening a cupboard and rummaging through it.

Unable to make out who it was, he slowly raised the carrying pole and approached the figure step by step. Just as he was about to reach the person, he broke a dead branch under his foot.

The sound was so abrupt in the quiet night.

The dark figure rummaging through the cupboard was startled and turned around abruptly. He saw that the carrying pole was already raised and was about to smash it down on his head. He screamed in fright.

"Ahhh, don't hit me, it's me!"

When Douzi's father heard the sound, he was startled and instinctively moved aside. The carrying pole slammed heavily onto his wife's shoulder, causing her to almost jump up in pain.

"Ouch, that hurts so much! It's my bone!"

"...Mother, it's you! What are you doing here? No, why are you standing here? Your legs have been paralyzed for a long time. When did you learn to walk again?"

The old woman twitched in pain and argued, "I... I only started feeling a little better these past two days. I wasn't very hungry, so I came down to find something to eat."

"Oh dear, you know what, my leg is really bad, it's hurting now, probably because it's only recently recovered."

Douzi's father stared at her without saying a word.

"Boss, why aren't you saying anything?"

"Mother... tell me the truth, is your leg really paralyzed, or are you faking it? There are no outsiders here, so please tell me. I'm listening."

The old woman clutched her shoulder, feeling a little guilty. But then she thought that only her son was there, and there was nothing she couldn't say. After all, her son would surely side with his own mother.

"Okay, then I'll tell you, you can't tell your wife, otherwise I'll lose face."

"Also, my leg is almost healed, and I want to get out of bed and walk. You'll have to cooperate when that happens, so your wife won't complain."

Douzi's father didn't answer, but pressed on, "Mom, please continue. When did this leg heal, or was it never broken in the first place?"

The old woman pouted and said, "Fine, I'll tell you the truth. Don't tell your wife, or we'll start arguing again. My leg wasn't actually injured in the first place."

"I just can't stand your wife. She never considers the bigger picture and always acts like she's the eldest sister-in-law. She argues with her sister-in-law about everything and can't stand being taken advantage of."

"So, I wanted to teach her a lesson, so I pretended to faint. Who knew that this act would last for three years? Time really flies."

Douzi's father felt terrible upon hearing this, his eyes filled with disbelief: "Mom, how could you do such a thing? Do you know how much money we've spent on your leg these past three years?"

"You did this just to get revenge on my wife, you really... what am I supposed to say!"

The old woman stubbornly retorted, "So what? I didn't do it on purpose. I just didn't think that much about it at the time. Later, you all made such a big fuss that even the doctor couldn't find anything wrong when we went to the hospital for a checkup."

"How was I supposed to know that faking paralysis was so easy? Even the hospital couldn't detect it. I didn't do it on purpose. I was just confused by your wife."

Douzi's father closed his eyes, his face full of difficulty: "But Mother, you've been lying for three years! I've seen how you've treated my wife for these three years."

"Before, I thought it was normal for you to want to cause trouble after she made you so angry. But you're lying! How could you do this? What if my wife finds out?"

"Mother, you are really too bold. How am I supposed to explain this now?"

The old woman said irritably, "What do you need to explain? Only you and I know this. Nobody else knows. Even the doctor couldn't tell. What could your wife possibly know?"

"Just listen to your mother and cooperate with her. In a few days, that educated youth will come to treat your illness. I'll cooperate and slowly get out of bed. This reason is perfectly legitimate."

"For your wife, it's a great thing that I'm cured and she doesn't have to take care of me anymore. She should be grateful to me, right? That way, we can keep this a secret."

Douzi's father hesitated. What if he couldn't keep such a big secret? Would his wife make a scene?

"What if she makes a scene?"

"It's okay. Couples often quarrel in bed and make up before they get out of bed. You can just say a few nice words to coax them, and it will all be over."

The mother and son were whispering to each other, completely unaware that the figure below the window was already in tears. She wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and locked the other doors.

He opened the courtyard gate, went outside, picked up the gong, and struck it hard. The piercing sound of the gong instantly echoed throughout the village, and kerosene lamps lit up one by one, accompanied by a constant rustling sound.

Bean's mother took a deep breath, and while banging the gong, she shouted, "Thieves have broken out! Come quick!"

Upon hearing that a burglary had occurred, the villagers immediately rushed over with their tools, shouting, "What happened? Bean's mother, was your house burgled? Where is the thief?"

"Waaah, I only saw a dark figure go to the kitchen. I'm too scared to look. I was afraid he would hurt the child, so I locked the bedroom door from the outside. Please come in and check."

"Okay, okay, don't worry, we'll go right away."

The commotion was so great that it alerted the brigade leader's family, and even the people from the educated youth compound came to join in the fun, wanting to see who was so bold as to steal things.

A large group of people carrying torches entered the courtyard, illuminating the entire area. The captain shouted towards the kitchen, "Thieves, huh? Get out here right now!"

"If you don't come out soon, we'll go in and arrest you, and you're bound to get a beating."

The mother and son in the kitchen were stunned. Douzi's father said anxiously, "Mom, what do we do now? They've all come into the yard. We need to go out now."

The old woman was getting anxious, pacing back and forth, and said, "Here's what we'll do, you carry me outside and tell them I'm hungry in the middle of the night and you'll get me something to eat."

"I want to fool people first. I can't let them know that my leg is fine, otherwise they will gossip behind my back, and I will lose face."