Persuading Dad to move out of the house

After a few weeks, Zhu Changyu began to recover noticeably. He was able to stand up with a little help from Lin Ai and began practicing walking slowly inside the house.

" I feel like I've been reborn," he said one day as he tried walking on his own for the first time.

" This is because of your daughter, you have to thank Qing'an a lot," Lin Ai said as she looked at her husband who was slowly regaining his strength.

Zhu Changyu turned to look at Zhu Qing'an who was standing not far away. She just smiled and replied in a gentle tone.

" This is something I should do anyway, Father. Please rest a lot. There are still many things I want you to help me with in the future."

Zhu Changyu's improved condition gave everyone in the secondary household a boost of morale. Although they still had to be careful and endure the oppression from Old Lady Zhu and Zhu Changhai, they were beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel.

Zhu Qing'an knew that his father's recovery was the beginning of a major change in their lives.

" Father, soon we will start a new life together," she whispered to Zhu Changyu one night while helping him make his bed.

" I am sincerely looking forward to that day," he replied softly, but with hope.

Even though Zhu Changyu was sick and unable to take care of himself, Old Madam Zhu and Zhu Changhai did not let up on their cruelty. Whenever the money or supplies in the main house ran out, they would rush straight to the secondary house to extort the things and money that Lin Ai's family had almost nothing left.

Every time they appeared, fear and despair would quickly fill the atmosphere in the secondary household. That day was no different. Old Mother Zhu pushed open the door with a loud shove. Lin Ai, who was sewing old clothes for her son, quickly stood up. "Mother …" She said in a trembling voice.

" I have nothing more to give you, Your Majesty ..."

" Nothing to give ?" Old Lady Zhu sneered.

" Then take some clothes or a pot instead !" She said harshly, before walking straight towards Lin Ai and pushing her down.

Lin Ai, who had no strength to resist, collapsed to the ground. She raised her hands and begged with tears.

" Please, I really have nothing …"

Zhu Qingyang, who was standing in the corner of the room watching the event, felt as if his blood was boiling. He gritted his teeth tightly before rushing towards his grandmother.

" Grandma ! Don't hurt my mother !"

But with the strength of a 9- year-old boy, he was no match for Zhu Changhai. The tall young man easily grabbed his nephew and threw him to the ground before kicking Zhu Qingyang down again.

" You little brat, you don't know your place !" Zhu Changhai roared.

" You dare to obstruct me ? You guys are useless ! You still want to annoy me !" He walked towards Lin Ai who was still lying on the ground and raised his hand to slap the girl hard in the face.

Zhu Changyu, who was lying in the inner room, heard all the commotion. He tried to get up and block it, but his body, still weak from his wounds and high fever, could only struggle in vain.

" Stop ! Don't hurt them !" he shouted hoarsely.

" Big Brother … Please rest," Lin Ai sobbed as she tried to support herself to protect her two sons. "I'm fine."

Old Lady Zhu and Zhu Changhai ignored the pleading. They continued to rummage through the house indifferently, thinking about what they could take back.

Zhu Changyu, who was recuperating, heard Lin Ai and his children's cries and pleas for mercy. The voice was like a knife stabbing his heart again and again.

He tried to get out of bed, but the wounds and weakness made it almost impossible for him to stand on his legs.

" Lin Ai ! Yang Er ! Qing Cheng !" He just shouted hoarsely, but he didn't have enough strength to block those vicious people.

" Don't go out, Father. He still needs to recuperate." Zhu Qing'an, who had just returned from selling wild goods, could only help support her father so that he wouldn't fall.

These events not only left Lin Ai and her children with physical wounds, but also crushed Zhu Changyu's heart. He could only watch as his family was harmed, unable to do anything. This was a humiliation that he could not forgive himself for. His heart began to fill with determination.

" I must rise up … I must be strong … to protect this family."

After Zhu Qing'an helped her father back to rest on the old and worn out bed, she sat down beside him with a heavy heart. The atmosphere in the secondary house was quiet, only the sound of Zhu Changyu's labored breathing that had just gone through pain and humiliation could be heard. She looked at her father's face, which was full of wrinkles of distress, and finally decided to say what she had been keeping in her heart for a long time.

" Father …" Zhu Qing'an started in a soft but steady voice.

" I know you love this home, the home you grew up in, and are willing to endure anything for the sake of your family. But have you ever thought about how much longer your mother and all of us will suffer if we stay here ?"

Zhu Changyu glanced at his daughter, his face showing confusion and pain.

" Qing'an … Do you know that Dad has never wanted to leave this house? It's Dad's roots. Dad was born and raised here. Everything Dad is now is because of this house. Do you really want Dad to abandon everything? "

" It's not abandonment," Zhu Qing'an said, holding her father's hand tightly.

" But it's a new beginning. Just think about it. If we had a new place to live where they couldn't hurt or extort us, Mother wouldn't have to suffer anymore. Our siblings would have a safer life. You wouldn't have to endure this pain anymore."

The daughter's words were like the tip of a spear that pierced through Zhu Changyu's heart. His love for this family was shaken by an undeniable truth. He looked at the bruises on Lin Ai's face and the skinny bodies of his two sons, the image of the family suffering under the power of Old Mother Zhu and Zhu Changhai flashed through his heart.

" But can Dad do it ?" Zhu Changyu muttered in a voice filled with fear and uncertainty.

" Can Dad protect you all if we get out of here ?"

" We didn't ask you to protect me alone," Zhu Qing'an replied with determination in her voice.

" We will help each other. I will also find a way to make our lives better. I believe we can do it, as long as we have each other."

Zhu Changyun lay still for a long time, his tired eyes filled with thoughts. Every word his daughter said made him look back at the truth he had been avoiding. Finally, he let out a long sigh and said softly.

" If leaving means protecting the family … I'll give it a try."

Zhu Qing'an smiled with tears in her eyes, holding her father's hand tightly.

" Thank you, Father. I promise we will build a new and better life."