Resting her chin on one hand, Terilynn blinked her round eyes at Erica and said, "Don't worry! I think your brother-in-law wants to do all the housework from now on. Well, I've made up my mind. I'll fire the maid when I go back, and Joshua can do all the housework for the next three months!"
Not only did Sheffield and Joshua fail to set up a trap for Matthew, but they also succeeded in getting themselves in trouble. They felt like weeping, but had no tears.
Unwilling to yield, Sheffield said, "Rika, aren't you mad that Matthew went behind your back?"
"Of course I'm angry?" Erica answered honestly.
Joshua nodded, "So, let's punish Matthew together! What are you waiting for?"
Erica shook her head. "No, I slapped myself when I was angry."
'What do you mean?' Everyone looked at Erica with puzzlement.
Even Matthew was stunned. What drove his wife to slap herself when she was angry?
Erica calmly took a bite out of the apple in her hand while everyone watched her with anticipation. "I was very angry at the time, but when I thought about what an excellent husband this man has been to me, I decided to slap myself! He is, after all, my prince charming!"
Then, Erica came over and patted on Matthew's shoulder. "Now you understand, don't you? I expect you to learn from this experience so that in the future you can just slap yourself when you make me angry, and ask yourself why you have to make your loveliest wife angry. Just like I will reflect on why I am angry with my prince charming."
Matthew, who had just been lectured by his wife, felt embarrassed and he didn't know what to do.
"Hahaha!" The people in the living room burst into laughter because of Erica's words.
Just then, Wesley and Carlos, who were about to go upstairs, saw what was happening in the living room.
Matthew stood in front of some durian shells and a keyboard, while Erica was eating an apple and giving him a hard time. Even a child could tell that the woman was bullying the man.
"Rika Li!" Wesley roared and strode towards them. 'This girl has gone too far this time! How dare she do this to my son-in-law in front of everyone!'
Startled by his roar, Erica asked, "Dad, what are you doing here?"
Wesley's face darkened. "If I hadn't come in, I wouldn't be able to see you bullying my son-in-law. And you are doing this in front of everyone! Rika, you've crossed the line!"
Then he raised his hand to teach Erica a lesson.
Luckily, Carlos, who was standing right next to Wesley, grabbed his friend's arm and said, "Wesley, Matthew needed to be taught a lesson. Don't blame Rika. I know what kind of person my son is!" It seemed as though Matthew had a poor reputation in the Huo family.
Anyone who didn't know him personally would mistake him for Carlos' son-in-law instead of his son.
Erica put the unfinished apple into Matthew's hand and rolled up her sleeves angrily. "Come on then. Let's have a fight. The winner will have the last say!"
Erica was frustrated at how every time she had an argument with Matthew, Wesley would come to his rescue and scold her without any concern for the truth whatsoever. She would even slap herself when she was so angry, let alone beat her father.
In fact, what Erica meant was that she knew she couldn't beat Wesley, and of course he would still have the last say.
Wesley, however, saw things very differently. All he thought about was how rebellious and out of control his daughter was.
The crowd burst into yet another laughter. Irritated by her words, Wesley decided to accept Erica's challenge.
Matthew quickly pulled the woman behind him and said, "Dad, you must have misunderstood her. Rika is not angry with me."
"Matthew, don't defend her. She is my daughter and I know her very well. I know how narrow-minded she can be!"
When Remus and Joshua realized that things were starting to get heated between the father and daughter, they stood up and grabbed Wesley's arms.
On the other hand, Gifford, Sheffield and Yvette sat still without moving.
Chantel pushed Gifford and anxiously said, "Go to Dad and calm him down!"
"Why are you even worried? Have you ever seen Dad hit Rika?" he asked.
Chantel paused for a moment to think and then nodded in agreement. Wesley's confrontations with Erica had always been like this. He would always threaten to beat her, but he would never lay a finger on her, not even once.
Carlos dragged Wesley upstairs. Knowing that her father couldn't hit her, Erica took advantage of this and said, "Hey, maybe if we have a disagreement next time, we can fight to the death!"
As soon as Wesley's ears caught what Erica had said, he turned around and sprang from the stairs like a tiger. Luckily, Joshua and Remus were there to intercept him. Remus struggled to keep himself from laughing the whole time. "Dad, please calm down. Rika was just kidding," he coaxed his father-in-law.
Wesley was so angry that his face turned red and his neck became thick. "Matthew, if she doesn't listen to reason in the future, just let me know. I'll beat her black and blue until her own mother will be unable to recognize her."
Erica pouted her lips.
Matthew cleared his throat and said, "I know, Dad!" Everyone knew that Wesley was just joking.
The farce finally ended after Wesley and Carlos went to the second floor.
Matthew didn't have to kneel on the durian shells or the keyboard. However, Sheffield wasn't so lucky as Evelyn made him kneel on the keyboard for fifteen minutes in their bedroom.
Joshua had to buy fresh groceries and cook delicious dishes for his wife. He tried everything and said all the sweetest words to avoid housework for three months.
In the evening, because everyone was so happy, several people, including Blair, decided not to limit themselves while drinking.
Wesley felt a headache coming on as he glanced at the crowd coldly and then landed his eyes on Erica. "Your mother is going to ask for Wahaha probiotic milk as soon as she gets drunk. It has been like this for decades. Who let her drink so much wine?" he asked.
Erica shrank her head and decided to stay silent because she was the one guilty of getting her mother drunk.
But the next moment, Wesley raised his voice and shouted, "Erica Li!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Was it you?"
"Yes!" Erica responded so fast that it was too late for Matthew to cover her mouth.
"Run five kilometers!"
"Yes… No!"
Erica's refusal fell on deaf ears as Wesley was hell-bent on punishing her.
Just then, Matthew said, "Dad, let me do it." The man was willing to take responsibility for his wife's actions.
The four kids looked at each other and ran to Wesley. "Grandpa, we will do it!" Adkins said.
"Yes, Grandpa. We know Mom hates running!" With his head tilted to one side, Boswell looked at Wesley, who was holding Blair in his arms.
Colman jumped up and down a few times before saying, "Grandpa, look, I'm a lightweight. I can run five kilometers."
"Grandpa, we'll do it on behalf of Mom. I know you won't turn us down. How about this? The four of us will join Dad and run one kilometer each," said Damian. Then it would be five kilometers.
Carlos refused to entertain this any longer. "How can you punish my daughter-in-law? You're not looking to disrespect me, are you?"
Wesley held his wife tightly and calmly answered, "No, I'm just punishing my daughter!"
Yvette reminded him, "Dad, you should just go and buy some Wahaha probiotic milk. Otherwise, you will be the one to suffer when Mom wakes up and doesn't find her drink!" Wesley felt distressed, but he knew Yvette was speaking the truth.
While others burst into laughter, he had no choice but to go out to buy some Wahaha probiotic milk for his wife.
