In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
That day, as soon as Uchiha Cheng opened his eyes, he tensed up.
Today was the day his mother got paid, which meant his nominal father would surely come around to rob them again.
This time, he needed to be prepared and protect his mother.
But unlike a month ago, Uchiha Cheng was no longer the sickly child who had just recovered and couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag. Ninjutsu gave him confidence.
He put on simple clothes that were easy to move in, donned a pair of sunglasses, and prepared a long iron rod.
He had bought the rod specifically for this. It was only 1.2 meters long, just a little taller than he was, and suited him well.
Although he wasn't skilled in Taijutsu, Uchiha Cheng understood that a longer weapon had the advantage. In a fight, a long weapon was still better than a short one.
Besides, a staff caused less damage than a bladed weapon and was less likely to cause a fatal accident. After all, he only wanted to protect his mother, teach that man a lesson, and drive him off. He didn't want to kill anyone.
That evening, his mother returned from work with a grave expression.
Mother and son ate dinner in silence. The air in the room seemed to have frozen, and the oppressive atmosphere made it hard to breathe.
Hearing footsteps outside the door, Mika told Uchiha Cheng to go back to his room, then opened the door herself.
The man walked in. Compared to last time, his clothes were much cleaner, as if he'd bought a new outfit, and his hair was neatly groomed.
Uchiha Kenji glanced at Mika and gave her a mocking smile.
"You filthy woman, you know how to open the door for your husband this time?"
Unlike last time, he wasn't impatient to get his hands on the money. There was now a playful, taunting edge to his behavior.
He strode over and sat down in a chair, then snorted.
"Vicious women like you don't learn unless they get hit!"
Then he patted his clothes and arrogantly bragged, "See? I've made a comeback. I've got more money than I can spend. Now I sleep in nightclubs every day and fool around with women. I place huge bets and make what you earn in a month in just a few minutes.
"Now I've got plenty of money."
Mika ignored him and said calmly, "Let's talk."
"What, you want to beg for mercy? Ask me not to take your paycheck? Maybe ask me to spare you a little spending money?"
The man stared at Mika, pulled a thick stack of banknotes from his chest, and waved it around with a vile grin.
"If you want money, then come beg me for it!"
Mika remained unmoved. This wasn't the first time this had happened; she was used to it.
That was how gamblers were. When they had no money, they were animals. When they won, they became arrogant and spent their money everywhere. Then, once they'd squandered it all, they became animals again. It was a seemingly endless cycle.
The man carried on with his one-man show, convinced that Mika's silence came from shame and that she couldn't bring herself to speak.
He stuffed the money back into his pocket and laughed to himself.
"If you want money, you can forget it. Whatever's mine is all mine. Even if I have plenty of money, I won't give you a single cent."
"Back when I was making money gambling, you kept all the money at home and wouldn't give me a single cent. You even forced me to take it by hand. Now that I've made it big, don't expect to get a dime from me."
"Let's get divorced!" Mika's firm voice rang out.
As if someone had grabbed him by the throat, the man stopped laughing. His face flushed red as he asked in disbelief, "You filthy woman, have you got something mixed up? I've got plenty of money now, and you're asking me for a divorce?"
"That's right. This time, I'm determined to divorce you."
Mika remained firm. She turned, took a document from the cabinet, and handed it to the man.
"This is a divorce agreement. All you have to do is sign your name."
The man glared at Mika. Feeling that his dignity had been insulted, he sneered.
"Divorce? What kind of joke is that, you filthy woman? Have you forgotten where we are?"
"This is the Uchiha Clan. You're asking me for a divorce here? That little brat of yours has Uchiha blood running through his veins. The Uchiha Clan won't let you take him away.
"What, you filthy woman, have you come to your senses? Do you want to abandon that little brat?"
Mika took two deep breaths. This man was unbearable. Every word he said pushed her to the edge and made her want to lash out.
But she couldn't let her anger cloud her judgment.
"I want you to give up custody of A-Cheng."
"Why should I?"
"I'm willing to give you ninety percent of my paycheck every month," Mika said firmly. "If you agree to give up custody of A-Cheng, ninety percent of my salary will be yours."
"What? Ninety percent? Are you crazy? Is that little brat worth that much?"
The man couldn't understand. In his eyes, family ties weren't worth half a copper coin. He couldn't understand why Mika would trade money for her son; he couldn't even believe anyone could be that stupid. That money would be enough for him to place bet after bet.
"As long as you sign, you can collect the money from me in the future."
"Hey, hey, hey, is there something wrong with your head, you filthy woman? You used to fight tooth and nail whenever I took money from you, and now you're offering it up yourself. So why even get divorced? You'd still have to give me money afterward."
"I can't let A-Cheng live with a father like you," Mika said without hesitation.
Seeing that Mika was set on getting a divorce, the man picked up the agreement and skimmed through it. It was exactly as she'd described.
"Seems like a pretty good deal."
The man picked up the agreement and fanned himself with it. Then he tore the sheets in his hand to pieces, one by one.
"Why?" Mika demanded. "That money would be more than enough for you to gamble with."
The man sneered.
"Ninety percent? How's that enough? I want it all!"
The man stood up and slapped Mika across the face, making her stumble. He laughed.
"If I get divorced, I'll only get ninety percent. If I don't, I can take all the money. Only an idiot would get divorced."
"Stupid woman, hand over the money you've got. You just got paid this month, so give it to me nicely. Don't make me use force."
Mika straightened up and met the man's gaze without fear.
"I left the money with a colleague. She's from the Hyuga Clan. If you refuse to divorce me, you won't get another cent."
"Stupid woman, you're asking for it!"
The man flew into a rage. Although the Uchiha Clan threw its weight around in the village, the Hyuga Clan was one of the few ninja clans that dared to stand up to them.
He threw his weight around at home, but in the Uchiha Clan, where strength ruled and the weak were prey to the strong, he was nothing but a good-for-nothing.
If the money really was in the hands of someone from the Hyuga Clan, he wouldn't dare demand it from them. He really would never get another cent.