Chapter 201
“So what if I hit you? You’re my wife. I can hit you whenever I want!” Yang Dafu had been in a foul mood lately.
His father used to be the brigade captain, and the villagers had all fawned over him. But now that his father had fallen from power, everyone in the village looked down on him.
To make matters worse, there was no peace at home either. With his short temper, how could he stand it?
“You dared to hit me? I’ll fight you for this!” Mu Jingmei lunged at him furiously.
The two of them immediately began fighting. Her sharp fingernails raked across Yang Dafu’s face and neck, leaving large bloody scratches.
But no matter how fierce she was, she was still only a woman, while Yang Dafu was far stronger than her. After a few exchanges, he knocked her to the ground.
“You foul-mouthed woman! You actually dared to fight me? I indulged you before because you’d only just married into my family, and now you think you can walk all over me?” Yang Dafu grabbed Mu Jingmei by the hair and slapped her hard several times.
Mu Jingmei’s face quickly swelled. She tried to struggle free, but there was no way she could escape Yang Dafu’s grip.
“I was wrong! I was wrong!” Mu Jingmei tasted the faint tang of blood in her mouth from the beating and hurriedly begged for mercy.
Only after seeing that Mu Jingmei was no longer acting arrogantly did Yang Dafu stop. He shoved her to the ground.
“Mu Jingmei, my father was arrested because of your family. I didn’t beat you to death only because we’ve been husband and wife. There isn’t a scrap of food left in this house. Go back to your parents later and have them get you a spot on the dam-construction crew. If you can’t bring back the subsidy, you’ll regret it!” Yang Dafu warned her from above before turning and leaving.
The main room was suddenly left with only Mu Jingmei, her face swollen and bruised, and Yang’s mother, who had been too frightened to make a sound.
When she was young, Yang Mingwan had often beaten her as well. In fact, her second child had been lost because of one of his beatings.
That was when she had injured her health, and afterward she had never been able to conceive again.
But Yang Dafu had never laid a hand on either of them before. Now that Yang Mingwan was gone, he seemed to have become a second Yang Mingwan.
The memories of being beaten in the past surged back all at once, leaving Yang’s mother in no mood to watch the spectacle.
Mu Jingmei slumped on the floor and watched Yang Dafu’s departing back, a dark glint flickering in her eyes.
“…”
The next day.
Wu Zhenggui was about to draw lots to determine the final three hundred people who would be sent to work on the dam.
Unexpectedly, he spotted Mu Jingmei among the crowd.
There were patches of blue and purple on her face, and her clothes were somewhat torn and disheveled.
At first, Wu Zhenggui did not recognize her. Only after she gave him her name was he able to confirm who she was.
She had come to register at the last minute. Since the drawing had not yet begun, Wu Zhenggui added her name to the list.
Whether Mu Jingmei was lucky or unlucky, it was hard to say. One of the three hundred selected names turned out to be hers.
Wu Zhenggui secretly glanced at Mu Jingmei several times, worried that she might cause another scene in the village like last time. To his astonishment, however, she left immediately after drawing her lot.
Wu Zhenggui watched her retreating figure for quite some time before taking the final list to Song Nianchu.
“Chu, the list is out.” Wu Zhenggui handed the list to Song Nianchu.
Song Nianchu took it and glanced over it casually. A few of the names belonged to people she knew from the village, while most were from other villages.
“Chu, someone came to register at the last minute today—and it’s someone you know.” Wu Zhenggui hesitated for a while before deciding to tell Song Nianchu.
“Who?” Song Nianchu did not pay much attention.
“Mu Jingmei.”
The moment she heard that name, Song Nianchu immediately looked up and fixed Wu Zhenggui with an intense gaze.
“She signed up too?”
“Yes. And her face was all bruised and swollen. I don’t know if Yang Dafu was the one who beat her.” Wu Zhenggui sighed sympathetically.
A faint shift passed through Song Nianchu’s eyes. After everything that had happened to the Yang family, their days must be very difficult now.
If Mu Jingmei had continued putting on airs like some pampered young lady, it was only natural that she would end up being beaten.
“You said she was beaten that badly. Should we tell someone in the Huo family?” Wu Zhenggui asked tentatively.
“I’ll tell Shi’an when I go home after work,” Song Nianchu replied.
“All right. I just thought it would be more appropriate coming from you.” Wu Zhenggui nodded.
As the saying went, family scandals should not be aired in public. If an outsider like him told the Huo family, it might make everyone uncomfortable.
“Mm,” Song Nianchu answered.
When the whistle signaling the end of the workday sounded, Song Nianchu left without her usual delay.
She had not yet reached home when she suddenly heard a familiar voice calling out.
“Chu.”
Song Nianchu turned around and saw Mu Shi’an walking toward her. Clearly, he had only just finished work as well.
“Shi’an.” Song Nianchu stopped and waited for him.
“Come on, let’s go home.” Once Mu Shi’an reached her, he took her hand without hesitation.
Song Nianchu nodded. Her eyes lingered over his face for a moment before she spoke.
“Uncle Zhengui came to see me just now. He said your younger sister also signed up for the dam-construction project, and she was selected.”
“She’s going to work on the dam?” Mu Shi’an’s brows drew together.
“Mm. Uncle Zhengui also said her face was covered in bruises. He thinks Yang Dafu probably beat her.” Song Nianchu continued.
“She deserved it!” Mu Shi’an’s gaze darkened.
“Don’t be angry. Uncle Zhengui just happened to see her and thought that, since she was still part of your family, he should let me know.” Song Nianchu tried to soothe him.
“She was the one who chose to marry him. Whatever kind of life she has now, she has to bear it herself.” Mu Shi’an felt that, as her older brother, he had already done everything he could.
Back then, she had gone straight to Yang Dafu’s house without any proper marriage arrangements, and he had still given her a chance, personally going to bring her home.
But she had refused even to step outside. He did not believe she had been unaware of what kind of person Yang Dafu was.
Now that she had suffered and been beaten, it was all the result of her own choices.
“All right, let’s not talk about this anymore.” Afraid that Mu Shi’an would become angry again, Song Nianchu ended the subject.
At dinner, Mu Shi’an had little appetite. He put down his chopsticks after eating only a few bites.
Song Nianchu knew that although he claimed not to care, hearing news about Mu Jingmei still made him uncomfortable.
She did not say anything more and quietly finished her meal.
After dinner, Mu Haoxuan and Mu Yongnian went to wash the dishes while she went to take a bath.
When she came out, she prepared water for Mu Haoxuan and Mu Yongnian as well.
Only after the two boys had gone to the bathhouse did Song Nianchu walk into the courtyard.
Mu Shi’an was sitting on a stool with his head lowered, carving a printing plate for the label of a new product from the canning workshop.
“You barely ate anything tonight, yet you still have the energy to carve?” Song Nianchu walked over.