Chapter 256: Unrepentant
For the first time in her life, the pain made Mrs. Sheng disregard her image completely. She sat on the ground and howled, "Song Zijin, your mother hit me! Aren’t you going to do anything about it?"
"Zijin isn’t home today," Aunt Song retorted. "It’s no use throwing a tantrum on the ground, Mrs. Sheng. You came to my house looking for a beating."
"And can you blame me? Your son was supposed to accompany my daughter on her homecoming visit, but he just abandoned Yueyue and left."
"Couldn’t she come back on her own? She has her own two feet, and the road is right there. If you can get here, why can’t she?"
Mrs. Sheng was speechless. ’...If Yueyue came back just like that, what face would she have left!’
"Oh, heavens above! Open your eyes and see how vicious the Old Song Family is! Ouch, owwww..."
Mr. Sheng and Uncle Song rushed over when they heard the commotion, only to find Mrs. Sheng on the ground, wailing to the heavens without a shred of dignity.
They both froze for a moment, staring at Mrs. Sheng’s miserable state—her face bruised and swollen, her hair a mess.
Mr. Sheng was full of questions. "Cui Ping... what on earth happened? How did you get beaten up like this?"
"It was her! Her! She’s the one who hit me, Liang Yuan! You have to get justice for me!" Mrs. Sheng wailed, pointing at Aunt Song.
Mr. Sheng and Uncle Song followed Mrs. Sheng’s pointed finger. Neither of the two men had ever dreamed that Aunt Song could be so violent.
Mr. Sheng frowned at Aunt Song. "Did you do this?" he asked.
"Ren Cuiping hit me first! What’s the meaning of this? You can’t just go around accusing innocent people!" Aunt Song shot back, her face flushed with anger.
Uncle Song stared at his wife, his eyes filled with a rage so intense he wanted to slap her across the face right then and there.
’This idiot,’ he thought. ’Does she have any idea that our Song Family still needs to rely on the Sheng Family!’
Mr. Sheng, on the other hand, stepped forward to help his wife up. Although he was angry with her for constantly spoiling their daughter, seeing her in such a disheveled state made his heart ache, and he gently wiped away her tears.
As her husband held her and gently wiped her tears, Mrs. Sheng felt even more aggrieved.
She had been cherished and protected her whole life, and after marrying Sheng Liangyuan, he had always spoiled and doted on her.
This was the first time she had ever been beaten black and blue. When had she ever suffered such a grievance?!
"You’re clearly the one who hit me first!" Mrs. Sheng hissed through gritted teeth, pointing at Aunt Song.
After asking that one question, Mr. Sheng fell silent. He had a good idea of who had started the fight.
But regardless of the truth, the Song Family had to give the Sheng Family an explanation.
"Aunt Song, why did you hit her? Give me a reason!" Mr. Sheng demanded, his face cold as ice.
"Ren Cuiping came here and immediately started cursing out my Zijin. I argued with her a bit, and then she started hitting..."
"You have the nerve to talk?" Uncle Song roared, cutting his wife off. "I told you days ago to have Zijin go apologize properly to Yueyue and bring her home! I’ve been on a business trip for three days. Why isn’t she back yet?"
Unable to contain his fury, Uncle Song roared at his wife and slapped her across the face. Instantly, Aunt Song’s cheek began to swell too.
Mr. Sheng understood what his wife had been trying to do; she must have wanted to demand that Song Zijin bring Yueyue back to the Song family home.
Looking at his wife’s gaunt cheeks, he decided not to press the issue with the Song Family. "Where is Song Zijin?" he asked.
"My brother went to a classmate’s house. I’ll go get him right now," said Song Dan, who had been watching the drama from the sidelines.
She’d had a crush on the Sheng family’s eldest son, Sheng Shijing, since she was little. She had wanted to help Mrs. Sheng earlier but was afraid her own mother would turn around and hit her.
’Now that she had a chance to suck up to her future in-laws, how could she possibly miss it!’
"Song Zijin’s back! So he really wasn’t home!" a woman in the crowd exclaimed, seeing Song Zijin walking his bicycle over.
"See? I told you. His mom and his mother-in-law were fighting, so why didn’t he come break it up? He really wasn’t here."
"This time, it’s Song Zijin’s fault. How could he just abandon his new wife!"
"If you ask me, a certain someone is just a playboy. He probably regretted marrying the Sheng family’s daughter the second it was done."
"I also think Song Zijin just didn’t want to go get the Sheng girl, so he deliberately hid away somewhere."
The gossiping crowd was on Sheng Yueyue’s side, not because she was any better than Song Zijin, but because Mrs. Sheng was generally a better-natured person than Aunt Song.
The word "playboy" seemed to strike a nerve with Song Zijin. In an instant, his eyes turned a terrifying, bloodshot red.
He propped up his bicycle and strode menacingly toward the woman who had spoken. "What did you say? Say that again."
Terrified, the woman fled as if on wings, shouting as she ran.
"Oh my goodness! Everyone, come and judge for yourselves! I didn’t even say his name, and he flew into a murderous rage!"
The rest of the gossips scattered as well. They had to go home to cook and get back to work in the afternoon.
Mr. Sheng stared intently at Song Zijin. ’This man really is a good match for Yueyue,’ he thought. ’They’re two of a kind.’
’He had seen plenty of twisted personalities in his time, but people like Song Zijin and Yueyue were rare. A truly arrogant groom and a domineering bride.’
’As for his own daughter, he had hit her and scolded her, but she simply refused to change!’
’Before, Mr. Sheng had felt a little sorry for Song Zijin. But now, seeing this arrogant display, he was actually relieved!’
Once the crowd dispersed, only Mr. Sheng, Mrs. Sheng, Uncle Song’s family, and Aunt Song were left standing at the gate of the Song family’s courtyard.
At that moment, Aunt Song stepped in to perform her duties as the director of the women’s federation. "Zijin, hurry up and apologize to your father-in-law and mother-in-law, and then go with them to bring Yueyue back."
Seeing the murderous look in his father’s eyes, Song Zijin quickly said, "Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, I’m truly sorry. I’ve been doing an internship at the department store for the past few days and just got back."
Mr. Sheng gave a noncommittal response to Song Zijin’s apology, instead turning his gaze to his childhood friend, Uncle Song.
’A son’s misbehavior is the father’s fault.’ His friend hadn’t even blamed him for the absurd things his son had done on the wedding day. Being watched by his friend now, Uncle Song felt a pang of guilt.
But Mr. Sheng felt just as guilty. ’His daughter was a menace, and he didn’t want to keep her at home to torment his wife.’
"Zijin, you were busy with work. Mother-in-law doesn’t blame you. Yueyue is doing just fine at our house, too."
Mrs. Sheng wasn’t actually lying. While she herself had been unable to eat or sleep well these past few days, nearly suffering a nervous breakdown, her daughter, on the other hand, had a hearty appetite. She ate when it was time to eat, slept when it was time to sleep, and cried when she felt like crying...
Uncle Song gathered the lavish gifts he had prepared in advance and led his wife, son, and daughter to the Sheng family’s home to formally invite their new "ancestor" back.
Sheng Yueyue wasn’t one for dramatics. Seeing the entire Song family had come to escort her, she went back with them. This gave her a great deal of face.
She had never received such treatment in her previous life. Her wicked mother-in-law from that life would have rather died than come to the Sheng family home to get her.
Watching his daughter’s triumphant, arrogant back as she left, Mr. Sheng felt an unprecedented sense of despair. For a middle-aged man, a breakdown can happen in an instant.
He could already foresee the chaotic, messy life that awaited the Song Family with Yueyue in it. He glanced at his exhausted wife.
He comforted her gently, "Cui Ping, haven’t you looked in the mirror these past few days? Don’t worry about Yueyue. With that healthy glow on her face, it’s obvious she’s doing much better than you are."
"Old Sheng, you... have you no conscience?" Mrs. Sheng asked, her heart aching as she watched her daughter’s retreating figure.
"If you have a conscience, then why don’t you follow Yueyue to the Song family’s house," Mr. Sheng said before turning and leaving for work without a backward glance.
He left Mrs. Sheng standing there with a bitter look on her face.