Chapter 540: The Consequences of Acting Up
Chapter 540: Chapter 521: The Consequences of Acting Up
“So, what’s it going to be? Yes or no? They’re still waiting for a reply. Honestly, you’re really putting on airs.”
Aunt Qiao was getting anxious. She felt like Wang Qiu wasn’t thinking straight. This was a fantastic opportunity, yet here she was, hesitating.
“Liangzi, what do you think?”
Wang Qiu asked her son. If it were up to her, she wouldn’t agree. She wanted to find a girl from a similar background, someone easy to get along with. With someone like Xinghua, she worried they wouldn’t get along, and that she’d have to constantly be mindful of her daughter-in-law’s moods.
“Mom, I don’t want anyone else. If you’re worried, how about this? I’ll go see Xinghua tomorrow and ask her to check with her family. I want to see if I can visit her home and meet her parents. That way, I can get a feel for the situation. If Xinghua’s parents are easy to get along with, then you’ll have nothing to worry about. After that, I’ll bring Xinghua to meet you. I guarantee you’ll like her the moment you see her.”
Dong Liang understood his mother’s concerns, so he made the suggestion.
“Alright then, we’ll do it your way. Auntie, sorry to have troubled you so much.”
Wang Qiu agreed with her son’s suggestion.
“It’s no trouble at all for me. I was just worried it’d be a terrible shame if such a good match fell through. Liangzi is the clear-headed one here. It’s a good idea to meet them first.”
Aunt Qiao breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness Dong Liang was so reasonable. If this match fell through, she would have been so frustrated. She’d only ever seen people turn down a match because the other party’s circumstances were too poor; this was the first time she’d seen someone hesitate because they were *too* good.
“Oh, by the way, have you two heard what happened with Yang Chun?”
Now that the matter was settled, Aunt Qiao seemed to recall something. She lowered her voice and asked Wang Qiu and Dong Liang conspiratorially.
As soon as Wang Qiu heard the name, her expression soured. This Yang Chun was the girl who had once clung to their Liangzi, only to later scorn their family and spread nasty rumors about them. She did not like her one bit.
Dong Liang, however, had no particular reaction. He had simply grown up with Yang Chun and thought of her as a younger sister. He once had a real sister, but she had fallen ill at the age of three and passed away because her treatment was delayed. Because of this, he was always good to Yang Chun, who grew up alongside him. She had been very attached to him, too. He never imagined she would later say such things and act that way. At the time, he had been furious. It was one thing for outsiders to slander his family, avoid them, and say nasty things—they didn’t know the Dongs.
But Yang Chun had practically lived at their house since she was eleven or twelve. How could she not know what kind of people they were? The hurt she caused their family had been a truly heavy blow.
But he wasn’t angry anymore. ‘It’s not worth it,’ he thought. ‘She’s not worth it.’
“What about her?”
Seeing that her son didn’t ask, Wang Qiu tried to hold her tongue but couldn’t resist asking.
“Her husband beat her.”
Aunt Qiao said excitedly. She knew all about the history between Yang Chun and the Dong Family. The man Yang Chun married didn’t live far from them, just two streets over, so she was up-to-date on her in-laws’ business.
“Why’d he beat her?”
Wang Qiu’s interest was piqued.
“You know the family Yang Chun married into. There are four brothers, and her husband is the third one—the middle child never has it easy. She has her mother-in-law, two older sisters-in-law, one younger sister-in-law, and two of her husband’s sisters all living together. How could things possibly be peaceful? Let’s not even get started on her mother-in-law; just look at the wives. The eldest son is the main provider, so his wife has a firm standing. The second wife’s family is pretty well-off, so she doesn’t take orders from anyone. The fourth son is his mother’s absolute favorite, so his wife gets preferential treatment by extension—no one dares to mess with her. Then there are her husband’s two sisters. The older one is quiet and mild-mannered, but the younger one is a real piece of work who does nothing all day. Yang Chun does most of the housework, and if she dares to complain, the whole family gives her the cold shoulder.”
Aunt Qiao’s whole face lit up as she spoke; this was exactly the kind of gossip she lived for.
“A while ago, Yang Chun got pregnant. It was her first time. Now, her sisters-in-law—the eldest brother’s wife has two daughters, the second has one, and the fourth’s wife isn’t pregnant yet. Her mother-in-law was desperate for a grandson. So, the moment Yang Chun got pregnant, she became smug. All day long, it was ‘OOH’ and ‘AHH,’ complaining about this pain or that discomfort. She didn’t do a lick of work, just lay on the bed demanding this and that. Since she was pregnant, her mother-in-law let it slide. But the other sisters-in-law saw her lazing around. They didn’t say anything, but you can bet they were seething inside, terrified she might actually have a boy.”
“Then one day, Yang Chun’s mother came to visit. The two of them talked for ages. Her mom must have felt that her daughter was having a rough time with the in-laws, so she started parading Yang Chun around the house, making her flaunt her pregnant belly in front of the other sisters-in-law to make them jealous. Really showing off. Well, who knows if someone did something malicious or if it was just an accident, but anyway, Yang Chun fell. And it was a nasty fall. That night, she was in agony, and in the end, she lost the baby. She was over four months along… and it was a boy. Her mother-in-law gave her such a tongue-lashing, screaming that she and her mother were just a couple of arrogant show-offs and that their flaunting had killed her grandson.”
“Every single one of her sisters-in-law was gloating. Yang Chun was just lying on the bed, crying. At first, her husband felt a bit sorry for her, but who knows what happened—maybe she started acting up again or something—because a couple of days ago, I heard he beat her. She ran back to her parents’ house, and her father and brothers even went to her in-laws’ to stand up for her, but they just got cussed out and sent packing. She’s still at her parents’ place now. So you tell me, who’s to blame? Why did she have to marry into a family like that in the first place? And then to cause so much drama after she got there… Now it’s a total mess, and everyone is laughing at her.”
Aunt Qiao’s eyes also danced with schadenfreude. She might not be the most righteous person, but she remembered what the Yang Family had done to the Dong Family. People had gossiped endlessly behind their backs about how vicious the Yangs had been. ‘And now karma has come for them,’ she thought. ‘Look at Dong Liang, he’s found such a wonderful girl, a thousand times better than Yang Chun. And what about you, Yang Chun? Your life with your in-laws is a mess, you lost your child, and now your husband beats you. It’s an absolute disgrace.’
After listening to Aunt Qiao, Dong Liang showed no sign of pleasure or satisfaction. He only sighed quietly. ‘You make your own life,’ he thought. ‘Yang Chun brought this upon herself; she can only blame herself.’ But he wouldn’t kick her while she was down. He and Yang Chun were ancient history; their paths no longer crossed. He didn’t wish her any misfortune. All that mattered was living his own life well.
“She brought it all on herself.”
Wang Qiu also sighed. In the past, Yang Chun was always at their house. Since Wang Qiu didn’t have a daughter, she had treated Yang Chun like her own, even thinking it would be nice to have her as a daughter-in-law. They knew her through and through, had watched her grow up, and they got along. Who could have known the Yang Family would pull a stunt like that? It had broken her heart. Now, she had absolutely no warm feelings left for Yang Chun or the Yang Family.
“Isn’t that the truth? She brought it all on herself. It looks like Yang Chun won’t be going back to her husband’s home anytime soon. I’m telling you, your Liangzi deserves a girl from a family like the Zhengs. Then you can let the Yang Family, let Yang Chun, and let all those gossips see that without her, our Liangzi can do even better. Let the Yang Family regret it until they die!”
Aunt Qiao said with great satisfaction.
Neither Wang Qiu nor Dong Liang said anything. Dong Liang was already thinking about meeting Xinghua and arranging a visit to the Zheng Family.