Chapter 543: Yang Chun's Fantasy
Chapter 543: Chapter 524: Yang Chun’s Fantasy
Wang Qiu and Xinghua were getting along splendidly, and Dong Liang was happy just watching them. It seemed bringing Xinghua home was the right move. Now that his mom had met her and formed a good impression, she wouldn’t object to their relationship.
“Xinghua, dear, don’t go. Stay for lunch here with me. I don’t have many fine dishes, but I hope you don’t mind.”
Wang Qiu insisted Xinghua stay. For now, she was quite satisfied with the girl.
“Auntie, please don’t say that. Food is food, and I’m happy just to have something to eat. How could I possibly be picky? I’ll help you cook in a little while.”
Xinghua readily agreed.
“No, no, you don’t have to. I can manage on my own. It’s your first time visiting, how could I let you lift a finger?”
Wang Qiu was delighted. ‘This future daughter-in-law of mine is pretty, speaks so frankly, and seems hardworking, too. I really can’t find any fault with her.’
“I cook all the time at home. Please, Auntie, let me help. I’d feel awkward just sitting around anyway. Besides, there’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”
Xinghua knew that even though she was a guest on her first visit, if she just sat there and let the older woman do all the work, Wang Qiu would eventually form an opinion about it.
“What a good girl. You really are such a good girl.”
Wang Qiu was extremely pleased. In the past, when Yang Chun visited, she would only occasionally lend a hand, usually just hovering around Dong Liang, chattering away. Xinghua was a thousand times better than Yang Chun.
Dong Liang’s eyes crinkled with a smile. They were getting along so well on their very first meeting. He was sure his family would be very harmonious in the future.
Wang Qiu took Xinghua by the hand, and the two of them stood up to go cook in the kitchen.
The Dong Family lived in a one-story bungalow, and the kitchen was a separate structure outside.
Just as they reached the door, they saw someone walk into the courtyard. At the sight of the visitor, Wang Qiu’s face fell instantly. Dong Liang, standing behind them, was confused. ‘Why have Mom and Xinghua stopped at the doorway?’ He craned his neck to look outside, and his expression changed as well.
Xinghua noticed the change in Wang Qiu’s expression and turned her gaze toward the person entering the yard.
The visitor was a woman, around twenty-two or twenty-three years old. Her hair was tied back, and she had a small, reasonably pretty face. Her complexion wasn’t great, however; she looked a bit haggard.
Her clothes looked like they had just been put on and seemed relatively new, but the style was outdated and not in fashion this year.
The young woman’s gaze was unfriendly, especially when it landed on Xinghua.
‘Who is this?’
A thought suddenly struck Xinghua. ‘Could this be Yang Chun? But isn’t she married? Didn’t their families have a huge falling out? Why would she show up here?’
Xinghua didn’t know that Yang Chun had returned to her family home, but she had still guessed the woman’s identity. And she was right—the visitor was indeed Yang Chun.
Even though Xinghua had figured out who Yang Chun was, she didn’t seem to mind. She kept the smile on her face and didn’t let go of Wang Qiu’s hand.
“Auntie, Brother Liangzi, looks like you have a visitor.”
Yang Chun was now standing right in front of them and had already greeted them.
Wang Qiu turned her head away, not bothering to answer. When she remembered how the Yang Family and Yang Chun had acted back then, she found she couldn’t even stand the sight of the girl. She couldn’t fathom why Yang Chun would show up at their door.
Dong Liang, on the other hand, was a bit embarrassed. He hadn’t expected Yang Chun to show up either. But she was here, and it wouldn’t do to have a scene at the doorway. If they said the wrong thing, they would become the neighborhood laughingstock.
“Let’s talk inside,” Dong Liang offered.
“Talk? What is there to talk about? You think she gives a damn about our family? She’s the one who said our family produced a scoundrel, that we’re a nest of animals! And you want to let her in? Don’t let her step inside and get tainted by our ‘bad luck’ or lower her precious status. If anything bad happens to her in the future, she’ll just end up blaming us!”
Wang Qiu grumbled, shooting Dong Liang a glare. ‘What a foolish boy,’ she thought, ‘letting Yang Chun in right in front of Xinghua.’
Dong Liang stammered, at a loss for words.
“Auntie, I was wrong back then, but I had no choice! Everyone was saying those things… I… If my family hadn’t acted that way, no one would have associated with us anymore. My dad had no choice either. Can you please stop blaming me?”
Yang Chun put on a heartbroken expression, as if she were completely innocent.
But in truth, Yang Chun did regret her actions. When the scandal first broke, her parents and family had gathered to discuss it. They had concluded that the Dong Family was finished. They decided they absolutely could not be associated with them, and she certainly couldn’t marry into the family, or she would be doomed to suffer. Besides, with a reputation like that, they wouldn’t be able to show their faces in public.
In reality, if they had just spoken about it calmly, the Dong Family would have been reasonable. Besides, Yang Chun and Dong Liang weren’t even formally engaged, so the matter could have been resolved peacefully. But the Yang Family didn’t choose that path. Instead, Yang Chun’s parents, brother, and sister-in-law dragged her to the Dong residence and hurled all sorts of ugly insults, shouting them loud enough for the whole courtyard to hear.
They said Dong Daguo was subhuman, that he had done something only an animal would do, and that people like him deserved to die a terrible death. They screamed that it was a disgrace for the Yang Family to have ever associated with such people and that from that day forward, the two families were finished. They demanded the Dong Family act like strangers if they ever crossed paths again. They even declared that for committing such a heartless act, the Dong Family would surely face karmic retribution.
They called Dong Liang a little hooligan too, claiming he looked like trouble even as a child. They warned him to stay far away from Yang Chun, or they wouldn’t be so polite next time.
After making a huge scene, they had severed all ties with the Dong Family. The ordeal left Wang Qiu so furious she was bedridden for days. Dong Liang was also devastated, unable to understand how people he thought were good could suddenly become so cruel.
So it was perfectly understandable that Wang Qiu now resented the Yang Family and was treating Yang Chun this way.
But Yang Chun didn’t see it that way.
‘Back then, Dong Daguo was a factory worker, so the Dong Family was better off than hers. Dong Liang was handsome and treated her well. Whenever the Dong Family had something nice to eat, they would always share it with her if she visited. Of course she’d liked the Dong Family.’
‘But then Dong Daguo got that reputation and died. The Dong Family was left with nothing but a mountain of debt, and everyone shunned them. Why on earth should she stick around? Of course she had to cut ties and find someone better.’
‘But the match her family found for her wasn’t to her liking at all. Her husband wasn’t as handsome as Dong Liang and treated her just okay. There were endless chores at his home, leaving her exhausted every day with no appreciation to show for it. She found herself missing the simplicity of the Dong household and Wang Qiu’s easygoing nature.’
‘After she lost the baby, her husband had pitied her for a while when he saw her crying. But soon, he stopped being so kind. Her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law were awful, too, always giving her grief. So what if she cursed her mother-in-law a few times behind her back? Her husband actually hit her for it! That was the last straw, so she ran back to her parents’ house. She was determined to wait for him to come and beg her to return. Otherwise, she’d never have any standing in that family again.’
‘If her husband didn’t come for her, she wouldn’t go back. Her thoughts turned to Dong Liang. He was a worker now, Dong Daguo’s name had been cleared, and the Dong Family was back on its feet. Most importantly, their family was small and uncomplicated. An idea began to form in her mind. She even wondered, what if she told Dong Liang that she left her husband for him? Wouldn’t he be incredibly moved? Then she could cry a little, find a moment when they were alone to lean into his arms… If Dong Liang did something to her, she’d have the perfect excuse. She could separate from her husband and marry Dong Liang. Then, her life would be her own to command. She wouldn’t have to work anymore. Wang Qiu would wait on her, Dong Liang would dote on her and give her money to spend… wouldn’t that be a hundred times better than being with her current husband!’