CHAPTER 296: CHAPTER 288: ZHONG HONGYING IS HERE TOO

It is true that Zhong Hongying has become increasingly beautiful. At eighteen, dressed in fashionable attire and full-figured, she resembled a ripe peach, enchanting and captivating, and could easily draw the attention of many men as soon as she stepped out of the door.

After marrying, Zhong Hongying had become a stranger to her own family. Instead, she frequently visited her uncle Zhong Shancai’s home. During holidays, she would return to Zhong Shancai’s rather than her parental home, and any festive gifts she received were also given to the Zhong Shancai family, causing immense heartache to Zhong Liangcai.

Fortunately, Zhong Shancai and his wife were very down-to-earth people. They never took advantage of Zhong Hongying’s generosity, treating their niece as their own married daughter, maintaining a reciprocal relationship. They also got along very well with Zhong Hongying’s in-laws.

Zhong Hongying’s husband had also visited Yuequan Village a few times. Seeing him, everyone felt sorry for Zhong Hongying, and their regard for Zhong Liangcai diminished further, as the man was truly an imbecile, completely unable to take care of himself and even drooling incessantly, to the point that spending even a second with him was unbearable.

However, Zhong Hongying treated her husband really well, speaking to him gently and tidying him up nicely without any sign of disdain. Not only in Moon Spring Village but also in other villages, people couldn’t help but give her a thumbs up, praising her as a good woman!

But there were some gossips who claimed Zhong Hongying was unchaste, with one loudmouthed midwife from Moon Spring Village secretly suggesting that Zhong Hongying was no longer a virgin, surely having an affair outside, although others scoffed at such conjecture.

"Are you out of your mind? Zhong Hongying has been married for three years, it would be odd if she was still a virgin!"

"Don’t you use your brains? Zhong Hongying’s husband is a fool, does he even understand that kind of thing? Is he even capable? Zhong Hongying must be seeing someone else!"

"No way, Hongying is not like her elder sister, she’s a decent girl, do not slander her with your wild speculations!"

"Yeah, are you so sure her husband can not do that? Maybe you have tried it yourself?"

"Ha ha ha!"

...

Despite some idle chatters, Zhong Hongying maintained a good reputation outside. Everyone understood her increasingly fierce temperament as well: a girl with such parents and married to such a man had to be strong to survive!

Speaking of which, it was her father-in-law Xie Gaofeng, who informed her about Zhong Yuying’s return. Xie Gaofeng was a pork butcher and also worked part-time as a big stove chef. He would be hired for weddings and funerals in nearby villages because of his skilled cooking. He earned quite well throughout the year, which allowed him to spend a lot of money to bring Zhong Hongying back home for his foolish son.

Xie Gaofeng was very pleased with his daughter-in-law, Zhong Hongying, who was increasingly beautiful, with a pleasant personality, and worked efficiently. Compared to her, he was actually relieved that Zhong Yuying had fled, having heard that Yuying was no good.

Xie Gaofeng mentioned this over breakfast, being well-connected meant he was aware of Zhong Yuying’s return right away, and he discussed it with his daughter-in-law. Zhong Hongying paused while feeding her foolish husband.

After attending to her husband’s breakfast, Zhong Hongying ate a bit herself, then told Xie Gaofeng and his wife that she was going to visit her parents’ home.

Zhong Jingying rode her bicycle back home. When she arrived at the family home, Zhong Liangcai’s family was still having breakfast. Zhong Yuying had just gotten out of bed, her hair styled in small waves, wearing a plush coat and leather high heels. She ate her soaked rice with a disgusted expression while holding a bowl that had been used for decades. Huang Debiao, on the other hand, ate with apparent joy, occasionally picking salted vegetables for Zhong Yuying.

"Bang!"

Zhong Hongying pushed the door open, startling Zhong Liangcai’s family. They all turned to look at the entrance in unison. Aunt Zhong, Zhong Shoufu’s wife, recovered and greeted her with a smile, "Hongying, you’re back? Have you had your breakfast? Want to eat more?"

Zhong Hongying didn’t have much of an opinion about her sister-in-law; she nodded at her and then marched over to Zhong Yuying with a menacing air, grabbed hold of her wavy hair, and began dragging Zhong Yuying out of the door.

"Zhong Hongying, have you lost your mind? What are you doing?"

Zhong Yuying was taken by surprise, never expecting her once timid sister to become so fierce. Enduring the pain, she attempted to pry Zhong Hongying’s hand off, but how could she, who had been pampered by Huang Debiao and not done any manual labor for years, overcome Zhong Hongying who had always been hard at work?

Huang Debiao was also startled, exclaiming "Oh my!" He hastily put down his bowl and attempted to rescue his wife. However, being overweight and unathletic, by the time he managed to react, Zhong Hongying had already dragged Zhong Yuying out to the paddy field (a field in front of the house used by villagers to dry rice).

"Zhong Hongying, what are you trying to do? Are you out of your mind this early in the morning? Huang Debiao, are you dead or what? Why aren’t you saving me?" Zhong Yuying was both in pain and angry.

"Nobody come over here! If anyone tries, I’ll stab her to death with this!"

Zhong Hongying, holding a chopstick she found from who knows where, aimed it at Zhong Yuying’s ear while glaring coldly at the Zhong family members. Her expression terrified them and made them gasp. They feared she might really do it! So, they dared not take a step closer, leaving Zhong Yuying terrified.

"Hahaha! You can be afraid too, huh? Zhong Yuying, even you can feel fear? I thought you were afraid of nothing,"

Zhong Hongying laughed maniacally, feeling desolate inside. The old saying was true, "Docile horses get ridden, kind people get taken advantage of." She had been too kind before, which led to her dire situation. Now she understood; she wouldn’t be weak and powerless anymore!

"Hongying, put down the chopstick first, let’s talk this through calmly. I’ve wronged you—it’s specifically for you that I’ve returned. If you’re not willing to live with that family anymore, we can get a divorce. No, you don’t even need a divorce, you can’t even get a marriage certificate at your age, you can simply leave. I’ll give you some money, and you’re sure to live a good life in the future. What do you say, Hongying?"

Zhong Yuying quickly tried to sweet-talk her sister, fearing that any delay might prompt an irate Zhong Hongying to jab the chopstick. She thought Hongying must have been driven mad by that foolish man!

"I’ve been eating well, dressing well, living well there, why should I leave? Zhong Yuying, stop being so self-righteous!" Zhong Hongying articulated each word.

"If you’re living so well, why are you doing this to me? Without me, you wouldn’t have these good days, right? Hongying, isn’t that true? Please let me go."

Zhong Yuying, seeing that Zhong Hongying looked healthy with a rosy complexion, fashionably dressed, and more beautiful, thought that she must indeed be living a decent life. She immediately felt a sense of relief, planning to say a few kind words to make Zhong Hongying let her go. This Hongying, she couldn’t fathom what made her so strong!