Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 186 - 185: Wait for Me to Come Back

Chapter 186: Chapter 185: Wait for Me to Come Back

Chen Shiying looked at the figure standing behind Chen Afu, tears welling up in his eyes as he whispered, "Sister..."

Chen Afu turned around to find Mrs. Wang standing right behind him. She stared blankly at Chen Shiying, her eyes filled with tears, her lips trembling uncontrollably.

Chen Afu also called out, "Mother."

It seemed as if Mrs. Wang had just been startled back to consciousness by the call, and she said softly, "Ying Di, why are you here? You should go, it’s not good for you to be at our home."

After hearing these words, Chen Afu went to close the door, saying, "You heard her, my mother doesn’t want you to come in."

Chen Shiying had been holding the door open with his hand, saying, "Sister, Fu’er, please let me in. There are some things we need to confront face-to-face." Seeing Mrs. Wang wipe away her tears and Chen Afu trying to close the door again, he added, "Sister, I... I’ve been rushing here from the capital city since early morning, I’m cold and hungry, I haven’t eaten anything yet..."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Wang looked up and asked, "Is your stomach hurting again?"

"Hmm, it hurts a bit." Chen Shiying nodded, his hand still resting on his stomach.

Mrs. Wang wiped her tears with her sleeve, and said, "Fine, you can come in. After you eat, leave as soon as you can." Seeing that Chen Afu was still blocking the doorway and not moving, Mrs. Wang added, "Afu, let him in. You must remember, you can’t be impolite to him, you just can’t."

Having no choice but to open the door, Chen Afu turned back and supported Mrs. Wang, saying, "Mother, it’s not good to let him into our home."

Mrs. Wang patted Chen Afu’s hand, saying, "Mother knows best."

Chen Shiying stood in the courtyard, looking around, then walked to the main house with Mrs. Wang and Chen Afu following him.

Upon arriving in the main room, Chen Shiying sat down next to the square table.

In the corner on the west side of the hall, there was a small stove used for heating the bed in the West Room, on top of which a copper kettle was boiling water.

Mrs. Wang went over and poured a cup of tea. Her hand, holding the teacup, was shaking incessantly, causing some of the water to spill out. Despite this, she still managed to place the teacup in front of Chen Shiying.

Chen Shiying asked again, "Sister... is my brother-in-law not home?"

Mrs. Wang replied, "He’s out drinking at someone else’s house." She added, "Have a sip of hot tea first, I’ll make you a bowl of chicken noodle soup."

The gentle gaze from Chen Shiying made Chen Afu uncomfortable. Moreover, she knew that Chen Shiying would not have come home just to eat a bowl of noodles. He should talk to Mrs. Wang about whatever he had on his mind, quickly finish his business, and leave.

After the last incident with her mother, Chen Afu didn’t want to have any more ties with Chen Shiying. Life at home had been gradually improving, and the family was getting along very well. His presence would definitely disrupt the peace of their household.

She held onto Mrs. Wang, saying, "Mother, I’ll make the soup instead. You should talk things out as quickly as possible, preferably before my father returns." Feeling that it isn’t good to leave the two of them alone in the room, she then added, "I’ll get Aunt Mu to make the soup, I’ll be right back." She then quickly went to the kitchen.

Chen Shiying took a couple of sips of tea and saw Mrs. Wang, still standing there with her head lowered, her hands shaking violently together. He said, "Sister, you should sit."

Mrs. Wang then sat a few chairs away from him, still with her head bowed down.

Chen Shiying sighed and asked softly, "Sister, you’ve... changed a lot. Has he been treating you well?"

Mrs. Wang replied, "My husband treats me very well, as well as Afu."

Chen Shiying nodded, acknowledging, "My brother-in-law is a good man."

Seeing Chen Afu return to the hall, and sitting next to Mrs. Wang, he added, "Some time ago, Mr. Chu told me about some incidents. I also made some inquiries and was surprised to find out that my mother did those things in the country, hurting you and Fu’er... I’m sorry, I have been negligent. On behalf of my mother, I also want to apologize to you, what she did was wrong. I will discipline them strictly in the future, such incidents will not happen again."

Chen Afu, unlike the people from the old days and unlike Mrs. Wang, could not contain herself. She raised her head and said coldly, "Is what your mother did merely wrong? She already knew..." She was unable to say the words "her own granddaughter", and after a pause added, "She already knew some facts, yet she still spent silver to bribe others to force me to marry some man. That’s venomous!"

Chen Shiying had heard that this girl was quite assertive, but he didn’t expect her to be this aggressive. He opened his mouth, but chose not to say what he initially intended, deciding that he would guide her slowly in the future...

He then asked Mrs. Wang, "Sister, why did you choose to leave our home back then? However difficult it was, you should have waited for me to come back... You already had Fu’er, why did you marry so hastily?"

The hint of reproach was not lost in his last words.

Mrs. Wang, already distressed, felt even more upset upon hearing these words, bringing forth a fresh wave of tears. With a choking voice, she asked, "Why did I leave your home, can’t you figure it out?"

Chen Shiying said softly, "I know, it must have been my mother, the Tangs, and Uncle Zhao forcing you... What I mean is, no matter how hard it was, you could have returned to your parents’ house, or have sought refuge at a relative’s house until my return..."

Mrs. Wang wiped away her tears, turned her gaze to him, and said, "That year, you were away in Shizhou Mansion. One late afternoon, Uncle Zhao suddenly brought two guests who said they were from the Tangs in Shizhou Mansion. They spoke with your mother privately in a room for quite some time, after which she came to me, saying that you were staying in the Tangs’ house while you were in Shizhou Mansion to take the Township Examination. She says you lost control while drunk and had an affair with the Tang’s daughter. The Tang’s daughter, being so humiliated, attempted suicide by hanging but was saved in time. The Tang’s master, out of anger, declared that there were only two ways out: either marry their daughter, or he would go to the government office and drum up a scandal. Uncle Zhao said that if you were to be exposed, not only would you be unable to sit for the Township Examination, but your previous academician title would be stripped, and you would be thrown into jail. Your mother, crying, begged me to give you a way out..." Mrs. Wang’s crying became louder as she said, "I was terrified, afraid that the Tangs would report you, afraid that you would end up in prison. I shuddered at the thought of how you would live under those circumstances. What else could I do other than leaving your house and letting you marry the Tang’s daughter?"

"How dare they slander me like this!" Chen Shiying fumed, and he slammed his fist on the table with such force that it caused the teacup to jump and the tea to spill out.

Back then, when he returned home after passing the examination to become a government scholar, his mother told him that the Tang’s daughter happened to see Chen Shiying and fell in love. She lost her appetite and wanted to be his wife. The Tangs came to meet Chen’s family after learning about this but were informed that he already had a wife. Still, the Tang’s daughter was willing to be his mistress. However, Wang Juanniang did not even agree to these conditions and caused a big fuss before returning to her parental home. As a result, his mother was frustrated and didn’t want to have Wang Juanniang as her daughter-in-law ever again. Under the witness of her cousin, she settled the gift exchange for the marriage with the Tangs...

Chen Shiying was no fool. He was well aware of Wang Juanniang’s, his mother’s, and his cousin’s personalities. When he was in Dingzhou, Tang Shoude, the father of Mrs. Tang and a rich merchant in Shizhou Mansion, found the inn he resided in, presented him with a thousand taels of silver, and even invited him to Tang’s family residence...