Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 275 - 274 Courting Death

Chapter 275: Chapter 274 Courting Death

Wang Cai didn’t get the water he asked for. He saw the glares of Xue Dagui and Chu Xiaoniu, two burly men, and did not dare to play the "uncle" card anymore. He and Mrs. Ding sat on the stairs. Their eyes filled with greed as they looked at the richness of the courtyard, unable to hide their covetousness.

They hadn’t expected that Mrs. Wang, like a weak twig, had married a sickly man but had come into such great wealth. Although Chen Afu was formidable, Mrs. Wang shouldn’t ignore her own father, and even the county magistrate wouldn’t approve.

Knowing Mrs. Wang despised her, Mrs. Ding didn’t dare to speak and just signalled Wang Cai with her eyes.

Wang Cai laughed nervously and said to Mrs. Wang, "Big sister, we are desperate with nowhere else to turn. Our family seems to have offended a deity in the past half year, with one misfortune after another befalling us. Soon after my mother broke her leg, I was injured by random flying rocks and my father pulled his back. Even my oldest son has been hit. The pigs, chickens, ducks, and geese we raise have been lost successively. We dare not even raise any now, as crops in our fields have either been dug by pigs or trampled by mad cows...Sigh — we’re out of money; even the savings have been spent. A few days ago, my father suddenly fell ill, and the herbal medicine we fed him did nothing. Can we borrow some silver from you to treat our father? He is also your biological father." He said, falsely wiping away his tears when he finished.

Mrs. Ding’s crying became even louder.

Watching the greedy looks of Wang Cai and Mrs. Ding, Chen Afu turned to glance at Wang Laohan lying on the lounge chair. His face was pale, but his eyelids trembled now and then.

Wang Laohan was selfish and cowardly, and Wang Cai was extremely greedy, but the immoral Mrs. Ding was ten thousand times more hateful. She caused the tragedy of Mrs. Wang and Wang Cheng but still had the audacity to come here to demand money.

Although Wang Laohan was Mrs. Wang’s biological father, if she completely ignored him, it might tarnish her reputation and be disadvantageous to Alu’s valuable career.

But they can’t let this wicked woman, Mrs. Ding, continue to exploit Mrs. Wang and her brother, even using Wang Laohan to claim Mrs. Wang’s inheritance. Mrs. Ding had brought the doom on herself and he saw no reason to show leniency towards her.

Having a plan in mind, Chen Afu pulled Mrs. Wang into the house, whispering something in her ear. He then called out Xue Dagui and whispered to him as well. Dagui nodded and hastened out the door.

About half a moment later, not only had Mr. Zeng brought Dr. Yu, but Mrs. Chen, Chen Ye, Chen Agu, Mrs. Gao, Hu Laowu and others also arrived.

Having suffered a great loss at the hands of Mrs. Chen before, Mrs. Ding was somewhat fearful as she said, "We didn’t come here to fight today. My husband is ill and we came to ask for money for medicine."

Mrs. Chen spat a thick glob of saliva at her and cursed, "You filthy whore, even beating you would dirty my hands. Let me tell you something — if you think you can blackmail my son out of his fortune, you can dream on."

Mrs. Ding smirked and said, "I am a stepmother and have no right to use the mother’s money, but my husband is still her biological father. He is on the brink of death. Surely, she can’t just care about her own lavish lifestyle while letting her father die. This isn’t blackmailing, your words are too harsh."

Mrs. Chen said, "My second daughter-in-law has been unfortunate since childhood, losing her mother at a young age. Once she got a stepmother, she got a stepfather. Her brother and she were oppressed by the stepmother and were sold off for money, with no help from their biological father. Alas, they are pitiful."

Hearing this, Mrs. Ding did not dare to speak, but took a cloth to cover her face and began sobbing again.

Dr. Yu took Wang Laohan’s pulse, checked his eyelids and mouth, and curiously said, "His pulse is regular, his tongue has a pale red coat, and the whites of his eyes are normal... he seems to be perfectly healthy."

Hearing this, Wang Cai was immediately alarmed, saying, "Are you really a doctor? My father couldn’t even walk because of his illness, how could he be fine?" He said to Mrs. Wang, "Sister, Father is your biological father. Even if you don’t care for me and my mother, you should still care for him. This doctor is obviously a Quack, we can’t believe him. Here’s an idea — give us 50 taels of silver, and we will immediately take father to the county town to see a doctor."

Chen Afu sneered and instructed Chen Agu and Chu Xiaoniu to carry Wang Laohan into the master’s room, announcing that they would ask Dr. Yu to make a thorough diagnosis.

When Wang Cai and Mrs. Ding tried to follow, they were stopped outside by Hu Laowu and others.

They entered the room, shutting the door behind them. Chen Afu glanced at Wang Laohan who was playing sick in a chair, and said to Mrs. Wang, "Mother, I planned to persuade you to let go of the prejudices of the past, thinking that regardless of how unprincipled he is, he is still your biological father. You should provide for him in the future, which wouldn’t require too much silver. But now, seeing that he is so ill, he is virtually a man waiting for death. He can’t eat, he can’t wear the clothes, and if we give him silver, it would just be spent by that shameless woman and her son. Why should he get something for nothing? Let’s do this — let Dr. Yu prescribe him some good medicine, and give some silver to the aunt of your mother, asking her to make soup for him every day. Even if he dies, at least you have performed your duty."

As soon as she finished speaking, Wang Laohan instantly sat up and said, "Afu, my dear, I’m not ill... Oh, actually, I was ill, but when I found out my daughter and granddaughter cared for me, I felt better. Honey, life is hard for me now — I eat vegetables every day but barely taste any meat. Please give me some silver so that I can share your happiness. It’s also good for your reputation."

With tears in her eyes, Mrs. Wang said, "You only care about your own happiness. Do you know that Mrs. Ding sold my brother to Xiaoli Village, where he was nearly beaten to death by that family? He was sent to the frontier when he was 13 and we don’t even know if he is alive now..." She started sobbing before she could finish.

Mumbling, Wang Laohan said, "Cheng was sold by that wicked woman Mrs. Ding, I didn’t know. When I went home, she told me that Cheng had been sold to another family to live a good life, so I..."

Chen Afu was appalled by this selfish, cowardly and unreliable man. He had been willing to disregard Mrs. Wang and her brother for a woman and money, and now he was willing to ignore the woman outside for money.

She took several deep breaths to suppress her anger, then said coldly, "So, you’re saying that it’s all Mrs. Ding’s fault?"

Wang Laohan nodded.

Chen Afu continued, "Selling my mother was also Mrs. Ding’s idea alone?"

Wang Laohan nodded again.

"And who planned to push you here pretending to be sick today?"

"It, it was her," said Wang Laohan.

Chen Afu asked, "How should we deal with such a lazy and evil woman, who not only victimizes her stepchildren but also sells them for her own indulgence?"

"Ah? How should she be dealt with?" Wang Laohan asked in confusion, his eyes clouded.

Chen Afu said, "How she should be dealt with is a matter for the Wangs to decide, it’s not up to me as the younger generation." She asked again, "Do you want to share my mother’s blessings?"

Swallowing, Wang Laohan replied, "Of course I do. My dear is my own daughter, and she shouldn’t be living in a nice house enjoying food while I starve, should she?"