Pampered by the Toughest Man After Divorce
Chapter 1312 - 1134: Xiao’ai, Dabao, Xiaobei

Chapter 1312: Chapter 1134: Xiao’ai, Dabao, Xiaobei

Zhao Datu was certainly aware of what the villagers were saying about him. Just the day before, he had run into Xia Dabao by the river. He had intended to greet him, but Xia Dabao simply ignored him, shot him a glare, and ran away. Besides, it was Xia Dabao who had insisted he marry Axiang, and now that Axiang had returned to her parental home, he was being branded as a wife-beater, which made his life rather difficult.

"Forget it, I’ll go get her back," Zhao Datu said.

But before he could leave, Aunt Zhao stopped him, "Where do you think you’re going? Let me tell you, Datu, you’re not going anywhere. Don’t worry about what other people say. Sooner or later, Axiang will come back. She’s nothing but damaged goods, already married off once. Does she really think she can stay at her parental home forever? Don’t believe me, just wait and see!"

Uncle Zhao said indignantly, "But in the end, Axiang is a member of our family. If you bring her back, at least there will be someone to help you with the work!"

"Tch, you think I don’t know what you’re scheming? You’re just afraid of Widow Chen’s resentment!"

Uncle Zhao immediately became angry, "I can’t be bothered to argue with a shrew like you!"

"Don’t then, I’m not keen on talking to you either!"

Uncle Zhao got up and left, not even eating his meal. Seeing this, Aunt Zhao, still fuming, said to Zhao Datu once more, "Listen to your mother, don’t go looking for Axiang. I bet it won’t be two days before she comes running back here obediently."

So, Zhao Datu also stayed put and didn’t bother anymore.

...

Axiang had been back for two days already.

Initially, she was quite scared, but when she saw Widow Chen return in a huff, she knew that even Widow Chen’s confrontation had been unsuccessful.

Actually, she regretted coming back as soon as she arrived. She had only run back because she couldn’t bear the humiliation there. But after coming back, life wasn’t much better. Her grandmother would nag at her all day, "What’s the big deal? When I first married your grandfather, I was beaten daily too. You’ll get used to it. Besides, it’s not like you were beaten every day over there. You had food, clothing, and shelter, what more could you want?"

When Widow Chen had gone to confront Aunt Zhao, she did it more to vent her own anger than to genuinely defend Axiang. Now that the other side had refused to give in and were speaking so rudely, she began to feel annoyed with Axiang too: "This is all your fault. Couldn’t you have been a bit tougher? If they bully you, you should fight back instead of running home to cry. It wasn’t easy for you to marry into their family, and now you’ve just run back here. They’re calling you damaged goods. Look at Datu, he hasn’t even come to see you once. What are you going to do if he never shows up? You’ll regret it one day!"

Axiang was truly miserable, stuck between a rock and a hard place, not even comfortable staying at home. She felt like dying might be the easiest way out.

That day, Widow Chen told Axiang to go wash clothes by the river. Axiang paused, motionless.

Widow Chen immediately got angry, "Don’t think you’re a guest now. Since you’re home, you have to work, unless Zhao Datu has come to pick you up!"

Axiang had no choice but to pick up the basin and leave.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to wash clothes, but that she dared not go outside, fearing that once she did, she would encounter the villagers’ judging stares.

Indeed, she hadn’t gone far before she ran into Uncle Wang and others. She had to keep her head down, pretending not to see, and Uncle Wang, knowing Axiang had suffered humiliation to end up back at her parents’ home, also didn’t greet her out of embarrassment, as any girl who returned home after marriage was seen as a cause for embarrassment.

Along the way, she encountered a few more people, and Axiang kept her head down the whole time until she was nearly at the river, when someone called out, "Axiang!"