Rebirth Counterattack with Space
Chapter 280 - 272: This Is a Good Thing

Chapter 280: Chapter 272: This Is a Good Thing

Yu Xiu entered the house of the scoundrel with a preoccupied mind, not even hearing his mother greeting her at the door as she barged straight in without acknowledgment.

The scoundrel, from Yushu Village, lived with his mother, the two of them alone. Nearly forty, he hung around idly without any proper work. He did have a wife once, but she couldn’t endure his frequent beatings and eventually ran away.

With the former wife gone, he and his mother lacked a proper livelihood. Not to mention remarrying, even getting meals wasn’t easy. They scraped by through petty theft, living meal to meal.

Later on, he saw that people in the village were starting to live better, and those with time on their hands gambled more. He came up with an idea to put some tables in his home along with a few sets of mahjong and playing cards, inviting people over to gamble. The winners would then give him a cut of their earnings...

As days passed, the scoundrel realized that this was a fairly stable and decent source of income and began to treat it seriously as a business. But this wasn’t exactly legal, carrying the nature of organized gambling, so his mother usually stood guard at the door, only letting in familiar faces.

At that moment, the scoundrel’s mother saw Yu Xiu ignoring her and muttered under her breath after Yu Xiu entered and was out of earshot, "All day long, wanting to keep a man tied to her apron strings, and yet she still can’t stop a man from sneaking around."

Yu Xiu naturally didn’t hear the scoundrel’s mother. Entering the room, she saw the usual thick and murky scene, with men and women crowding around three or four tables, gambling. Aside from those engrossed in their games, there were others just standing by for the spectacle, making the whole place feel cramped and congested.

"Your family’s tigress has arrived..."

A voluptuous woman squeezed beside Lu Tianci spotted Yu Xiu coming in and provocatively glanced over, deliberately blowing a ring of smoke in Lu Tianci’s face as she turned to him.

A bunch of onlookers, eager for a scene, laughingly stepped aside to make way for Yu Xiu, their faces full of anticipation for the drama to unfold.

Lu Tianci also looked towards Yu Xiu with a face full of disdain, preemptively scolding her, "Why aren’t you staying put at home and instead here bothering us again? All day with nothing to do, looking for trouble. Why don’t you learn from others..."

"Shitou’s grandparents are here, and a lot of people followed them back, including the Lu family with them."

Instead of the anticipated scene of kicking and screaming, Yu Xiu spoke as if she hadn’t seen the woman clinging to Lu Tianci, her pale face speaking to him word by word.

"What nonsense are you talking about? You got a fever or something?" Lu Tianci’s hand trembled as he looked visibly panicked.

"It’s true..." Yu Xiu’s face was filled with fear, "Are they going to catch us and lock us up?"

"What are you babbling about?" Lu Tianci rebuked her harshly, his face growing ever more panicky.

"Tianci..."

The voluptuous woman beside him sneered to herself, so easily cowed? She drew out her words in a coquettish purr, whispering seductively in Lu Tianci’s ear.

"This is a good thing, why be afraid? The richer they are, the more they care about face. Just right for you to ask them for the upbringing fees your parents had for raising their son, and for you raising their grandson. Isn’t it perfect? If they dare not pay you, make a big fuss. Then see who’s afraid."

Lu Tianci, upon hearing this, lit up with the realization. His anxiety, which was roused by Yu Xiu’s reaction, dropped at once. Indeed, that made sense.

He looked at the voluptuous woman with surprise and, no longer minding Yu Xiu’s presence, wrapped his arms around her and planted an eager kiss, joyfully saying, "Ajuan, I didn’t expect you have such skills. Even Zhuge Liang may not match you."

"Of course, who else but me would think of things for your sake and give you ideas without asking for anything in return?" Ajuan sent him a flirty look and the two stuck together like glue.

The surrounding people started to cheer, "Kiss her again."

"Get lost." Lu Tianci laughed and cursed, pulling out his money without counting and stuffing it into Ajuan’s hand, whispering, "I’ll come find you tomorrow."

"Hurry up and leave. Don’t let your big sister make a scene and embarrass herself here," Ajuan advised, her finger coyly twirling with a cigarette in hand, again affectionately blowing smoke rings onto Lu Tianci’s face.

"Lu Tianci."

Yu Xiu finally realized what Lu Tianci was doing and her eyes turned bloodshot with rage.

"Shut up, you damned woman! When such good luck comes our way, you should be hurrying back to clean up the house and invite people over. Instead, here you are, crying and sulking. My good fortune is all gone because of you."

Lu Tianci’s hand swung out and struck Yu Xiu across the face.

Yu Xiu looked up at Lu Tianci in disbelief. She felt like her mind couldn’t keep up. What did he mean? How could this be considered good luck? The shock was so great that she couldn’t react even after Lu Tianci had hit her—

"Get moving, you stupid woman! What are you standing there dumbfounded for? Ajuan, come and take over for me. If you win, it’s yours; if you lose, I’ll make it up to you later."

Lu Tianci cursed Yu Xiu with a cold face before turning around and speaking to Ajuan’s wife softly.

Yu Xiu was dragged outside rudely by Lu Tianci, still feeling dazed.

Ajuan watched Lu Tianci and Yu Xiu leave, then put out her cigarette and sneered disdainfully. She had been eyeing Lu Tianci’s dwindling assets, considering how to dump him and find a new mark.

But now this surprise came along—if Lu Tianci could really get some money, maybe she wouldn’t have to look for someone new for a while. Aside from running out of money, Lu Tianci was rare in that he obeyed her every command. She actually felt somewhat reluctant to leave him.

She looked at Yu Xiu with utter contempt. This crude, unsophisticated village woman couldn’t handle even one trick in her presence. What was the big fuss about to be so scared that she’d wet her pants?

People at the same gambling table glanced at her. One imitated Lu Tianci’s ambiguous tone and teased, "Ajuan, I’ll come to find you tomorrow."

"Heh, Ajuan, you really are my lady Zhuge Liang—" Another one stretched out the tone with a weird voice and joined in the mimicry.

"Are we playing cards or not? If not, I’m leaving." Ajuan put on a stern face and asked.

"Just joking around, are you really getting mad?" Someone hurried to pacify her.

--

Meanwhile, Lu Tianci dragged Yu Xiu away, and as they passed, people chuckled and approached them.

"Hey, Lu, why are you leaving with your sister-in-law so soon after arriving?" A young man around his twenties, sporting a thick gold chain, laughed and teased.

Lu Tianci ignored them, thinking about the "big event" he still had to deal with, though his expression darkened.

"Exactly, the warmth of a wife and children by the hearth. But aren’t you being a bit too eager? What time is it?" A middle-aged, tall, and skinny man with a smug smile chimed in.

"Brother, this really isn’t showing any manliness. Women have to be put in their place by force..." Someone immediately picked up the thread. It was a short and plump man who was also very dark.

Lu Tianci yanked Yu Xiu irritably, who still did not react but agreed with the sentiment in his heart.

Those nearby burst into laughter at these comments. Seeing that Lu Tianci had no response, they didn’t take it seriously. A man in his thirties, well-built, pointed at the dark, plump man and chuckled.

"Ha ha, Blackie, hearing that from you seems so insincere. We’ve never heard that you dare to hit your wife. Instead, it’s often said that you’re the one bringing her footbath water. Tell the truth, when the doors are closed at night, do you wash her feet or not?"

"That’s bullshit."

Sometimes even if you do things, you can’t talk about them, right? Isn’t that just stepping on your own dignity? The dark, plump man retorted angrily, his face turning red.

...