Reborn as the Villain's Wife, I Shine in 80s
Chapter 149 - 145 The Incompleteness of Life

Chapter 149: 145 The Incompleteness of Life

In early autumn, Tian Yi and others were returning to Tian Family Village.

Many villagers had heard the news and flocked to the entrance of the village, eager to see if these people who ventured to Dongzhen City for a better life were now returning in glory.

After all, these few were among the rare ones in the village who dared to try something new.

"Coming back just like that, so sudden, no preparation at all." Aunt Zhong’s hands nervously pressed against her sides. Though nervous, there was a hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth—she had missed her son dearly.

"Mom, will Dad bring me a black box?" Gou Sheng said excitedly, looking up at her. "I can ask Yan Di to come over to watch the black box together. I heard black boxes can hold people inside."

"Oh, black boxes are too expensive, maybe not." Li Xiaoqin’s face was glowing as her eyes gazed into the distance. "But new clothes are definitely a given."

"They’re here! They’re really here!" Not far away, silhouettes slowly appeared. As soon as people saw them, they began shouting spontaneously.

"Xiaoqin, that’s your uncle and brother! Look quickly."

"Where’s Tian Yi? Tian Yi is at the back."

"Wait... Tian Yi’s eyes..."

"What’s wrong with Tian Yi’s eyes?"

"He’s blind."

"Really blind..."

The three carried nothing, far from the impressive arrival many had imagined. Li Xiaoqin’s uncle and brother, at least, were intact—Tian Yi’s eyes, however, were horribly disfigured.

Among the crowd, Chen Guilan sneered, "They really thought going to Dongzhen City was such a great idea, and look what happened to them. If you ask me, they’d have been better off like Tian Sangsang, running a shop in town."

"Guilan, what are you saying? Have some decency." Someone tried to mediate. "The man’s already in that state."

Alas, everyone had expected success, only to see them return like this. Disappointed, the villagers gradually lost interest and dispersed.

Aunt Zhong wasn’t here just to satisfy curiosity like the others. Her happiness didn’t stem from hopes of her son making money—it was simply because he was coming home. But now hearing what the villagers said and seeing her son’s eyes, her face suddenly turned pale, as though her soul had left her. A perfectly fine person now reduced to such a state—neither fully human nor ghost. How different was this from being crippled?

In this place, that’s exactly how they saw it—crippled.

Li Xiaoqin’s expression suddenly changed. Staring at her husband’s weathered face, she trembled in disbelief.

No, this couldn’t be. Why had things turned out worse than before? What about her dreams? What about the money? What about her reputation?

Gou Sheng shrank back behind her in fear, wanting to cry. Was this man really his dad? Why had Dad turned out like this? He couldn’t yet comprehend why tears were threatening to fall.

Tian Guogui and his wife stepped forward together, checking Tian Yi from head to toe. "What happened? What happened to your eyes?"

"My son, what kind of suffering did you go through?!" Aunt Zhong couldn’t hold back her tears.

Tian Yi said nothing, his desolate gaze sweeping across the crowd.

"What really happened?!" Aunt Zhong urgently questioned Li Xiaoqin’s uncle and brother, Li Guohui. "He was fine when he left last time, but now it’s only our Yi who’s had something happen."

Li Xiaoqin’s uncle glanced at Li Guohui, who stammered, "While working at the construction site, Tian Yi’s eyes got splashed by some flying hot oil. It was an accident. By the time we got him to the hospital, it was too late; his eyes were already ruined."

"Let’s go home." Tian Yi’s face was blank, clearly unwilling to say more.

Tian Guogui sighed heavily, as though aged by ten years in an instant. Aunt Zhong and Li Xiaoqin, being women, followed behind him crying and wailing.

On the way, no one spoke. They were all silent.

Li Xiaoqin asked Li Guohui and the others what exactly had happened in Dongzhen City, but they evaded her questions, as though hiding something, speaking vaguely. Helpless, Li Xiaoqin could only ask Tian Yi every day, yet Tian Yi remained silent and uncommunicative.

Not only that—Tian Yi began to change. He used to go to the fields every day, but now he stayed cooped up at home. He used to abstain from alcohol, but now he bought beer daily. When he ran out of money for beer, he resorted to gambling. Though Brother Biao’s den had been shut down, there were always places to gamble for those who were willing.

This was how it had always been—gambling’s dirty secret was understood by all. A few people gathered together, agreed on the rules, and made do.

Besides, for mahjong, as long as there were four people, a game could start within minutes. Who cared about the location? Even in a toilet, you could gamble extravagantly.

"What’s wrong with you? Why won’t you talk to me? I asked Guohui, and he won’t explain things clearly either. I’m completely in the dark. At least say something. My mom said your eyes aren’t beyond saving; she found a folk remedy. Why don’t you come with me to my mom’s place tomorrow to try it?" Li Xiaoqin frowned as she spoke to Tian Yi.

"Can you stop nagging? Can’t you let me have some peace!" Tian Yi snapped, his face flushed from drinking. His injured eye—the right one—looked different from others. Though it remained open, it was always tilted when he looked at things, and it could no longer see.

"Nagging? I’m only doing this for your own good." Li Xiaoqin retorted, "My mom said that folk remedy could definitely cure your eye!"

"Your mom, your mom! What’s reliable about anything your family says!" Tian Yi abruptly stood up, throwing his beer bottle to the ground, the crashing sound startlingly loud. "My eye ending up like this is all because of your brother!"

Outside, Gou Sheng, frightened, ran to the front door. The child didn’t know why his parents were fighting, only that they were indeed fighting. He bolted out the door, running straight into Tian Guogui and Aunt Zhong returning from the fields. "Grandpa, Grandma, Dad and Mom are fighting—you have to go back quickly." Gou Sheng clung to Aunt Zhong’s clothes.

Aunt Zhong and Tian Guogui exchanged glances, seeing shock in each other’s eyes. Together with Gou Sheng, they hurried home.

When they arrived back, Li Xiaoqin was clutching her stomach, her face pale as she shouted at Tian Guogui and Aunt Zhong, "Dad, Mom, you need to control Tian Yi—he hit me! Since we married, this is the first time he’s laid a hand on me. He says my brother caused his injury."

Terrified, Li Xiaoqin hid behind the two elders, sobbing uncontrollably, feeling deeply aggrieved.

"Yi..." Aunt Zhong began, her voice laden with sorrow.

"Don’t ever mention her family to me again. The next time I hear it, I’ll hit again." Tian Yi coldly stated before storming out of the house.

"What a sin. Our family, for eighteen generations, has been poor farmers—always honest, never stealing, never harming anyone, never doing anything shameful. Why has it come to this?" Aunt Zhong wiped her cloudy tears away with the back of her hand.

....