Half an hour later, Xu Changxia got off a pedicab at the entrance of an alley, carrying her suitcase.
She gazed at the familiar street scene before her, at this narrow lane she had walked through for over a decade, feeling as if a lifetime had passed.
It was just past eight o'clock—the time when neighbors were busy heading to work. The family next door to the Xus came out to buy breakfast and spotted Xu Changxia standing alone at the intersection with her suitcase. Surprised, they exclaimed, "Xiaxia! Why are you back?"
Everyone in the neighborhood knew Xu Changxia had gotten engaged to Jiang Yao yesterday.
Xu Changxia and her mother, Xu Fangfei, had lived with her uncle Xu Cheng's family for more than ten years. Suddenly, a prearranged marriage emerged, and the other family's parents were quite high-ranking officials. The Xu family had been flaunting this proudly.
No one expected Xu Changxia to return alone early in the morning, suitcase in hand, looking disheveled and defeated—it was hard not to speculate.
"Jiang Yao's Troops had an emergency, so I came back alone first," Xu Changxia replied politely with a smile.
The neighbor fell silent.
As soon as Xu Changxia entered the alley, several longtime neighbors huddled together and whispered, "Maybe they found out she had a previous relationship?"
"Exactly! She dated that young man for almost a year. Who knows what might have happened? Maybe Jiang Yao discovered it last night…"
"Let me tell you, the prettier the girl, the more restless she tends to be. And with no father to discipline her…"
Xu Changxia overheard everything. These neighbors had always enjoyed gossiping about her behind her back.
But she couldn't control what others said.
Silently, she dragged her suitcase to the front gate of the Xu residence and knocked.
"Who is it?" came the voice of her aunt, Zhou Yun, from inside.
"Auntie, it's me," Xu Changxia replied.
Immediately, silence fell within.
Half a minute later, her uncle Xu Cheng opened the main gate, looking stunned as he scanned her up and down. "Why are you back?"
Then he glanced behind her and asked in a hushed tone, "Where's Jiang Yao? Why did you come back alone?"
"Let's talk inside," Xu Changxia responded.
"Right, right!" Xu Cheng grabbed her suitcase and pulled it inside. "Hurry up and come in!"
A few minutes later, Xu Cheng and Zhou Yun, along with Xu Fangfei, were seated in the main hall.
Xu Cheng's expression was grim. Zhou Yun, sitting beside him, couldn't stop sighing. "What are we going to do? It was agreed that this engagement was as good as marriage. How could they just send Xiaxia back like this?"
"Disgraceful creature!" Xu Cheng snapped, pointing at Xu Changxia as Zhou Yun began to cry.
Beside them, Xu Fangfei nervously wiped her hands on her apron and murmured, "Brother, it's not like Xiaxia wanted this to happen…"
"Second Sister, how can you still defend her at a time like this? First, think about how to explain this to the Jiang family! Whether this marriage can even proceed now!" Zhou Yun frowned.
"We've already spent the 2,880 Betrothal gifts they sent on the engagement banquet! If they demand we return the money, what will we do? I don't have a single cent!"
Hearing this, Xu Cheng's face darkened even more.
Xu Cheng was the director of a small printing factory, earning about forty-something yuan a month. 2,880 yuan was equivalent to six years of his income without eating or drinking!
He slammed the table abruptly: "Did she never see a man in her previous life? Dating on her own at sixteen or seventeen! And making it known to everyone! Who else is to blame but her!"
Xu Fangfei trembled in fear, not daring to utter a word, her eyes red as she looked toward Xu Changxia beside her.
Xu Changxia glanced at Zhou Yun.
Nearly three thousand yuan, and Zhou Yun wanted to keep it all for herself—her heart was truly black.
"Aunt, all the arrangements for the engagement banquet were handled by the Jiang family. The Xu family didn’t spend a single cent on cigarettes, alcohol, or the banquet. Where did the three thousand yuan go?" she asked expressionlessly.
"Listen to what you’re saying!" Zhou Yun’s face flushed, and she immediately stiffened her neck: "Every single one of those dowry items cost money! Your mother and I went shopping for them together!"
Xu Changxia knew exactly how Zhou Yun had pocketed the money.
Items that should have cost only six or seven hundred yuan were claimed to have cost three thousand. With Xu Fangfei’s timid nature, even if she knew she was being cheated, she wouldn’t speak up.
In her previous life, Xu Changxia thought she had finally escaped the pit of fire and didn’t bother arguing with Zhou Yun about the money.
But now was different.
She stood up, walked to the suitcase, took out all the items inside, and placed them on the Eight Immortals Table in the main hall: "Aside from the six new quilts and some pots and pans that I couldn’t bring back, Aunt, why don’t you tell me, one by one, how much each of these things cost?"
"You don’t know the cost of running a household until you’re in charge! Xiaoyun, tell her how much all this is worth!" Xu Cheng said with a cold face.
Then he added: "What an ungrateful little brat! All these years of caring for you were wasted!"
"Xiaxia, hurry up and apologize to your uncle and aunt!" Xu Fangfei, her eyes reddening again from Xu Cheng’s words, stood up and walked over to Xu Changxia, tugging at her sleeve and whispering to coax her.
Xu Changxia knew that even though Zhou Yun treated her poorly, Xu Cheng had, to some extent, provided a place for her and her mother to live and had supported her education through high school. He had done her a kindness.
She didn’t want the money back; she wanted to reclaim justice and dignity for herself and Xu Fangfei.
She glanced at Zhou Yun again and said, "Don’t worry. If Jiang Yao really doesn’t want to go through with this marriage, I’ll repay the 2,880 yuan myself. You won’t have to spend a single cent. Consider it compensation for my mother and me living here all these years."
"But this engagement account must be settled clearly!"