Yu Xiuchun finally broke free, but her wrist throbbed as if broken. Facing her sister Yu Jingqiu, who was only a year younger yet still maintained her graceful appearance, Yu Xiuchun’s eyes reddened with envy and rage. “Yu Jingqiu, look at the daughter you raised! Flirting left and right, just like you—a shameless—”
Slap!
Without even lifting an eyebrow, Yu Jingqiu raised her hand and delivered a sharp slap, cutting off Yu Xiuchun’s words mid-sentence. Half of Yu Xiuchun’s face swelled instantly, leaving the onlookers gasping at the mother’s fiercer strike compared to her daughter’s.
“You wretched—” Yu Xiuchun froze for a moment, then lunged at Yu Jingqiu with frenzied fury. But halfway through her charge, Yu Jingqiu’s calm words halted her in her tracks.
“Yu Xiuchun, I’ve kept the letter you secretly wrote to Feng Qiyuan ten years ago. Shall I take it out and read it aloud for everyone to hear?” Yu Jingqiu’s tone was light and unhurried.
Yu Xiuchun’s flailing stopped abruptly. “How do you have that letter?” she shrieked.
Feng Qiyuan was the young master of the Feng family back then. A decade ago, he hadn’t yet absconded with the funds to elope with his true love; he was still Yu Jingqiu’s husband and Yu Xiuchun’s brother-in-law. The fact that the elder sister had secretly written to her sister’s husband was already questionable, and Yu Xiuchun’s extreme reaction only fueled the crowd’s curiosity. There was a juicy scandal unfolding!
Yu Xiuchun’s mind went blank briefly, but the stares from the crowd quickly brought her back to her senses. “I didn’t! I never wrote any letter to Feng Qiyuan! You couldn’t keep your husband’s affection and now you’re trying to pin the blame on me!” she denied frantically.
Unfazed by the counteraccusation, Yu Jingqiu remained composed. She pulled an envelope from her pocket. “Your handwriting might be unrecognizable to others, but your husband should know it well. Mingshu, take this letter to your uncle.”
Yu Jingqiu handed the envelope to her daughter, but Feng Mingshu, stunned by the revelation, hesitated for a moment. In that instant, Yu Xiuchun lunged forward, snatched the letter, and began tearing it apart violently.
Seeing the evidence about to be destroyed, Feng Mingshu grew anxious and reached out to grab it back, but Yu Jingqiu held her back, shaking her head gently.
Guessing her mother’s intention, Feng Mingshu broke free and pretended to scramble for the letter even more urgently. Terrified, Yu Xiuchun shoved the entire envelope into her mouth, chewing and swallowing it before bursting into triumphant laughter. “It’s gone! The letter is gone!”
The onlookers stared at Yu Xiuchun as if she were a fool, but she remained oblivious until Yu Jingqiu remarked coolly, “What you swallowed was just an empty envelope.”
Yu Xiuchun’s laughter cut off abruptly, her face contorted with rage. “Yu Jingqiu, you tricked me! Where’s the letter? Give it back to me—”
As Yu Xiuchun charged madly toward her, Zhou Jinshan immediately stepped in to block the way. But this time, before he could intervene, a middle-aged man rushed over, grabbed Yu Xiuchun, and slapped her hard across the face. “You disgraceful fool! Haven’t you caused enough trouble?”
The blow left Yu Xiuchun’s ears ringing. She looked up and saw that it was her husband, Chu Hongjun, his eyes glaring at her with a ferocity that seemed ready to devour her.
Trembling with fear, Yu Xiuchun pleaded, “Old Chu, believe me, I never wrote to Feng Qiyuan! I never wrote to any man! Yu Jingqiu is slandering me…”
“Shut up! Come home with me now. We’ll settle this later!”Chu Hongjun roared in anger, grabbing Yu Xiuchun and dragging her outside. Yu Xiuchun screamed pitifully, but no one stepped in to intervene. The onlookers were eagerly discussing this juicy drama.
Wang Sujuan felt utterly humiliated, never having been so embarrassed in her life. She tried to pull her son away, but Zhang Yunxiao refused to move.
Zhang Yunxiao looked up at Zhou Jinshan, who was protectively standing by Feng Mingshu’s side, before finally fixing his gaze on Feng Mingshu’s face. His eyes gradually reddened: “Is he the matchmaking partner you mentioned before?”
Hearing this, Feng Mingshu knew Zhang Yunxiao had mistakenly assumed Zhou Jinshan was the fabricated matchmaking partner she had previously mentioned to discourage his advances. However, she couldn’t deny it now and merely turned away in frustration.
Zhou Jinshan also heard Zhang Yunxiao’s words and observed the young woman beside him. Seeing she didn’t deny it, a smile flickered in his eyes, but his expression turned stern as he faced Zhang Yunxiao: “Comrade Feng Mingshu and I did indeed meet through matchmaking. Since you knew this beforehand, why did you bring your mother to cause trouble at my partner’s home?”
Zhang Yunxiao’s face flushed crimson, stammering incoherently.
Seeing her son being bullied, Wang Sujuan immediately protested: “How dare you speak like that? If it weren’t for your partner’s improper—”
“Comrade, you must take responsibility for your words!” Zhou Jinshan sharply interrupted, stepping forward with an intimidating aura honed through battlefield experience. Wang Sujuan staggered backward, her face turning pale with fear.
At this moment, Zhang Yunxiao came to his senses. Supporting his mother, he apologized to Zhou Jinshan: “I’m sorry, my mother didn’t mean it. I apologize on her behalf.”
Zhou Jinshan stopped advancing, staring coldly at Zhang Yunxiao: “You should apologize to my partner and to my partner’s mother.”
Zhang Yunxiao nodded, turned toward Feng Mingshu and Yu Jingqiu, and bowed in apology: “Classmate Feng, I’m sorry. Auntie Yu, I’m sorry. This is all my fault. I won’t bother Classmate Feng anymore, nor will I allow my family to do so.”
Hearing Zhang Yunxiao’s promise, Feng Mingshu gave him a complicated look but remained silent.
Yu Jingqiu sighed: “Classmate Zhang, you’re still young with a long road ahead. Go home now.”
“Thank you, Auntie Yu.” After expressing his gratitude, Zhang Yunxiao took one last look at Feng Mingshu before hurriedly turning away to hide his tears, supporting Wang Sujuan as they left.
With two groups having departed in succession, the onlookers remained unsatisfied. Their attention shifted to the Feng family’s future military son-in-law, with many eagerly asking when the couple had met, when the wedding would be held, and whether it would take place at home or in a restaurant.
The barrage of questions nearly extended to when they would have children. Although Old Lady Li’s skeptical and pessimistic comments could be heard amidst the chatter, nobody paid her any attention.
Feng Mingshu felt this was the perfect opportunity to clarify the situation. However, no matter how much she denied the relationship, nobody listened or cared, simply attributing it to a young woman’s shyness.
Growing anxious, Feng Mingshu sought help from her mother. Yu Jingqiu patted her hand: “Go inside first. I’ll handle this.”
Feng Mingshu had always trusted her mother. She entered the courtyard reassured, only to hear her mother telling the neighbors outside with a laugh: “The two young people have just recently met and need more time to get acquainted. I’ll inform all the neighbors when there’s good news to share.”
“That’s wonderful! We’ll be waiting for the wedding banquet!”
As the neighbors offered their congratulations one after another, Feng Mingshu inside the courtyard stood dumbfounded, completely stunned.