Fang Juan’s face changed: “That’s not true! I never said that!” She urgently explained to Chu Jiangchuan: “Brother Jiangchuan, you have to believe me, I’ve never said such things!”
Chu Jiangchuan sneered coldly: “Don’t call me that, I don’t have a sister!”
“You…” Fang Juan grew anxious, looking at Chu Jiangchuan with distress: “Jiangchuan, no, Brother Chu, please believe me!”
Tang Ximian planted a loud kiss on Chu Jiangchuan’s lips right in front of her: “Jiangchuan and I are husband and wife, a loving couple for life! You’re dying for us to divorce so you can take my place? Do you think Jiangchuan is blind?”
Fang Juan was deeply provoked: “You… Tang Ximian, you have no shame!”
“Covering another woman’s man and scheming to break up a married couple – that’s what’s truly shameless!” Tang Ximian scoffed and pushed her away: “Do enough wicked things, and you’ll meet ghosts when walking at night!”
“Tang Ximian! You bitch!” Fang Juan broke down, screaming curses.
Slap!
Chu Jiangchuan landed a heavy blow across Fang Juan’s face, making her ears ring!
“Get out!”
His voice was frighteningly cold.
Fang Juan gave him a resentful look before turning and running away.
Chu Jiangchuan felt nauseated: “What trash!”
After taking a walk outside, the couple returned home to find the Fang family sitting in their yard.
Chu Jiangchuan’s face immediately darkened: “What are you doing here?”
“Leave women’s matters to me. Take the child inside to play.” Tang Ximian gently pushed Nana toward him.
Chu Jiangchuan frowned slightly before turning to take Nana inside.
Xu Guangfen threw down the half-sewn clothes in her hands: “Fang Juan, Juan’s mother, I don’t mean to be harsh, but your daughter kept praising the Xia family before, and my daughter-in-law was deceived by her! I haven’t come looking for you all these days, yet you show up at our doorstep!”
Chu Jiangrong added: “That’s right, auntie. No matter what, your Fang Juan was in the wrong first! How dare she insult Mianmian? What’s wrong with my brother defending his own wife?”
“I don’t care about you young people’s affairs! But I’m telling you, you hit my daughter, and this isn’t over! You have to pay compensation!”
Juan’s mother chuckled, her triangular eyes full of calculation: “They say Chu Jiangchuan earned plenty of money for his family during his army days, and your daughter-in-law now has a government position. Fifty yuan isn’t too much for you!”
Tang Ximian burst out laughing.
Even the village chief who had just entered couldn’t help but laugh angrily.
Fifty yuan?
Some families don’t spend fifty yuan all year!
How dare she ask for that much!
“Juan’s mother, if you have nothing better to do, take your child and go home! Given what Fang Juan did before, she deserved that beating!” The village chief said sternly: “Get back home and teach your child properly!”
Not daring to oppose the village chief, Juan’s mother pulled Fang Juan away resentfully.
The village chief then said: “Mianmian, aren’t you going to tell your uncle about things anymore? If I hadn’t seen it, were you planning to keep this to yourself?”
Tang Ximian smiled and linked arms with the village chief like a child: “Uncle, there’s no way Fang Juan could bully me!”
The matter ended there, with Fang Juan and Tang Ximian completely breaking off relations.
During this period, many visitors came to Chu Jiangchuan’s home, and most people had heard about the past between Tang Ximian and Chu Jiangchuan.
As Chu Jiangchuan’s leg continued to improve, some people began to entertain certain ideas.
While Tang Ximian was at work, Chu Jiangchuan went to town by himself to find odd jobs. He had already earned some money, though it was still far less compared to what Tang Ximian made.
He diligently continued taking the medicine Tang Ximian had given him, afraid that he might not fully recover.
After working for half a day and returning home, Chu Jiangchuan saw a girl sitting in their courtyard, accompanied by someone who was unmistakably a matchmaker.
At this moment, the remaining two adults and one child of the Chu Family already had faces as dark as storm clouds!
The matchmaker finally seized the opportunity to speak: “Oh, Jiangchuan, you’re back? This is Yunyun from the neighboring village! Yunyun, greet him quickly!”
Before Yunyun could say a word, Chu Jiangchuan preempted her: “You’re the matchmaker, right? What is this supposed to mean? Our family doesn’t need another daughter, nor do we need a concubine!”
The matchmaker’s smiling face nearly cracked: “Well… Jiangchuan! Auntie didn’t mean it like that! You see, although your wife is good, now that your leg has healed and you’re in good spirits, you still don’t have a child! As the saying goes, there are three forms of unfilial conduct, and the worst is to have no descendants…”
“So?” Chu Jiangchuan’s voice turned cold. “Are you suggesting I commit bigamy and go to jail, or get a divorce and remarry?”
“This… this…” The matchmaker was left speechless. “I was just…”
“Get out!” Xu Guangfen slammed the table abruptly. “I’m not dead yet! How dare you make decisions for my son? What kind of trash have you brought here? Is she prettier or can she earn more money? How can she compare to our Mianmian?”
Everyone was startled.
Yunyun, looking at the tall, handsome Chu Jiangchuan, felt unwilling to give up: “At least… at least I can bear a son…”
“Bah!” Xu Guangfen only grew fiercer when challenged. “How do you know you can bear a son? Have you tried with someone else? Isn’t it just because you’re after the little wealth our Jiangchuan earned in the past? Fine, if you marry in, can you earn fifty yuan a month?”
Yunyun fell silent.
Chu Jiangrong smiled and said, “Alright, you should leave now! Our family is doing just fine! Mianmian is part of our family, and no one is allowed to bully her!”
As Yunyun left, she glanced back unwillingly but was frightened by Chu Jiangchuan’s icy glare and fled in a panic.
She couldn’t help but wonder just how beautiful this Tang Ximian, who couldn’t bear children, was to outshine her like this!
Meanwhile, when Tang Ximian returned to the radio station, she picked up the new materials, which were noticeably thicker than before.
“Mianmian, you’re here?” Liu Mengjia saw her come in and quickly stood up, pulling her to sit by her bed. “Let me tell you, my uncle said this batch is especially large, and you have a week to finish it! Also, besides the English ones, there’s an Italian document. Do you think you can translate it? They’re paying twenty yuan per thousand words for this!”
“That much?” Tang Ximian was also taken aback. “But…”
“Don’t worry, I won’t take any of it! No matter how much you translate, just give me five yuan in the future! I’ll go back and tell my uncle about this. Look how he beat me!”
Liu Mengjia showed her shoulder, which was red and swollen, with faint handprint marks.
“My uncle said one mustn’t lose their conscience. This job might not last forever, and he can’t take your money for nothing!”
Liu Mengjia herself was quite clear-headed, likely coming from a family that wasn’t short of money.
Tang Ximian nodded: “Then I won’t stand on ceremony with you! My niece loves your candies too—she asked me to thank you!”
Having such a colleague made her feel this job wasn’t in vain after all!