For over a decade, his own father had only cared about the children from his previous wife. He didn’t care whether he lived or died.
Seeing that he had no reaction, Yang Yiyang gave him some advice.
“When they really go to my family’s house to make a scene later, find a way to get the Street Office and the Women’s Federation involved. No matter what, this matter needs a resolution.”
That’s right—Yang Yiyang wanted to make them fight like dogs. Whichever side won, she wouldn’t benefit anyway.
But if things weren’t settled, she could imagine that the three of them would have no place in the Jiang Family in the future. She couldn’t return to her own family either, so she had no choice but to side with the Jiang Family.
Before she could finish her thoughts, she heard a knock on the door.
“Fourth Son, come out quickly! Bring your wife and go to her family’s house to get the money back. If you don’t bring it back, I’ll break your legs.”
“Coming.”
Yang Yiyang thought, the show is about to begin.
So she whispered, “Tell them I’m still unconscious and can’t go. If they insist on going, have them carry me over!”
Jiang Zihao opened the door and went out. “Father Jiang, my wife hasn’t woken up yet. She can’t go. The doctor said she injured her brain—it’s called a concussion. She can’t be moved, or she might die.”
“If she dies, not only will we not get the money back, but her family might come looking for trouble. How about we go in a couple of days?”
Jiang Heda immediately jumped up.
“Bullshit! If we don’t go today, will we still get the money back in a couple of days? As long as she’s not dead, carry her over!”
“Eldest Brother Jiang, Second Brother, have you both taken leave? Take down a door plank now and return that woman. Get the money back.”
“Once the money is returned, I’ll give each of you 50 yuan.”
When Jiang Anguo, the eldest son of the Jiang Family, and Jiang Andong, the second son, heard they would get a share of the returned money, they became even more enthusiastic and immediately took down a door plank.
“Fourth Son, are you dead or what? Hurry up and carry that woman out!”
Jiang Zihao looked troubled.
“Father Jiang, I haven’t eaten a bite since yesterday. I don’t even have the strength to walk now. How can I carry her?”
Jiang Dad wished he could beat this unfilial son to death right then and there, but Eldest Brother Jiang whispered to his father,
“Father Jiang, let him eat a couple of bites first. Otherwise, if another one faints, we won’t be able to handle it.”
Hearing this, Jiang Dad shouted loudly, “Eldest Brother’s wife, is the food ready? If it is, bring out two cornbread buns.”
Then he said to his sons, “We need to hurry. If we’re late and they’ve gone to work, where will we find them? Fourth Son, you bastard, take it and eat while walking.”
Jiang Zihao didn’t care what he said. He first ate one cornbread bun himself,
then grabbed two more and went into the room, placing them by his mother’s pillow.
He carried his wife out and laid her on the door plank on the ground.
Then he went to the kitchen, grabbed two more cornbread buns, and put them in his pocket. Who knew when the next meal would be?
No matter what, he had to save one for his newlywed wife, right?
“Fourth Son, you lead the way. Eldest Brother and Second Brother, you two carry first. Switch when you get tired.”
And so, on her second day here, Yang Yiyang made a grand return to her family’s house—lying down.
It seemed she had set a precedent for returning to one’s family.
She thought: No other transmigrator before her could have been as unlucky and miserable as she was.
After being passed between two sets of hands, they finally arrived at the Yang family home. Without the original host—their workhorse—getting up to cook for them today, the entire Yang family had overslept.
After barely managing to eat a meal of half-cooked corn porridge, the family was now preparing to go to work when they found their doorway blocked.
Yang’s mother shouted, "Who are you? How dare you carry a dead person to our doorstep first thing in the morning? Do you have a death wish?"
Yang’s father also spoke up, "Bringing a dead person here so early in the morning is terrible luck. Take it away and don’t block the door!"
Jiang Heda yelled back, "Open your dog eyes and see whose family this person belongs to! If she’s dead, she’s your Lao Yang Family’s dead person!"
Yang’s mother then saw her own daughter lying on the ground, eyes tightly shut.
She also understood the intentions of the groom’s family—they were definitely here for that thousand yuan.
So she started wailing first, "Heavens, my innocent, unmarried daughter!
She only married into your Old Jiang Family yesterday, and today you’ve beaten her to death and carried her back!"
"Eldest son, go report to the police! The Jiang Family has killed your beloved sister!"
By now, a large crowd had gathered at the door to watch the commotion.
Many began to gossip, "Goodness, even if they didn’t want to spend a thousand yuan, they shouldn’t have beaten someone to death!"
"Exactly, killing is against the law. Is it worth losing a life over a thousand yuan?"
"Right, if they disagreed, they should have sent her back yesterday and returned the money. Now that she’s spent a night at the Jiang Family, who knows if her chastity has been violated? The Yang Family definitely won’t agree to refund the money now."
"Is it about the money now? It’s about a life being lost!"
"This matter might need to be reported to the public security bureau, otherwise it’ll be hard to resolve."
The Jiang father and sons, hearing the crowd’s gossip and the Yang family’s curses,
were so angry their veins bulged on their foreheads, shouting, "She’s not dead, just unconscious. She’ll recover after lying down for a couple of days!"
The crowd erupted again, "Ah, she’s not dead? She’s so still, we thought Yiyang had died!"
"Even if she’s not dead, it’s still your fault. You beat her so badly she can’t get up."
"If she’s not dead, shouldn’t you take her to the hospital first? Why bring her to the Yang Family instead?"
"Could it be they’re here to break off the engagement?"
"Heavens! Can it even be undone now?"
Seeing that everyone was speaking up for her family, Yang’s mother cried out even louder,
"Yiyang, my daughter! She went to the Jiang Family perfectly fine yesterday."
"Not even a day later, she’s been beaten so badly she can’t move. Someone, please report to the public security bureau for me! Make the Jiang Family pay for my daughter’s medical expenses!"
"Your Jiang Family is a den of wolves! You go in standing up and come out lying down—there’s no way out alive!"
Jiang Zihao, seeing so many people gathered, figured his wife wouldn’t be in immediate danger for the time being,
so he followed his wife’s advice and went to fetch the Street Office director and the Women’s Federation.
Some kind-hearted person had even reported the incident to the police. Hearing that a homicide might be involved, two officers came to handle the situation.
Eldest Brother Jiang and Second Brother Jiang knew that if things continued like this, they might not get a single cent back. So the two of them roared loudly,
"Everyone, shut up!"
Their voices were loud enough to carry far, and the crowd finally quieted down.
Even Yang’s mother, who was about to start wailing and cursing again, was startled into silence.
Jiang Dad seized this opportunity to speak up. "The person wasn't beaten by us. She lost her balance and hit the corner of the table, injuring herself."
"The person isn't dead. The doctor said she'll be fine after resting for a couple of days. We've returned her to your Yang family, so your Yang family should return the thousand yuan to our Jiang Family."
"This money was stolen by my remarried wife, who was deceived by someone and took my money without my consent, so it must be returned."
Someone in the crowd exclaimed, "Heavens, a thousand yuan is so much! You could marry five wives and still have money left over."