Chapter 32: First Update

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A large crowd had gathered outside the Lin family’s gate. There were plenty of people there simply to watch the spectacle. Even among Zheng Yukang’s relatives and friends who had come to support him, not everyone was truly united. They had long been secretly jealous that Zheng Yukang had been admitted to college, and now they were delighted to sit back and enjoy the show.

“Lin Xuexia went to cause trouble? What kind of trouble? Isn’t it because Zheng Yukang turned into a heartless, faithless husband?”

Several sharp-tongued women had already begun whispering the story among themselves.

“Zheng Yukang found another girl at school, so the Lin girl went there to make a scene. She nearly got him expelled.”

“How shameless…”

“Shh. That’s exactly how shameless she is.”

Most of the villagers were poorly educated, but they still knew right from wrong. The Zheng family kept insisting that the Lin girl had harmed their son, but there had to be some reason behind it.

Some people, however, thought, “It’s only human nature. Zheng Yukang got into college, so naturally he no longer thinks much of Xuexia. That’s understandable.”

“She’s such a fine girl, and he’s ruined her chances. Wouldn’t that make anyone angry?”

…

After Zheng Qiaoli finished speaking, Zheng Yukang’s mother, Meng Juan, remained silent for a long while. The low murmurs from the crowd grew especially grating, and to Meng Juan’s ears they were unbearably humiliating.

If this matter could not be settled properly, would Zheng Yukang still have any reputation in the surrounding villages? He would go from being the college student everyone admired to a faithless husband whom anyone could spit on.

The villagers had little entertainment, and the opera they knew best was Bao Zheng’s courtroom dramas. The scene in which he executed the faithless husband Chen Shimei always left audiences feeling wonderfully satisfied.

“What do you think you are?” Meng Juan had a bellyful of anger with nowhere to release it, so she unleashed it all on Zheng Qiaoli.

She had originally expected to find Lin Xuexia’s timid, ingratiating parents when she came over. Surely the couple would never dare call off the engagement; they would probably even apologize cautiously on behalf of their daughter.

That way, she would have a graceful way out. But now Zheng Qiaoli, Lin Xuexia’s shameless aunt by marriage, had come charging out and made a scene, completely turning the situation on its head.

In her desperation, Meng Juan lost all restraint. Spittle flew across Zheng Qiaoli’s face as she shouted, “If anyone has the right to say these things, it’s Lin Xuexia’s parents. Who do you think you are? Are her parents dead? Are all the men in the Lin family dead? What gives a vile woman like you the right to speak?”

“A dog chasing mice, meddling in other people’s business! Who here doesn’t know how mean your family is? If you really cared about your niece—bah! You probably can’t wait to see her suffer, can you? You poisonous woman!”

Zheng Qiaoli was left utterly stunned by the abuse. The surrounding villagers burst into laughter. Everyone knew exactly what kind of situation the Lin family was in, and Meng Juan was not wrong.

They were all granddaughters of the Lin family. Everyone had seen what Zheng Qiaoli’s two daughters were like growing up, and what Lin Xuexia and her two sisters were like. No one was blind.

Some of the women felt sympathy for Lin Xuexia. They usually kept quiet, but now they joined in.

“Zheng Qiaoli, maybe you should stop being so nasty. Now you know how it feels to be called out.”

“You were never a good aunt by marriage. Don’t come out now pretending innocence.”

…

The women’s remarks came one after another, making Zheng Qiaoli’s face darken and flush by turns. In the past, she had strutted around the Lin household because she had given birth to three sons. But the villagers did not respect that sort of behavior. The women who cursed and caused scenes were far more domineering than she was. She could only throw her weight around within the Lin family and bully her sister-in-law, Zhang Yuqin.

By now, the crowd’s mood had shifted from tense confrontation to amused spectatorship. They had all realized that the Zheng family had not truly come to break off the engagement. They had probably only come to make a scene.

“Lin Yongfu, you’re finally back! Your in-laws have come!”

Lin Yongfu and Zhang Yuqin hurried home with anxious expressions. The villagers had found them and rushed them back. Lin Yuxia, Lin Xuexia’s second younger sister, had come with them as well.

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Lin Yuxia attended high school in the county seat and lived at school, so she rarely came home. But during the past two months, whenever Lin Xuexia was about to send money home, Yuxia would return for a visit. Ten yuan of the money was meant for her from her eldest sister.

Thanks to that money, life at school had become somewhat easier. Besides bringing rice and vegetables from home, she could occasionally split a meal with a female classmate and had enough money to buy study materials and newspapers.

Lin Yuxia was extremely frugal. She refused to spend money on anything unnecessary, afraid of burdening her elder sister. The money her sister earned away from home ought to be saved for the future, to provide her with a dowry.

Yuxia herself had a fierce temperament. She was tall and thin, with thick brows, large eyes, and a pointed chin. She always kept her hair cut short for convenience, and with her appearance she looked almost like a tomboy.

Meng Juan called loudly, “Lin Yongfu, Zhang Yuqin, good—you’re back. I want to ask you what kind of daughter you raised. She has ruined my son!”

“Our family must have suffered eight lifetimes of bad luck to become related to yours.”

Lin Yongfu and Zhang Yuqin swallowed nervously and instinctively drew their heads in.

“My dear in-laws, could there be some misunderstanding? Everyone knows our Xuexia is a good girl.”

“What misunderstanding? Lin Xuexia is a menace. She dared to go to Yukang’s school and cause trouble. Why didn’t she just fly into the sky?”

“I…” Lin Yongfu and Zhang Yuqin exchanged helpless looks, neither of them able to say a word. Surrounded by so many people, Lin Yongfu broke out in a cold sweat, and even his voice trembled.

“I’m breaking off the engagement! I want to end the engagement with your family! Our Zheng family cannot afford to marry a woman like yours!”

Lin Yongfu immediately pleaded cautiously, “No, please don’t. Whatever happened, we can sit down and discuss it properly. Her mother and I are reasonable people. If Xuexia has done something wrong, we’ll teach her better in the future. Once she marries, her husband’s family can teach her too. She’s still young.”

Meng Juan suppressed a smile, pursed her lips, and sneered. “She’s not young anymore. She’s twenty. Twenty and still unmarried—she’s already an old maid nobody wants.”

“Our Zheng family has a conscience. No matter how badly Xuexia has behaved, we won’t abandon an old maid like her. If she doesn’t marry Yukang, who else could she marry? She ought to be grateful. Once she goes outside, she mustn’t start entertaining improper ideas.”

“As her parents, you need to teach her how to serve a man properly. She must follow the right path and hold on to her husband’s heart.” Meng Juan drew out her words as her eyes swept over Lin Yongfu and Zhang Yuqin.

Zhang Yuqin lowered her head and said nothing. Lin Yongfu nodded obsequiously.

“Yes, yes, of course… From now on we—”

Meng Juan’s lips were just beginning to curl upward when a thunderous shout interrupted him.

“To hell with that!”

Lin Yuxia stepped in front of Lin Yongfu, blocking him from view. She rolled up her sleeves, unable to hold back her explosive temper. She would not allow anyone to insult her own sister in front of her.

Yuxia launched into a furious tirade. “You want to break off the engagement, don’t you? Then do it! That son of a bitch is nothing but a faithless bastard. With those shifty little eyes, he was never any good. He looks like a traitorous lackey. Put glasses on him and he looks like a four-eyed toad. He doesn’t even need to act—the moment he stands there, he looks like a traitor. Bah!”

Lin Yongfu was stunned. Zhang Yuqin was stunned as well.

“What kind of pathetic creature is good enough for my sister? A toad trying to feast on a swan! You want my eldest sister to marry him? That would be a waste of good genes…”

The insults poured from Lin Yuxia’s mouth. She hurled out every filthy expression she had ever learned, determined to destroy the marriage between her sister and Zheng Yukang.

Some time ago, Lin Xuexia had called home and vaguely hinted that Zheng Yukang seemed to look down on her. Then their aunt by marriage had continued making sarcastic remarks from the side, infuriating Yuxia beyond endurance.

In her eyes, her sister was the finest and most beautiful woman in the world. Zheng Yukang looked down on her? Hah! It was their family who looked down on him! Her sister was so wonderful—what right did his family have to humiliate her?

Unlike their parents, Lin Yuxia seemed to have undergone a genetic transformation. She was strong-willed and quick-tongued. Zhang Yuqin tugged at her daughter’s clothes several times from behind and whispered, “Stop, Yuxia. Don’t say any more.”

Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, utterly incapable of restraining her daughter. Even Lin Yongfu, standing nearby, was frightened by Yuxia’s forcefulness.

If it had been their third daughter, Lin Yuexia, the couple might still have dared to stop her. But this was Yuxia. How could they possibly hold her back?

Lin Yuxia had been admitted to the county’s high school and was the most accomplished student in the family. Lin Yongfu and Zhang Yuqin were even hoping she might one day get into college.

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Now it was Meng Juan’s turn to stand there in stunned silence after being berated by a younger member of the family.

Laughter came in waves from the crowd, along with cheers of encouragement.

“Well said, Yuxia!”

Lin Yuxia planted her hands on her hips. “Of course your family can’t afford to marry one of our girls! If Zheng Yukang dares become my brother-in-law, I’ll curse him every time I see him. I’ll curse him to death!”

“Get out of here! You turned into a faithless bastard and still have the nerve to come to our house? Does your Zheng family have no shame? Bah!”

“Neighbors, this family is bullying a girl from our village! At worst, we’ll go to his school and report him again. We’ll put up banners and make sure Zheng Yukang is expelled for good!”

Meng Juan felt a chill in her heart. She stared wide-eyed at Yuxia.

“You—you’re insane!”

Lin Yuxia was unlike the other village women. Many rough-tongued rural women could curse fiercely, yet became timid once they entered the city. They only dared to yell insults at the village entrance and would never actually do anything too extreme.

But Yuxia was an impulsive, educated girl. Her tongue was sharp, and she always had another argument ready. If she truly started making trouble, the consequences could be disastrous.

“Then let’s break off the engagement,” Meng Juan said. “From now on, our two families have nothing to do with each other.”

Meng Juan was afraid that if Lin Yuxia lost control, she might truly ruin the only college student in the Zheng family. She did not dare provoke her any further. If Lin Xuexia had a younger sister like this, marrying her would bring endless trouble.

Meng Juan spoke with deliberate sarcasm. “Once you miss this village, there won’t be another shop like it. Our Yukang is a college student. He can find another college student for a wife in the future. Do you really think your twenty-year-old old maid of a sister can find anyone better?”

“Having a younger sister like you is truly her good fortune. We’ll see whether she thanks you later or hates you.”

Lin Yuxia gave a cold snort. “That’s none of your concern.”

Lin Yongfu was frantic. He grabbed Lin Yuxia by the arm.

“How can you talk like that? What if your sister can’t find another husband in the future?”

In Lin Yongfu’s eyes, his eldest daughter had already been delayed until the age of twenty. How could she possibly find another match as good as this one?

Lin Yuxia answered firmly, “I will definitely get into college. I’ll get into a better university than Zheng Yukang. With a college student for a younger sister, I refuse to believe my sister won’t be able to find a good husband.”

“Once I get into a good university, I’ll introduce her to my classmates. My sister is so beautiful—she’ll find someone much better.”

Meng Juan burst out laughing.

“You’re making grand claims already. Do you think getting into college is easy? Is a university your family’s front gate? Can you simply walk in whenever you feel like it?”

“Just wait and see. Keep your eyes open!” Lin Yuxia’s gaze was utterly resolute. As long as studying did not kill her, she would study until she dropped. A person might not be able to win every battle in life, but they could at least fight for their dignity. She was determined to get into college and show all these people.

With Lin Yuxia’s disruption, the marriage between the Zheng and Lin families was completely called off, and the villagers discussed it animatedly.

They were all intensely curious about how Lin Xuexia herself would react. Had she truly wanted to end the engagement? Would she hate her own younger sister after learning that the family had broken it off?

Lin Yuxia had spoken with such confidence, but could she really get into college?

…

Meanwhile, the other girls who had gone south to work had already sent that month’s wages home. Only Lin Xuexia had sent nothing at all.

Then Xie Yingzi, who had returned home to prepare for her wedding, unexpectedly revealed that Lin Xuexia had been fired from the factory long ago.