Chapter 21.2

The onlookers, hearing this, eagerly came in. Since there were only three stools in the ward, it was far from enough. The aunts didn’t need her to worry, they went back to their own rooms and brought in small stools.

Ruan Mingfu: “……”

Chinese people’s gossip gene is truly… impressive.

Seeing this, Gu Yilin sat down as well.

It was indeed quite intriguing.

Ruan Mingfu lowered her head slightly. “It all started when I went to the countryside…”

She vividly described her experiences after going to the countryside, which made several of the aunts show nostalgic expressions. They empathized with her. Of course, Ruan Mingfu also exaggerated a bit about her own virtues.

Talking about her diligence and wit, she painted herself as a rare and exceptional comrade.

Relying on the fact that city folks didn’t know her, otherwise, she would be exposed in no time.

Especially when she talked about Zhou Peng’s harassment, some of the more sentimental aunts even wiped away tears.

“How despicable! Even in this era, they still want to force us female comrades!”

“Well said, girl, you’re really a good one. You shouldn’t have agreed. We must fight to the end…”

“How outrageous! Relying on having influential people in the family to act so recklessly. No… I have to tell my old… old leader.”

The lady in purple accidentally let the cat out of the bag and quickly tried to make up for it.

Ruan Mingfu pretended not to hear, “Thank you, aunties. I am just an educated youth, alone and weak. Due to their family’s influence, others dare not speak for me. I understand, I don’t blame them…”

As she said this, a layer of mist appeared on Ruan Mingfu’s beautiful peach blossom eyes, and her eye sockets quickly turned red.

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

The aunties became even angrier and cursed even more fiercely.

“Then the Zhou family is really lawless!”

“Marriage is a lifelong thing, how can it be forced upon you…”

“No, I have to report him. We can’t let a family of parasites destroy our people!”

Some aunts, moved by the tragedy, commented:

“So pitiful, leaving home at such a young age to become an educated youth…”

“And being bullied like this…”

“The girl is so good-looking, no wonder the bad guys set their sights on her…”

Gu Yilin cried the hardest.

“Wuwu, you’re so unfortunate… I was still wondering why you didn’t contact me. I thought you had forgotten about me… Wuwu…”

She cried so hard that she started hiccupping.

“Wuwu, you had such a tough time in the countryside. Why didn’t you write to me? Wuwu… And you had to shovel manure… Waaah… wuwu…”

Ruan Mingfu:” ….”

Oh no… She was just trying to set the mood.

The aunts couldn’t sit still either and started comforting Gu Yilin.

“It’s good to have such a good friend…”

“She’s also worried about burdening you…”

“You two must be like sisters.”

Gu Yilin, crying and hiccupping, couldn’t help but retort, “Who… who’s… who’s friends with her!”

Aunt: ” …”

Ruan Mingfu: ”.…”

Seeing that Gu Yilin had finally stopped crying, the aunts sighed in relief.

Despite their close relationship, they were stubbornly keeping up appearances.

Young people these days… they really are hard to understand.

After hearing all the gossip, the aunts, besides cursing Zhou Peng and his family, comforted Ruan Mingfu.

“Girl, the hardships of the past are over. You now have friends and a fiancé. Your future days will definitely get better.”

“That’s right, we need to be strong. Women can hold up half the sky.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll call to report that family right away.”

“Yes, report them!”

…

The aunts, filled with righteous indignation, clamored to support Ruan Mingfu.

She expressed her gratitude with a touched expression, “Thank you, really. This is the first time I’ve felt warmth since I went to the countryside…”

This statement made the aunts feel even more heartbroken.

They comforted Ruan Mingfu for a while before finally leaving.

The ward quieted down again. Ruan Mingfu sighed in relief. Just as she was about to stretch her neck, she inadvertently pulled on her injury, making her wince.

Gu Yilin looked over, “… Are you okay?”

Having just cried heavily, her eyes were still teary, her nose red and looking pitiful.

Ruan Mingfu’s heart softened a bit.

“Are you okay?”

Gu Yilin, still upset over her outburst, was annoyed that her fae best friend might be mocking her for crying so much.

Hmph!

She might lose to a person, but not to the situation.

Gu Yilin stiffly said, “I—I wasn’t crying for you. I was just… just thinking how you… couldn’t handle the manure.”

Ruan Mingfu:  “….”

She might have exaggerated a bit, but could we not bring this up?

Perhaps feeling embarrassed, Gu Yilin left soon after.

Outside the ward, Gu Yilin went to find her aunt.

After all, her fake best friend was in such a bad situation. She needed her aunt to take good care of her!

Thinking of this, Gu Yilin felt a sense of accomplishment.

She was truly kind, even when she was so down, she didn’t forget to look after her!

Next time… next time she would definitely laugh at her properly.

*

Because Zhou Peng was seriously injured, Zhou Dahu sent a car to take him to the city.

The city hospital was much larger than the county hospital.

Zhou’s mother sat on a bench, wiping her tears. Zhou Xiaohu, Zhou Peng’s father, chain-smoked, the smoke hanging around them like preserved meat, causing people nearby to avoid them.

Mother Zhou’s eyes were red, and she slapped Zhou Xiaohu on the leg.

“Smoke, smoke, smoke! All you do is smoke!”

Zhou Xiaohu’s face, as rough as an old tree bark, showed no expression, but the malice in his eyes was chilling.

“What’s wrong with you? Why are you hitting me?” Zhou Xiaohu glared, his face intimidating, “Am I not worried about our child? It’s not like you gave birth to him alone, don’t I care?”

Mother Zhou was startled.

After all, she had been beaten by Zhou Xiaohu when she was younger. Only after giving birth to two sons did Zhou Xiaohu’s temper mellow.

Mother Zhou was genuinely afraid of him.

It was only out of worry and anxiety for her son that she dared to slap Zhou Xiaohu now.

In the Zhou family, women were at the bottom of the hierarchy.

Even though Mother Zhou was a mother-in-law now, she wasn’t allowed to sit at the table during the New Year’s meal.

“Brother, what should we do about this?”

Mother Zhou feared Zhou Xiaohu’s anger and knew how to flatter the capable brother-in-law.

Zhou Dahu, who was fat and appeared very different from the thin Zhou Xiaohu, seemed like a different person altogether.

He gave Mother Zhou a cold glance but said nothing.

Mother Zhou dared not show her anger and tugged at Zhou Xiaohu’s sleeve, making subtle gestures.

Zhou Xiaohu shot her an annoyed look before speaking, “Little brother, what should we do about Peng’er matter?”

“We must not let that bitch go!”

Thinking of Ruan Mingfu, Mother Zhou’s teeth ground in anger, wishing she could claw her face. It was outrageous that she had agreed to let Ruan Mingfu marry Zhou Peng, only for her to end up injuring him like this.

She would never let her off!

“Of course, we can’t let her have it easy,” Zhou Dahu said, his eyes flashing with malice.

Zhou Dahu only has two daughters and no sons. He also found other women, but all the children born were daughters. Zhou Dahu didn’t want to accept his fate, and in the end he couldn’t even give birth to a daughter.

He was disheartened for a while until he saw Zhou Peng.

It could be said that Zhou Dahu regarded Zhou Peng as his own son.

With his ‘son’ injured like this, his anger was no less than anyone else’s. He naturally wanted to take revenge on the young sent-down worker, but those soldiers were not to be trifled with.

Zhou Dahu now just wanted to drag it out until the soldiers left.

Then that educated youth would be at their mercy.

Mother Zhou, being hot-tempered, said fiercely, “I’ll go back to the village and bring a few people to capture her. If she doesn’t want to marry my son, I’ll make her marry! And as a concubine.”

“Shut up!”

Zhou Xiaohu glared at her fiercely, “What nonsense are you talking about? Are you seeking death?”

Mother Zhou suddenly remembered they were in a hospital and shut her mouth in fear.

“Little brother, your sister-in-law is foolish. Don’t take her words to heart,” Zhou Xiaohu said, “You decide what to do. Whether to swallow our anger or fight back, I’ll follow your lead.”

Zhou Dahu’s previously cold face softened instantly.

He had been supported by Zhou Xiaohu, or he wouldn’t have reached his current position.

“If only my sister-in-law had agreed to their marriage earlier, things wouldn’t have escalated to this point.”

Mother Zhou glared and retorted, “How could that be? Peng’er is my most outstanding son. How could he marry an educated youth?”

She looked down on Ruan Mingfu’s status as an educated youth. Hearing that her parents had also been sent down, Mother Zhou thought that such a woman was unworthy of her son.

To Mother Zhou, no one was good enough for her son. If she could, Mother Zhou would have even arranged for Zhou Peng to marry one of the celestial maidens from the heavens.

Zhou Xiaohu’s glare silenced Mother Zhou.

“If Peng’er had married off to that educated youth earlier and had become attached to her, he might not have been so obsessed,” Zhou Xiaohu said.

Mother Zhou’s eyes widened, “Why didn’t I think of that!”

She was filled with regret…

“If the educated youth is not local, has no power or influence, we can decide whether she lives or dies,” Zhou Dahu said with satisfaction. Although his older brother seemed like a simple farmer, he was quite shrewd, “My nephew Zhou Peng, even if he’s on his second or third marriage, is still in high demand.”

As he spoke, Zhou Dahu showed a hint of pride.

Zhou Xiaohu shot Mother Zhou a fierce look as if blaming her for everything.

Realizing her mistake, Mother Zhou was even more regretful…

If she had known things could be handled this way, she wouldn’t have caused such a ruckus with Zhou Peng. If Ruan Mingfu married into their family and became her daughter-in-law, it would be up to her to decide whether it was favorable or not.

Thinking of this, Mother Zhou closed her eyes in frustration.

She was seething with anger!