Chapter 24.3

Couldn’t they both be a bit less childish?

Facing their stares, she said, “They both look good.”

Gu Yilin looked back at Xie Yanzhao, glaring at him.

However, Xie Yanzhao ignored her, waving his hand towards the salesperson, “I’ll take both. Please prepare the bill.”

Salesperson: !!!

Surprised!

Ruan Mingfu: “….”

She really wanted to ask Xie Yanzhao if he was okay.

Gu Yilin was stunned to see Xie Yanzhao actually pulling out 500 yuan to pay for the two watches.

Wow, he’s a rich guy.

Thinking of this, Gu Yilin’s jealousy was almost uncontrollable.

How could her fake bestie have such good luck?!

Xie Yanzhao handed Ruan Mingfu the two boxes containing the watches, “Use these for now. If you find something better in the future, you can replace them.”

Gu Yilin: “….”

This was infuriating.

Ruan Mingfu, worried that these two might cause more trouble, quickly pulled her away. As they were leaving, Gu Yilin awkwardly handed her a package.

“Go on.”

Gu Yilin waved her hand impatiently.

She needed to calm down and be alone after such a shocking day.

When she saw them go out and get into the car opposite the supply and marketing cooperative, Gu Yilin’s jealous face finally showed again.

Damn!

Her friend must have hooked up with a wealthy guy.

After leaving the supply and marketing cooperative, Ruan Mingfu noticed that Xie Yanzhao was carrying a lot of items. Even with his strength, he had to use both hands. As he exerted force, the muscles in his arms bulged, exuding a powerful aura that made people’s hearts race.

Ruan Mingfu enjoyed the sight of him while carrying a pile of items. When they reached the car, she was about to head to the back but heard Xie Yanzhao say, “Come to the front.”

Considering he had spent quite a bit on her today, Ruan Mingfu decided to go along with him.

Xie Yanzhao placed the items in the back seat, and Ruan Mingfu felt a bit disappointed.

He started the car and turned to see Ruan Mingfu looking at the package Gu Yilin had given her.

Xie Yanzhao asked, “Is she your best friend?”

Ruan Mingfu, expecting to agree, instead sulked and said, “Nonsense! She’s not my friend.”

Xie Yanzhao: “….”

Young women these days are truly hard to understand.

Back at the hospital, they were met with a pair of resentful eyes.

Xu Zhu sat in the hospital room, exuding enough resentment to sustain thirty Evil Sword Immortals. He looked at Xie Yanzhao and said, “Old Xie, you really are something.”

“Didn’t you want to come back to the hospital?”

Xu Zhu: “….”

So, when he said he wanted to return to the hospital, did that mean he should just be thrown back into it?

Seeing Ruan Mingfu standing nearby, Xu Zhu directly said, “Sister-in-law, Old Xie has this bad temper. Don’t take it personally.”

Xie Yanzhao: … “Get lost.”

Xu Zhu clicked his tongue, “So fierce, aren’t you afraid of scaring the sister-in-law?”

…

In the city, Zhou Peng was still hospitalized. He had woken up but was too injured to get out of bed. His missing teeth still hadn’t been replaced, making him look even more miserable.

Mother Zhou sat beside the bed, wiping her tears, while Zhou Xiaohu paced back and forth anxiously.

“Stop crying!” Zhou Xiaohu said, impatiently watching Mother Zhou’s tears, “The more you cry, the more annoyed I get. Didn’t Dahu promise us he would take care of those people? Why are you still crying?”

“Besides, Peng’er just fell asleep with great difficulty. What if you wake him up?”

The sobbing immediately stopped, and Mother Zhou hurriedly waved her hand, “I won’t cry anymore, I won’t cry.”

After Zhou Peng woke up, he felt pain all over his body. He couldn’t sleep, and it wasn’t until Zhou Dahu got some painkillers and sleeping pills from the doctor that Zhou Peng could sleep peacefully.

“His father, was his uncle’s situation handled smoothly?” Mother Zhou touched her chest, “Since yesterday, I haven’t had a moment of peace.”

Father Zhou touched his cigarette case at his waist but, considering they were in the hospital, let go of it.

“I don’t know either.”

The couple fell into silence, and the hospital room became quiet.

The couple were not as patient as Zhou Dahu, and the only thing they could do was wait.

With reddened eyes, Mother Zhou looked at Zhou Peng, who was lying on the hospital bed wrapped in bandages, and her eyes reddened further.

If she had known, she would not have opposed Zhou Peng marrying that woman. If only she had known…

But there is no way to undo the past.

Sitting by the bed, Mother Zhou’s eyes grew even redder.

At that moment, a young man hurriedly walked in from outside. As soon as he saw them, he said, “Uncle, something terrible has happened. Uncle Dahu has been arrested.”

“What?!”

The sharp voice shot up to the ceiling, causing pain in the eardrums.

Zhou Xiaohu nearly lost his balance upon hearing the news and almost fell backward. The young man quickly supported him.

Mother Zhou also reacted, stepping forward to pat his chest.

“Darling, are you alright? Don’t scare me…”

These days seemed to be plagued with misfortune; nothing was going right. Zhou Xiaohu was Mother Zhou’s main support. If something happened to him, Mother Zhou, along with Zhou Peng still lying in bed, would be left without a clue.

Zhou Xiaohu panted heavily, and after a while, he managed to respond.

His eyes fixed blankly on the hospital bed, he muttered, “It’s over. Heaven is destroying our Zhou family…”

As he spoke, Zhou Xiaohu’s old eyes welled up with tears.

Suddenly remembering something, he grabbed the young man’s hand and asked, “Zhuzi, tell me quickly, how was Uncle Dahu arrested?”

Zhuzi also bears the surname Zhou, they are relatives.

One reason why Ruan Mingfu endured so much was because of this.

In rural areas, cliques and family ties make things even more complicated. Offending one person often means offending the entire clan.

The Zhou family is such a large clan.

Even though Ruan Mingfu lived in a different era, she still occasionally saw news about clan disputes and bullying online.

Zhuzi’s hand was painfully squeezed by Zhou Xiaohu, but he didn’t get angry. He simply relayed what he knew, adding, “I heard from others that Uncle Dahu is facing severe punishment.”

What Zhuzi didn’t say was that the clan was considering expelling Zhou Dahu.

After all, having someone facing execution would bring shame to the whole clan. If they did not expel Zhou Dahu, future marriages would become problematic.

Zhou Xiaohu clutched his chest and mumbled, “It’s over, our Zhou family is doomed…”

Mother Zhou also felt disheartened.

Since marrying into the Zhou family, she had endured only Zhou Xiaohu’s beatings and hadn’t faced any real hardships. After Zhou Dahu’s demise, as the sister-in-law, she had been quite well-regarded.

But with Zhou Dahu in trouble, her situation was also dire.

“Husband… what should we do now?”

Zhou Xiaohu’s eyes flashed as he stood up abruptly, as if revived. “I have to go back. You take care of Peng’er here, I’ll be back soon.”

Seeing Zhou Xiaohu’s urgent expression, Mother Zhou could only nod dazedly and didn’t dare to ask more.