Chapter 26: Yu Manman Stomped Her Feet in Anger

“Brother, what’s wrong with you? Why are you sighing?”

Wu Zhipeng came home a bit late today, and he was sighing as soon as he stepped inside.

The women of the Wu family all looked worried, and Wu Xiuxiu rushed to ask her brother.

“Sigh…” Wu Zhipeng looked at his sister, sighed heavily again, and then said, “Luo Yong has his eyes on you, he wants you!”

“What!” The three women of the Wu family were all stunned.

“After I started work this afternoon, Luo Yong came to my workshop with his lackeys, and he kept asking about you. He basically said that Luo Yong has his eyes on you, and he wants you. I was scared to death.

I quickly said that you’re already promised to someone, and you’ll be getting married soon. Luo Yong still wouldn’t give up, he kept pestering me, asking me to help you break off your engagement so he could pursue you.

Of course, I refused. Luo Yong wanted to curry favor with me, so he dragged me out for drinks after work. I finally managed to get away from him, which is why I’m back later than usual,” Luo Zhipeng said.

Wu Xiuxiu furrowed her brow. She thought that Luo Yong, the wastrel, was just momentarily interested in her, seeing that she was pretty, and wanted to tease her a bit, take advantage of her. She didn’t expect that he actually had his eyes on her, that he wanted her. The thought made her sick to her stomach.

“What are we going to do? We absolutely cannot let Xiuxiu get entangled with someone like Luo Yong.” Ding Hongjuan also furrowed her brow, her face full of anxiety.

“I didn’t expect that going to your factory to have a good meal, celebrating Xiuxiu’s recovery from the hospital, would lead to trouble. I knew we shouldn’t have gone to your factory for dinner, then we wouldn’t have run into Luo Yong.” Dong Xiaoye was also anxious, her eyes filled with worry.

“You guys are too anxious. I’ve already told Luo Yong that Xiuxiu is promised to someone, and she’ll be getting married soon. As long as Xiuxiu finds a match quickly these next few days, gets engaged, and marries into her husband’s family, she’ll be safe.” Wu Zhipeng looked at the women in his family and quickly comforted them.

Ding Hongjuan and Dong Xiaoye nodded quickly. Ding Hongjuan said, “Although the matchmaking session Liu Matchmaker arranged for Xiuxiu this afternoon didn’t work out, Liu Matchmaker will arrange another matchmaking session for Xiuxiu tomorrow. I heard that the other family is very good, and their conditions are also good.

The man is a worker just like you, and his parents are both dual-income earners. As long as they meet tomorrow and the other party likes Xiuxiu, we can arrange for Xiuxiu to get married quickly. That way, we don’t have to worry about her going to the countryside, and we don’t have to worry about Luo Yong’s harassment.”

Because of Luo Yong, Ding Hongjuan was even more anxious to get her daughter married. She prayed to the gods that her daughter’s matchmaking session tomorrow would be successful, and that she could get married right away.

Dong Xiaoye was thinking the same thing as her mother-in-law, and she nodded eagerly.

“Xiuxiu had a matchmaking session this afternoon? No wonder she’s dressed so beautifully! I was just going to ask Xiuxiu why she’s dressed so nicely. She’s even wearing that precious bra and pantyhose, and those high-heeled shoes that she treasures so much.”

Wu Zhipeng didn’t know about his sister’s matchmaking session this afternoon, so he was a little surprised. He glanced at his sister’s outfit and chuckled.

“Your sister isn’t dressed so nicely because of the matchmaking session this afternoon; it’s because she’s going to the Taipei City Music Hall to watch Sha Jia Banglater.” Ding Hongjuan said, and then told her son about Ye Xiaoli’s matter.

“This classmate of yours is really good, she’s really good to you. Tickets to Sha Jia Bangare so hard to get, and she managed to get tickets and even thought to invite you to watch…

You have to remember this kindness, this loyalty she has for you. You have to repay her when you have the chance.” Wu Zhipeng praised Ye Xiaoli, and then instructed his sister.

Wu Xiuxiu nodded. Dong Xiaoye suddenly looked out the window, saw the clothes and other things that her younger sister had washed earlier in the room and hung out to dry in front of the door, her eyes flashed, and she looked like she had remembered something.

“Xiuxiu, it’s getting dark. You need to bring in the things you hung out to dry. Don’t forget, if you leave them out at night, someone might steal them.” Dong Xiaoye looked at her younger sister and reminded her.

“The Fang family in the three-entry courtyard washed their clothes and hung them out to dry last week, and they forgot to bring them in at night. The next day, they woke up and the clothes were gone. No one knows who stole them…

These days, people are short of clothes and food, so they even steal clothes that are hung out to dry.”

Wu Xiuxiu nodded and quickly ran outside, bringing all the things she had hung out to dry back into the room. None of the things were dry yet, but at least they weren’t dripping. They were just damp.

She had taken them out of the washing machine right after she washed them, and she hadn’t let the machine spin dry.

She was afraid that if she let the machine spin dry, her mother and sister-in-law would find it strange.

Wu Xiuxiu’s room had a long rope, specifically used for hanging clothes and things.

She hung all the things she brought back from outside on the rope, then returned to the living room. By then, Dong Xiaoye had already gone to the kitchen to heat up the dishes they brought back from the canteen at Wu Zhipeng’s factory.

The rice was cooked beforehand, and when the dishes were heated up, the Wu family started eating. Halfway through the meal, a scolding voice came from outside. The Wu family curiously pricked up their ears and discovered it was Yu Manman’s mother scolding her.

According to Yu Manman’s mother, Chang Pozi had previously complained to her, so Yu Manman, who had been hiding outside for most of the day, finally returned. Upon seeing her, Yu Manman’s mother immediately started scolding.

They also heard two cries from Yu Manman, as if Yu Manman’s mother had also hit her. Wu Xiuxiu secretly laughed to herself, thinking she deserved it.

The other Wu family members also thought Yu Manman deserved it, including Wu Zhipeng.

On the way to the fertilizer factory with the women of the Wu family at noon, Dong Xiaoye told Wu Zhipeng about her discovery when she returned to the compound that morning, informing him about Yu Manman’s plot to harm Wu Xiuxiu. This made Wu Zhipeng dislike Yu Manman as well.

After dinner, Ding Hongjuan looked at the sky outside, seeing that it was about to get completely dark, estimated it was already seven o’clock, and urged her daughter to leave for the concert hall, worried that she would be late.

“Xiuxiu, you haven’t put on lipstick yet. Go put on your lipstick and leave.

Oh, remember to take the bus, take the bus, you’ll definitely be able to arrive before 7:20, you won’t be late. Don’t make Ye Xiaoli and the others unhappy.” Dong Xiaoye reminded.

“Okay.” Wu Xiuxiu nodded, immediately went to her room, and searched for her lipstick. She found an old-fashioned one, but it was a rare item in these times.

She applied the lipstick in front of the mirror, took a look, nodded in satisfaction, put down the lipstick, left the room, returned to the living room next door, greeted her family, and went out.

“Xiuxiu, where are you going all dressed up like that?”

As Wu Xiuxiu reached the courtyard, she saw Yu Manman standing outside the Yu family’s door, dejectedly kicking a stone. She had some bruises on her body, looking like she had been pinched by her mother recently.

Yu Manman also saw Wu Xiuxiu, and a flash of amazement, along with a strong sense of jealousy, appeared in her eyes.

Damn that bitch, she made my life so miserable today. I was scolded and beaten by Chang Pozi and my mom, and I was punished to stand outside, not allowed to eat dinner, and I have to stand here until ten o’clock before I can go back to sleep. It’s all her fault, she’s the culprit.

But she didn’t have any guilt or worry for herself. She actually had the heart to dress up so beautifully, wearing such expensive and beautiful dresses, long stockings, high heels, and lipstick. It’s infuriating!

I want all of that, the dress, the stockings, the high heels, the lipstick, but when I asked her for them before, she refused to give me anything, not a single thing. She had the nerve to say she treated me like a sister. What’s hers is hers, and what’s mine is hers. Liar!

“None of your business.” Wu Xiuxiu caught the intense jealousy and hatred in Yu Manman’s eyes, coldly and impatiently replied.

Yu Manman looked at Wu Xiuxiu, feeling a little panicked. She had never given her a cold shoulder before, and she had never spoken to her with such an attitude and tone.

Could it be that she was angry with me for telling Chang Pozi about her deliberately getting herself sick by getting drenched in the rain to avoid going to the countryside? Does she think I betrayed her?

Yu Manman thought she had to explain quickly. Although she hated Wu Xiuxiu to death, she couldn’t lose her friend right now.

“Xiuxiu, are you angry with me? Are you blaming me for the Chang Pozi incident? Listen to my explanation, I…”

“I’m very busy, I have to hurry.” Wu Xiuxiu had no time to listen to her explanations and lies, coldly interrupted her, simultaneously pushing away the hand she extended to grab her, and quickly left the courtyard.

“Xiuxiu…” Wu Xiuxiu ignored the voice calling out from behind.

Yu Manman stomped her feet in anger, cursing Wu Xiuxiu in her heart…