xixiacun

During the Lunar New Year, at the entrance of the Tan family's small shop near the bridge, a few people were idly chatting. Cao Fang was listening intently as her sister-in-law, Zhang Yongzhen, talked about Huang Minghao and Jiang Shuya's divorce.

She vividly described the scene she heard from Cao Gang, her words filled with slander against the beautiful woman, deepening her resentment and making her unable to bear Huang Minghao's disregard and cold violence.

They even embellished the story, dragging Sun Qi into it as well, making the ambiguous relationship between the two seem quite plausible.

Everyone was eager to find out what was going on, but unfortunately, the three parties involved were nowhere to be found. The shop owner, Mr. Tan, was quite disdainful, because his good friend had never told him about this matter. He believed that it was normal for couples to have occasional conflicts, especially since they rarely saw each other, and Sun Qi was not the kind of young man who would act recklessly.

"Boss Tan, you can't say that. Look, the Lantern Festival has already passed, and we haven't seen Jiang Shuya in Xixia Village. Could she have already divorced and gone back to her parents' home?" Zhang Yongzhen didn't quite believe it.

Mr. Tan disagreed.

"Isn't it normal for people to go back to their parents' home for a few days during the Lunar New Year? You seem to have a lot of free time."

Zhang Yongzhen glanced at President Tan, about to retort, when the proprietress pointed to a figure walking towards the village entrance.

At this moment, Jiang Shuya was carrying several large bags and small packages, along with several slightly larger smart toys she had gotten from her third uncle, intending to give Tangtang a surprise.

Everyone turned around and saw Jiang Shuya dressed in a pink outfit with gold trim and tassels. She was gentle and charming, with a graceful figure, fair skin, and long black hair draped behind her head, adding to her girlish charm.

Someone in the crowd couldn't help but sigh;

"How did Hao Hao's wife grow up like this? Look at her figure, she doesn't look like she's ever had a child. Her skin is like a young girl's, not changed at all."

"Oh, she's not that old to begin with, only in her early twenties, the age when she's really blossoming. This outfit looks really good on her."

The proprietress clicked her tongue twice and then said;

"I'll ask her where she bought it; I'd like to buy one too."

Zhang Yongzhen could tell at a glance that the clothes were expensive. She was worldly-wise and knew that such high-end clothing was not something a rural woman could afford.

She usually works in a high-end beauty salon in the city. This brand of clothing is only worn by people with status and wealth. Jiang Shuya obviously can't afford it. A thought flashed through her mind, as if she had discovered some earth-shattering news.

"Boss lady, it's not that I look down on you! That outfit she's wearing, if it's authentic, would cost at least 20,000 yuan. Even a high-quality replica would still be several thousand. Can you accept that?"

The shop owner's eyes widened upon hearing this; "No way! I can't accept high-quality fakes either! What does Jiang Shuya do? She wears such expensive clothes, and I've never heard of her family being particularly wealthy!"

Zhang Yongzhen twisted her nose;

"Hmph, just a country bumpkin, from some small village. I heard he's a scrap collector, nothing respectable."

After saying that, Zhang Yongzhen whispered something in the landlady's ear. The group of people, full of curiosity, all crowded around. After listening, it was like a pot boiling over. Some people covered their mouths and exclaimed in surprise.

"No way, you mean she might be doing that kind of thing at nightclubs?"

No one could believe it. In no time, new rumors spread. Fearing that the rumors would become more and more outlandish, President Tan hurriedly made a phone call to Huang Minghao.

Jiang Shuya, after passing the convenience store, returned home but didn't see Tangtang. She tidied up her room upstairs and, passing the second bedroom, noticed that the blankets on the bed were not made and were in a mess. It seemed that Huang Minghao had been sleeping in the second bedroom. She glanced at it briefly, didn't bother to tidy up, and simply closed the door.

Then he sorted the several large bags of toys he had brought, took two from each, walked out of the yard, and headed towards the river to give them to Li Xiaohua's son and Zheng Jia's son. When he arrived at both places, he did not find Huang Minghao. He began to wonder where Tangtang had been taken by him.

I went to Zhang Xiaohui's house again, intending to give her the 20,000 yuan in cash I had brought so she could use it to buy equipment for the fast food restaurant. However, she wasn't home, and the door was locked. I stood at the door for a while, but no one came, so I had to come back later.

As soon as she arrived home, Huang Minghao appeared at the door, holding a cigarette in his hand, the smoke swirling around him. When he saw Jiang Shuya, who exuded an air of luxury, he frowned, scrutinized her carefully, but did not ask any questions.

Jiang Shuya calmly walked up to him; "Where's Tangtang?"

Huang Minghao pointed to the black sedan parked in front of the convenience store;

"You're at Grandma's. I called you yesterday but you didn't answer. Get in the car, I'll take you there."

Jiang Shuya glanced at the borrowed car without suspicion. Thinking that she couldn't go to her grandmother's house empty-handed during the Lunar New Year, she went to the convenience store and bought two things. She ignored the curious glances in the crowd. As she walked out, someone spoke up.

"Ah, her perfume smells so good. I wonder if Huang Minghao likes it."

The others, understanding the unspoken message, covered their lips and revealed expressions of disdain.

The two are now divorced. Jiang Shuya sat in the back seat of the car while Huang Minghao drove, occasionally turning his head back as if he had something to say.

"You have something to say?" Jiang Shuya asked.

After a long silence, Huang Minghao finally asked, "What kind of business have you been doing these past few days?"

Jiang Shuya didn't take it seriously and rolled down the car window;

"The ring toss business in the city is quite lucrative, but the time limit is too short. Shuhuai and I could only set up our stall for about ten days before they were banned."

Huang Minghao: "You used to run a personal shopping business, so you got clothes very cheaply."

Jiang Shuya: "Well, it's a little cheaper than retail, but only slightly."

Huang Minghao: "How much did your clothes cost? President Tan's wife wants to buy a set too."

Jiang Shuya clenched her fists, unsure how to answer. Of course, she couldn't say that Lin Moxiao had bought it for her. It seemed there were many discerning people out there. She had thought it was just a set of clothes, but she had been careless.

Huang Minghao turned his head to look at her;

"What's wrong? It's not convenient to say."

Jiang Shuya coughed lightly, scratched her nose, and casually made up a lie;

"My cousin gave it to me. I don't know how much it cost. She doesn't know we're divorced. She didn't come to my wedding; she said it was a wedding gift as compensation."

Indeed, her cousin had given her clothes before, so she had no choice but to keep this lie and let Lin Moxiao be the sucker this time.

Sure enough, Huang Minghao didn't say anything. The car quickly arrived at the bank entrance. Seeing Zhang Qing and Liu Kai standing at the entrance, he walked over, opened the car door and got in. He saw Jiang Shuya was also there. Neither of them were surprised. Only Liu Kai, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned around and teased him.

"Sister-in-law, you look so stylish today!"

Jiang Shuya smiled without saying a word. Seeing Zhang Qing sitting next to her with a big belly, looking like she was six or seven months pregnant, she asked her a few questions with concern. Zhang Qing didn't seem to appreciate her concern and replied with a forced smile.

"Zhang Xiaohui told me you two wanted to open an online restaurant together. I asked her a few days ago to continue working for me, but she refused. Was it your idea?"