Chapter 304 It's Too Ugly

Just as I reached the entrance of the residential compound, a heart-wrenching cry rang out—it was Miaomiao, her tender and helpless voice piercing the morning tranquility: "I want my mother! I want my mother! Where did you go? Why don't you want me anymore?"

Hearing her daughter's cries, Li Hongmei immediately quickened her pace and rushed into the yard, where she immediately saw Miaomiao squatting under the eaves, sobbing.

Her eyes reddened, and she rushed over, pulling her daughter into a tight, fierce embrace. "Miaomiao! Mommy's here! Mommy's back! Don't be afraid, don't be afraid anymore..."

Miao Miao clung tightly to her mother's neck, her little face flushed from crying. Between sobs and hiccups, she stammered, "Mommy...where did you go? They said you left...and never came back...Miao Miao...I'm so scared...I thought I'd never see you again..."

Qiao Wanyin stood at the gate of the courtyard, watching the scene of the mother and daughter embracing in the distance. Suddenly, her eyes welled up with tears, which slid down her cheeks without warning.

Fu Lian noticed her unusual behavior and asked in a low voice, "Do you regret it? If you had given in back then, they wouldn't have left."

She shook her head, her voice soft but firm: "No regrets. This is the path I chose, and the one I had no choice but to take."

She has to be the bad guy in this situation.

Only by hardening one's heart can one sever those unnecessary entanglements and hopes.

Even if it meant bearing the brunt of the criticism, she accepted it.

She looked up at her husband, her eyes filled with vulnerability and uncertainty: "Li An...did I do the right thing? Did I really not do anything wrong?"

Fu Li'an didn't hesitate. He reached out and ruffled her hair, saying gently, "You already knew the answer in your heart. You've never been a cold person. It's precisely because you care too much that you chose the most difficult path."

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Li Hongmei was already packing her luggage inside the house.

An old cloth bag lay spread out on the bed, and a few clothes, a textbook, and several tin boxes were hurriedly stuffed into it, the movements swift and without a trace of lingering affection.

"Second sister-in-law..."

Qiao Wanyin stood outside the door and called her softly, her voice filled with caution.

Li Hongmei didn't even raise her head, only sneered: "Don't pretend to be kind. We're leaving today, so we won't get in your way and make you restless all day."

Qiao Xuezhi sat silently on the threshold, stubbed out the last cigarette in his hand, his knuckles turned white, and his voice was hoarse beyond belief: "Little sister, we've made up our minds, we're going back to our hometown. We can't stay in the city anymore, and we're too ashamed to stay here any longer."

Qiao Wanyin's heart tightened suddenly, and she stepped forward: "Second Brother, there's really no need for this... I can..."

Qiao Xuezhi smiled wryly and waved his hand to interrupt her: "Forget it. The city can't accommodate people like us. We still have a few plots of land back home. We can grow some food. Although it's hard work, we won't starve. At least we can live with some dignity."

At this moment, Miao Miao peeked out from the small house, her eyes red and swollen, with tear stains on her face.

She ran over timidly, quietly tugged at Qiao Wanyin's sleeve, and looked up at her with her little face, asking, "Auntie...we're going back to our hometown. Will you miss Miaomiao? Will you write to me?"

Qiao Wanyin squatted down, her eyes instantly reddening.

She hugged the child tightly, resting her chin on her head, and choked out, "Yes, Auntie will think about you every day, I won't be able to sleep, I'll toss and turn all night thinking about you... You are Auntie's most beloved little seedling..."

As soon as she spoke, tears fell onto Miao Miao's dark hair, hot drops streaming down her face.

Li Hongmei walked over, her face cold, grabbed her daughter, and said sternly, "Miaomiao, listen to me, go pack your schoolbag! You haven't finished packing your things yet!"

Once the child had run far away, she turned around, stared straight at Qiao Wanyin, and said in a voice as cold as a knife scraping through iron: "Are you satisfied now? Seeing us leave in such a sorry state, do you finally feel at ease?"

Qiao Wanyin raised her hand, her fingertips gently wiping the corner of her eye. Tears slid down her cheeks, dripping onto her clothes and spreading out in a small wet patch.

She choked back tears as she said, "Second sister-in-law, I know you hate me. But I really... am doing this for your own good. I know in my heart how much hardship and injustice you've suffered along the way. I can't bear to see you get dragged into trouble again, and I'm even more afraid that you'll regret it in the future."

"For your own good?"

Li Hongmei sneered, a mocking smile curving her lips, but her eyes burned with anger.

"Qiao Wanyin, you've lived your whole life in your own world. You think you're so high up and can see things clearly, so you think everyone else is stupid? But you have no idea how difficult it is for us country folk to make a living!"

She took a step forward, her shoes making a dull thud on the muddy ground. Leaning slightly forward, she lowered her voice, each word piercing like a knife: "You think I haven't seen through you? You're afraid we'll hold you back, afraid we'll show our faces in the city and embarrass your manhood! What you're afraid of is never us going hungry or cold, but that you'll lose face, that people will say you come from a poor background and your relatives are uncouth!"

Qiao Wanyin did not refute, but simply lowered her head, her eyelashes trembling slightly, like leaves falling in the wind.

She said softly, "Second sister-in-law, Li An's identity... is indeed a bit special. He came from the military and works in a confidential unit, where the organization is very strict about screening family members. His unit has been keeping an eye on our family situation for a long time. If I don't tell the truth, and something happens in the future, it won't just be the two of us who will be implicated."

"Enough!"

Li Hongmei abruptly interrupted her, her voice shrill and almost cracking, "Stop trying to pressure me with those grand principles! Your special status and organizational review are just excuses you use to push us away!"

Her chest heaved with anger, and her eyes reddened. "From today onwards, this marriage is off! My daughter, Li Hongmei, will not marry into a family like yours, a family that has no relatives in its eyes and no feelings in its heart!"

After she finished speaking, she turned around abruptly and staggered into the house, her cloth shoes making a dull thud as they stepped on the threshold.

Immediately afterwards, with a loud bang, the door was slammed shut, causing the window frame to shake violently, the glass to buzz, and even dust falling from the eaves.

Qiao Xuezhi stood silently to the side, listening intently. Then he sighed heavily, raised his hand, and gently patted his sister's shoulder. His gesture was gentle, but it carried an undeniable weariness: "Little sister, don't take it to heart. Your second sister-in-law is stubborn, hard on the outside but soft on the inside. She'll calm down in a few days and understand. She just can't accept it right now and thinks you've changed, but in your heart, you're still the Wanyin who cares about the family."

Qiao Wanyin lowered her head with a bitter smile, her hair falling down to cover her red eyes.

Her voice was so low it was almost inaudible: "Second brother, it's my fault for being incompetent and dragging you down. If I had been more ambitious back then and had established myself in the city sooner, you wouldn't have had to make such a mess of things over this."

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Qiao Xuezhi smiled, a few fine lines appearing at the corners of his eyes, but the smile contained heartache and helplessness.