Seeing that everyone had left, Sun Li became anxious. She pointed at Fang Da, who was about to leave, and said, "Fang Da, don't go! You dare to do it but not admit it? Didn't you call me out here? Now you want to shirk responsibility? Aren't you afraid I'll report you to the police?"
Fang Da looked terrified: "What are you talking about? We haven't even spoken. If you're going to try to extort money from me, don't try to extort me. Besides, why would I call you out in the middle of the night?"
“You, you,” Sun Li naturally dared not say why, and her appearance naturally led everyone to believe that she was framing someone.
“Sun family girl, it’s okay to make a mistake, but it’s not good to extort money from people without any proof. Not to mention that Zheng Yang came out with us, so you can’t extort him. Besides, we know what Fang Da looks like. The person who was holding you is dressed in a way that shows he’s from a good family. If you tell your parents, you can at least give them an explanation. If not, you can get married. What are you doing now?” A neighbor who couldn’t stand it pointed at Sun Li and lectured her.
Fang Da's parents didn't mind having another daughter-in-law who didn't cost them anything: "Daughter Sun, if you want my Da to grit his teeth and accept this, we can accept you."
Fang Da waved his hands repeatedly: "Mom and Dad, what are you saying? We're not good enough for her." Anyone with eyes could see that Fang Da didn't want someone like Sun Li.
"Shut up, you shameless piece of trash, get home!" Sun Datou yelled at Sun Li, then picked up his wife and walked straight away.
The crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only Sun Li sitting on the ground. Her hands were clenched into fists, and the feeling of humiliation was almost overwhelming her. She knew that she would never have a chance to be with Zheng Yang again. Not to mention Zheng Yang, even families as poor as Fang Da's would look down on her in the future.
For a moment, she didn't know what to do next.
Jiang Ruyu and Zheng Yang walked at the back. Jiang Ruyu didn't mention Sun Li again, but said, "Come with me to see Fang Da off tomorrow. After this, it will be another year or two before we see each other again."
Zheng Yang nodded: "Okay, we're brothers who grew up together, Fang Da is definitely worth getting to know."
Jiang Ruyu didn't say anything. After the two returned to the compound, they went their separate ways. The next day was Sunday, and neither of them went to work. Jiang Ruyu dozed off for two hours before waking up. After brushing her teeth and washing her face, she boiled about ten eggs, made some egg pancakes, took a can of beef sauce, and some pickled green beans and cucumbers that she had made herself. She wrapped them in several layers of newspaper to prevent them from breaking, and then carried the things out.
"Grandma, Dazi is going to the countryside today, I'll go see him off." Grandma Jiang frowned as she looked at her granddaughter carrying quite a lot of things. She wanted to say something, but then thought better of it. Her granddaughter was grown up and had her own ideas, so she wouldn't interfere.
Zheng Yang also took out a small bag. Seeing what his partner was holding, he didn't hold back and gave her his own small bag: "I'll ride the bike, you carry the things."
The two rode their bikes to the train station. Fang Da had already boarded the train. His mother had come to see him off. Looking at her good-for-nothing son, she used to worry about him, but now she felt sorry for him: "Your father and I are useless, so don't blame us. Keep these money and tickets safe. Write to us if you need anything, and write to us even if you don't. If we see your letters, we won't worry so much. When you get to the countryside, be careful and work hard, okay? Don't cause trouble. It's too far away for us to reach you."
Fang Da was a completely different person. If it were the old him, he would have been impatient to hear these words, but now he kept smiling and waited for his mother to finish her instructions before saying, "Mom, I know, your son has become sensible. Don't worry about it. Don't worry about my sister-in-law. My older brother is almost thirty. Let them live their own lives. You and Dad don't need to worry about it."
Fangda's mother kept crying. She felt particularly sad that her previously unruly child was suddenly so obedient.
When Jiang Ruyu and Zheng Yang arrived, they saw this scene. Jiang Ruyu was also filled with emotion. She then smiled and handed him the two packages: "Take these and eat them on the way. There are bottles and jars inside, so be careful not to break them. Write a letter when you get there, and let me know if you need anything."
Fang Da kept smiling, but behind his smiling eyes lay deep emotions: "Then I won't stand on ceremony, Brother Yang. Take good care of Ruyu. She's been my boss since she was a child. If you bully her, I'll come back to settle the score with you even if I'm in the countryside."
Zheng Yang stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder: "Don't worry, brother. When we get to the countryside, send us a letter. We're long-distance truck drivers, so we might come to your place anytime. We'll come find you for a drink then."
Fangda's mother never expected her son to have such good friends. Not only did they come to see him off, but they also brought him so many things. As the train whistle sounded, the group watched Fangda gradually disappear into the distance. Fangda kept smiling happily until he could no longer see them. Only then did he lower his arm, which had been waving, and the smile on his face faded. The loneliness in his eyes could no longer be hidden. He lowered his head, and his eyes unconsciously became wet.
Goodbye, my youth; goodbye, my beloved.
You have found your own happiness, and I am going to pursue my own future. I hope that when we meet again, we will still be the same people we were back then.
Fang Da's departure didn't bring any changes to the alley. On the contrary, the Sun family became the talk of the town for a long time. Even the neighboring alleys had heard about it, and in the past few days, some hooligans have started loitering around the alley entrance.
Families with daughters in the alley were complaining, and some hot-tempered ones even made veiled accusations against the Sun family: "This child needs to be properly educated. Look at how she's ruining the reputation of our alley. These past few days, hooligans have been hanging around our alley, and my daughter is terrified."
“That’s right! Our alley is full of respectable families. When my daughter goes on blind dates, the men ask, ‘I heard that some girls in your alley go out late at night and hug and kiss men.’ It makes it sound like my daughter is like those shameless people. It’s really embarrassing.”
Li Xiuying hasn't left the house since that night. She was so angry that she couldn't get out of bed. Wu Cui has been the subject of a lot of gossip these past few days. When she went to buy groceries, someone deliberately shoved some unpleasant words into her ear, and when she came back, she started throwing things around.
"This is truly indecent and shameful. They've completely lost face. Even going out to buy groceries gets them being pointed at and cursed behind their backs. And this is someone who grew up in the city?"
Sun Li listened silently to whatever anyone said, but when Wu Cui spoke, she suddenly jumped up, pointed at her nose, and questioned, "How dare you talk to me like that? Wasn't it you who encouraged me to say that happiness is something you have to fight for yourself? Now that this has happened, you're turning your back on me. You're such a vicious woman. Ever since my eldest brother brought you back, my family has never had a moment's peace. You drove my second brother away, and now you want to drive me away too?"
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