Chapter 130 The Cycle of Heaven: Mother Dong and Dong Chun...
While Dong's mother was talking to Dong Chunling, Dong's father and elder brother, who had just returned from get off work, walked in from outside. When the elder brother saw Dong Chunling, he asked her a question with a displeased expression.
"Who was the man who brought you back just now? Is he your new boyfriend again? Did you find out who he really is this time? Is he another conman? Haven't you had enough of being scammed once?"
Dong's mother still didn't understand what was going on, so she pulled Dong's eldest son aside and asked, "Eldest son, what's going on? What man? What do you mean by what you said?"
Brother Dong: "Mom, you don't know yet, the whole alley is buzzing about it. Your daughter was brought home by a man today!"
Upon hearing this, Dong's mother immediately turned to look at Dong Chunling.
At this moment, Mr. Dong's father and elder brother were also staring at Dong Chunling.
Dong Chunling's expression was already unpleasant when her older brother bombarded her with questions. Now, seeing the whole family's eyes on her, she retorted defiantly, "Brother, can't you wish me well for once? Just because I know a guy, you assume he's a conman. What? Do you think your sister is so blind and naive that she can't find a decent partner and can only encounter conmen?"
"You never had a good eye to begin with, and you're not very shrewd either," Brother Dong couldn't help but mutter.
That's just how it is.
If Dong Chunling had good taste, she wouldn't have fallen for that scumbag Yan Zhiwen and that liar Li Xiangdong.
If Dong Chunling had any sense at all, she wouldn't have been fooled by Yan Zhiwen and Dong Xiangdong.
Dong Chunling was furious at her brother's words. She clenched her fists, stomped her feet, and turned to the side, asking her parents to stand up for her: "Dad, Mom, look what my brother is saying about me! No matter how bad I am, I'm still his sister! He's not giving me any face at all!"
Although Dong's mother felt that her eldest son was right, it was indeed disrespectful to Dong Chunling to say such things in front of her. So she gave her eldest son a knowing look, signaling him not to talk nonsense.
Unlike his daughter-in-law, Dong's father didn't give Dong Chunling any face. He said directly, "Your older brother is right. If you had any insight or shrewdness, you wouldn't have fallen into the traps of Yan Zhiwen and Li Xiangdong one after another."
Dong Chunling was furious, but since the person speaking was her father, she couldn't talk back.
"Cough cough."
Brother Dong cleared his throat and coughed. After all that talk, Dong Chunling still hadn't revealed who the man who brought her back was, which made him anxious.
Brother Dong steered the conversation back on track, looking at Dong Chunling and asking, "You still haven't told me, who was the man who brought you back just now?"
"The person who brought me back was someone I met at the social gathering today. His name is Hu Mingyi, and he's the deputy section chief of the Housing Management Bureau," Dong Chunling said, holding her breath as she revealed Hu Mingyi's identity.
Then he stared wide-eyed, wanting to see his family members stunned by Hu Mingyi's identity.
But to everyone's surprise, the three people left in the house, after hearing her words, were not stunned, but instead frowned.
Dong Chunling: "Hey, wait, what's with those expressions?"
Dong's mother was more concerned about her daughter. She took Dong Chunling's hand and said, "Daughter, are you sure you know this Hu Mingyi and he's not lying to you? Something feels off to me."
If Hu Mingyi is so eligible, why would he fall for Dong Chunling?
Dong Chunling understood her mother's subtext and was so angry that she jumped up and down: "Mom, are you still my mother? How can you look down on me like this? Your daughter is not bad in any way, whether it's looks, family background, or interpersonal skills, right? How can you think I can't find a good partner?"
Dong's mother: "Daughter, that's not what I think. I just feel that Hu Mingyi is rather suspicious..."
Actually, it wasn't just Dong's mother who thought this way; after hearing about the conditions of the man who brought Dong Chunling back, everyone in the alley was very suspicious.
"Old He, are you telling the truth? Is Hu Mingyi an official in the Housing Management Bureau?"
"That's just bragging. If he were really that good, why would he be interested in Dong Chunling?"
"It's not just talk, Lao He said Dong Chunling and Hu Mingyi met at a social event organized by Xiaoming's Women's Federation. The event has very strict screening process, you can ask Xiaoming if you don't believe me."
Everyone's eyes immediately turned to Mingxi. Mingxi nodded and said nothing else, only saying, "Our identity verification for this social gathering is very strict. Any form of fraud is strictly prohibited. There is no way our identities will be wrong."
Although Mingxi didn't explicitly say whether Hu Mingyi's identity was real or not, everyone understood what she meant: Hu Mingyi's identity was genuine, and he was indeed an official of the Housing Management Bureau.
Upon hearing this, everyone's previously mixed feelings were reduced to mere jealousy.
How come Dong Chunling is so lucky? She's so good at causing trouble, has such a bad reputation, and is a divorcee, yet she still managed to find such a good partner.
The others were alright, though their tone was a little sarcastic. But Wang Chuncao, who lived in the same courtyard as Dong Chunling, was a different story. Wang Chuncao and Dong Chunling were the same age, born in the same year, and both had "Chun" in their names, but their fates were worlds apart.
Wang Chuncao's mother was in poor health and passed away early. Her father later remarried, and Wang Chuncao had a stepmother.
To be fair, Wang Chuncao's stepmother wasn't a bad person. She never abused Wang Chuncao and treated her and her later children equally. She also supported Wang Chuncao through high school.
But Wang Chuncao was not her biological daughter, so when the Down to the Countryside Movement came out, she pushed Wang Chuncao forward and sent her to the countryside.
If Wang Chuncao goes to the countryside, her daughter will be able to stay.
For Wang Chuncao's father, both daughters were his own flesh and blood; he couldn't bear to part with either of them. If he kept the elder daughter and sent the younger one to the countryside, both the younger daughter and his wife would cause trouble. If he kept the younger daughter and sent the elder daughter to the countryside, the elder daughter would definitely be unwilling, but the younger daughter and his wife wouldn't cause him any trouble.
And so, Wang Chuncao was sacrificed and sent to the countryside.
However, the Wang family did have some affection for Wang Chuncao. After Wang Chuncao went to the countryside, they did not abandon her and sent her money and things regularly every month.
Wang Chuncao spent several years in the countryside. When the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination came down, she also registered for the exam in the countryside. However, after graduating from high school for so many years, she had long since given up her studies while working in the countryside. When her final results came out, she did not get into any university.
She stayed in the countryside for another two years until 1979 when the policy on educated youth was relaxed, and the Wang family used their connections to get her transferred back to the city.
When Wang Chuncao returned to the city, she was already twenty-five years old and still unmarried. By her age, she was considered an old maid, and her family was anxious to find her a partner.
At that time, the Wang family approached Zhao Sulan and asked her to act as a matchmaker for Wang Chuncao. Zhao Sulan did her job conscientiously and found a good young man for Wang Chuncao. The two sides agreed to meet. However, on the day of the meeting, Zhao Sulan led the young man to the door and ran into Dong Chunling as soon as they arrived.
Dong Chunling has such a sharp tongue. Even though she knew that Zhao Sulan was bringing someone to meet Wang Chuncao, she still deliberately said in front of her, "Wang Chuncao has been in the countryside for so many years. Who knows if she's ever had a boyfriend or gotten married there? Quite a few educated youth who got married in the countryside later abandoned their husbands and children to return to the city."
The young man and his family who came to meet him immediately changed their expressions upon hearing this.
Even though Zhao Sulan repeatedly explained that Dong Chunling was talking nonsense, the other party still didn't believe her and in the end, she didn't even enter the Wang family's house and turned around and left.
Later, when Wang Chuncao found out about this, she went to Dong Chunling's house and got into a fight.
But Dong Chunling's words still got out. People in the alley didn't say anything to her face, but they talked about it a lot behind her back. Maybe Wang Chuncao really did get married and have children in the countryside.
Wang Chuncao's reputation was ruined just like that, and no matter how she explained, there were always people who had doubts.
Wang Chuncao's search for a partner has stalled because of this.
Fortunately, the Wang family genuinely cared for their daughter, Wang Chuncao. Seeing that she hadn't found a partner, they didn't say anything and let her stay at home in peace. Wang Chuncao's younger sister, her stepmother's daughter born later, even paid for a temporary job for her.
After Wang Chuncao got a job, she became much more cheerful and was no longer affected by the gossip in the alley.
But she ultimately hated Dong Chunling, the instigator.
When news broke that Dong Chunling had threatened divorce and run away from home several times, and was almost scammed by that big swindler Li Xiangdong, Wang Chuncao was always the one laughing the most.
For Wang Chuncao, Dong Chunling's unhappiness was her happiness.
But right now, her mood wasn't so good.
Wang Chuncao gritted her teeth, her face contorted with hatred.
Why, why is it that heartless and rotten woman Dong Chunling so lucky to be able to find such a good man in the blink of an eye?
While following Aunt He's gossip, Mingxi accidentally caught a glimpse of Wang Chuncao's distorted expression out of the corner of her eye and couldn't help but gasp.
She knew about the feud between Wang Chuncao and Dong Chunling, and could understand Wang Chuncao's anger, but seeing Wang Chuncao like this, she still couldn't help but secretly shrink back.
Although she couldn't help but shrink back, Mingxi's eyes were still fixed on Wang Chuncao.
Wang Chuncao was definitely unwilling to accept this. Mingxi could understand perfectly well; it was her mother who had arranged the marriage for Wang Chuncao, and she knew some inside information that others didn't.
The man her mother introduced to Wang Chuncao was her high school classmate. It was said that Wang Chuncao had feelings for him before she went to the countryside during high school. However, before Wang Chuncao could do anything about it after graduating from high school, she went to the countryside.
During her years in the countryside, she had no intention of settling down there, always hoping to return to the city; secondly, she still had feelings for him, so she didn't date anyone in the countryside. After finally returning to the city, she learned from Zhao Sulan that the man she had been thinking about hadn't been able to find a partner or get married all these years due to family reasons. She was instantly excited and asked Zhao Sulan to arrange for the two of them to meet.
As a result, her eagerly anticipated meeting was ruined by Dong Chunling before they even met.
How could she not hate?
If it were Mingxi, she would probably hate Dong Chunling too.
Mingxi was lost in thought when she suddenly noticed Wang Chuncao's gaze fixed on her. Startled, she wondered if Wang Chuncao had discovered that she had been secretly watching her, and quickly looked away.
Mingxi hunched her neck, like a quail, pretending not to have done anything next to Aunt He.
Just then, Wang Chuncao suddenly leaned over and patted Mingxi on the shoulder.
When Mingxi saw Wang Chuncao, his body trembled violently.
Wang Chuncao smiled and said, "Did I scare you? I'm sorry."
Mingxi waved her hands repeatedly: "No, no, what's wrong, Sister Chuncao, do you need something from me?"
Wang Chuncao: "No, I'm just curious and wanted to ask you about Hu Mingyi, the one who brought Dong Chunling back today. Didn't he sign up for your Women's Federation's social event? You should know something about him, right?"
Mingxi scratched her head: "Ah, well... I don't know much. I was only in charge of hosting this social event, so I don't know much about the other things. I just heard someone casually mention that this Hu Mingyi is a good catch, but he's also divorced this year. I heard he got divorced because he was constantly entangled with his ex-girlfriend, and his wife couldn't stand it anymore, so she filed for divorce. But after the divorce, it seems he can't let go of his ex-wife and keeps bothering her, trying to get back together. But his ex-wife didn't agree."
Mingxi pursed her lips and said, "That's all I know. I don't know anything else."
Wang Chuncao smiled and said, "Okay, it's nothing. I was just asking casually, I didn't mean anything by it. Don't take it to heart."
Wang Chuncao had a smile on her face, but no matter how Mingxi looked at her, she felt a chill run down her spine.
She exchanged a few more pleasantries with Mingxi before turning to leave. Watching her retreating figure, Mingxi felt uneasy.
This feeling of unease was confirmed the next day.
The next morning, Mingxi finished eating and got ready, then took Zhao Sulan out.
They were going out to buy bicycles. She had told Zhao Sulan about her desire to buy a bicycle last night, and Zhao Sulan was quite supportive. The family hadn't bought one before because they didn't really need one.
Zhao Sulan works at the steel rolling mill next door, and it's only a ten-minute walk to her workplace. Mingxi also went to school near the steel rolling mill before, so it wasn't far and she didn't need a bicycle.
But things are different now. Mingxi will be going to work and commuting around, so having a bicycle will be more convenient.
In addition, after Mingxi started working, the family's financial situation improved significantly, and they no longer lacked the money to buy a bicycle.
So Zhao Sulan nodded in agreement without even thinking.
Zhao Sulan and Mingxi got up very early this morning, intending to go to the department store to look at bicycles. The mother and daughter held hands and rushed out the door, afraid that if they were late, the department store would be out of stock.
But just as the two of them reached the entrance of the alley, Mingxi stopped in her tracks.
"Mom, wait a minute!"
Zhao Sulan: "Hmm? What's wrong?"
Mingxi quietly stuck out a finger and pointed to a man pushing a bicycle standing not far ahead: "Mom, look, that's Hu Mingyi."
Zhao Sulan thought for a moment: "Is it Hu Mingyi, who's taken a liking to Dong Chunling?"
Yesterday, when Mingxi came home, she told her about what happened at the social gathering. She knew that Hu Mingyi and Dong Chunling had hit it off, and she also knew about Hu Mingyi's divorce and his entanglement with his ex-girlfriend.
Zhao Sulan stared at Hu Mingyi for a long time before coming to a conclusion: "He's just an ordinary person."
Honestly, don't let Dong Chunling's personality fool you. She's beautiful, has a job, and is pampered by her family. Even though she's remarried, she's still very popular in the dating market.
Of course, this is on the premise that Dong Chunling's requirements are not too high.
Dong Chunling consulted so many matchmakers but still couldn't find a suitable partner because her standards were too high. She required the man to be a college graduate, an office worker, and someone who was getting married for the first time... If she had just lowered her standards a little, she would have found a partner long ago.
Although Hu Mingyi has a good job, in other aspects he is not much better than Dong Chunling.
Therefore, Zhao Sulan said that he was just an ordinary person.
Mingxi agrees with this point.
Mingxi and Zhao Sulan stared at Hu Mingyi for a while, and just as they were about to leave, they suddenly saw someone come out of the women's restroom at the entrance of the alley. Mingxi's eyes widened immediately.
Coincidentally, the person who came out was Wang Chuncao.
Wang Chuncao didn't notice Hu Mingyi at first and walked past him, but then, as if suddenly remembering something, she turned back to Hu Mingyi and asked with a smile, "Comrade, you look unfamiliar. What brings you to our alley? Are you looking for someone?"
Seeing that Wang Chuncao was a woman, Hu Mingyi didn't think much of it and subconsciously replied, "I'm waiting for someone. I arranged to meet Dong Chunling in a little while, so I came early to wait for her at the entrance of the alley."
"Oh, I see." Wang Chuncao said, feigning sudden realization, "You're here to pick up Dong Chunling, so you must be Dong Chunling's boyfriend, Hu Mingyi, right?"
Hu Mingyi was somewhat surprised, not expecting that a random person he met in the alley would know his identity.
However, he quickly blushed and waved his hand, saying, "No, no, Dong Chunling and I are not in a relationship yet. We are still getting to know each other."
Wang Chuncao smiled and said, "I understand."
She said, "You need to know more, otherwise what if you encounter a scammer? Like Chunling, she dated a scammer before."
Hu Mingyi: "Dating a conman?"
He looked puzzled, as if he had no idea what Wang Chuncao was talking about.
A smile bloomed on Wang Chuncao's face, a smile that was different from her previous polite smile, and was clearly much more genuine.
Even from a distance, Mingxi could see the schadenfreude on her face.
Wang Chuncao tried hard to suppress her excitement, opened her mouth wide, and said in feigned surprise, "What? You didn't know that Dong Chunling dated a swindler before?"
Then she quickly covered her mouth, as if she had just realized she had said something she shouldn't have: "Then I won't say it, I won't say it. I didn't know you didn't know about this. Hey! Comrade Hu, just pretend you never saw me, and that you never heard me say anything!"
After saying that, she quickly turned around and left.
Hu Mingyi was naturally unwilling to let her leave, and quickly grabbed her: "Wait, comrade, don't go yet. Tell me, what exactly is going on? What swindler? Did Chunling date a swindler before?"
"No, no, this is Chunling's privacy. How can I, an outsider, talk nonsense? You should ask Chunling." Wang Chuncao waved her hands repeatedly, but she showed no intention of leaving.
Hu Mingyi: "Comrade, don't worry, I don't mean anything by it. I just want to know what happened. If I just ask Chunling like this, she definitely won't tell me."
Wang Chuncao pretended to be hesitant and bit her lip, saying, "Alright then, since you really want to know, I'll tell you."
Mingxi clicked his tongue in amazement.
That's why people shouldn't do bad things. Back then, Dong Chunling was foul-mouthed and spread rumors in front of Wang Chuncao's blind date. Now, isn't Wang Chuncao getting her revenge?
This can be considered a cycle of karma.
Wang Chuncao couldn't wait to explain to Hu Mingyi: "This all started with Chunling's previous marriage. Her ex-husband was dishonest and had a lot of tricks up his sleeve. After marriage, he kept having affairs with other women, and eventually had a child with one of them. He wanted to marry another woman, so he made a scene and demanded a divorce from Dong Chunling."
Hu Mingyi nodded. He knew about this; Dong Chunling had told him about her divorce and the reasons for it.
Wang Chuncao was stunned. She hadn't expected Dong Chunling to tell Hu Mingyi about her divorce. She thought that, given Dong Chunling's personality, she would keep it a secret.
But that's not the point. She continued, "Chunling didn't want to, so she argued with her ex-husband and even wanted her family to cause trouble at his house. Her family objected, so she ran away from home. After running away, she met a conman. The conman told Chunling he was a college student, took her to a guesthouse, comforted her, and took care of her. Chunling, being simple-minded, thought he was a good person and started dating him. Later, Chunling came back, divorced her ex-husband, and even took the conman back to the alley, wanting to introduce him to everyone. At the time, none of us expected that the person Chunling brought back was a conman. Chunling even said her boyfriend was making a lot of money in business and wanted everyone to invest. It wasn't until later, when the police arrested the whole group of conmen, that we realized Chunling's boyfriend wasn't a college student at all, just a gigolo."
As she finished speaking, she looked up at Hu Mingyi and said, "Comrade Hu, don't blame Chunling for being foolish. She's just impatient and only wants to find a partner with better conditions than her ex-husband so that she can compete with him."
Wang Chuncao said with a smile, "Well, after the swindler was caught, Chunling went to all the matchmakers in the neighborhood and asked them to find her a new partner based on her ex-husband's criteria."
Hu Mingyi's face darkened upon hearing this.
He didn't care that Dong Chunling was divorced, nor did he care who Dong Chunling dated after the divorce.
But Wang Chuncao's comment that Dong Chunling was looking for a partner to compare with her ex-husband still deeply struck a chord with him.
Hu Mingyi clenched his fists; Dong Chunling hadn't told him that.
Dong Chunling said she had long since let go of her ex-husband and had no feelings for him anymore. If he had known earlier that Dong Chunling still had feelings for her ex-husband, he would never have developed any affection for her!
No matter how bad Hu Mingyi is, he's still a leader in the Housing Management Bureau, and there are plenty of women who are interested in him.
The reason he and Dong Chunling hit it off was because they shared a sense of shared frustration as two divorced people.
But that doesn't mean he can accept being used by Dong Chunling as a tool to compete with her ex-husband.
Mingxi could clearly see the ashen face on Hu Mingyi's face. To make matters worse, Dong Chunling also came out of the courtyard at this moment. Mingxi was speechless as she watched Dong Chunling approaching and Wang Chuncao, who looked on with amusement.
What a chaotic scene!
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