Chapter Sixteen: Bridge Returns to Bridge, Road Returns to Road
Upon hearing the child's name, Shu Yao was completely stunned. Sun Yaozu—how did he know this? Had he...come back too?
I can't admit it; her mind works incredibly fast. I absolutely cannot admit that. I don't care about your situation; anyway, my child and I have nothing to do with you now.
"Get out! If you keep talking nonsense, I'll..."
If she went back inside now, Sun Yaozu would definitely think she was being cowardly and evasive. The onlookers would also speculate wildly. So she took a deep breath to calm herself, then grabbed a spatula and went to beat him up.
*Smack!* This slap was merciless. "Are you going to get out of here or not? If you don't, I'll beat you to death!"
She wielded a spatula and hit him, while Sun Yaozu covered his head and dodged. With his third aunt joining in, he was quickly driven out of the Su family's gate by the two women.
His aunt, enraged, shoved him hard at the front door, sending him sprawling to the ground. "Sun Yaozu, you shameless bastard! We're divorced, why are you still bothering me? If you dare come back again, I'll kill you!"
Sun's mother had been hiding here, but she didn't dare go in. Su Xiangdong's previous lesson had taught her a harsh lesson, making her hesitant to go. She also harbored some resentment towards her son; everything was fine, so why was he going to find Shu Yao again?
"Son, get up." She helped him up, angrily brushing the dust off him as she said, "Why are you still looking for her? Let's live our own lives. I'll introduce you to someone else next year, and we'll marry someone even better."
Sun Yaozu looked completely bewildered, and even more so, unwilling to believe it. Shu Yao had actually hit him with a spatula, and it hurt so much.
She'd always been the best to him, giving him the best food and clothes. When he was assigned to clean the toilets, she mostly helped him in her spare time; how could she possibly hit him? And what happened to the wife who protected him when he was criticized? How could she remarry?
"Shu Yao,"
"Go away, go away. Women can be ruthless. If you keep bothering her, her husband might come back and ransack our house again."
He didn't want to leave, but his mother forcibly pulled him along, the chatter of the onlookers around him. They said he was regretting it now, asking why he hadn't done something sooner. He... watched as he got further and further away from Shu Yao, and then his head spun and he fainted.
"Son, son!"
There are still more good people than bad. When he fainted, many neighbors came to his aid and carried him back to his home. His mother tried everything, from pinching his philtrum to giving him water, until an old woman woke him up by pricking his philtrum with a needle.
"ah,"
The old lady put away the needles: "Alright, it's nothing. You were just agitated. You'll have to be more careful in the future."
Sun Yaozu's dizziness brought back a flood of memories, allowing him to connect the dots. He sat blankly on the bed, having eaten no dinner, remaining silent. He had been too agitated before, only remembering his past life and failing to connect it to the present; now, his emotions had finally calmed down.
His parents were worried that Su Xiangdong would come looking for trouble, and they waited anxiously for a long time without seeing him. Later, they heard that he was away on a business trip and wouldn't be back for a week. The elderly couple immediately felt relieved.
"Go apologize to Shu Yao tomorrow and tell her not to tell Station Chief Su."
The old woman sighed. This humiliating, disgraceful task of bowing and apologizing always seemed to fall on her shoulders. She frowned, reluctant to go, but also afraid of Su Xiangdong. After thinking it over, she decided to go anyway; otherwise, the house couldn't withstand Su Xiangdong smashing it up again.
The next day, she went to find Shu Yao, who was currently working the afternoon shift. Around nine o'clock in the morning, she stood hesitantly at the door. After mentally preparing herself, she finally spoke up.
"I'm sorry." Once you've said that, things become easier. "Yaozu acted on impulse. He had already accepted everything before. But yesterday, for some reason, he came back again. I'll tell him to quickly find someone else for him and stop him from coming to you again."
Shu Yao didn't respond, waiting for her to reveal her purpose. The old lady thought for a moment, then continued, "Don't tell Station Chief Su. It's embarrassing enough if these things get out of hand."
"I'm not afraid of losing face," Shu Yao said coldly. "Tell your son not to come looking for me again."
Sun's mother gritted her teeth, suppressing her emotions, and spoke again: "Shuyao, you've lived in the Sun family for over ten years. Even if it's no longer your husband's family, it's practically your maiden home. We raised you..."
“I was twelve years old when I came to the Sun family. From the moment I entered, you set rules for me and made me learn housework. I did laundry and cooked from morning till night every day, getting up earlier and going to bed later than the maids. When I was fifteen, I started working in a factory, and I gave you my full salary from the beginning, which was less than thirty yuan. May I ask, what have you done to support me?”
The old woman was speechless for a moment, never expecting Shu Yao to be like this in private. Before, whenever she mentioned the debt of saving her life and raising her, Shu Yao never argued. She had Shu Yao completely under her control, and Shu Yao listened to everything she said. Who had instigated this?
"Shu Yao, what happened to you?"
"I'll remain unchanged, serving the Sun family like a beast of burden for the rest of my life, and only then will you be satisfied, right? You know how to keep accounts, so I won't say any more. You know perfectly well whether I owe the Sun family or not; I've given you all my income for the past seven years. I haven't bought myself a single new piece of clothing in three years, and I've always been the one who eats the least at home. So, stop talking about supporting me. You've never supported me."
"you……"
Old Mrs. Sun knew everything, but she was just pretending. She pretended to have saved her back then, so she could cover up her desire for a beautiful, well-educated, and capable child bride who would be easy to control. She pretended to be kind and kind to her, so that she would obediently hand over her income. She wanted her to marry into the Sun family, so that the Sun family would have a free servant and someone to carry on the family line.
Now she wasn't buying it anymore, and Old Mrs. Sun stood there, both annoyed and angry. But she was powerless against Shu Yao. The old methods didn't work anymore, and besides, it would just lead to arguments; Su Xiangdong wouldn't allow them to bully his wife.
She stopped talking, turned around, and walked away silently. She was seething with anger, but couldn't utter a single word. She knew perfectly well that Shu Yao had worked for seven years, and at home she still had to do laundry, cook, and sew; her value far exceeded the price she had paid for her. She owed the Sun family nothing.
Mrs. Sun was so frustrated her face turned pale. She couldn't understand why Shu Yao had suddenly changed so much. How could the other party have broken through her ten years of brainwashing in one day?
"How could it suddenly turn around so abruptly?"
"Mother, what are you muttering to yourself?" Sun Yaozu came out of the house and heard his mother muttering to herself.
“I’m talking about Shu Yao. She used to be so obedient, doing whatever I said. She dutifully earned money, did housework, and served us. She gave all her income to me, her mother, and married you to carry on the Sun family line. How could she change so suddenly? She’s so calculating, it’s like our Sun family owes her something.”
Sun Yaozu gritted his teeth; he roughly understood why Shu Yao was acting this way. He thought back carefully and realized that the children in Shu Yao's belly were very likely his twins.
The thought of those two children infuriated him; they had always been closer to their mother and never cared about their father. When it was discovered at the hospital that he had another family, Shu Yao was overcome with rage and immediately fell into a coma.
The two children glared at him angrily; the son pointed at him and told him to get lost. The daughter, with red eyes, berated him and almost got into a fight with Meng Xi and her mother.
“My mother is so good to you. She does all the dirty and tiring work and always gives you the best. How could you treat her like this? You don’t deserve to be her husband.”
The daughter roared, "Divorce! I'll divorce you as soon as my mother wakes up!"
Before Shu Yao could even wake up, the two of them, along with their uncle, had all his credit cards suspended. They also applied to freeze all his assets, turning him from a tycoon into a penniless pauper in an instant.
He seemed to have angrily gone to settle scores with those two, but somehow he ended up back at this point in time. Shu Yao had already divorced him, and he wondered if the two babies in her belly were the twins from that time.
He took a deep breath and called out to Shu Yao when she went out to use the restroom that evening. Shu Yao walked back quickly, ignoring him, so he yelled at her.
"Shu Yao, I know you're back too, right?"
As expected, Shu Yao remained calm and composed. "What do you mean, 'come back'? Go back where? Sun Yaozu, if you're sick, go to the hospital. Don't bother me."
"Playing dumb with me?" Sun Yaozu sneered. "If you hadn't been reborn, how could you have changed so drastically all of a sudden? Taking advantage of this opportunity to divorce me and being so heartless to my parents."
“I don’t understand what you’re saying. As for your parents, they bought me back then, and I worked for the Sun family for ten years. I don’t owe them anything.”
"Where are the children in your belly? You dare say they aren't mine? A pair of twins, a boy and a girl, their birthday is February 25th."
"You're talking nonsense!" Shu Yao roared, raising her hand to slap him. "You dare to mess with anything? How shameless! The child in my belly is my lover's child, it has nothing to do with you. If you dare to say that again, I'll have my lover teach you a lesson."
Sun Yaozu covered his face, intending to retaliate. But she was heavily pregnant, her eyes bloodshot with anger, and her whole body trembling. He hesitated, partly because he feared he had misjudged the situation, and partly because he was afraid Su Xiangdong would cause him trouble.
"Hmph, I don't like those brats at all. Whether they are or not, I won't want them."
"Shut your stinking mouth!" Shu Yao raised her hand and slapped him again, this time for the two children. What kind of father are you? You've hardly cared for them since they were little. If you don't want it, I will never give it to you.
“Sun Yaozu, we are already divorced. Remember this: from now on, we go our separate ways. If you come looking for me again, you’re a grandson.”
Having been punched on both cheeks, Sun Yaozu was equally furious, his eyes blazing with rage. Yet, he hesitated, not daring to retaliate. His eyes were bloodshot with rage as he uttered harsh words.
"Don't worry, I will never go back to an old flame. I don't care about you or the child in your belly."
The Shu Yao I remembered was gentle and generous, but seeing her again now has deepened that impression. She's so beautiful. But no matter what, if she dared to hit him, it's over between them. He doesn't want her or the child.
Sun Yaozu's harsh words were incredibly ruthless; at that moment, he never imagined he would regret it later. He would be filled with remorse, but it would be too late to undo the damage.
Shu Yao hurried home with her head down, afraid that her third aunt would see her tears. She didn't want to cry, really. She had already told herself that it was all over, that she would have nothing to do with him anymore. But hearing what he said still made her feel incredibly sad.
She couldn't stand how he spoke to the two children in her past life. How could he be so gentle and kind to Meng Xi's daughter, yet so disdainful of her own children? Clearly, she had raised both of her children very well; they were both top students from prestigious universities, filial and sensible.
Meng Xi's daughter is four years younger than her child, meaning he had been unfaithful throughout their marriage. Meng Xi divorced her husband in 1968, at which time he was also facing persecution. Perhaps they hadn't been in contact during that time, otherwise she wouldn't have been completely unaware.
So, were Meng Xi's daughters his? She had her doubts. They had only had these twins in their decades of marriage, and later, during a medical checkup, she learned that he was born with low sperm count and had become completely azoospermia with age. It was already difficult for him to conceive, so having two children was incredibly lucky. At the time, out of consideration for his feelings, she kept the matter a secret from everyone.
Since she never had another child after that, how could Meng Xi have just happened to give birth to his child? Meng Xi had been married for about a year at that time, could it have been her husband's child, but she was just fooling that fool Sun Yaozu?
Because of her emotional distress, she started experiencing mild, intermittent cramps in her stomach. She quickly wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and reached out to touch her stomach to soothe it.
"Baby, Mommy won't cry anymore, Mommy isn't sad anymore. From now on, we'll never let him get away with this."
She adjusted her mindset and ate dinner as usual. Her life remained completely unaffected; things went on as usual. "Sun Yaozu, it's good you're back. I want you to witness your childless existence and see your own child calling someone else 'Dad'."
The next day, when Sun Yaozu saw her riding a brand-new bicycle on his way to work, he turned around and left with a gloomy expression. She ignored him and rode her bicycle quickly to the factory.
A few days later, Su Xiangdong returned and was overjoyed to see her. Seeing that his aunt wasn't there, he reached out and hugged her. "I brought you something; wait for me to get it."
He went on a business trip to the south this time, and he packed a lot of things in his suitcase. She held up a box, opened it, and joked with a smile.
"Did you bring the supply and marketing cooperative back with you?"
He peeled the orange for her, and she tasted a segment and nodded. "So sweet."
“I picked it from someone else’s tree; this one is the sweetest.”
"You'll taste them one by one?"
"Mmm," he responded softly, then continued unpacking the things he'd brought for her. It was as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She'd only taken a change of clothes when she left, and she'd complained about the huge suitcase. Turns out, it wasn't even big enough to fit everything, so she'd brought another bag.
"Oranges, bananas, this is called pomelo, and this looks like a potato but it's a kiwi. I didn't know which one you liked, so I brought them all back for you to try."
Besides fresh fruit, he also brought her many other things: five-nut mooncakes, rice cakes, and layered oil cakes—all unique to the South and rarely seen in the North. She worked in a textile factory, where he could buy fabric scraps without ration coupons, so her family had no shortage of fabric; he mainly bought food.
"Mmm, delicious."
He was happy that his wife liked it; it made all that effort of escorting her back from the crowded train station worthwhile. Seeing her enjoying her food, he got up and made her a cup of milk powder.
"I heard Sun Yaozu came to see you again?"
"It's nothing. It was just a sudden bout of delirium. I've already punched him."
"Oh." She made a point of mentioning that she had already taught him a lesson, which meant he shouldn't look for her again.
“His mother came to see me, and I don’t want to have any more contact with that family.”
"Okay, I got it." There are other ways to teach Sun Yaozu a lesson.
As the weather got colder, Shuyao's belly grew bigger and bigger. In December, her third aunt told her that Sun Yaozu had gone on a blind date with a girl, and the two were dating.
"I heard he's the same age as you, and coincidentally, they were classmates. He's also a worker at your factory, and his name is Meng Xi."
Shu Yao nodded. Of course, her third aunt's information came from the all-knowing gossip-loving public. Sun Yaozu and Meng Xi—this wasn't a coincidence at all; it was the result of his deliberate pursuit.
In her past life, she didn't know how the two of them got together, but in this life, she saw Sun Yaozu not far from the factory and bumped into Meng Xi. A chance encounter? Of course, it was deliberately arranged by Sun Yaozu.
He and Meng Xi were entangled for so many years in their past life, and since their feelings hadn't faded, they've returned together, so he must want to rekindle their romance. Besides, Meng Xi is quite attractive; she's a beautiful textile worker.
As for her past life, when her husband was demoted, she immediately turned her back on him and ruthlessly chose to divorce him, severing all ties. Sun Yaozu probably thought that just meant she didn't love him anymore. Perhaps that's how she explained it to him. Fine, two people who loved each other; in this life, I'll see just how much they love each other.
She smiled coldly and reached out to stroke her belly. Her large belly was moving frequently, as if her two babies were comforting her.
Mom, we're here with you.
The coldness in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by maternal warmth. The moment Su Xiangdong entered the room, he saw his wife's warm gaze, and her smile made his heart skip a beat.
"What's making you so happy?"
"It's nothing, the baby is kicking me."
"Really?" Auntie San had already gone out to the kitchen, leaving only the two of them in the house. He took off his coat and hung it up, rolling up his shirt sleeves to his elbows. He stood next to her, his gaze fixed on her stomach. The house was warm, and she was only wearing a thin shirt.
"It moved, it moved."
Su Xiangdong was so shocked he stammered. He clearly saw her stomach being pushed up. He felt another push while he was speaking. He pointed at her stomach, his eyes wide with astonishment.
"It really moved!"
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Author's Note: Please add this to your favorites, my darlings!
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