Chapter 53 She Doesn't Deserve It
Zhou Lanying watched the three return without saying a word. Wen Xiaoxiao clutched the paper in her hand, her eyes vacant.
She sighed, asked nothing, and turned to go into the kitchen: "You haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll heat up some food."
When the food was served, no one had much of an appetite.
Wen Xiaoxiao forced herself to eat a few bites before putting down her chopsticks.
Zhou Lanying served her a bowl of soup: "Drink some, you're not alone now."
Wen Xiaoxiao picked up the bowl, but it tasted like chewing wax.
After finishing his meal, Zhao Fei said he had some errands to run and drove off in his van.
He didn't return until after 10 p.m.
The courtyard was quiet, and the lights were off in both the east wing and the west wing where Zhou Lanying lived.
He tiptoed into the main room, sat down in the darkness, and let out a long sigh.
This afternoon, he went to the city and visited the newly opened "Xiangyang Community".
He inquired for a long time, and finally gritted his teeth, took out his savings that he had accumulated over a long period of time, signed the contract, and bought a three-bedroom apartment.
The house isn't big, but it faces the sun and is clean.
He thought that his mother-in-law, Zhou Lanying, was getting old and he had to take care of her until the end. Li Rui had been his wife and had left behind a child, Yidi, so he couldn't just ignore her.
Where is Wen Xiaoxiao?
Where could a woman who had just divorced, was pregnant, and had two young children go? Rent a place? Be at the mercy of others? He couldn't bear to do that.
With this house, I'll have a place to stay, at least a place to shelter from the wind and rain and not have to depend on others.
He had planned to tell everyone tomorrow, to give them a surprise, or rather, to settle things down.
The next day, before dawn, the courtyard gate was pounded on loudly.
"Brother Fei! Brother Fei! Something's happened! Something's wrong!" It was Wenbin's voice, filled with unprecedented panic.
Zhao Fei suddenly sat up in bed, threw on his clothes, and rushed out to open the door.
Wenbin's face was deathly pale, his forehead covered in sweat, and he was panting heavily: "The pigs...the pigs are dead! So many pigs! Dozens of them died overnight!"
Zhao Fei's mind went blank for a moment. Without thinking, he grabbed a coat and rushed out, shouting, "Let's go!"
Wen Xiaoxiao and Zhou Lanying were also awakened.
As Wen Xiaoxiao listened to the commotion outside, her heart sank.
The pig died? Overnight?
The first thing that flashed through her mind was Zhao Qingda's twisted and ferocious face.
Besides him, who else?
The pig farm was a complete mess.
In several pigpens, once lively and fat pigs lay scattered on the ground, foaming at the mouth and with stiff limbs, clearly showing signs of poisoning.
The workers stood around, both frightened and angry.
Zhao Fei glanced over and quickly estimated in his mind that there were at least thirty pigs! They were all fattened pigs that were about to be sold!
"What happened? Who was on duty last night?" Zhao Fei's voice was deep as he tried his best to remain calm.
The worker on duty trembled with fear: "Boss Zhao, I checked several times last night and didn't see anything unusual... But I thought I heard some noise in the middle of the night. I went out to check, but it was dark and there was nothing there... I really don't know!"
Zhao Fei didn't ask any further questions.
He walked over to the dead pig, squatted down to examine it closely, and then smelled the remaining feed in the trough.
A very faint, abnormally pungent odor.
Someone poisoned it.
Moreover, they are familiar with the pig farm environment, know where the blind spots are, and know how to avoid people.
Wenbin's eyes turned red: "Brother Fei! Someone's sabotaging this! Let's call the police!"
Zhao Fei remained silent.
He stood up, looked at the dead pigs scattered on the ground, then glanced outside the pig farm. After a long pause, he spoke in a hoarse voice: "I'm not calling the police."
"What?" Wenbin and the other workers were stunned.
“Drag all these pigs out,” Zhao Fei said, pointing to the dead livestock, “and bury them in deep pits. Bury them far away, clean them thoroughly, and don’t let a single scrap of meat spill out.”
"Brother Fei! This is all money!" an old worker cried out in anguish.
“I know it’s about money.” Zhao Fei’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an undeniable determination. “A dead pig, who knows if eating it will cause any problems? We can’t do something so immoral. Bury it. I’ll accept the loss.”
He paused, then looked at Wenbin and the workers: "No one is allowed to talk about what happened today. If anyone asks, just say the pigs got a sudden illness and we dealt with it. Do you understand?"
The workers looked at each other, and finally nodded.
Zhao Fei had always treated them well, and when something went wrong, he took the blame himself and was always mindful not to harm anyone. They admired him for that.
Wenbin stamped his foot in frustration: "Brother Fei! It's obvious someone is trying to frame us! Are we just going to let this go like this?"
Zhao Fei patted him on the shoulder, offering no explanation, only repeating, "Listen to me, deal with it first."
The atmosphere in the pig farm was oppressive all day.
The workers silently carried away the dead pigs and dug huge pits on the barren slopes far from human habitation, burying them one by one.
Zhao Fei stood by and watched, smoking one cigarette after another.
Half of the pig farm's stock was gone just like that.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't heartbroken; that was the culmination of several years of his hard work.
But he managed to suppress the fire in his heart.
He was almost certain who did it.
Who else could it be but Zhao Qingda, who just got divorced yesterday, was beaten up by him, and is now holding a grudge?
Only Zhao Qingda was familiar with pig farms and knew how to get started.
Call the police? Arrest Zhao Qingda?
And then what? Make things even bigger?
Will this make Wen Xiaoxiao and the children a laughingstock?
Will this disrupt the glimmer of hope that has just begun to bring stability?
Zhao Qingda, having nothing to lose, is not afraid of those wearing shoes. Zhao Fei, however, now has a weakness, and he cannot afford to gamble.
For Wen Xiaoxiao's sake, for those poor children, and for that inexplicable feeling in his heart—a desire not to cause further harm—he decided to swallow his anger.
I returned home exhausted in the evening.
Zhou Lanying prepared the meal and quietly served it.
The atmosphere at the dinner table was heavy.
Zhao Yidi sensed something was wrong, so she ate her food obediently and didn't dare to say anything.
After dinner, Zhou Lanying called Zhao Fei to the west wing and closed the door.
"What exactly happened to the pig?" Zhou Lanying asked directly. "Wenbin came back this afternoon with red eyes and wouldn't say anything. Is it... Qingda?"
Zhao Fei was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Most likely. Something was put in the feed; all thirty-odd animals are gone."
Zhou Lanying gasped, "This is terrible! How much money is this?! What... what are you going to do about it?"
Zhao Fei rubbed his face: "There's not much to do. I've had the pig buried. Let's just let this matter rest."
"It's over?" Zhou Lanying couldn't believe it. "Zhao Fei, that was more than thirty pigs! Your hard-earned fortune!"
“We can earn back our family business.” Zhao Fei looked up at his mother-in-law. “Mom, I went to the city and bought a house. It’s a three-bedroom apartment, facing the sun. We can move in in a few days.”
Zhou Lanying was stunned: "Buy a house? Where did you get so much money?"
“We have some savings, enough for a down payment.” Zhao Fei interrupted her. “Mom, once the house is ready, you can move in with us. Yidi needs you, and she also needs an elder to take care of her. …Xiaoxiao… Now that things have come to this, I’ll tell you. Xiaoxiao can come with me too.”
Zhou Lanying was shocked and her eyes reddened. Zhao Fei had actually admitted to his affair with Wen Xiaoxiao so readily. She waved her hand and said, "What kind of old woman like me would live with you..."
“You are my mother-in-law, Li Rui’s mother, and Yi Di’s maternal grandmother.” Zhao Fei said sincerely, “When Li Rui was alive, she was good to me. Now that she’s gone, it’s only right that I take care of you in her place. I also have no parents now, so from now on, you will be my own mother.”
Zhou Lanying's tears fell, and she couldn't speak, only nodding heavily.
Zhao Fei added, "I know what happened with the pig. But I don't want to pursue it anymore. Xiaoxiao just got divorced, and she's pregnant with another baby, Yizhen and Yibao, who are still small. If this gets out of hand, how will they survive? They'll drown in their spittle. I'll take the loss."
Wen Xiaoxiao, who was outside the door and had come to inquire about the pig farm, happened to overhear the last few sentences.
She nearly dropped the water glass she was holding, quickly covered her mouth, and retreated into the shadows.
Buying a house?
To settle them down, Zhao Fei secretly bought an apartment!
More than thirty pigs died, resulting in a heavy loss. He clearly guessed that it was Zhao Qingda, but for her sake... to prevent her and the children from being gossiped about anymore, and for the sake of this "home" that had just been broken and barely pieced back together, he chose to swallow his anger and bear the pain.
A surge of bittersweet, scalding heat rushed into her heart, making it hard for her to breathe.
She leaned against the cold wall and slowly slid down to the ground.
She remembered that she had gone to the convenience store to buy salt that afternoon.
Those gossipy women, gathered together, spoke in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for her to hear:
"Oh, you got your divorce certificate? That was fast."
"Can we really stay together? She's already gotten pregnant."
"I heard the father of the child doesn't even acknowledge him? Tsk tsk..."
"If you ask me, the most unlucky one is Zhao Fei. He's a perfectly good pig farm owner, and he's gotten himself into this mess..."
Those gazes, those words, felt like needles pricking her.
Zhao Fei shouldn't have to endure all this.
In the beginning, was she really with Zhao Fei because she liked him?
Or is it because of hatred towards Zhao Qingda?
Because of desperate clinging?
Because he wanted to get revenge on that man?
It was her initiative.
It was she who drew warmth and support from him during those dark nights.
It could be said that she "seduced" him, dragging a man who could have lived an honest life into this murky water.
He was so good; he deserved a better life.
Instead of what he does now, buying her a house, enduring huge losses for her, and bearing the gossip for her.
She doesn't deserve his kindness.
From the very beginning, her motives were not pure.
She was the one who dragged him down.
Tears welled up silently, and Wen Xiaoxiao bit her hand hard to keep herself from crying out loud.
The corner of her heart that had just seen a glimmer of light rise because of Zhao Fei's promise was once again swallowed up by heavy guilt and self-loathing.
What should she do? Stay by his side and watch him be dragged down by her? Or... leave?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com