Chapter 405
On the day of Mrs. Ma's wedding, all the ladies in the circle attended. Mrs. Liang had just suffered from gastroenteritis the day before, and was dehydrated due to vomiting and diarrhea. She had just started to feel better, but she passed away again, dragging her frail body.
Wang Jiazhi still felt a bit guilty before entering the restaurant. Although this was a proper social interaction, and not going would offend her, and she and Mrs. Ma had never gotten along, and it was always Mrs. Ma who attacked her first. But she still felt that after all, they knew each other, and going there would seem like she was deliberately trying to make Mrs. Ma laugh.
As soon as she entered, she saw Lao Ma and his original wife talking to the guests, each with a red flower on their chest.
"Oh, you're here, come in quickly."
Before she could react, a person rushed in front of her, like a mole suddenly popping out from under her feet.
Looking closely, it was Mrs. Ma, the Mrs. Ma she knew.
"Forehead?"
The original wife, Mrs. Ma, was wearing a bright red cheongsam. The current wife, Mrs. Ma, was also wearing a red cheongsam, but the color was lighter than the original wife's. She didn't wear a flower on her chest, but she was also dressed carefully. And now, she was talking to her with a smile on her face. Before Wang Jiazhi could recover from her shock, Mrs. Ma enthusiastically pulled her arm and walked her to the old Ma and the original wife, saying with a smile, "This is Miss Wang."
The original wife hurriedly pulled her other arm and spoke affectionately and politely. Wang Jiazhi was held on one arm by each of the two former Ma wives, and after a long conversation, she finally got away and found the table of the wives' group and sat down.
She had just sat down and turned her head towards the reception desk, watching Mrs. Ma busy entertaining guests with her husband and his first wife, all with a smile on her face. It was a harmonious scene with a virtuous wife and a submissive concubine.
"Look at her."
Hearing Mrs. Liang's laughing voice, she turned around. This table is full of mahjong partners.
Mrs. Xiao, Mrs. Liang, Mrs. Liao, Ms. Qiao, Mrs. Xiao's three daughters, and Mrs. Liao's second daughter were almost unable to fit in the room.
Wang Jiazhi felt that there was one person missing among all the people wearing dogwood branches, and the only one missing was Mrs. Yi. She thought that Mrs. Yi must be very disappointed, and she was probably the one who wanted to see Mrs. Ma make a fool of herself the most.
Mrs. Xiao's daughter said, "No matter how much she quarrels, she is very good at adapting to the situation and would never dare to offend her husband."
Wang Jiazhi wasn't surprised to think so. Mrs. Ma was the ultimate curry favor with the powerful. She'd fawn over those above her, and humiliate those below her. Once she gained power, she'd become incredibly arrogant. She was just like that with Mrs. Yi; once she hooked up with Old Yi, she immediately changed her ways. She was so bitter and hostile to her at first, and now she's done the same. With her personality, it's no wonder she's offended nearly everyone. So, almost all the ladies she knew were here today, all to see her make a fool of herself.
Wang Jiazhi looked around and said he had something to do and would not come today.
Mrs. Ma was fussy, but she knew her husband no longer loved her. In their circle, divorce wasn't easy. A wife from humble beginnings could get divorced because she wouldn't attract attention. But getting rich wasn't an option.
Despite decades of slogans promoting anti-feudalism and freedom of marriage, it's always the same, especially in official circles. As long as you don't divorce your wife, you're still a human being, and anyone who treats her well is a saint. Old Yi's reputation for this aspect is excellent in his circle. He doesn't divorce, doesn't take concubines, and it's just a matter of indifference. He can have a few more affairs without any hesitation, and it's no big deal.
Old Yi still had a good reputation. People thought he was looking for a good man to have a child with, which was perfectly fine. As for Mrs. Yi, who was secretly making trouble every now and then, it wouldn't be a big deal to just send her back to the countryside.
Old Ma abandoned his first wife, who had been so kind to him, and married his current wife, Ma. His reputation was already compromised. Although things were not going well with Ma, he couldn't divorce her. But Ma was still afraid of a complete breakup with him. If he went even further than Old Liao and completely disappeared without a trace or returned the money, what would the meaning of his status as the principal wife be?
Seeing that Mrs. Liao's eldest daughter was not there, Wang Jiazhi quietly asked about Mrs. Xiao's daughter. Mrs. Xiao's daughter said, "Now her husband's family, her parents' family..." At this point, she glanced at Mrs. Liao across from her and said, "They say she has mental problems. Tell people not to invite her if you have anything to do, and don't tell her if there are any social events at home. Don't let her show up."
Wang Jiazhi exclaimed, "Ah!" She had thought he was just talking, but she hadn't expected him to actually put it into action. While it wouldn't matter if he didn't attend such a boring social event, being kept in the dark seemed like he was treating her like an alien, deliberately excluding her.
Mrs. Liang said, "It's a shame to leave your house empty."
Wang Jiazhi probably understood what she meant, but she just smiled and said nothing. These ladies, even though they spend money like water, don't mind spending it on themselves, but if it's spent on other things, they're very stingy.
Mrs. Yi constantly invited people over to play mahjong. Starting in the afternoon, the games always lasted until at least midnight, with tea breaks, dinner, and a late-night snack after ten o'clock. If they played all night, there was an extra late-night snack and breakfast. With three more people to feed, the dishes were even more extravagant and elaborate than usual, as they tried to show off their wealth. It might not be a big deal once or twice, but over the years, it would add up to a considerable expense.
At first, Wang Jiazhi's first reaction was to think about the sheer amount of electricity wasted by running high-wattage, powerful lights during the day and even overnight. The light dazzled her, and she thought about how during blackouts, ordinary people's homes would be pitch black, pitch dark. Even without the blackout, after nine o'clock, most people would turn off the lights, or use candles to save on electricity.
The light of heaven is bright and dazzling, while the light of hell is dark and pitch black. The rich live in heaven, while the poor live in hell.
She thought to herself at that time.
One day we played all night again. He came back in the middle of the night and left again early in the morning.
Mrs. Yi said to her mother, "Use the leftover yellow croaker from yesterday to make some yellow croaker noodles. Someone caught some from Xuedian Lake, and it weighed over six pounds."
She told Mrs. Liao that they had steamed most of the fish for dinner yesterday. Mrs. Ma left at night, so she asked Mrs. Liao to take her place.
While eating the yellow croaker noodles, she lost her temper and said angrily, "He didn't even get to eat the yellow croaker!"
She knew that having such thoughts was a sign of illness.
Mrs. Yi likes to invite other wives to their homes to play cards, and have them flatter her like stars in the crowd, enjoying the glory of having all the wives come to pay tribute to her.
The wives also loved playing cards at home. If they came to play cards at their own home, they would have to pay for the food and drink of three people, the servants, the lamps and the oil, leaving the house in a mess and making their husbands upset when they returned. The small bill afterward went to the servants, never reaching their own pockets. Playing cards at Madam Yi's house meant they didn't have to worry about anything, and they could eat and drink for free, which actually saved their own family money.
Now that Mrs. Yi had returned to the countryside, no one wanted to be the victim of such a scam, so they set up card games at their homes all day long. They had to take turns hosting the games, which increased the expenses.
Several wives also thought that the house over there was empty anyway, so why not use it as a base for playing cards? The servants and cooks were already there, and of course the money would still be the Yi family's.
Of course Wang Jiazhi would not do that. She didn't like playing mahjong, and she didn't want to be taken advantage of.
A bunch of false eunuchs are taking advantage of you and talking about you as a fool behind your back.
Mrs. Xiao's third daughter looked at a plate of rose cheese in front of her and said to Wang Jiazhi, "Sister, do you want to eat this?"
Mrs. Xiao smiled and said, "What sister? Call me aunt."
Wang Jiazhi smiled and said, "Auntie is right, sister is right, both are good."
Mrs. Xiao's daughter said mischievously, "Yes, as long as he's under 18 years old, you can call him brother or uncle."
Wang Jiazhi understood what she meant and smiled embarrassedly with her hands covering her mouth.
During the meal, Mrs. Liao mentioned that gas prices were high and cars were no longer used. The others ignored her.
Mrs. Liao was just like that. Her family's official positions were far behind those of others in their circle, yet she was obsessed with prestige and always wanted to be on par with others, which caused her a lot of trouble. However, she was also too naive, and like today, she couldn't help but reveal her financial difficulties.
Gasoline is expensive now, but who can't afford a car? How can the families of these high-ranking officials in the circle not afford one? If that's the case, what's the point of this traitor's actions?
In the past, the Yi family had two cars, one for him and one for Mrs. Yi. After she moved there, they had already prepared one for her. She said she didn't need it anymore, but she still kept it at home.
Grandma said, "We're a very frugal family. Including the one over there, we only have three. Those families with more people than ours, and even those with lower official positions than you, have several cars."
She asked herself: What kind of family needs more than three cars?
When they moved in, those scumbags were still alive. Lai Xiujin was especially impressed. She was surprised to see that Wang Jiazhi had moved into a luxurious house with a nanny, maids, cooks, coachmen, and other servants, probably around ten people, plus guards. She also bought Wang Jiazhi a lot of clothes and jewelry. Wang Jiazhi didn't originally use the car, but sometimes when she went out and encountered bad weather and couldn't get a taxi, she had to have it picked up. It's like that; once you use something a few times and find it convenient, you start using it more often.
Before Wang Jiazhi and Lai Xiujin fell out, they recounted the plight of women of low rank in the ancient harem. They slept in cramped quarters, were not allowed to wear fancy clothes or style their hair, and received pitifully little pay, living little better than palace maids. Of all the women, only eight or nine rose to the rank of concubine. This position marked the head of a palace, affording them their own room, a set number of servants, and the freedom to dress however they pleased. Even with other concubines of lower rank living in the palace, their own space was limited.
Lai Xiujin thought about it at that time and thought with gritted teeth: Great, now you have been promoted from a large bunk bed to a concubine as you said. And you live alone in such a big house, which is more comfortable than a concubine!
"More than ten of us are serving these two adulterers! When will we be able to kill them?" Lai Xiujin yelled back, wishing he could rush in and die with her.
Old Wu told Kuang Yumin that when the time came, they could kill Wang Jiazhi as well and say it was an accidental killing. No one would care about the death of a bitch. Originally, Kuang Yumin was the only one who knew about this, but to appease the public, he had revealed to them that Wang Jiazhi would die, that her happiness would be short-lived, and that everyone would share her share of the prize money afterwards.
But those people have reached the limit of their patience. They could not bear the hardships in the past, and they are still suffering now. However, Wang Jiazhi can live a life of wealth and glory and happiness, which makes them feel so miserable that they want to die.
Why was Wang Jiazhi allowed to ride in a car while she could only take the tram or a tricycle? The boys were even more furious. To keep up with her, they'd often pedaled their bicycles all day, collecting dust on the road until their butts were worn out and their legs were nearly broken.
Wang Jiazhi didn’t know what those scumbags were thinking. At this moment, she was wondering what Mrs. Yi would think.
You little bitch, when you went out, you asked me to give you my car as alms, and now you are arguing about your status. Is there any justice in this world?
Now even Mrs. Ma and that old lady have started to fawn over her, one of the reasons being that Old Yi gave Mrs. Yi's car away two months ago.
One time she went to check on the house and found the car was gone.
"Mr. gave it away last month."
She was shocked after hearing this. First, she realized that Mrs. Yi might not come back, and then she wondered why such an expensive item was given away. But given his status, he couldn't sell the car. What a mess he had become.
I wouldn't give the house away one day, would I? No, no, it's such a big thing, worth so much money, the house can always be sold.
Mrs. Yi has been keeping in touch with her mother to keep track of the situation here and to see when Mr. Yi can take her back.
There were only two people left looking after the house, and now they had given her car away, clearly indicating they had no intention of bringing her back. Mrs. Yi was completely despairing. She certainly understood what Wang Jiazhi was thinking, but those were minor details. Her focus was completely different from Wang Jiazhi's.
Mrs. Yi received almost no public support for this incident. She received no sympathy in her urban circles, and unexpectedly, she received even less sympathy when she returned to the countryside.
Of course, the countryside is more feudal than the city.
"She doesn't even have a child, and she doesn't allow her husband to take a second wife. She should be thankful that she doesn't get divorced."
"They brought her to the city the second year after their marriage. Her parents-in-law no longer need her to serve them. She's a wealthy wife, so what else does she want?"
It must be said that although Old Yi was aloof and domineering in his youth, he was very considerate of others' feelings. He also knew that being a daughter-in-law was difficult, and it was even more difficult to take care of one's parents-in-law without a husband. So when he settled down, he took Mrs. Yi with him, even though he had no feelings for her.
The servants who served Mrs. Yi were also from the countryside and had never been to the city. Mrs. Yi had no way of communicating with them. When she learned that her car had been given away, she was completely despaired and couldn't help crying.
The old maid comforted him, "Master is a kind and righteous man. How could he neglect his wife? She will have enough to eat and drink for the rest of her life."
Mrs. Yi also knew that Old Yi would never lack food and drink for her, but was that what she wanted, enough food and drink?
Although she is only one year older than Lao Yi, she firmly believes that she will live many more years longer than Lao Yi and that all the family wealth will eventually belong to her.
Now he had to have a second wife, and since she was so favored, how much of his property would be taken away by then? What if Wang Jiazhi gave birth to another child, and Old Yi no longer cared about the relationship between husband and wife and gave the majority of the property to the mother and child? He would be at a huge loss.
People all love to dream. As long as it is not completely impossible, they always feel that there is hope of realization.
Mrs. Yi had a dream of becoming an empress, which she would realize with the inheritance she would receive after Mr. Yi died. Although she now had enough disposable income to comfortably enjoy shopping, playing cards, and receiving flattery, it was still not enough.
Now this dream seems to have been sentenced to death. How can she not despair?
Wang Jiazhi had a different idea from Mrs. Yi. She felt that if Old Yi had not died a sudden death but had died of old age, he could have lived a very long life.
Mrs. Yi saw how haggard and desperate he looked and felt that he would not live long.
Wang Jiazhi made this inference based on practical experience.
At first, she saw that he was also haggard and thin, with only bones left, but...
Even though he barely slept for several days and had to do such torturous work, his eyes would be bloodshot by the end of the night. But it was still... sometimes, after one or two times, he seemed unable to hold on, but as long as she let him rest for a while and then slightly woke him up, he would soon come back to life.
At the beginning, he hadn't rested or slept for so long that he could even keep his eyes open. In the first few times, he even controlled her and asked her to always look into his eyes.
His eyes were as bright as torches when he was angry, and full of affection when he was happy. In any case, they were like bright stars, extremely deceptive, and unbearable.
She thought at that time, is he trying to seduce her with this look?
In reality, she was overthinking it. He just wanted her to be within his sight so he could control her. It was she who insisted on staring into his eyes.
He never realized that his eyes could be so deceptive. Even when he was young, he wouldn't believe many people who said he was good-looking or had beautiful eyes. He always believed that he could conquer others through his inner qualities. When people praised his good looks, he would think, "How can I believe what they say?"
Later, Wang Jiazhi analyzed that he had graduated from the History Department, had been a history teacher in his early years, and had served in the military, having fought in wars. Of course, he had a very good physique. Especially since he later became a spy, which was not only physically demanding but also mentally taxing. Now, he was even more sleepless, facing such bloody and terrifying events, tortured to the point of being worse than death, yet his eyes remained bright and radiant. He couldn't have done this without a particularly strong physique. If it weren't for these experiences, he would have lived a very, very long life.
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