Chapter 47
47.
Wen Lin actually knew where his son lived a long time ago. Even though he didn't deliberately inquire, he had guessed it.
Those villagers who sell Cheng Lingjun's embroidery are villagers from Dahuai Village. People from other villages often come to Guping Town. The people from Dahuai Village live not far away, and many people in the town moved here from Dahuai Village. If you pay a little attention, this is no secret.
Wen Lin remained silent only because he had promised Cheng Lingjun not to ask about his address. In fact, they both knew that the other knew. Cheng Lingjun didn't want his family to know about this, and Wen Lin knew his thoughts. He could have kept quiet, but Cheng Xiu made him say it.
"You should know where he lives, right?" Cheng Xiu asked with a sullen face that day, right after Cheng Lingjun rejected the marriage proposal she had introduced.
Wen Lin was startled and asked, "W-what's wrong?"
Cheng Xiu said, "I think he's keeping a secret because he won't say where he lives. Maybe he has someone there."
Cheng Xiu's last two words made Wen Lin hesitate. He knew that his son didn't want to tell them where he lived because he was afraid they would come looking for him. But Wen Lin was actually on his wife's side. Why did Cheng Lingjun have to live in that rural village? He was already somewhat reluctant to help Cheng Lingjun keep it a secret, and now, after hearing Cheng Xiu say that Cheng Lingjun might have problems there, his heart leaned even more towards Cheng Xiu's side.
Cheng Xiu looked at him and said, "Do you know?"
Wen Lin: "...I know."
"Then why didn't you say so sooner?" Cheng Xiu was about to glare at him again, but she still patiently asked, "Where does he live?"
"Dahuai Village".
“Dahuai Village? Where is that? Never mind, it’s just a rural place. How could he go there? What kind of person could he possibly be interested in?” Cheng Xiu felt increasingly uneasy as she spoke, and then turned to accuse Wen Lin: “You’re not acting like a father at all. You knew your son went to a place like that, and you kept it from us!”
Wen Lin couldn't help but retort, "I just guessed. How would I know where he lived before?"
"Forget it, I can't reason with a woman like you. You... I'll finish up my teaching duties for the next few days and have Ya Jun come with us to find Ling Jun. We must make sure he comes home!"
After taking care of things at home and outside, Cheng Xiu and Wen Lin immediately asked Cheng Yajun to find a horse-drawn carriage and hurried to Dahuai Village.
Upon arriving at the entrance of Dahuai Village, Cheng Xiu immediately noticed the writing on the large stone at the village entrance and muttered to herself in surprise, "Liu Qingyi's writing... how did it end up here?"
Wen Lin didn't hear what he said, so he asked, "What did you say?"
"It's nothing, it's definitely a fake, or some kind of copy," Cheng Xiu said dismissively, and started walking into the village. "This run-down village isn't worth living in, it's all trees and mud. If it weren't for Ling Jun, I really wouldn't want to come here..."
Wen Lin said with a forced smile, "I don't think it's that bad. Besides, we're just here to find our son, and we won't be staying long, right, Ya Jun?"
When Wen Lin turned around, he saw that Cheng Yajun had already walked behind him, seemingly admiring the scenery, oblivious to everything else, her mind... she didn't know what she was doing.
Cheng Xiu got angry just looking at her, but this daughter was always like that, an indestructible stubborn mule. Even if she got angry at her, it was useless. It was already good enough if she could get her to do something.
Cheng Xiu said resentfully, "I'll be driven to my death by you siblings sooner or later. When will your father and I be able to live out our old age in peace?"
Cheng Yajun remained unmoved by these familiar words. When they arrived in the village, it was Cheng Xiu and Wen Lin who asked where Cheng Lingjun lived. When others asked who they were, Cheng Xiu simply said that they were his mother and asked if her son was hiding anything from the village.
Others assumed it was the parents coming to settle scores with their son, and they spread this rumor to them, which infuriated Cheng Xiu.
Cheng Xiu walked briskly towards Cheng Lingjun's room, with Wen Lin following closely behind. Cheng Yajun continued walking at a leisurely pace. She was the least concerned about her younger brother's affairs in the family. In fact, all the family members treated her the same way. Her mother had been very strict with the three of them since they were young, especially with the two girls, who were always being disciplined. Although her father was easily swayed, he listened to her mother and was powerless to help them.
As she grew up, her fate and that of her eldest sister were vastly different. Apart from both living at home, they had nothing in common. Her eldest sister studied very hard, but she was always just a little bit unlucky and didn't achieve much. She didn't even surpass her mother's status as a scholar. Her mother was both heartbroken and urged her to study, but it was no use. However, she listened to her parents, married, had two daughters, and continued to live the life taught by her mother.
Because of the strictness she experienced in her childhood, she hated being controlled and became overly indulgent. She didn't want to take the imperial examinations, get married, or have children. She wasn't even interested in making money. She was content with finding a temporary job to earn enough to keep herself from starving. She would wander around aimlessly every day. Sometimes, if she met someone who could find her a job that paid quickly, she would do it. Her family couldn't control her at all.
My younger brother and she didn't get along very well. Before he got married, they barely spoke more than two words a day. I thought my younger brother would be like my older sister, but I didn't expect that another stubborn person would emerge in the family.
The woman in this so-called rumor is even more intriguing. I heard she used to be a rogue and a scoundrel, the kind that everyone hated. It's unbelievable that my virtuous younger brother would fall for such a woman.
Therefore, although Cheng Yajun's parents were not very willing to do this, she became genuinely interested after hearing this rumor.
But when he actually met the woman, he felt that his brother's taste was better than before.
...
At this moment, Wen Lin had the same thought as his second daughter.
He looked at Guan Yue with almost astonishment, thinking that the child didn't seem bad.
She didn't seem like a thug; her eyes were clear and open, her clothes looked old but didn't give off a shabby or destitute feeling, her posture was upright like a pine tree, and her manners were not rude. She seemed more like a poor girl from a fallen family.
Moreover, he wouldn't miss her action of shielding her son; it was a natural expression of urgency, showing how worried she was about Ling Jun. Wen Lin, who had initially been somewhat skeptical of the rumors, had to admit that there was probably something fishy going on between them, though he didn't know how far things had progressed.
While Wen Lin and Cheng Yajun were still pondering and observing Guan Yue, Cheng Xiu had already finished her observation. She had a preconceived notion that Guan Yue was indeed a hooligan. She got so close to her son as soon as she arrived and even grabbed her wrist roughly. She looked like a thug who was not to be trifled with.
This person might be coercing Ling Jun. Cheng Xiu felt a surge of anger rising within her. She stepped forward and said, "You're the one who harassed my son, aren't you?"
"This...this...this..." Guan Yue took a step back, looked at Cheng Xiu, then at Cheng Lingjun, and forced herself to explain, "I...I haven't been harassing anyone lately..."
Could it be that Cheng Lingjun disliked her words and actions, so he went to her parents to seek justice for her?
Guan Yue couldn't help but think of her own school days, where she seemed to have seen similar scenes before. It was always the girl's parents confronting the boy, the parents were on the verge of a fight, and the girl was crying silently. Was she... was she supposed to play the role of the boy? Like bowing her head and taking the scolding or something?
But, isn't that something that only happens when someone is in a puppy love relationship?
Guan Yue pushed the absurd associations out of her mind, looked at Cheng Lingjun, and couldn't help but whisper, "Is it because I did something I shouldn't have done that...?"
Although it seemed unlikely to be that outrageous, the fact that Cheng Lingjun's parents had inexplicably arrived here made it hard not to suspect that Cheng Lingjun had invited them.
Seeing the sadness on Guan Yue's face, Cheng Lingjun quickly said, "No! I don't know how they got here... Mother, why are you here?"
Cheng Xiu snorted, "What? I'm your mother, can't I come here?"
"No, that's not what I meant, but why didn't you tell me beforehand... and why did you have to disturb other people's homes?"
Cheng Lingjun didn't discover Cheng Xiu and Wen Lin much earlier than Guan Yue. He only ran out when he heard a commotion outside the door. He found a crowd gathered outside and quickly told Li Guang not to go out so he could see what was going on. He then saw that it was his parents. At that time, Cheng Xiu was already shouting at Guan Yue's door. He rushed in anxiously and pulled them back, but he didn't expect Cheng Xiu to become furious as soon as she saw him. The two started arguing.
Cheng Lingjun then realized that they had come to find Guan Yue on purpose, but they hadn't expected that Guan Yue lived across the street from him, which angered Cheng Xiu.
Unexpectedly, Cheng Xiu became even more displeased upon hearing this: "What do you mean I'm bothering others? Ling Jun, why are you taking the side of others? What exactly is your relationship with this Guan Yue?"
Even Cheng Xiu, who was furious, could see that something was wrong. Her son seemed to have a really unusual relationship with Guan Yue. Ling Jun had first explained to Guan Yue and calmed her down before asking them if this was just a normal neighborly relationship. Also, Guan Yue's words sounded strange. There was something wrong, definitely something wrong!
Cheng Xiu was determined to find out their relationship!
Cheng Lingjun lowered her head and said softly, "Mother, let's not argue here. Let's go to my place, and I'll explain it to you in detail."
"What are you saying? What can't you just say directly?!" Cheng Xiu flung Cheng Lingjun's hand away from her sleeve, shouting instead of lowering her voice, "Is this how you disgrace the Cheng family in public? Associating with disreputable women while keeping it a secret from our parents, and now you suddenly want to save face? What about our reputation?!"
Every word felt like a slap across Cheng Lingjun's face. He felt a burning sensation on his face, and though he wanted to say something, it was stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a word.
"I..." Cheng Lingjun gasped for breath, feeling like she was about to collapse at any moment, struggling to speak.
I'm not the kind of person you're describing, Mother. I...I'm not...
A hand suddenly blocked his way.
Guan Yue gave him a strong look, and stepped forward as if a hero had to cut off his own arm, meeting Cheng Xiu's murderous gaze, and said, "I'm sorry, Auntie!"
“It was me who harassed Cheng Lingjun! I was presumptuous and tried to have my way with him. I was the one who took it upon myself to admire him. He rejected me righteously long ago. All those so-called rumors are false, none of them are true!”
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