Chapter 4 Divorce
Shi Yuan glanced at Yang Fuguo, was startled by the colorful pig's head, and immediately looked away. At the same time, her clear voice exploded in the minds of the Yang family: "Wu Xinghe's belly."
"What stomach?" Feng Jinqiu looked like she'd just eaten shit, staring at Yang Fuguo in disbelief. "How is this possible! What's that woman's background? How can you even recognize her?"
Yang Fuguo remained silent.
Silence equals consent.
Yang Meiyu hissed:
"Is it yours, bro? Don't just claim it as yours!"
"Even if it is true, don't admit it, bro!"
"It doesn't matter whether he admits it or not, as long as Wu Xinghe points it out." Wu Xinghe is a widow, and her pregnancy is irrefutable evidence of her improper conduct.
Feng Jinqiu made a very good point: Li Mingfen and the others wouldn't testify for Shi Ling for the sake of their own reputation, but that was only if Wu Xinghe hadn't been reported.
Once Wu Xinghe is reported, in order to protect the men in their families and for the sake of their so-called reputation, they will definitely step forward to firmly attach the identity of Wu Xinghe as Yang Fuguo's lover!
Shi Yuan stood up: "Let's go to town and report it."
"Stop!" Feng Jinqiu instinctively stopped him and slapped Yang Fuguo a few times. "You crawled into that slut's bed, fine, but how did you end up with a baby!"
"Is it honorable for the whole brigade to have godfathers for the children?" Feng Jinqiu didn't say this aloud.
"I can move out if you want," Shi Ling suddenly said.
Shi Yuan looked over in surprise, but neither stopped her nor interrupted. She believed that Shi Ling would not hold her back.
The Yang family members were delighted, and Feng Jinqiu's sharp, triangular eyes softened considerably: "That's how it should be, after all, you and your son will still be living in the brigade in the future."
"Give me the old house, and I'll also get an extra 500 yuan."
"What?! You want the old house?! You want money too?! You're dreaming!"
“Either Yang Fuguo moves out,” Shi Ling said coldly.
"If that doesn't work, I'll go to the town and report it," Shi Yuan reiterated his stance.
The Yang family fell silent. Wu Xinghe's belly was a ticking time bomb; once it exploded, no one in the Yang family would be spared.
Feng Jinqiu slapped Yang Fuguo a few more times: "All the men in the whole brigade have slept with her, how come you're the only one caught in bed with someone else!"
Old Man Yang tapped his pipe: "The old house is yours." He looked at Shi Ling and said, "Five hundred is too much. We farmers can't come up with that all at once."
"No matter what, back then when you and Shi Yuan had nowhere to go, it was Fu Guo who took you in."
“The five hundred is the money to buy this brick house,” Shi Ling said. “Also, it’s not that I had nowhere to go back then. It was Yang Fuguo who said he would treat Yuanyuan as his own child and that Yuanyuan was his only child in his life, so I married him.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Fuguo looked up at Shi Ling with a complicated expression, then hesitated and said, "Five hundred is too much, how about three hundred?"
Shi Ling didn't want to argue any further, so she nodded and said, "Let's transfer the old house first and move my and Yuan Yuan's household registrations there."
After the matter was settled, Yang Fuguo saw the Yang family off and returned home. He gave Shi Ling three hundred yuan and wanted to be sentimental: "Shi Ling, I was sincere at the time. I don't know how our lives ended up like this."
"Don't mention the two of us." Shi Ling counted the money one bill at a time, uttering a single word, "Disgusting!"
Yang Fuguo's pig-like face looked like it had been dyed in various colors, and finally, he squatted in the corner with his hair in his hands, looking very annoyed.
"That scumbag is even putting on an act?" Shi Yuan rolled her eyes. "Is he just worried about the money?"
Shi Ling put away the money and told Shi Yuan to pack her things. The two of them left without looking back, carrying their suitcases.
The Yang family's old house is at the foot of the mountain. The walls are high and mottled, covered with moss, and weeds grow at the base of the walls. The iron chains on the gate are covered with red rust. With the green light shining on it, it would be so atmospheric that it wouldn't need to be renovated to be a haunted house.
Shi Ling pushed open the courtyard gate, turned around and smiled at Shi Yuan, saying, "Come in."
Shi Yuan readily accepted the good advice, carrying her suitcase as she stepped into the courtyard. She was never picky about where she lived; it didn't matter where she slept.
It's still different. Shi Yuan stared blankly at the new bungalow in front of her, and heard Shi Ling's smiling voice in her ear: "Do you like it here?"
It's hard not to agree when someone is willing to nod.
The bungalows, constructed of brick, tile, and wood, are laid out in the style of old-fashioned courtyard houses, complete with wells in the yards, making them very livable.
"What you wanted from the beginning was the old house."
"Yes." Shi Ling didn't hide it. "In the first few years, Yang Fuguo was quite protective of me and Yuanyuan."
Later, when Feng Jinqiu kept urging her to have a child, and Yang Meiyu made insatiable demands, wanting to empty her pockets, while Yang Fuguo only told her to be patient and accommodating, she knew that Yang Fuguo was unreliable.
“The Yang family suggested renovating the old house, and I immediately took on the task.” She looked at Shi Yuan, “and then immediately raised the height of the wall.”
"I hope that in that situation, it would be safer to live here."
Shi Yuan's eyes felt a little sore.
“After you came, I hesitated, but then I thought you would like to like it here more.”
"I love so much!"
"That's good. Apart from the yard needing some tidying up, everything inside is ready-made. Just go and choose a room you like."
"You've prepared so thoroughly, aren't you afraid the Yang family will snatch it away?" Shi Yuan joked.
Shi Ling shook her head: "They finally left the old house, so they are absolutely unwilling to come back."
"I insisted on having that house because of the money." A smile played on her lips, clearly indicating that leaving the Yang family had made her happy.
Both bedrooms face south. Shi Yuan chose the one closer to the hilltop. After putting down her suitcase, she and Shi Ling tidied up the yard together.
A major incident recently occurred in Qinglinwan Brigade: Yang Fuguo and his wife from another village separated, and Shi Ling has moved with Shi Yuan to the old Yang family house.
The villagers had different opinions on this, but most felt that the Yang family was unkind.
"The second son of the Yang family built his brick house after he married Shi Ling, right?" Someone nudged Li Mingfen's arm. "Mingfen, I saw you and Shi Ling heading towards the end of the village the other day."
She winked and said, "That same day, Shi Ling moved to the old house with Shi Yuan. Tell me what happened at the end of the village."
Li Mingfen remained silent, focusing solely on pulling weeds.
She wanted to spread the word throughout the entire brigade about Widow Wu's affair, but she couldn't.
That old bastard in her house probably slept with Widow Wu too. If Widow Wu were to throw caution to the wind and expose that old bastard, her son and daughter would be utterly disgraced.
"Hey, tell me, I promise I won't tell anyone." The man waited a while longer, but seeing that Li Mingfen ignored him, he could only leave dejectedly.
Shi Ling and Shi Yuan ignored the rumors circulating outside. A few days later, Shi Ling and Yang Fuguo got their divorce certificate, the old house was transferred to Shi Yuan's name, and the household registration was changed.
"Why did you give me the house?" Shi Yuan felt as if the thin certificate weighed a ton.
Shi Ling said nonchalantly, "I was planning to give it to you anyway."
"Doesn't it make you feel much more at ease having your own house?"
Shi Yuan's eyes started to sting again: "Why are you so good to me?"
Anyone who has survived the apocalypse knows that no one is kind to you for no reason. If someone gives you something, it's because they want more from you.
Therefore, I have always been willing to treat everyone equally.
"If I had to give a reason, it would be that I want you to stay." After saying that, she smiled and asked, "What do you want to eat tonight? I'll cook." It was as if the house issue was insignificant.
Shi Yuan felt a pang of sadness.
"I want noodles, with two poached eggs." She added, "I can't cook, but I'm good at grilling meat and brewing wine. Oh, and do you like fish? I'm good at catching fish and grilling fish too."
"Then you go catch fish tomorrow, and I'll cook it for you," Shi Ling replied with a smile. "Be careful when you go into the river; it's very deep. By the way, can you swim?"
"meeting."
"You don't need to rush to work. I have money, and we don't need those few work points. You should get used to it first."
"The scenery on the mountain is nice, you can go and take a look, but be careful. People from the village sometimes set traps up there, so don't accidentally step into one."
Shi Yuan looked up at the clear sky and occasionally responded with a few words, experiencing for the first time the peaceful life that Ji Ying had described.
After waking up and falling asleep several times, Shi Yuan decided to get up early in the morning.
"I'm going to catch fish," she said with a smile, announcing her whereabouts. "I'll be back before noon." In the apocalypse, she wished she had the ability to become invisible so she could conceal her whereabouts.
"Be careful, don't go where the water is too deep," Shi Ling said naturally, adding, "It's okay if you don't catch any fish, we'll go to town to buy some on our days off in a few days."
"Oh, right, I need to give you some money notes, just in case you need them."
Shi Yuan smiled, the morning light shining on her face, vivid and bright, the kind of smile most needed in the end times.
Shi Yuan went to the riverbank humming a song, but when she got there, she realized that things were a bit tricky.
She is indeed an expert at catching fish, so how can catching mutant fish not count?
But she can't muster a single drop of her superpowers now, so catching fish with her bare hands is definitely out of the question.
This was a bit awkward. She had already made the boast, and she felt the money in her pocket, wondering where she could buy a pair.
So everyone needs to have some strength at all times. If she could squeeze out even a little bit of superpower, she could take all the fish in this river!
For a moment, Shi Yuan felt extremely melancholy.
Fortunately, she's not the type to overthink things. If she can't catch fish, she can catch a pheasant in the mountains.
By the way, Ji Ying once told her that wild ginseng was very valuable in this era and was excellent for nourishing the body. She might be lucky enough to find one or two, and then she could sell one and give the other to Shi Ling to nourish her body.
Perfect!
But looking at the lush green mountains, she hesitated again. Are there really no mutated plants or animals here?
She's too weak to go into the mountains to deliver food.
She loves this life, and that's why she cherishes it so much.
Forget it, let's observe for a while longer, until she's completely overcome her psychological trauma from the mutated plants and animals, and until we're certain there are no mutated animals on the mountain.
By the way, could she exchange the money in her pocket for some gold? She really doesn't feel safe without superpowers!
Or should we go to town and see if there's a place that sells gold?
Shi Yuan squatted on the riverbank, letting her imagination run wild, idly splashing water with her hands.
While playing with the fish, Shi Yuan noticed a pretty little fish swimming around. She casually stirred up a whirlpool and watched the fish swirl around, laughing and muttering to herself, "It's too small, no meat. You're lucky."
The whirlpool quickly subsided, and the small fish, after floating on the surface of the river for a while, leaped out of the water and spat at Shi Yuan.
Shi Yuan, quick as a flash, grabbed the little fish: "You little rascal, you're pretty fierce, aren't you? You've mutated, have you? Roast it!"
The little fish struggled but couldn't break free, and then bit Shi Yuan's tiger's mouth.
"You're the mutated one! Your whole family is mutated!"
Shi Yuan hissed, and the man and the fish looked at each other, both quite surprised.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com