Chapter 18: Arguing with someone and urging them to divorce his wife.
"Cough cough! Cough cough cough!" Xie Hong couldn't stop coughing once he started, as if he was coughing up all his internal organs, and blood was splattered all over the quilt.
Zhu Mingyue walked to the bedside. She placed the pillow upright at the head of the bed so that Xie Hong could lean against it more comfortably.
Xie Hong suddenly fell seriously ill, much to the dismay of his cronies who came to visit him. He had married a man who was as beautiful as an angel, but he could only admire him from afar. He hadn't enjoyed a single day of happiness after the wedding and had spent the entire time lying in bed.
Among these cronies, a few happened to live in Xie Hong's uncle's village, and after returning home, they told him all about Xie Hong's situation.
He vomited blood on his wedding night, his condition didn't improve despite medication, and it was getting worse every day. Even more shockingly, some claimed that Xie Hong looked like he was on the verge of death…
When these words reached the ears of his two uncles and maternal grandmother, it was quite a big deal. That very noon, his fiery-tempered maternal grandmother stood with her hands on her hips at the door and cursed at them for a full half hour before finally stopping.
The family was subjected to unbearable insults, but dared not retaliate. After all, saying something as unlucky as a person being on the verge of death would anger anyone who heard it.
But the person who said this was one of Xie Hong's cronies who went to visit him. Although he lacked emotional intelligence, not a single word he said was true.
He had previously worked as an apprentice at the clinic for two years, but left the clinic after being caught red-handed misappropriating patients' herbs for private sale.
Although he only dispensed medicine during those two years, he witnessed quite a few life-and-death situations. People were often brought to the clinic on the verge of death for emergency treatment. He saw so much that he gradually became able to recognize some of the signs.
Upon seeing Xie Hong today, he immediately noticed that Xie Hong's condition was strikingly similar to that of the people at the clinic.
Xie Hong's maternal grandmother was still cursing people at noon, but she appeared at the Xie family's door in the afternoon.
The old woman, her back hunched, strode forward with an aggressive air. Upon seeing Zhu Mingyue, she glared at him fiercely, muttering curses: "Vixen! jinx!"
Zhu Mingyue: ...
That wretched feudal society! What business did Xie Hong having to be sick? Why should he be blamed for this?
"Grandmother." Xie Hong peeked out from behind the curtain upon hearing the voice, his voice weak.
"Oh dear!" The old lady exclaimed in shock, her voice rising several octaves. "How did it get like this?!"
The old lady had lived to a ripe old age and seen a lot of the world. When she saw this face, her heart skipped a beat, and she thought that what the villagers were saying wasn't all just rumors.
She seemed perfectly fine on her wedding day, but how did she become so weak that she couldn't get out of bed in just a few days?
This is incredible! Absolutely incredible!
"Look at the wife you married, she's a complete troublemaker! She's already ruined you like this the moment she stepped into the house!" The old lady wailed, leaning over the bed.
This grandson is still a grandson. During the famine years, the old lady's children died, leaving only two sons and a daughter. Her two sons had more daughters than sons. The old lady favored sons over daughters and valued this grandson much more than her granddaughter. Seeing that her grandson was no longer human, she cried her heart out.
Xie Hong, however, was not grateful. He was feeling extremely tightness in his chest, and the old lady's loud voice made it even harder for him to breathe.
Frustrated, he rolled over, turning his back to the old woman and yelling, "Stop crying! I'm not dead yet! Can't you just leave me in peace and quiet?!"
The old lady was crying her heart out when she was scolded. Embarrassed, she stopped crying and wiped away her tears.
Perhaps feeling embarrassed by being scolded by a junior, she quickly turned her attention to Zhu Mingyue.
"It's all your fault, you jinx!"
Zhu Mingyue was lost in thought in the corner when he came to his senses and saw that the old lady had already walked up to him.
Not tall enough, yet he knows to stand on tiptoe; a gust of wind swept past.
"Snap!"
Zhu Mingyue didn't have time to dodge and took a solid slap, leaving a red handprint on her fair cheek that stung painfully.
Zhu Mingyue covered his face in disbelief. Although he had suffered a lot since childhood, he had never been slapped. He was honest and upright, so no one had the right to hit him.
He was really angry. He thought to himself, Zhu Mingyue, that he wasn't a pushover. Everyone was taking advantage of him because they thought he was easy to bully. Was there no justice in this world?
Although the old lady only reached his shoulder height, she was surprisingly strong. As if one slap wasn't enough, she raised her hand again right after delivering the blow.
Zhu Mingyue had been careless just now, and she wouldn't let her get away with it this time. At the same time, she reached out and grabbed the old lady's wrist and pushed her back hard.
The old lady was surprised by the resistance and was pushed back several steps, only stopping when she leaned against the table. After realizing what had happened, she was furious.
"You..." The old lady trembled with anger, pointing her finger at him: "You actually dared to fight back!"
Zhu Mingyue glanced at her and said, "Why shouldn't I fight back?"
He was new here and had no one to rely on, so he had to be cautious. But the other party was clearly trying to take his anger out on him. Why should he give in to them?
"Why should I? Because you have to obey the three obediences and four virtues just because you married into the Xie family!"
The old lady was used to being domineering. In the past, her two daughters-in-law didn't dare to breathe loudly when she was angry, let alone disobey her, for fear that her anger would be directed at them. Being beaten was a common occurrence at first.
It's common for elders to use their younger wives to set rules or vent their anger; it's a very ordinary thing in ordinary families, not even worthy of being a topic of conversation. Everyone goes through this when they're young. Once their children get married, they get through the hardship, and their roles naturally change.
In the old lady's mind, this granddaughter-in-law should be treated like any other daughter-in-law, subject to beatings and scoldings.
But Zhu Mingyue was not as she wished. It was one thing for people of this era to be disciplined by feudal ideology, but he was a person of the new era and could not stand such feudal dregs. He would never suffer such grievances unless he was forced to.
Zhu Mingyue grew angrier the more she thought about it, and finally couldn't hold back any longer, unleashing her most powerful curse: "Fuck your grandpa! You can guard as much as you want, and if that's not enough, make your son guard too!"
These words were quite shocking. Her uncle had been in the ground for so many years, yet he still had such thoughts. This was a great disrespect to his ancestors!
The old lady's eyelids twitched, and her mouth began to tremble: "You, you," she stammered, unable to get the words out, finally managing only to stammer, "You're indecent."
"Look at the man you married!" the old woman accused Xie Hong sharply. "Divorce him! Divorce him right now!"
Xie Hong was almost out of breath, feeling drowsy and just wanting to fall asleep, but he was forced to listen to the two arguing.
He no longer had the strength to be angry. With the last bit of strength left in his chest, he gritted his teeth and squeezed out the word "Get out."
The first time Zhu Mingyue argued with the old lady, or more accurately, the first time she confronted someone directly, it was as if the soul of arguing had awakened within her. She was so engrossed in arguing that she suddenly realized there was a patient present.
He touched his nose to try to ease the awkwardness, then glared at the old lady before leaving the house.
The old woman was so angry that her eyes turned black and her upper body leaned back. She had lived most of her life and had never seen such a person before. Her little mouth was like it was coated with poison; she could poison someone to death with her smacking.
In the courtyard, Zhu Mingyue puffed out her cheeks and plopped down on a wooden stump.
There are three households in the neighborhood. There are a total of nine households along the road to the village entrance. Among them, the men in two households have a good relationship with Xie Hong and have promised to take care of them for him.
This is all the information Zhu Mingyue has pieced together over the past few days.
He kept looking for an opportunity to escape, but there were too many people around during the day. At night, there were few people around, but Xie Hong was a very light sleeper and would wake up at the slightest noise, making it impossible for him to move.
He watched helplessly as Xie Hong's health deteriorated day by day at the Xie family home. Even without leaving the house, he could hear some of the rumors circulating in the village about him being a jinx to his husbands.
He figured that if Xie Hong suddenly died one day, the old lady would definitely incite people to arrest him and drown him in a pig cage.
A quarrel broke out inside the house, but it was more like the old lady was throwing a tantrum than arguing.
Zhu Mingyue couldn't hear the details clearly, but it was nothing more than the old lady wanting Xie Hong to divorce his wife, and Xie Hong refusing the proposal.
In fact, Xie Hong no longer had any desire for Zhu Mingyue. When people are seriously ill, they often forget about love and affection. Even if Zhu Mingyue stood naked in front of him, he would not have any lustful thoughts.
However, he had a very rebellious streak, and the more others urged him to divorce his wife, the less willing he was to do so.
He bought the person with his own abilities, and his decision to keep or leave should be his own, not be ordered around by the old lady like this.
A flash of hatred crossed Xie Hong's eyes as he looked at the old woman, before he could no longer hold on and fell into a coma.
"Oh dear!" The old lady was at a loss. She had tried to persuade Xie Hong to divorce his wife, but he had only said a few harsh words in anger. How did he faint?
Zhu Mingyue heard a gasp, and then the old lady came out in a panic. This time, she didn't even look at Zhu Mingyue and ran straight away. Judging from her back, she seemed to be fleeing in panic.
Zhu Mingyue entered the room and found the bed silent. Listening carefully, she could only hear extremely faint breathing. Upon closer inspection, she found that Xie Hong had indeed fainted from anger.
This old lady, is she trying to pick a fight with him or with her own grandson Xie Hong? After her outburst, she didn't make him faint, but she did make her grandson faint.
Zhu Mingyue's lips curled up. She wanted to laugh when she thought of the old lady's fleeing manner, but she felt it was inappropriate to laugh in front of a patient's bedside, so she forcibly suppressed the corners of her lips.
Xie Hong woke up once during the night, and when he did, he was in much better condition than ever before. His complexion was rosy and he spoke with a strong voice.
He immediately said he was hungry and ordered Zhu Mingyue to cook him porridge with two eggs in it.
Zhu Mingyue braved the darkness and walked through the main room to find a fire, cooking a pot of rice porridge for herself.
After Xie Hong finished the porridge in a few gulps, two white and fragrant eggs floated to the bottom of the bowl. His eyes widened and he could only swallow his saliva desperately.
He wouldn't dare steal food.
Eggs are a truly good thing, and Xie Pei knows exactly how many he has at home. It would be embarrassing if he didn't know the exact number when asked.
He watched as the other person swallowed the egg in two bites, let out a satisfied burp, stopped panting, and felt no more tightness in his chest. He looked as energetic as if he could live another hundred or eighty years.
Zhu Mingyue watched this scene with mixed feelings of joy and worry. She was happy that she would no longer be called a jinx to her husbands, nor would she face the risk of being drowned in a pig cage. She was worried because Xie Hong's illness had been cured, making escape even more difficult.
next day
Xie Hongyi recovered from his illness and, apart from still needing to lie in bed, looked no different from an ordinary person.
The old lady rushed over again early in the morning, and when she saw Xie Hong's condition, she suddenly burst into tears, her cries even louder than yesterday.
Zhu Mingyue scratched her head, looking completely bewildered.
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