Watching Song Wei and the other educated youths walking back, chatting and laughing, Luo Yecheng felt his anger growing uncontrollably.
He returned home with a grim expression.
Because she was pregnant, Wang Xiaohua had skipped the event. Standing outside for too long was tiring and cold, so she chose to stay at home.
Seeing Luo Yecheng enter, she greeted him cheerfully.
But to her shock, the next moment, Luo Yecheng slapped her across the face.
Wang Xiaohua let out a loud scream.
“What are you doing?”
She held her face, staring at him in disbelief. “You hit me? What right do you have to hit me?”
Luo Yecheng’s eyes were bloodshot. “Why did your grandfather leak the exam questions to others?”
Wang Xiaohua, confused by his reaction, asked, “What happened? You didn’t get the position?”
Luo Yecheng roared, “Because your grandfather gave the questions to too many people! During the first exam, so many people got perfect scores. Do you think people are stupid and can’t figure it out?”
He was furious. After doing poorly in the second test, he had felt the mocking eyes of everyone around him.
“And what does that have to do with me? I wasn’t the one who leaked the questions.”
Wang Xiaohua wasn’t one to submit meekly. She pushed him back. “I’m telling you, Luo Yecheng, if you hit me again, I’ll fight back!”
Luo Yecheng scowled. “What’s that supposed to mean? You think you can hit your husband?”
“If you can hit me, why can’t I hit you? And look around—how many women in this village don’t fight back when their men act up? Besides, I’m pregnant with your child!”
“You’re nothing but a shrew. I should never have married you.”
Wang Xiaohua pointed at herself incredulously. “Me? A shrew? And who was it that kept saying I was adorable and different from other women? I haven’t even complained that you’re not much of a man!”
She sneered. “Everywhere else, men are the ones earning a living and supporting their families. But here I am, breaking my back to provide for you. If I hadn’t worked so hard, you’d be starving. And now you dare to look down on me?”
Their quarrel escalated, and soon they were physically fighting.
Nearby, Heidan and a group of children overheard Wang Xiaohua’s cries. They crept closer, wide-eyed at the sight of the scuffle.
“Shuanzi, go get my Sister Song,” Heidan urged.
“Why?”
“My sister Song loves eating melon the most.”
By now, Shuanzi understood what Heidan meant by “eating melon.” Without hesitation, he sprinted off to find Song Wei.
When Song Wei got the news, she dashed over immediately, bringing along her “melon eating gang” of older women.
“Where’s the fight? Did it already start?”
Heidan pointed in the direction of the village chief’s house. “They’ve gone there.”
The group quickly changed course.
“You’re a disgrace, Luo Yecheng!” the villagers shouted. “Xiaohua is carrying your child, and you still hit her? Every meal you eat and the roof you sleep under is thanks to her family. How can do this to her?”
From the outside, onlookers nodded in agreement.
“This Luo Yecheng really is useless. He used to look decent, like some educated intellectual. But now, just look at him.”
“Right? What was Xiaohua thinking, falling for someone like that? In the countryside, you don’t just marry for looks. You need a man who’s strong and capable of farm work.”
“And he doesn’t even look like he’s, you know, capable…”
Song Wei: Why do I immediately understand what they mean…
The commotion inside the village chief’s house wasn’t hard to hear, even with the doors shut.
Song Wei and her group of melon eaters knocked on the door of the village chief’s neighbor.
An old man answered.
“Grandpa Niu, sorry to bother you,” Song Wei said sweetly.
Shuanzi darted out. “Grandpa, I’m back!”
Grandpa Niu tapped Shuanzi’s head lightly. “Stop running around. What if you catch a cold?”
Shuanzi thumped his chest. “I’m strong. I won’t get sick.”
Grandpa Niu sighed and let them in.
Song Wei slipped some candy into the old man’s hand, including three pieces of White Rabbit milk candy.
“These are for Shuanzi, and here’s a steamed bun for you, Grandpa Niu.”
“I can’t accept this…”
“Grandpa Niu, could we borrow your small stools for a bit? Thank you!”
Soon, Song Wei and her gang were peeking over the wall of the village chief’s yard, standing on stools and small benches.
“Wow!”
“Oh my goodness!”
The women’s eyes widened at what they saw.
They had expected to criticize Luo Yecheng for hitting his wife, but no one had told them how badly Luo Yecheng himself had been beaten.
His face was swollen with clear handprints on both cheeks. His clothes were torn to shreds, his hair was a mess, and he sported two glaring black eyes.
“Wow, Wang Xiaohua is a force to be reckoned with—even while pregnant!”
“Exactly! That strength and build aren’t for nothing.”
“Poor Luo Yecheng really is useless, haha…”
Their laughter grew louder, attracting the attention of those inside the yard. The village chief’s family and Luo Yecheng all turned to glare at the intruding faces peeking over the wall.
Undeterred, Song Wei flashed them a bright smile.
“Hello, Village Chief! We were just visiting Grandpa Niu and definitely didn’t mean to spy on your… uh, family matters.”
The older women nodded vigorously.
“Congratulations, Xiaohua! How many months along are you?”
“What’s all the fuss about? It’s a family matter. Luo Yecheng, you should really take better care of your wife—she’s pregnant, after all.”
Luo Yecheng, humiliated by their words and laughter, fainted on the spot.
The older women froze.
“Uh… this has nothing to do with us, okay? We didn’t touch him. How did he just faint like that?”
Song Wei quickly broke the silence. “I’ll go get Doctor Ji!”
She darted off, and the rest of the group followed, leaving the village chief’s household in chaos.
Though Luo Yecheng was quickly revived, the village head glared at Wang Xiaohua.
“What on earth did you see in him?”
Still defiant, Wang Xiaohua shot back, “Well, he used to speak sweetly, unlike anyone else. And this isn’t my fault—it’s because you leaked the test questions to so many people! That’s why he didn’t become a teacher and ended up fighting with me.”
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