Chapter 6: I’m Certain!

Regardless of the specific truth, the fact remained that Jiang Jiali and Lu Niannian had ended up entangled together.

Upon hearing Chen Zhenhua’s words, Wang Shufen finally got up from Liu Guixiang, stepping aside and leaving Liu Guixiang exposed to everyone’s view.

Chen Xueying looked at Liu Guixiang, whose hair had been torn out in clumps, clothes ripped, and face and exposed skin covered in red scratch marks, some even bleeding. Her mood couldn’t have been better.

“Heavens, what do you all think you’re doing? Bursting in and beating people up is there no law anymore?” Liu Guixiang wanted to stand up, but every joint ached, leaving her no choice but to sit on the ground wailing. In this state, even those who usually got along with her didn’t know what to say.

They were all from the same village. How could Liu Guixiang have done something so shameful? She deserved the beating.

Sitting up, Liu Guixiang finally noticed Jiang Jiali lying nearby like a dead pig. With a cry, she ignored the pain and crawled over to him.

He was her only son! If he died, how could she ever explain it to her husband later?

“You heartless monsters! I’m going to the county, to the commune to report to you!”

“Go ahead! You already reported our family to the commune before, accusing Old Chen of abusing his position as Party Secretary. Haven’t you benefited enough from our family?

It’s like biting the hand that feeds you! You begged for this marriage, and I agreed thinking the child was happy, but this is how you humiliate us? Disgusting!”

Chen Xueying was stunned by her mother’s words. She hadn’t realized her family knew Jiang Jiali was the one who reported them, yet they had never mentioned it in front of her.

Liu Guixiang was baffled by the scolding. What was all this about? She didn’t understand.

Who reported whom? Who humiliated whom?

A friend who usually got along with her, seeing her confusion, sighed and explained what had happened, finally clarifying the situation.

Seeing her son lying naked on the ground, Liu Guixiang suddenly thought of something. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she rushed toward Jiang Yanqing’s room.

When she saw Lu Niannian on the bed getting dressed, also badly beaten, her mind went blank with a buzz, and she collapsed to the floor.

Soon, the Brigade Leader arrived. Seeing the yard crowded with people, he shouted irritably, “What are you all gathered here for? Don’t you have work to do this afternoon?” On such a hot day, even a short break couldn’t be peaceful.

The wedding was at noon. After eating, everyone could rest a bit before returning to work in the afternoon.

At the Brigade Leader’s words, many villagers reluctantly headed to the fields, though some older women stayed behind. Their sons were married, and the younger ones handled the work. With tasks light now, they stayed home to cook and manage the household.

Once the workers left, the yard emptied significantly. Brigade Leader Chen Xiujiang glanced at Chen Xueying leaning against her mother, then at Jiang Jiali lying motionless in the distance, and sighed before walking over to Chen Xueying.

“Xueying, I’ve heard about what happened. What do you plan to do now?”

Chen Xueying’s eyes were swollen and red. At the Brigade Leader’s question, tears immediately streamed down her face.

“Great Uncle, the Jiang family deceived me. That Jiang Jiali only wanted to marry me so he could avoid working in the village. Once his older brother left, he planned to be with his sister-in-law.

Wuwu~ He said he never liked me at all, and only married me because I’m foolish, wuwu~”

Hearing this, everyone felt deeply uncomfortable. They knew Chen Xueying was naive, but they never imagined Jiang Jiali would be so bold. Did he think the Chen family in Chen Village had no one left to stand up for her?

“Child, don’t worry. We’re all watching this. You’ve truly been wronged in this matter. Tell us how you’d like this resolved? We must settle this properly.” This essentially left no room for the Jiang family to negotiate directly following her wishes.

Chen Xueying bit her lower lip and whispered: “I don’t want to stay with Jiang Jiali anymore. He’s too filthy. Since I’ve already married today, everyone knows I’m married. If I leave now, I’m afraid people will talk.” She spoke haltingly.

Those nearby looked at her with sympathy and rightly so. In the village, holding the wedding banquet was equivalent to being married.

If Chen Xueying returned home now, any future marriage prospects would be as a divorced woman, possibly even with children. What a terrible loss.

“I won’t marry Jiang Jiali. Since Jiang Jiali likes Lu Niannian, then I’ll marry Jiang Yanqing instead. Let’s just do a marriage exchange. But after today’s humiliation, I never want anything to do with them again. I want to sever ties with the Jiang family, I want to separate households, and I want Jiang Jiali to compensate me with a house. I refuse to live with them.” The more she spoke, the harder she cried.

No one thought her demands were excessive. Among families, when one of their own is wronged, no compensation is too much.

Chen Xiujiang exchanged glances with Chen Zhenhua who had just approached. He had clearly heard what Chen Xueying said. This seemed like a perfect solution that satisfied both sides.

Jiang Yanqing was far better than Jiang Jiali. Though just an ordinary non-commissioned officer, he was said to earn over ten yuan monthly. If she truly married Jiang Yanqing and established a separate household, that would be the best possible outcome for Chen Xueying.

Chen Zhenhua looked deeply at his daughter. He didn’t understand why she had changed so suddenly, but it was good that she had come to her senses.

“Are you certain?”

Chen Xueying knew her father didn’t trust her all because she had been so stubbornly devoted to Jiang Jiali before.

“I’m certain!”

“Good, your great uncle and I now understand what needs to be done. But for the marriage exchange, we must wait for Jiang Yanqing to return and obtain his agreement.” After all, Jiang Yanqing was in the military, and they couldn’t force such matters.

However, they felt this would likely work out. Surely Jiang Yanqing wouldn’t reject an unmarried young woman for someone already “soiled”?

He called over a younger member of the Chen family to find Jiang Yanqing: “You go back to your room and pack your things. Don’t worry, we’ll definitely get justice for you.”

Chen Xueying had no reason to doubt them. She knew her father and great uncle’s capabilities nearly two-thirds of the village were related to the Chen family.

This was exactly why Liu Guixiang had been so insistent that Jiang Jiali married Chen Xueying.

Jiang Jiali’s grandfather had been a wanderer who settled here, making them outsiders. Over the years, if Jiang Jiali hadn’t connected with Chen Xueying, their lives wouldn’t have been nearly as comfortable.

It was precisely because he enjoyed the benefits of not having to work, or at most doing light tasks, that Jiang Jiali, despite his dislike for Chen Xueying, occasionally displayed ambiguous behavior that could easily be misunderstood.

Wang Shufen pulled Chen Xueying into Jiang Jiali’s room while the others stayed outside with Chen Zhenhua to negotiate with Liu Guixiang.

The specifics of their conversation were barely audible from inside the room.

Wang Shufen looked at her daughter with heartache, tears welling in her eyes as she gently brushed her swollen cheek. “You’ve suffered; you’ve suffered so much!”

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Zephyr Yizelle

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