Chapter 39: Zhao Fusheng Took the Money and Ran

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Yang Xiuhua was stunned.

Her husband was saying the most heartless things in the calmest possible tone.

How could he treat her this way?

He had lost everything, yet she had never left him. She had even brought him back to her parents’ home to live with her.

And now he was willing to abandon her simply because of the bride price?

She stared at Zhao Fusheng and asked incredulously, “Are you serious?”

Zhao Fusheng nodded without hesitation.

This woman had been with him for so many years, yet she had not even given him a child.

What use was she to him?

Once he got the money and made a comeback, what kind of woman could he not have?

Yang Xiuhua collapsed like a deflated balloon and dropped heavily to the ground.

She stared blankly ahead, lost in thought.

Seeing her like that, Zhao Fusheng felt a trace of pity.

After all, she had been with him for several years.

He offered her a few words of consolation. “Xiuhua, you know I have nothing now. After we divorce, you can still find a good family and marry again. I’m doing this for your own good.”

A glimmer of hope flashed through Yang Xiuhua’s eyes. She looked up at him. “Are you telling the truth?”

“Of course I am. Xiuhua, we’ve been husband and wife for so many years. How could I bear to watch you suffer?”

Sun had originally intended to drive them both away that day.

But after hearing Zhao Fusheng’s words, an idea suddenly occurred to her.

Looking at him now, fat as a pig and incapable of doing any work, she could not help but sneer.

He had even lost his job as a shopkeeper. He had no money at all.

Her eyes shifted, and she said, “Write the divorce agreement first, and I’ll return the bride price to you.”

Zhao Fusheng was overjoyed.

Without giving it much thought, he immediately went to Yang Wenbin to borrow paper and a brush.

Yang Xiuhua knew her mother well enough.

She did not believe Sun would actually hand over the money.

She fixed her eyes on her mother. “What are you plotting?”

Sun shot her a sideways glance. “Shut up, you wretched girl.”

“No matter what you’re planning, I won’t let you get your way.”

With that, Yang Xiuhua rushed out, intending to stop Zhao Fusheng from writing the divorce agreement.

Sun seized her and dragged her inside. She found a rope, tied her up, and stuffed a cloth into her mouth.

When Yang Wenbin heard what had happened, he hurried over.

Seeing the scene before him, he looked at Sun in confusion.

Sun leaned close to his ear and whispered a few words.

Yang Wenbin nodded in understanding.

His mother had done nothing wrong.

Zhao Fusheng was useless now. His reputation was ruined, and no one in town would hire him again.

His sister had no future following him. It was better for her to divorce him and find someone else.

Zhao Fusheng finished writing the divorce agreement and returned.

When he saw Yang Xiuhua tied up with her mouth covered, struggling to say something to him, he merely glanced at her.

He had no time to concern himself with her now.

He handed the signed divorce agreement to Yang Wenbin, who was literate.

Yang Wenbin read it over, found nothing wrong, folded it away, and nodded at Sun.

Sun immediately grabbed a shoulder pole and swung it at Zhao Fusheng.

“Now you have nothing to do with our family. Get out!”

Zhao Fusheng dodged the blow and shouted, “Where’s the bride price? Are you planning to cheat me?”

“Zhao Fusheng, are you dreaming in broad daylight?”

“I gave you my daughter and let you sleep with her for all these years without asking for anything. And now you still want the bride price? Get out, or I’ll beat you to death!”

Sun drove Zhao Fusheng out as though he were livestock.

He had nothing left but the soaked clothes on his back.

Outside the Yang family courtyard, he shivered violently in the cold.

Sun shut the door and went into Yang Xiuhua’s room. She looked down at her and said, “I’m doing all this for your own good.”

Yang Xiuhua’s eyes were vacant. She gave a foolish little laugh.

For her own good?

What a joke.

Her mother probably just wanted to marry her off again and collect another bride price.

At Widow Zhang’s house, Widow Zhang sat in Zhao Fusheng’s arms, her face coy with embarrassment.

“Zhao, what are you planning to do from now on?”

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That day, she had gone to Sun’s house for a chat. When she reached the courtyard, she saw Zhao Fusheng standing outside, trembling from the cold.

When she went over to check on him, he collapsed against her.

Ever since her husband’s death, she had not been so close to a man.

When Zhao Fusheng suddenly leaned against her, her entire body trembled, a tingling sensation spreading through her.

She helped him to his feet and asked what had happened.

Who could have known that Zhao Fusheng was no gentleman? The moment he leaned against her, his hands began wandering.

Unable to restrain herself, she brought him home.

Looking at the aging, faded beauty in his arms, Zhao Fusheng’s heart filled with hatred for Sun.

If that savage shrew had not driven him to this point, he would never have hooked up with a widow.

He had known countless women. The moment Widow Zhang helped him that day, he could tell she was no virtuous woman.

Since he had nowhere else to go, he had simply taken advantage of the opportunity to seduce her.

Seeing that his thoughts had wandered, Widow Zhang stroked him and asked, “Zhao, what are you thinking about?”

Her deliberately coquettish voice made him want to vomit.

Zhao Fusheng took a deep breath. “Darling, I hate that wretched woman from the Yang family.”

After living with him for so many days, Widow Zhang naturally knew what had happened.

All she could say was that Zhao Fusheng did not understand Sun well enough. That was why he had suffered such a great loss.

She had known Sun for many years, and she had never once seen money that entered Sun’s pocket come back out.

Still, if Zhao Fusheng had not suffered, Widow Zhang would never have met him. The thought secretly delighted her.

She gently comforted him for a while.

“Darling, you lived with that woman for so many years. Tell me more about her.”

Widow Zhang was thoroughly charmed by his sweet words.

She told him everything she knew about Sun, one detail after another.

After listening, Zhao Fusheng pulled her into another passionate embrace.

Later, Widow Zhang fell into a deep sleep.

Zhao Fusheng took all her money and headed toward the Yang family courtyard.

After Yang Xiuhua had spent several quiet days, Sun stopped looking after her so that she would help with the household chores.

When Zhao Fusheng arrived, Yang Xiuhua was chopping pig feed in the courtyard.

He called to her softly through a crack in the door.

The moment Yang Xiuhua saw him, she dared not make a sound.

She quietly let him in and asked in a low voice, “Why have you come? How have you been these past few days?”

That shameless woman actually had the nerve to ask how he had been?

But he needed her help now, so he could not afford to turn against her.

He lowered his voice. “Xiuhua, let’s elope!”

Yang Xiuhua covered her mouth and stared at him.

Elope?

They had nothing.

Where could they possibly go?

Besides, she had thought things through over the past few days.

Zhao Fusheng had nothing. Letting him continue to cling to her family was not a long-term solution.

Perhaps divorcing him was for the best.

If her mother really could find her a good family, marrying into it and enjoying a comfortable life would not be so bad.

Seeing the hesitation on her face, Zhao Fusheng grew displeased.

What a heartless woman.

Only a few days ago, she had been sobbing and begging him not to leave her.

And now, after so little time, she had already changed her mind.

He took out the money he had stolen from Widow Zhang and showed it to Yang Xiuhua.

“Xiuhua, I have money now. Come away with me.”

Yang Xiuhua lowered her head and saw that Zhao Fusheng was holding more than two hundred taels of silver.

Before she could think too much, Zhao Fusheng continued, “Your mother has treated you without the slightest affection. Let’s take her money and elope. We’ll go somewhere no one knows us and use this money to start over.”

His words struck the deepest wound in Yang Xiuhua’s heart.

She had been utterly broken by Sun this time.

She gritted her teeth, steeled herself, and nodded.

But she had no idea where her mother had hidden the money.

Seeing that she had agreed, Zhao Fusheng immediately leaned close and whispered a few words in her ear.

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Yang Xiuhua was puzzled. How did Zhao Fusheng know?

But he gave her no time to think, urging her on incessantly.

She sneaked to the place where Sun had hidden the money, removed a brick, and sure enough found three hundred-tael silver notes along with some loose silver.

She had never imagined that her mother was so wealthy.

She took out the money, replaced the brick, and left.

The moment she returned, Zhao Fusheng hurried over and grabbed her.

“Well? Xiuhua, did you find it?”

Yang Xiuhua took out the silver notes and loose silver and waved them before his eyes.

The instant he saw that she had obtained the money, Fusheng grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door.

“Quickly, Xiuhua. We have to leave before they discover this and drag you back.”

His words dispelled Yang Xiuhua’s thought of taking a few clothes with her.

She followed Zhao Fusheng out in haste.

But the moment they reached the corner of the courtyard wall, Zhao Fusheng struck her on the head with a brick.

Hmph.

The foolish woman.

After causing him so much misery, she still thought he would elope with her?

Was she naïve or simply stupid?

He took the money from her hands, kicked her twice, and walked away without looking back.

Yang Xiuhua was awakened by Sun kicking her.

She opened her eyes to find Sun staring down at her coldly.

“What are you doing lying here, you useless girl?”

So this was her own mother.

She had collapsed outside for no reason, yet her mother had not shown even the slightest concern.

What a joke.

Remembering the money Zhao Fusheng had stolen, Yang Xiuhua began to laugh.

“What are you laughing at? Get up and work. Do you expect me to help you up?”

“Mother, Zhao Fusheng stole all your money! Ha ha ha…”

Sun’s expression changed drastically.

She rushed to the hiding place, lifted the brick, and looked inside.

“Zhao Fusheng, you miserable bastard!”

Sun collapsed to the ground, beating her chest and stamping her feet.

“Sun! Sun, you wretched woman, come out here!”

Widow Zhang’s furious screams came from outside the door.

Sun was already burning with rage and had nowhere to vent it. Now Widow Zhang had come to make trouble as well.

She stormed to the doorway and cursed, “Widow Zhang, you shameless slut! Why are you screaming at my door?”

“Sun, where is Zhao Fusheng? Hand him over!”

“That bastard Zhao Fusheng stole my money and ran away! Ah… boo-hoo…”

After shouting at the top of her lungs, Widow Zhang suddenly lost her breath and fainted on the spot.

Sun ignored her and continued cursing loudly from the doorway.

When Yang Wenbin awoke and learned that all the money was gone, he nearly went mad with rage.

He felt that something was wrong.

How had Zhao Fusheng known where the money was hidden?

How had he managed to take it?

Seeing Widow Zhang lying on the ground, he told Sun to fetch a basin of water.

Widow Zhang was jolted awake when cold water was thrown over her.

Before she could recover, Yang Wenbin demanded, “Aunt Zhang, what is your relationship with Zhao Fusheng?”

“I… What relationship could we possibly have? Zhao Fusheng stole my money. I came here to find him.”

The moment Yang Wenbin heard her tone, he knew something was wrong.

Sun immediately rushed over and grappled with her.

Only after the two women had fought did Widow Zhang finally tell the truth.

Once she had confessed, Sun beat her savagely.

Watching the chaos unfolding before him, Yang Wenbin felt consumed by hatred.

All of this had happened because of that wretched girl, Jiang Lihua.

If not for her, he would still be the revered scholar of the village.

His sister would still be the wife of the head shopkeeper at the finest restaurant in town.

She had ruined everything.

He clenched his fists, his eyes bloodshot.

He would never let Jiang Lihua live in peace.

He walked over to Yang Xiuhua, who lay on the ground with a heart full of despair.