Chapter 530: Poor Couples Suffer in All Matters

Chapter 530: Poverty Brings Misery to Marriage

Zuo Shangdang still refuses to admit his mistakes.

He doesn’t understand what Hou Li is so upset about. Compared to other couples around them, he believes Hou Li has lived a very happy life—even envied by many in their small town. He has given her plenty of dignity and respect.

She and their children never went hungry or lacked clothes. He regularly provided for the household. Even when his parents gave her a hard time, he stood by her side. He never once quarreled with her, and he usually went along with Hou Li’s wishes.

Look at the other couples around them—some husbands would slap their wives over the smallest things. Yet he never laid a finger on Hou Li.

Except for his affair with Lu Yazhi, Zuo Shangdang can confidently say he has been a good husband and father.

He has never considered his relationship with Lu Yazhi a mistake. They were just born in the wrong time, that’s all. What he and Lu Yazhi share is true love, and seeking true love is never wrong.

Finally, exhausted both physically and mentally, Zuo Shangdang collapsed.

Working backbreaking work during the day, coming home to cook, clean, and care for Lu Yazhi—he collapsed at home.

Lu Yazhi was terrified. Tearful, she ran to the neighbors for help, who assisted in taking Zuo Shangdang to the hospital.

Her world had crumbled. She had depended on Zuo Shangdang her entire life. Now, with their son gone, if Zuo Shangdang were to die too, what would she do?

Money—she needed money. Everything, from food to daily necessities, required money.

“What happened to the patient?” the doctor asked, looking at Zuo Shangdang lying on the gurney.

Lu Yazhi burst into tears before she could speak, unable to answer any questions clearly. “He was washing rice to cook, then suddenly—bang!—I came out and saw him collapsed on the ground.”

“Has he had any illnesses before?” the doctor asked again.

Lu Yazhi shook her head. “I don’t know… Sobbed… Doctor, you’ve gotta save him.”

No matter what the doctor asked, Lu Yazhi could only stammer helplessly, shedding tears.

Zuo Shangdang dazedly woke up. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Lu Yazhi’s eyes brimming with tears.

He wanted to reach out and comfort her—she was so timid, and his collapse must have frightened her badly.

But as soon as Lu Yazhi saw Zuo Shangdang open his eyes, she grabbed his hand urgently. “Shang Dang, Shang Dang, where did you hide our bankbook?”

“Where is it? Hurry, tell me!”

Lu Yazhi kept pressing him. Earlier, the doctor had asked her to pay the fees, but the money she had wasn’t enough—she could only cover part of it.

She had never worried much about money in her life. This was the first time she had felt the humiliation of being penniless in public.

The strange looks and whispers from others made her even more uneasy, as if she were unwilling to spend money to save her own man.

She had asked Zuo Shangdang for the bankbook before, but he refused, afraid she would spend recklessly. Only now, without money, did she realize how difficult it was.

But Zuo Shangdang felt like he’d been blindsided. In his condition, Lu Yazhi showed no concern for his health—the first thing she asked for upon his waking was the bankbook, the money.

As if afraid he would take the money with him if he died.

The thought alone made his anger surge. With a gasp, Zuo Shangdang coughed up a mouthful of blood, and suddenly, his body felt lighter.

Then, overwhelming sorrow filled his heart. A grown man, he broke down sobbing.

This wreck of a life—his family gone, his home destroyed—what was it all for?

Was it all for that Lu Yazhi, who kept hounding him for the bankbook even as he lay deathly ill?

Seeing Zuo Shangdang spit out blood, Lu Yazhi was truly terrified. She stared at the bloodstains on the bedside and the floor, instinctively recoiled before letting out a blood-curdling scream.

"Doctor! Help! Come quick, come quick! He's spitting blood! Aaaahhh!"

Hearing Lu Yazhi's piercing scream, the doctors and nurses rushed over.

After a quick examination, the doctor reassured the panicked Lu Yazhi, "It's fine. Spitting out this blood is actually a good thing. He had pent-up frustrations, exhaustion, and his body, mind, and spirit were all overburdened..."

After the doctor left, Lu Yazhi, her eyes red, stepped forward to comfort Zuo Shangdang. "Shang Dang, you mustn’t have anything happen to you. If something were to happen to you, how would I live?

Waaah... You're my whole world now. The doctor said you’ve been carrying too much in your heart. Why didn’t you tell me? Bottling everything up made you sick.

And the doctor said you’re too tired, you need to rest..."

Before, Lu Yazhi’s tears would make Zuo Shangdang’s heart clench in worry and pain. But now, hearing her incessant sobbing, his eyes were filled only with irritation and impatience.

"Enough! I’m not dead yet, can you stop crying? Why didn’t I tell you? Because before I even say anything, you’re already crying nonstop, and then I’d have to spend the whole night comforting you. I’m dead tired as it is!"

Lu Yazhi stared at Zuo Shangdang in shock. He had scolded her. He had never scolded her before—never so much as raised his voice at her.

"You tell me to share my worries with you, but do you even listen? All you do is cry. You tell me not to overwork myself, but I break my back all day to put food on the table, then come home to wait hand and foot on you. How could I not be exhausted? If you really cared, you’d at least have a hot meal ready when I come home after a hard day."

It had been nearly a year since they moved out of Longxiang Mansion. He had aged twenty years, while Lu Yazhi, though no longer as elegant and refined as before, still had fair skin and rosy cheeks—clearly a woman who had been pampered, untouched by hardship.

Under normal circumstances, Zuo Shangdang might have felt a surge of pride—this was the woman he had provided for.

But now, all he felt was exhaustion. Everything weighed on him so heavily he could barely breathe. He wished he could just sleep and never wake up. And yet, at this very moment, Lu Yazhi still wore that clueless, doe-eyed look.

Still, she was the woman he had doted on for so many years. For what's left of our lives, they might only have each other left. Suppressing his frustration, Zuo Shangdang patiently laid out their current situation for her.

"Xiao Ya, we’re not the same as before. I’m not the big-shot Mr. Zuo anymore. We have no money now. You can’t keep living like you used to. If you don’t change, I might not be able to hold on much longer."

"Jin'an is gone. Who knows what the rest of our lives will be like? We have to plan for the future. Even if we can’t have another child, at least we need to make some arrangements..."

"I know you’ve never suffered much. I’m not asking you to go out and earn money, but can’t you at least take care of things at home? I’m human too, flesh and blood. I’m killing myself to keep you afloat—can’t you see that?" Zuo Shangdang’s voice was sharp, even trembling.

Hearing the reproach in his tone, resentment surged in Lu Yazhi’s heart.

He was the one who had promised her happiness. He was the one who swore she’d never suffer. You liar! You goddamn liar! Every word was a lie!