Chapter 102

Chapter 102

The village chief had just lain down when blood-curdling screams started outside, scaring his little grandson into crying. Old Village Chief, hearing the desperate shouts from outside, simply got up, put on his coat, picked up a candle, and walked outside to see what the hell was making that racket.

Yang Tianhua, covered in mud, was curled up outside the door, his pale face red from the cold, looking utterly miserable. The old village chief was shocked to see him and exclaimed, "Isn't this Brother Yang? How did you end up like this?"

Yang Tianhua didn't even have the strength to speak. The old village chief quickly helped him into the house and lit the charcoal in the brazier. After he warmed himself by the fire for a bit, Yang Tianhua slowly recovered. He drank two cups of hot water, and his hands and feet gradually regained strength.

His voice hoarse, he spoke: "My car broke down." As soon as the words left his mouth, his face darkened instantly, his eyes dark and heavy, making people feel uneasy.

The old village chief had seen Feng Chun leading someone around the village during the day and had wanted to say something but held back. Feng Chun wasn't one to take advice, and Yang Tianhua clearly seemed a smooth talker too—he had reached out to grab the girl in public. Feng Chun, for some reason, must have had a screw loose and shyly leaned into his shoulder. The authorities were strictly cracking down on this kind of behavior these days; it wasn't proper for unmarried men and women to be so intimate, especially in public.

Seeing Yang Tianhua's impatient expression, the old village chief didn't bother asking further. Instead, he sent his eldest grandson to the Feng family to call someone while he sat to the side, puffing on a cigarette.

The Feng family arrived quickly, and it was Feng Chun who came.

When the village chief saw Feng Chun, his brows furrowed tightly. A young unmarried woman coming to another's house in the middle of the night to see a man—what was that supposed to be? Feng Aiguo and Li Meihua were also fools. The old man didn't want to meddle in their affairs, just kept an eye on things to ensure nothing too inappropriate happened.

When Feng Chun saw Yang Tianhua's miserable state, tears streamed down her face like broken beads, making her delicate face even more charming. Her voice was plaintive: "Brother Tianhua, what happened to you? How did you end up like this?"

Yang Tianhua gritted his teeth, hatred for Feng Xia dripping from his voice: "It's all thanks to your good little sister. My tire blew as soon as I left. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have suffered this. Feng Chun, your sister is so formidable, I'm not good enough for you. From now on, better keep our distance!"

Feng Chun's heart felt like it was breaking. She truly liked Yang Tianhua. Her husband in her previous life was taciturn and wouldn't say a word even if you beat him, but Yang Tianhua was witty, often giving her little surprise gifts, and had a fair, handsome face. Her heart had long fallen for him. And after all, he was going to be the richest man in Antai City! How could Feng Chun let him go?

"Brother Tianhua, don't say that. My sister has always been unruly and uncontrollable. Please, don't hold it against her. She doesn't even listen to our parents or grandparents. I apologize for her today. Don't be angry. Don't say that—it makes me feel so awful." Feng Chun sobbed, looking pitiful, humbly trying to win him back and pleading with him.

Yang Tianhua put on airs, wiping his hair with one hand while casually touching Feng Chun's hair with the other, snorting coldly: "Hmph, if it weren't for my feelings for you, I would have killed that little bitch. You know I have the ability. That little bitch, with her loose tongue, will end up dead in the streets sooner or later."

Feng Chun wasn't the least bit angry to hear him curse Feng Xia like that; instead, she looked at him with admiration, leaning weakly into him. Yang Tianhua didn't refuse; he reached out to pull her into his embrace. The old village chief couldn't stand it anymore and coughed twice to break up the lovebirds. Feng Chun shot him an angry glance, hating the old man for interrupting them.

The village chief was inwardly speechless: a young girl sneaking out in the middle of the night to mess around with a man—if she were married, it would be one thing, but with no engagement or betrothal, such behavior would make her looked down upon by her future in-laws.

"Feng Chun, since you're here, take Brother Yang back home. It's getting late. You should go back soon."

But now it was Yang Tianhua's turn to be unwilling. He refused to go back. Thinking about that little bitch, his face darkened, his aura gloomy. Yang Tianhua said bluntly to the old village chief: "I'm not going back. Let me stay here at your place for the night, Old Village Chief. How about that?"

How about that? How about no. Yang Tianhua was shameless. In the end, Feng Chun pulled the old village chief aside, slipped him two yuan, ran back home to get a set of her father's clothes for Yang Tianhua to change into, and arranged for him to stay. By the time all this was done, it was already past midnight. Feng Chun was exhausted and went straight to bed.

The next morning, Feng Xia woke up around nine o'clock. In the countryside, no one slept in that late. The Feng family had all gone out, for what purpose she didn't know. Feng Jinlian and Feng Jingui saw that Feng Xia was awake and brought over the breakfast kept warm on the stove: fresh millet porridge, a large bowl of steamed egg, and a few pork-and-bamboo-shoot buns, which suited Feng Xia's taste. The two sisters sat aside, sewing while chatting with Feng Xia about the village gossip.

Feng Jingui spoke first: "Xia Mei'er, remember the man Da Chun brought home yesterday? The one surnamed Yang." Seeing Feng Xia nod, she continued: "That guy is really unlucky, but I don't like him. When he came, his eyes were like a slug, all sticky and stuck on us. It gave me the creeps." As if recalling how Yang Tianhua's eyes had lingered on her chest yesterday, Feng Jingui actually shivered.

Feng Jinlian, seeing her sister ramble without getting to the point, couldn't help interrupting: "That guy is annoying. He was already out of luck yesterday—said his tire blew halfway down the road, so he went knocking on the village chief's door in the middle of the night and stayed over. Early this morning, Feng Chun took my second uncle, aunt, and my dad over to help him check on the car. My mom didn't want to go. Honestly, what's the point? It's freezing cold and they don't mind the trouble."

Feng Jinbao chimed in: "Right, right, right! That car of his isn't even as big as Sister Xia's car. Not imposing at all."

Feng Xia smiled, her eyes curving into crescent moons, very pleased.

So that's why the Feng household was empty early in the morning—they had all gone to help Yang Tianhua with his car. To her, if they were going to be so busy sucking up to him, why not just have a few people push the car all the way to the county town? They'd probably be willing to do that too.

After eating, Feng Xia went to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Just as she finished, she heard knocking at the yard gate, accompanied by a woman's voice: "Jinlian, Jingui, Sister Feng Xia! Are you home? It's me, Yao Hongxia."

Hearing Yao Hongxia's voice, Feng Jinlian hurried over to open the door, affectionately taking the visitor's arm and pulling her inside. Yao Hongxia was not shy and smiled with easy grace at Feng Xia. Feng Xia smiled back, hoping this time the news she brought would be helpful to them.