The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 119 - 118: Serves Him Right

After being stunned for a long while, He Lang pulled Ruanruan onto his lap and kissed her on the cheek.

Then he said gravely, "Sweetheart, listen to Daddy. From now on, if you see any more yellow things like these, you must not tell anyone."

Ruanruan looked at He Lang. "Not even Daddy and Mommy?"

"Daddy and Mommy are okay, but you can’t tell anyone else, understand? If other people find out you can see them, they’ll take you away, and then you won’t be able to see Daddy and Mommy anymore."

Scared, Ruanruan quickly threw her arms around He Lang’s neck. "I don’t want to be taken away from Daddy and Mommy! I won’t tell, I won’t tell."

Xue Yue stroked Ruanruan’s head. "You have to remember this, understand?"

Ruanruan nodded her little head over and over. "I’ll remember."

"What should we do with these? Bury them again?" Xue Yue asked, pointing at the thirty-odd small gold fish on the floor.

He Lang nodded. "We’ll bury them for now."

During lunch, He Lang suddenly slapped his forehead. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Oh, shoot! There were only three table legs. I wonder if the last one is still at the scrapyard? I should have looked around more."

"This won’t do. I’ll go back tomorrow and look again, see if I can find it."

Xue Yue said with a gentle smile, "It’s probably not there anymore. It might have been like that when it was sent over. Still, it would be a real shame if someone burned it for firewood."

"Tomorrow, on my way back from work, I’ll go in and search again. If I really can’t find it, then forget it."

While He Lang’s family was overjoyed at their discovery, things were miserable for He Ze.

First thing in the morning, Gao Cuiyun had returned to her family home. Then, later that morning, she suddenly returned, and all her brothers were with her.

The moment they arrived, they declared they were there to settle a score with He Ze.

Gao Cuiyun was the youngest in her family. She had five older brothers and one older sister. Except for her sister, who was married and lived elsewhere, all five of her brothers were there.

Before He Ze could even react, he was grabbed, thrown to the ground, and given a thorough beating.

"You bastard! How dare you bully our sister? Did you think the Gao Family would just let you walk all over us? What did you promise when you married her? Now you divorce her? Are you even a man? Going back on your word like this!"

He Ze could only take the beating, unable to fight back at all. Inside the house, the rest of the He family heard the commotion loud and clear, but not a single one of them went out to look.

Mrs. He paced back and forth in the room, anxious. "They won’t beat our second son to death, will they? There are so many people from the Gao Family."

Mr. He took a drag from his cigarette and said in a heavy voice, "If they beat him to death, he’ll have deserved it. No one is to get involved."

Mrs. He glared at him. "No matter what he’s done, he’s still your son! It’s one thing to say that, but could you really just watch him get beaten to death?"

Mr. He just kept smoking, refusing to let Mrs. He go outside.

In the end, it was Gao Cuiyun who shouted for them to stop.

Gao Cuiyun’s eldest brother said unhappily, "Sis, what’s the point of leaving a man like this alive? We should just kill him and be done with it."

Gao Cuiyun looked at the motionless He Ze on the ground and fought back tears. "We’re already divorced. What good would beating him to death do? Forget it, Big Brother. All of you, please go home. Teaching him a lesson is enough."

The Gao Family had never really had any issue with the He Family. In Da Liushu Village, the He Family was considered a good household, never wanting for food or drink. Plus, He Ze’s father was the village accountant, so Gao Cuiyun hadn’t suffered any hardship after marrying him.

They had even secured a job for He Ze in town. They just never imagined he would suddenly fall for another woman and divorce Gao Cuiyun.

However, He Ze’s parents had acted with integrity. Not only had they not kicked Gao Cuiyun out, but they had also made their own son leave the family home with nothing. Because of this, the Gao Family held no grudge against Mr. and Mrs. He; they only blamed He Ze for his despicable behavior.

"Alright, we’re heading back then, Sis. If you need anything, just come home and tell us, or send word. Don’t you worry. With your brothers around, no one will be able to bully you and your child."

Gao Cuiyun nodded, her eyes red-rimmed.

Gao Cuiyun asked He Nan to help take He Ze to the hospital.

An examination revealed that He Ze had two more broken ribs.

Upon hearing the diagnosis, He Nan left without saying a single word to He Ze.

When Gu Yuwei heard the news, she quickly took time off work and rushed to the hospital to care for him.

After a few days in the hospital, once He Ze was able to walk again, he went to the village head to get a plot of land approved. He wanted to build his own house and move out.

When Mr. He found out, he brought He Nan along to help. He Nan really didn’t want to go, but he couldn’t withstand his mother’s nagging.

"Even if your brother is a good-for-nothing, he’s still your brother. He’s already been kicked out; we can’t just drive him to his death. He’s building a house now, so we’ll lend him a hand. Afterward, if you don’t want to associate with him, you don’t have to."

The day after the new house was finished, He Ze and Gu Yuwei went to get their marriage certificate. They didn’t hold a wedding banquet, though. Even if they had, it’s likely no one would have come. After all, their reputation in Da Liushu Village was so toxic that no one wanted anything to do with them.

He Ze had it relatively easy, since he didn’t interact much with the villagers. Gu Yuwei was a different story. She had to go out to work every day, and whenever she did, people would point and stare, whispering all sorts of nasty things about her.

But now that they were married, Gu Yuwei decided she wasn’t going to work anymore.

She thought of Xue Yue, whose husband He Lang was a worker in town, allowing her to stay home and be supported by him. Gu Yuwei felt she was about to live that same kind of life.

But when she told He Ze she didn’t want to go to work anymore, he said, "Yuwei, things are a little tight for us right now. We just spent a lot of money on this house. I used up all my savings, and we spent a good chunk of your money too. On top of that, I have to give them fifteen yuan every month. So we both need to work hard to build a good life and not let other people mock us. Why don’t you keep working for a while? Once we’ve built up some savings, you can stay home and relax. I’ll support you then."

Although Gu Yuwei was displeased, she knew He Ze was telling the truth. The two-room house had cost a little under three hundred yuan. He Ze had only contributed a few dozen yuan; Gu Yuwei had paid for the rest. Now, she only had a little over one hundred yuan left and didn’t dare spend any more of it, deciding to save it for an emergency.

"Alright, I’ll do as you say," Gu Yuwei said softly.

He Ze smiled and nodded. "I knew you’d understand. Just you wait. I’ll give you a good life."

"Mm-hmm, I believe in you." Gu Yuwei looked at He Ze, her face filled with adoration.

Seeing her expression, He Ze felt a stir of desire. His throat bobbed as he swept Gu Yuwei into his arms and carried her toward the kang bed.

Gu Yuwei blushed and playfully tapped his chest. "What are you doing? It’s not even dark out."

He Ze gave a wicked chuckle. "That’s the point. All the better to see you with."

"Oh, you’re terrible~"

Before long, sounds that would make one’s heart race and face flush emanated from the room.