A Beauty in the 80s Goes on a Blind Date with Her Child, Captivating the Military Compound - Chapter 52

Seeing the green chicken droppings on the brush, Yang Qiuxia bent over and began to retch. She threw up everything she had eaten the night before. Her head throbbed with discomfort, and her stomach continuously churned with acid. She had to frantically dodge Xu Hongying’s brush, scurrying around the courtyard in a state of utter misery.

When Sisi and the others arrived, Yang Qiuxia was sprinting around like she was being chased by a ghost, screaming and wailing. Her hair was disheveled, she had lost a shoe in the chase, and her face was smeared with an indescribable, yellowish, sticky substance.

“Help! Someone help me!” Yang Qiuxia rushed toward the crowd. As she drew near, the pungent stench hit them, and everyone scattered to avoid being “collateral damage.” As for breaking up the fight? That was out of the question. The manure-covered brush in Xu Hongying’s hand was more terrifying than a knife.

Shen Sisi and Gu Chengfeng stood to the side, equally helpless. Watching the old lady move with such agility—running while cursing Yang Qiuxia’s ancestors back eight generations—Shen Sisi suddenly felt that the old lady had actually been quite restrained with her.

“Your mother has… a lot of energy,” Shen Sisi said with an awkward smile. Those small steps were moving faster than a young person’s.

Gu Chengfeng’s face was dark, his eyelids twitching. “My mother has always been in good health.”

“Does she do this often?” Shen Sisi finally understood how his mother’s fearsome reputation had been earned.

Gu Chengfeng coughed lightly, his voice dropping to a whisper. “She… rarely does this. Today is an exception.”

But a performance like this didn’t need to happen often; once was enough to make her famous. Seeing Gu Chengfeng hanging his head, Gu Changmei couldn’t help but speak up softly. “Chengfeng, you’re an adult now. There are some things you ought to know.”

“Actually, your mother… wasn’t like this when she first got married. Back then, your father was rarely home. If your mother hadn’t been so fierce, the lot of you would have been bullied long ago. What’s worse, your father’s ‘childhood sweetheart’ kept coming to the house to provoke her, constantly lingering around him.”

Gu Changmei continued, “Eventually, your mother had enough. She hired a waist-drum troupe and went to that woman’s workplace with great fanfare—drums beating and gongs clanging—to hang a giant banner. It said: ‘Thank you for taking such meticulous and tender care of my husband.’ That woman’s reputation was ruined; she nearly hanged herself out of shame.”

“Your father was furious with your mother for years because of that. Since you kids didn’t know the truth, you just thought she was too stubborn and harsh, so you gradually grew distant from her. Even though she acts like nothing’s wrong, she’s been hurting inside.”

Hearing this, Gu Chengfeng snapped his head up. The way he looked at Xu Hongying changed instantly—from shock to disbelief, and finally, to profound heartache. Shen Sisi also felt her nose tingle with emotion.

While Xu Hongying’s way of securing the marriage through a “debt of gratitude” might not have been perfectly honorable, the “childhood sweetheart” had no business trying to break up a marriage. Of course, the woman wasn’t the only one to blame; Gu Chengfeng’s father was the root of the problem.

But why wasn’t the father disciplined? Why did he still hold a leadership position in Beijing? Shen Sisi wondered. There had to be more to the story.

“I didn’t realize she had suffered so much…” Shen Sisi sighed. “But I have to hand it to her—hiring a drum troupe and hanging a banner at the workplace? That’s bold.”

Gu Changmei tilted her chin up proudly. “Do you know who organized that drum troupe for her?”

Shen Sisi looked at her in disbelief. “It was you?”

Gu Changmei patted her chest. “Exactly. It was yours truly. Back then, my sister-in-law owed me a huge favor. That’s why she never dares to speak harshly to me.”

Shen Sisi’s mind raced. Recalling what Gu Chengfeng had said earlier about having a way to get his mother to leave, she realized he had been banking on his aunt’s arrival all along.

“So, Gu Chengfeng, you specifically invited your aunt today to save the day?” Shen Sisi asked.

Gu Changmei looked at her with increasing appreciation. “Not just beautiful, but smart too. That’s right. I was away in the countryside for a cultural performance and just got back to the city today when Chengfeng dragged me over.”

So that was it. Shen Sisi turned to look at Gu Chengfeng, only to find him lost in a haze of sorrow and regret. He was regretting his years of rebellion. Back then, he thought his father’s absence was his mother’s fault. He had been a delinquent, picking fights and acting out in a childish attempt to “punish” her and get his father’s attention. He never realized how much he had wounded her.

“Aunt, why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Gu Chengfeng asked, his voice hoarse and his eyes damp.

Gu Changmei sighed. “Your mother wouldn’t let me.”

“If I had known, I would never have given up on myself just to spite her!” Gu Chengfeng choked out. A grown man isn’t supposed to cry, but today, he couldn’t hold it back. His mother had endured so much, choosing to let her children resent her rather than destroy the image of their “great” father in their hearts.

Sensing his grief, Shen Sisi took his large hand in her warm ones and squeezed firmly. “It’s okay. Now that you know, it’s not too late to be good to her. I’ll do it with you.”

Her tenderness acted as a balm to his aching heart. His eyes shimmered with gratitude. “Thank you, Sisi.”

While they were talking, Xu Hongying had finally grown tired of the chase. She leaned against a wall, panting heavily. On the other side, Yang Qiuxia collapsed onto the ground with a heavy thud, covered in foul chicken droppings.

At that moment, Auntie Wang, the neighborhood women’s director, arrived with a group of women wearing red armbands. As they approached, the stench forced them back, and they all covered their noses.

“Comrade Xu, what on earth are you doing? Let’s talk this out; violence is never the answer!”

On the ground, Yang Qiuxia was a sobbing mess. “Yes! Why would you treat me like this?”

Xu Hongying stood with her hands on her hips, domineering as ever. “Why am I feeding you ‘stuff’? You know damn well why! You spread scandalous rumors about my daughter-in-law and tried to goad me into stealing her apology letter to drive a wedge between us. Shouldn’t I beat you?”

Hearing this, the onlookers began to point and whisper in disdain. “That Yang Qiuxia is nothing but trouble.” “She keeps this courtyard in constant chaos.” “Well, she finally ran into someone tougher than her.”

Yang Qiuxia’s expression paled. In her panic, she blurted out, “I don’t know what you’re talking about! Stealing a letter? I never did that! As for the rumors, wasn’t the apology letter written? That’s over with! Why are you still bringing it up?”

Xu Hongying’s eyebrows shot up. This woman thinks she can just deny it? Fine. Without a word, she grabbed Yang Qiuxia by the back of her collar and shoved her into a large water vat.

Yang Qiuxia became a “drowned rat” instantly, screaming at the biting cold.

Xu Hongying clapped the dust off her hands. “Yang Qiuxia, if you ever let your mouth get filthy again, I’ll splash manure on your front door every single day.”

Yang Qiuxia splashed water in a frenzy, losing all reason. “You’re crazy! You’re a madwoman! I was kind enough to tell you your son married a ‘loose woman,’ and this is how you treat me?”

Xu Hongying rolled her eyes. “My son gets married—would he not tell me? Who do you think you are, sticking your nose in? If you call my daughter-in-law a ‘loose woman’ one more time, I’ll rip your mouth apart.”

Standing nearby, Shen Sisi narrowed her eyes. No wonder Xu Hongying had arrived so quickly. Someone had been “reporting” to her.