I Am A Husband Curser, And You Are A Wife Curser. - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: You’ve Never Met Someone Like This

“Er-lang earned his way in through exams, and besides, he’s just a lowly constable. He doesn’t have that much power,” Mother Yang defended her child vehemently.

“Well, we don’t care much for being a lowly constable anyway! Who knows when something might happen to him, ptooey!” The aunt huffed and stomped off in a rage.

Later, the aunt’s daughter, Dong Shanshan, became a mistress to a tea merchant. The merchant bought Shanshan a property in town and hired maids and nannies to serve her. He would visit and stay for a few days every now and then. That house was much larger and grander than the Yang family’s courtyard; the merchant treated Shanshan like a noble lady, giving her jewelry and silks to wear that never repeated.

The tea merchant even arranged a “cushy” job for the aunt’s son, Dong Shenghu. He was sent to a rural tea garden as a supervisor. Every day, he did nothing but watch the tea farmers work, yet he drew a monthly salary of three taels of silver.

The aunt felt her daughter was about to become a phoenix and that their family was on the verge of greatness. Consequently, she looked down even more on the “snobbish” Yang family relatives. The two families gradually drifted apart. She didn’t even attend Yang Tongchuan’s wedding.

By the time Yang Tongchuan and Xiangxi arrived home, Yang Tongshan and Ming Le were already inside. The aunt had incredible lung capacity; she had been wailing since she arrived without a single pause. The two Yang brothers exchanged a look. Neither of them spoke.

Yang Tongshan even told Yanzi not to bother with dinner yet, but to boil plenty of hot water and brew some tea instead. Xiangxi sat beside Yang Tongchuan and noticed his father-in-law was nowhere to be seen.

“Where is Father?”

“Father gets heart palpitations just looking at Aunt. He probably hid himself somewhere,” Yang Tongchuan said, placing a soft cushion behind Xiangxi to make him more comfortable.

Yang Tongchuan’s stance was simple: as long as his elder brother was there, he was just a decorative “lucky charm” meant to hold down the fort; he didn’t intend to worry about a thing.

“If you’re tired, go back to the room and rest. I expect Aunt will have to cry for a while longer before she gets to the point,” Yang Tongchuan said, touching Xiangxi’s hand. Having a hand warmer really made a difference; his skin was nice and warm.

“I’m fine, it’s just that Sister-in-law’s expression looks so terrible,” Xiangxi whispered.

“Sigh, Aunt once tried to persuade Brother to divorce her and remarry. The replacement she suggested was a relative from her husband’s side—a widow with two sons. Aunt guaranteed Mother that the woman was definitely ‘fertile’ and that Brother wouldn’t lose out by marrying her.” Yang Tongchuan thought of the absurd things his aunt had done over the years and found it hard to explain them to Xiangxi.

Back when Dong Shanshan became a mistress, Yang Tongchuan’s mother had tried her best to dissuade them. Setting aside the fact that the man was nearly sixty—older than Shanshan’s own father—they didn’t even know the true situation of his household. To give away a daughter like that was utterly improper. Furthermore, being a mistress was a position without status or honor; why would a good girl disgrace herself so?

But the aunt wouldn’t listen. She felt Mother Yang just couldn’t stand to see her family doing well and was intentionally sabotaging them. The two sisters had a massive falling out over it.

“My life is so bitter! I haven’t had a full meal since I was a child. I’ve nearly died so many times. Even the fortune teller said I have a bad fate. Just let me die! I’ll find peace in death. Heavens, please take me away!”

Xiangxi felt like the aunt had said these exact words already. Hearing her start from the beginning again, Yang Tongshan figured she was running out of material.

“Aunt, you must be tired. Have some tea.” Yang Tongshan waited until she was nearly out of breath before handing her a cup. Yang Tongchuan sat on the other side; he couldn’t even be bothered to maintain the appearance of harmony anymore.

“Fine, the whole family is sitting here. Whatever it is, say it quickly,” Mother Yang said, already fed up.

“Shanshan’s man has disappeared!” The aunt grabbed Mother Yang and began to howl. “My poor daughter! She thought finding an older man meant he’d know how to cherish her, but he turned out to be a black-hearted wretch!”

Cherish her? Yang Tongchuan thought sarcastically. Ptooey. The man’s own sons are probably older than Shanshan.

“Aunt, explain the situation clearly. If you need our help, just ask.”

“Oh, my eldest nephew! You’re the only one who cares for your aunt. It wasn’t in vain that I raised you from a baby, dealing with your filth and feeding you myself!” The aunt’s choice of words was exceptionally crass.

It turned out the tea merchant hadn’t visited Shanshan for nearly six months. This had never happened before. Moreover, not only had the man not come, but the money had stopped as well. Shanshan had been paying the servants out of her own pocket. Now, she was at the point where she had to pawn her jewelry just to keep up appearances.

“What exactly do you want? Just say it; stop this ghost-wailing,” Mother Yang said, her head beginning to throb from the noise.

“I want Tongshan and Tongchuan to go to that man’s house with me to find him. Dead or alive, that family owes us an explanation. My girl can’t let him sleep with her all those years for nothing. Even if they don’t want us anymore, they have to pay us for the ‘wear and tear’!”

Pfft.

At the mention of “wear and tear,” Yang Tongchuan couldn’t help but burst out laughing. There was no way he was going; he couldn’t afford to lose face like that. Yang Tongshan gave his brother a look, telling him to restrain himself.

Yang Tongchuan had handled countless cases, but an eccentric like his aunt was a rare find.

“Aunt, if the old man hasn’t come for so long, didn’t you have Shenghu go and inquire? You just waited for months?” Yang Tongshan didn’t believe the Dong family had done nothing all this time.

“Your brother… your brother is injured. He’s at home recovering.”

“How was he injured? Was he beaten? Do I need to arrest the person who did it?” Yang Tongchuan naturally didn’t believe her.

“No, no need. He fell.” The aunt didn’t dare tell the truth.

Dong Shenghu had actually quit the tea garden long ago. He found the countryside boring and came back after less than two months. Since then, he had been idling at home. The aunt had sent him to find the tea merchant. However, Shenghu was loud-mouthed and uncouth; he showed up demanding “living expenses” for his sister and calling the man his brother-in-law. He ended up being beaten by the merchant’s gatekeepers and thrown out.

The men who brought Shenghu back were burly servants who looked like thugs. They warned the family to stay quiet, or there would be consequences. That was why the aunt wanted to bring more people along for courage for a second attempt.

“That tea merchant must have abandoned her! My daughter’s life is so bitter!” The aunt began to wail again.

“Aunt, the man is over sixty. If he has sons, they’re already in their forties and likely running the household. Perhaps something changed at home and it’s not convenient for him to visit. Why don’t you wait and see?” Yang Tongshan tried to talk sense into her.

“Wait for what? If he’s no good anymore, he shouldn’t waste our Shanshan’s time. Our Shanshan can still find someone better!”

At this, Yang Tongchuan felt his father was the truly visionary one—he had run away early to avoid this torture.

“Aunt, my new shop just opened and is full of business. Tongchuan is buried in cases at the yamen; he hasn’t had a day off in ages. We don’t have time to go out searching with you.”

“If you won’t go, at least find some men for me! The kind who can just stand behind me so the other side won’t dare bully me.” Seeing her son’s beaten state, she was actually quite frightened.

“We are a legitimate government office. We don’t have ‘that kind’ of person,” Yang Tongchuan refused flatly.