NOVPUB
Chapter 317: Chapter 317: Confession
Yuan Caizhen looked strangely at her husband as he walked out of her sister-in-law’s room. "What are you doing here? Didn’t my sister-in-law just tell me you had not been here?"
Had it not been for her earlier accusations against her sister-in-law, would he have stayed hidden if not for wanting to stand up for her?
A hint of panic flashed in Si Weimin’s eyes. Hearing his sister-in-law being rebuked earlier, he couldn’t resist rushing out to defend her. Now, facing his wife’s questioning, he didn’t know how to explain himself.
"Caizhen, don’t misunderstand, Weimin was just hiding because he didn’t want you to be angry," Lin Fengying quickly intervened, pulling Yuan Caizhen’s arm to explain.
Yuan Caizhen glanced between Si Weimin and Lin Fengying, for some reason, she felt sick to her stomach.
It wasn’t that she was being overly suspicious. Here were her husband and widowed sister-in-law, meeting clandestinely behind her back, and her sister-in-law even stashed her underwear under the pillow. Who wouldn’t be suspicious?
Yuan Caizhen pulled away from Lin Fengying, chest heaving as she glared at her husband, "Si Weimin, why were you hiding in my sister’s room from me? What exactly did you not want me to get angry about? Do you hide whenever you fear I’m angry but stand up for her when she feels wronged?"
Si Weimin felt there was a hidden message in Yuan Caizhen’s words, and was infuriated. "How have you turned into a shrew? For someone educated, you don’t even understand that we should respect our elders. Your sister-in-law came all the way here, and you can’t even show her the basic respect."
"Did she respect me?" Yuan Caizhen shouted back. "Her daughter caused turmoil in our home, and now she’s come to upset me. Haven’t you considered my feelings?"
"Caizhen, it’s all my fault. Stop arguing, I’ll take Xiaohui and leave tomorrow by train, and we’ll never return to Kyoto. Don’t fight over me and Xiaohui," Lin Fengying weepingly pleaded as she held onto Yuan Caizhen. Her tone was filled with a sense of wronged innocence, her words only serving to heighten Si Weimin’s desire to protect her.
Upon witnessing Lin Fengying’s display, Yuan Caizhen angrily pushed her away. Lin Fengying stumbled backward and nearly fell, and to Si Weimin, it appeared his wife was assaulting his sister-in-law.
Gazing at her helpless demeanor and recalling all the hardship she had undergone raising a child alone over the years, he pointed at his wife and roared, "Yuan Caizhen, this is my rental, it’s not a place for you to throw tantrums. Leave immediately, if you want to go mad, do it at your mother’s house."
When Lin Fengying nearly stumbled, Yuan Caizhen was startled, and reflexively moved to help steady her, but stopped as Lin Fengying managed to regain balance.
She didn’t expect, however, that her husband would actually tell her to leave. If it wasn’t for hearing it herself, Yuan Caizhen would have found it hard to believe such words came from his mouth.
Feeling despondent, she retorted, "Si Weimin, remember your words. Enjoy lifetime with your sister-in-law and your niece then! That house was bought by my parents, if you’re so capable, don’t come back."
With a burst of anger, Yuan Caizhen stormed off after leaving some harsh words behind.
Upon seeing this, Lin Fengying immediately tried to push Si Weimin out, "Weimin, you should go and placate Caizhen. Xiaohui and I are used to a hard life, even if we return to Li City, it will be the same. We can’t let our presence ruin your marriage."
Si Weimin initially intended to follow his wife, but after hearing Lin Fengying’s words, he responded coldly, "Sister-in-law, don’t worry about Caizhen, I’ve spoiled her all these years. She has no respect for you, it was already letting her off lightly not to hit her for it. You and Xiaohui just stay here comfortably and don’t go anywhere. Even if I, Si Weimin, have no other virtue, I can still afford to support you."
Initially, he was not a good person, doing something that betrayed his elder brother and causing him harm, making his sister-in-law sufferfor half her life and Xiaohui for so long.
Now that he’s finally seeing some success, if he let mother and daughter suffer again, could he still count himself as a man?
If he died, he would not have the face to meet his elder brother.
Lin Fengying’s eyes reddened as she choked back her tears "Sometimes I think, if you had not left back then, would we have been able to...like Second Cow’s wife and Big Cow..."
"Sister-in-law." Si Weimin cut her off with a stern expression, "Do not speak of such things in the future. I... I have my own family now and a child of my own. I only see you as my sister-in-law. Let bygones be bygones, and let’s not mention it anymore."
Having lived in a big city for so many years, Si Weimin’s mentality had long since changed. When he recollected the past, he felt less than human, less than a beast..
The reason why he no longer ate Braised Pork with Potatoes was simply his escape.
Now, his feelings towards Lin Fengying and Si Xiaohui were simply a part of guilt and the need to make up. He had no other intentions, and would certainly not repeat his mistakes.
Even though he just had an argument with Yuan Caizhen, he had never thought about divorce. He loved Yuan Caizhen; even if the passion of many years of marriage had turned into familial affection, the undeniable fact was that Yuan Caizhen was his ideal wife.
Whether in terms of appearance or otherwise, Yuan Caizhen was his perfect match. More precisely, he was marrying up to Yuan. His family life was now blissful and harmonious. He feared that bringing up those dirty incidents of the past would ruin everything.
Every time he had an argument with his wife, Yuan Caizhen would say some harsh words. However, he knew Yuan Caizhen wouldn’t divorce him. But if she found out about Si Xiaohui’s origins, that would be a different matter.
One of the reasons he asked Yuan Caizhen to leave earlier was to intensify the conflict between his wife and his sister-in-law. If two people didn’t encounter each other, the secret could be sealed forever.
After a while, his sister-in-law went back, and he arranged things for Si Xiaohui and Song Yu. His life could then return to normal.
During this period, although Si Weimin didn’t say anything, he was extremely mentally exhausted.
After so many years in business, Si Weimin was somewhat astute. As soon as Tong Yao sent Lin Fengying to him, he guessed the intentions of Si Chen and Tong Yao. Indeed, he was the one to blame, and Si Weimin did not blame anyone else. He just wanted to make up as much as possible for the mistakes he made back then.
Lin Fengying touched the corner of her mouth revealing an uncomfortable expression. "Weimin, what are you talking about? I only consider you as my younger brother. The things I said earlier were out of frustration and not meant. I didn’t mean for you to misunderstand."
She bitterly smiled, "My child has grown up and I am already old. I don’t have any intentions and you shouldn’t overthink it. As long as you and Caizhen are doing well, I’m content."
Hearing those words, Si Weimin felt as though he may have misunderstood Lin Fengying and hurried to apologize, "Sister-in-law, I’m sorry. I overthought it. Please don’t be offended."
To tell the truth, when Si Weimin saw Lin Fengying’s underwear in his home, he was a bit nervous. He was afraid Lin Fengying might have other intentions towards him. Now, after openly confirming that Lin Fengying had long forgotten about the past, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
At the same time, he wondered if it was a mistake to spark a conflict between his wife and his sister-in-law.
"Don’t worry about it. You should promptly go back and placate Caizhen," Lin Fengying spoke as though nothing was amiss, while inside, she felt as though her heart had been gouged with a knife.
