NOVPUB
Chapter 48: Chapter 48 Business Opens 1
"..."
Yu Shiya bit her lip, her eyes red as she looked at Yu Zhengxiong, seemingly unable to believe that her father had actually hit her.
"Zhengxiong." Cheng Yu wanted to say something, but as soon as she was met with his glare, she swallowed her words, realizing that he was truly furious this time. She dared not stir the pot any further and quickly signalled to Yu Shiya, "Shiya, quickly assure your father that you no longer have any intentions towards Si Chen."
Yu Shiya bit her lip to the point of drawing blood, choking back sobs before finally saying, "Dad, I’m sorry. My jealousy clouded my judgement today, I acted impulsively. I promise I will maintain distance from him in the future, I won’t get involved with him."
"Remember your words today." Yu Zhengxiong heaved a sigh, his expression still stern. "If rumours about you and Si Chen continue to spread in the hospital, I will fire both of you, as if you were never my daughter."
"I understand." Yu Shiya took a deep breath to suppress her sense of injustice, "If there is nothing else, I will leave now."
Upon finishing, she turned around and walked out the door.
Cheng Yu’s heart ached. Just as she was about to berate Yu Zhengxiong again, she suddenly felt a strong slap on her face, causing half of her face to swell. Cheng Yu froze on the spot, even more shocked than when she saw Yu Shiya get slapped.
They’ve been married for over twenty years, and Yu Zhengxiong hardly ever raised his voice at her, being considerate in both small and large matters, freely letting her spend their money. Compared to others who favoured sons and chastised daughters-in-law, such behaviors never occurred in their home, as Yu Zhengxiong’s mother passed away early and there were no mother-daughter-in-law conflicts. Even her friends envied her life. Cheng Yu herself also felt this way.
She never dreamed that this man who had treated her so well for so many years would actually hit her. In addition to her anger, she felt fear. For the first time, Cheng Yu realized that if Yu Zhengxiong did not indulge and dote on her, she had nothing to threaten him with.
After her emotions stirred for quite a while, Cheng Yu was surprised by her own calm. Instead of throwing a temper tantrum, she looked at Yu Zhengxiong with hurt in her eyes, "Did you hit me?"
Whether out of anger or intense emotion, Yu Zhengxiong’s hand was shaking as he rebuked Cheng Yu, "Shiya was spoiled by you. As her mother, you fail to teach her properly and instead lead her down the wrong path. This isn’t love, it’s harming her."
Her motivations exposed, Cheng Yu didn’t bother to argue. Instead, she tearfully cried, "Didn’t I do all this because I love Shiya? Besides, we didn’t do anything! I just wanted to give Tong Yao a reality check, to make her see the difference between her and Shiya. I wasn’t aware of what happened later!"
"They are a legal couple. There’s nothing wrong with him not liking Shiya. All of you want to drive me to my death... cough cough..." Overwhelmed by his emotions, Yu Zhengxiong started to cough violently, his face flushed.
"We know we were wrong, please don’t get so worked up!" Cheng Yu quickly rushed forward to help him calm down, "You have hit and scolded us, can’t we put this behind us now?"
It took Yu Zhengxiong a while to recover, but his face remained somber. He felt a pang of regret at having hit Cheng Yu too hard. Over these many years, he never made it a habit to hit his wife or daughter, but this time, he was too angry and lost his senses.
When he thought of his daughter, he started to regret his rash actions and said, "Go check on Shiya."
Cheng Yu gave him a reproachful look, "Now you care about her. When you hit her just now, you showed no mercy."
She knew that she was at fault for crossing Yu Zhengxiong’s line this time and making him lose face. She clearly understood this, not daring to fuss about it. Seeing that Yu Zhengxiong seemed okay, she pushed the door open and left.
Even though Cheng Yu acted haughty and superior in front of others, she was always submissive in front of Yu Zhengxiong. She didn’t fuss over major things, which was one of the reasons she was able to stand out from many competitors and marry Yu Zhengxiong.
Over the years, as Yu Zhengxiong got older and their daughter grew up, his temper improved greatly. Cheng Yu started to lose herself a little. This slap served as a sobering reminder for her.
Before their marriage, Cheng Yu was a pure countryside girl with only a primary school level education. If she had not married Yu Zhengxiong, her life today would be incomparable. Without a powerful maternal family to support her, even after being married to Yu Zhengxiong for over two decades, she didn’t dare to throw tantrums in front of him.
Deep-seated feelings of inferiority and dread always bubbled up in critical situations, inadvertently reminding her not to overstep her mark.
...
Tong Yao became notorious after moving into the family compound and quarrelling with Li Meiyu, earning a reputation as a shrewish country bumpkin. During Yu Shiya’s birthday, she was able to shine and clear her name of being a mere country woman, thinking that there would be no more gossip, or at most, people would compliment her beauty.
However, just one night had passed and she was not only receiving no compliments, but her reputation as a lazy and argumentative woman was more established than ever. 𝚗ov𝚙𝚞𝚋.c𝚘m
Gossip fly: [They say you’re a little vixen, charming Si Chen to the point of no return, he doesn’t let you do anything.]
[They say you’re lazy and only know how to eat, thankfully you live in the city, or else Si Chen would have to do everything including emptying the chamber pot.]
[You don’t seem like a decent person, they say you’ll eventually make Si Chen wear a green hat, said you’re way more argumentative than any other woman in the residential area combined.]
Tong Yao rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively, "Go away, don’t be so detailed in relaying these kinds of messages next time."
...
Day by day, finally came Monday, Tong Yao woke even earlier than Si Chen. By the time Si Chen finished getting ready, she was already prepared to leave.
"Don’t bother cooking for me at noon, I won’t be home for lunch. If you finish work early, you can start cooking dinner first. If I get back first, I’ll do it."
The two talked just as if they were a regular married couple. After giving Si Chen some brief instructions, Tong Yao hurriedly left the residence.
He Fang had everything ready and was waiting for Tong Yao by the front door.
"Sister, I’ve got everything ready, even got the coal stove started, do you need to prepare anything else?"
Tong Yao didn’t expect He Fang to be so prepared. She even filled three large buckets of water to bring with them, "Fang, thank you for your hard work. If we make any profits, I’ll give you a raise at the end of the month."
Promising a piece of the pie was crucial when seeking someone’s help, and of course, these promises had to be kept when the time comes.
"It’s no trouble, no trouble at all. Should we head to the school now?" Upon hearing of a possible pay rise, He Fang was over the moon. She knew Tong Yao was generous and believed that as long as they made money, she would definitely get a raise.
