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Chapter 516: Chapter 516: I am not that fragile
Si Boyi gave Si Xiaohui one last glare before turning and walking out. Zhang Lijuan followed him, thinking to herself: she hadn’t made a mistake in marrying him, Boyi always had her and their child at heart.
"Mom, what should we do now?" Si Xiaohui sat dumbfounded on the bed edge, truly at a loss this time.
Lin Fengying closed her eyes, her voice weak, "With me in this state, who can I manage? You heard what your second brother just said. He doesn’t want to deal with you anymore. Don’t hold the wedding, just go get the marriage certificate and move in together! I’m tired and can’t take anymore fuss."
Now, as Lin Fengying thought back on her past actions, regret began to creep into her heart.
From her first visit to Kyoto, the sudden wealth and envy had intoxicated her mind, making her indulgent in the luxurious life outside, making her forget her former life.
She just wanted to live a better life. She was so sure of her grace as a mother, having raised three kids all by herself, that she misbehaved relentlessly. In the end, she drove away her son and ruined her good life.
Lin Fengying realized that if she continues this, she may lose her younger son too. She considered dying this time, but she no longer had the courage to follow through.
"Mom, I didn’t have a reception for my first wedding, and now again for the second. What kind of marriage am I even getting into?" Si Xiaohui asked unwillingly.
"With me in this state, what else do you think I can do?" Lin Fengying asked back, "Do you really want your second brother to dump me at the entrance of your butcher shop?"
Si Xiaohui choked on her words, unable to find a reply for a while. After some time she muttered, "I do have brothers, why should mom be involved in marriage?"
Lin Fengying didn’t respond, she was too exhausted to argue anymore.
That night, Lin Fengying lay in bed thinking all night. The past kept replaying in her mind, denying her regret would be a lie.
Come to think of it, Tong Yao never did anything excessively wrong to her. If she hadn’t misbehaved with Si Xiaohui, their life would be quite good now, and everyone in the village would envy her. But she didn’t know why, after going to the city and meeting Si Weimin, she was like under a spell, lost in madness until she turned into what she is now.
Lin Fengying began to fear. Fear that Si Boyi and Zhang Lijuan would abandon her too. She knew Si Xiaohui was unreliable, she could only rely on Zhang Lijuan and Si Boyi. After thinking all night, she finally decided to give in and compromise.
The next morning, when Si Boyi was leaving, Lin Fengying teared up. Si Boyi thought she was going to make a fuss again and turned to leave with a stern face. But Lin Fengying called out to him from behind.
"Boyi, I was wrong before, and I regret it. I thought about it all night and I shouldn’t have done those things."
"I know, all the words now are useless. I hurt you and Xiaochen deep down. I deserved to die for doing wrong all the time, from my youth till now. You guys go to the city! I won’t cause any trouble in the future. Trust me, there is no good development for you guys in the village. There are more opportunities in the city. If you and Lijuan make money, buy a house in the city and live there with your child. Don’t worry, I won’t follow you there, I’ll stay at home for penance."
The tears poured down as Lin Fengying spoke. But Si Boyi didn’t soften his heart, he had suffered enough during this time. Moreover, if it were not for his big brother and Tong Yao’s support, they all were barely scraping by. This couldn’t continue.
"Since you’ve come to your senses, Mom, stop causing trouble. I’ll come to see you when I get time. As long as I have something to eat, you won’t starve."
Lin Fengying nodded, trying to hold back her sobs and said, "Boyi, I have one last request, can you get me a wheelchair? I don’t want to be bedridden all my life."
Si Boyi gloomily said, "We’ll talk about it when we earn money later! The whole family has problems with food now, where do we get money to buy that thing?" It wasn’t that he was unwilling, but they truly didn’t have any money at home. They were still waiting for the money big brother would send, and he and Lijuan only had a little over 230 yuan on them.
This little money needed to be used for renting a house and buying necessities in the city, it was not enough to buy a wheelchair.
"Alright."
Knowing her youngest son had no money, Lin Fengying didn’t press too much, "You should go now!"
Si Boyi said, "Take care of yourself."
Having said that, he turned and walked out, not even glancing at Si Xiaohui who was standing by the bed the whole time.
Seeing this, Si Xiaohui quickly followed him out, "Second brother."
Seeing Si Boyi stop, Si Xiaohui bit her lip and pleaded, "Second brother, I’m sorry, I realized I was wrong too. Please don’t hold a grudge anymore. It breaks my heart when you do this. I know you hate me for being immature these past months. Last night, I reflected on everything, and I know I was very wrong. I also know, you still very much hate my past, but that was the mistake of the older generation. It had nothing to do with me. Given the choice, who would want to have such complicated past?"
Before Si Boyi said anything, she continued, "I’ve decided. I won’t hold the wedding either. I’ll just go and do the paperwork for the marriage. When I get time, I’ll come back to look after mom frequently. If you run into any difficulties, just let me know."
Si Boyi said nothing and walked directly out the door to find the oxcart. He no longer believed in Si Xiaohui’s words, old habits die hard.
Even if Si Xiaohui changed, it wouldn’t matter to him. He now only wanted to take care of his own family.
He was soon to be a father of two children and he wanted to take the responsibility of a father seriously and let Zhang Lijuan and their children live a good life.
Watching Si Boyi’s retreating figure, Si Xiaohui’s eyes flashed with resentment. What she had said was just to alleviate the tension between her and Si Boyi. She wasn’t a fool, she knew that a woman without a maternal home would always be looked down upon by her in-laws.
The oldest brother was a doctor who had gone abroad, and the second brother might do well in business in the city. Even if they didn’t help her, her in-laws wouldn’t dare to bully her.
Hmph!
Once she has more children in the future, things will get much better.
With these thoughts, Si Xiaohui turned around and went back into the room to see what more of Zhang Lijuan’s stuff she could take...
...
After a night of sleep, Gu Hongwei’s fever subsided, and he was feeling much better the next day. The three of them went out for breakfast together. Gu Hongwei suggested that they take Tong Yao for a check-up. Guo Jinnian was puzzled, "You’re the one not feeling well, why should Yaoyao have a check-up?"
"Yaoyao might be pregnant." Gu Hongwei said nonchalantly.
"Yaoyao might be pregnant?" Guo Jinnian was startled. She remembered that when she woke up in the morning, her leg was still draped over Tong Yao’s. Instantly, she broke out into a cold sweat.
"Yaoyao, why didn’t you tell me about this big thing?! We should have booked two rooms yesterday if I knew. I’m used to tossing and turning during sleep. What if I kicked you to the ground? My leg was over you this morning."
Tong Yao couldn’t hold back and burst in laughter at her panic, "I’m not that delicate."
