Witty Wife, Better Life

Chapter 443: Chapter 433: There Must Be Something Despicable About Someone Pitiable (Additional update for Xiaoxiao66)

By the end of August in Gaijiatun, with the start of school approaching, Shen Yunfang finally packed up and prepared to take her child back to the Capital.

"When you’re on holiday, just come back here. What’s the point of being there by yourself? Winter break is in January, right? By then I’ll have the house warmed up for you; you can just come back and stay here." Dashuan’s wife came over to give Yunfang some things, all dried vegetables she had prepared last year.

"Don’t bring me so much stuff, I can’t carry it." Shen Yunfang saw her bringing another big package and quickly said she had enough, really enough. She had already picked up quite a few things herself here, and since she couldn’t put them in the space, she had to carry them all by herself. Now with all this, how was she supposed to carry it?

"Oh, it’s just dried vegetables, very light. I’ll find a place for them." The things were already brought over, how could she take them back? Dashuan’s wife started stuffing the large package of dried vegetables into the luggage.

Speaking of dried vegetables, Shen Yunfang did recall one thing, "Sister-in-law, don’t you think it’s strange, I’ve been back for so long, and my second aunt and Shen Erniang haven’t come to bother me?" She had been living here for nearly a month, yet neither her second aunt nor Shen Erniang had shown up once, which was indeed odd.

"Haha, I didn’t mention those annoying things because you seemed in a good mood." Dashuan’s wife had the expression of someone who knew everything but hadn’t shared it.

"What happened?" Shen Yunfang leaned in and asked.

"It’s about your big cousin’s affair. I heard, just heard, that your big cousin has been messing around with men, and her husband found out," whispered Dashuan’s wife in a secretive manner.

"What?" Shen Yunfang’s face was full of shock; she didn’t expect Shen Yunfeng to be so bold, to dare to have an affair at this time; she couldn’t be thinking straight.

"You didn’t expect that, right? No one in our village did. But I guess it’s true. These days, your second aunt has been going to your big cousin’s house every single day. I don’t know whether she’s begging or causing a scene. Anyway, now you can see her early in the morning leaving with a packed bag, and only returning at dusk," said Dashuan’s wife.

Shen Yunfang pondered for a moment; the situation sounded like her second aunt was having an affair. But that was just her thought; she wouldn’t dare voice it aloud.

"Isn’t there any more reliable gossip?" Shen Yunfang felt that, given the current situation, there should be gossip flying everywhere.

"Of course, there is. How could there not be? It’s just that no one knows for sure. But I figure, in a couple of days, we’ll know what’s going on. Don’t worry, once there’s news, I’ll write to you," offered Dashuan’s wife.

"Yeah, okay, I am quite curious," agreed Shen Yunfang with a nod, "What’s with my second aunt being so quiet?"

"Hehe, your second aunt, well now she’s been tamed by your second uncle. She diligently goes to work every day, then goes straight home to cook after work. We all say that your second uncle has finally started acting like a real man," Dashuan’s wife couldn’t help laughing as she said this.

"What happened? Come on, tell me," Shen Yunfang’s desire for gossip was piqued.

"I heard, just heard, that the Zhao Family really resent her. Your second uncle didn’t say anything at first, but after drinking a bit, your second aunt wouldn’t restrain herself, so he laid hands on her and beat her up. After a good beating, he tamed her, and she doesn’t dare to act like she used to anymore. Now she serves the elderly and children, works hard at home, she’s completely changed," Dashuan’s wife explained.

Shen Yunfang pursed her lips and said nothing. That was domestic violence; to have tamed such a strong-willed woman must have taken more than one or two attempts. In the background, her second uncle had put in a lot of effort.

Now she didn’t know whether to hate Shen Erniang or to feel pity for her, being a victim of domestic violence for so long. As a woman, she felt sorry for Shen Erniang, but thinking about her personality, she likely needed someone just like this to handle her.

Sigh, in the end, there’s a saying: the pitiable ones have something contemptible about them.

After two days of bustle, Shen Yunfang finally returned safely to her home in the Capital with her children.

Once inside the house, she and the kids rolled up their sleeves and started cleaning again.

The house had been empty for a month, and although everything else was fine, a layer of dust had settled on the furniture surfaces. Shen Yunfei would generally let the kids help her with such manageable chores, thinking it was good exercise for them and a way for them to appreciate their mother’s hard work.

The two kids were delighted, each with a small rag in hand, working tirelessly and without a single complaint.

They were chatting and laughing as they cleaned when a knock came from the door.

Shen Yunfang thought it might be the Ma Liguo couple, but when she opened the door, it turned out to be Aunt Sun from across the hall.

"Xiaoshen, you’re back? Where have you been these days? Several people have been looking for you but couldn’t find you," Aunt Sun said eagerly, sticking her head into the room to snoop around as soon as the door opened.

Shen Yunfang found this annoying and petty, so she subtly shifted to block Aunt Sun’s prying gaze.

"Aunt Sun, I went back to my hometown with the kids for a few days. People were looking for me? Did they mention who they were?" Shen Yunfang asked with a smile.

"No, they didn’t. They just knocked on the door, and when I told them you weren’t home, they left," Aunt Sun exaggerated. In reality, only one person had come looking for her, and although Aunt Sun had asked who it was, they hadn’t paid her any attention.

"Then it’s nothing to worry about. If they need me, they’ll come back," Shen Yunfang replied. As long as it wasn’t someone in uniform looking for her, she wasn’t concerned about others.

"Xiaoshen, where is your hometown? It’s the season for planting vegetables, right? Didn’t you bring anything back this time?" Aunt Sun’s real intention was to see if Shen Yunfang had brought back anything good.

In the city, even a single green vegetable had to be purchased, and fresh ones were hard to find, making a return from the countryside curious and enviable.

"I didn’t bring anything back. The vegetables were ready to harvest, but it was quite a task just managing the children on the long journey. I couldn’t bring those. Aunt Sun, I’ve just returned, and the house is in a bit of a state; I won’t chat with you for now. I need to tidy up—let’s catch up another time," Shen Yunfang said, closing the door.

Aunt Sun muttered a few words under her breath as she stared at the closed door, then headed back to her own place.

From inside, Shen Yunfang softly exhaled with relief upon hearing the door close, thankful that Aunt Sun hadn’t insisted on coming in; it was hard to say how long it would have taken to send her away otherwise.

"Kids, let’s continue our work," she said.

After tidying up the house, the three of them joined hands and headed over to Ma Liguo’s place. Their primary goal was to bring back their dog, Taxue, and their secondary goal was to mooch off their dinner.

Taxue sensed their presence the moment Shen Yunfang and her daughters entered the hallway, dashing to the door and barking excitedly, startling Ma Liguo and his spouse. Taxue had been staying with them for a month and had never behaved like this—what could have caused such excitement?

Before Ma Liguo could calm Taxue down, there was a knock on the door. As he opened it and saw who was there, he understood that Taxue’s excitement wasn’t madness; the dog had heard Shen Yunfang and her daughters’ footsteps early on.

Both Ma Liguo and his spouse were very happy to see Shen Yunfang and her daughters safely back, but Ma Chaofan seemed a bit downhearted. With Aunt Yunfang back, this meant that Taxue would be going home, and he had finally found a playmate.