Chapter 16: An Old House is Catching Fire

Anyway, she decided to blow things out of proportion today so that the Wang family and others wouldn't dare to approach her again, let alone kick them while they were down during their family's low point.

"We didn't, we didn't." The once-aggressive Wang family suddenly cowered like cowards.

"They did," Zhang Yongfeng said loudly and sternly. "They said they were going to come over and splash feces on our door, and they cursed our family. Especially that eldest daughter of the Wang family—she was the most vicious, even saying she wanted to skin my sister-in-law alive."

The surrounding villagers began to chime in, repeating what the Wang family had said. Hua Xiali hadn't realized that Mother Hua had endured so much humiliation while she was away.

Hua Xiali reached out to support Mother Hua’s arm, her eyes reddening as she whispered, "Mom, if only I hadn't paid any attention to Wang Liang in the first place, you wouldn't have had to suffer such a great humiliation."

Mother Hua gripped Hua Xiali’s hand tightly and said with relief, "I'm fine. It’s you I’m worried about—thank goodness you rejected that Wang Liang, otherwise I would have ruined your life!"

Back then, because the Wang family lived nearby, she had truly believed that Hua Xiali marrying Wang Liang would help the family, and she had even urged Hua Xiali to choose him.

Only now did she realize what kind of trash Wang Liang and his family really were.

Hua Xiali forced her tears back, feeling a lump in her throat. In her past life, hadn't she been ruined? But she wouldn't blame them for urging her to marry Wang Liang. If they hadn't pushed for him, they would have pushed for Ding Yong. After all, their family was like a pit of fire; it was said that even matchmakers didn't want to come by. With two young men willing to marry her, her family, fearing she wouldn't be able to marry at all, would naturally have grabbed at these two sole opportunities.

But who could have known what kind of life she would have led if she had married Ding Yong?

She didn't blame anyone but herself. She hadn't thought things through, and not knowing what love was, she had just muddled through and gotten married. She had married the wrong person in Wang Liang in her past life, and in this life, she didn't want to try things with Ding Yong. Even if Ding Yong were a good man, and even if he could potentially make her happy, in this lifetime, she only wanted to look after her family.

The incident of the Wang family causing trouble wasn't a major one because they hadn't caused any actual physical harm; they had only made the Hua family feel wronged. There was no legal basis to punish them, so the police officers suggested that both sides reconcile.

With such a perfect ladder offered to her, Hua Xiali naturally didn't want to miss the chance.

They wanted to reconcile? Fine. Then they had to pay five hundred yuan, write a letter of guarantee promising not to spread rumors about the Hua family or her, and offer a sincere apology to the Hua family in front of everyone.

The Wang family, ignorant of the law and scared to death, thought they were going to jail. Seeing that five hundred yuan could buy them forgiveness and keep them out of prison, they hurriedly agreed.

First, they bowed and apologized to the Hua family in front of the crowd. Then, they signed and thumb-printed the letter of guarantee written by the police. Finally, accompanied by the officers, they went home to get the money and solemnly handed the five hundred yuan to Mother Hua in front of everyone.

The farce ended just like that. The onlookers dispersed and went home. Huo Beixi got into the police car and left with them, leaving Hua Xiali without even a chance to thank him.

After the police car drove outside the brigade headquarters and stopped, the officer in the passenger seat turned back to look at Huo Beixi and teased, "I really didn't expect this, Huo Beixi."

"Didn't expect what?" Huo Beixi looked out the window, not even sparing him a glance.

"The Huo Beixi I know isn't the type to meddle in other people's business, especially things like this." The man looked at Huo Beixi, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

"They are my villagers, and I am the village secretary. This is my duty," Huo Beixi said sternly.

"I think you mean they're *your* family's villagers, right?" The man finished and let out a cackle. "The old house is catching fire, huh? You’d better work hard; let us drink your wedding wine soon."

Huo Beixi got out of the car and slammed the door behind him.

Old house?

He was only twenty-nine; how had he become an "old house"?

The officer driving couldn't help but burst into laughter. After a while, he calmed down, started the car, and drove off, kicking up a cloud of dust.

After everyone had left, Mother Hua handed the five hundred yuan in compensation from the Wang family to Hua Xiali. "Xiali, you’re always running around outside, so you keep this money."

"Mom, I do have things I need to spend money on, so I'll take it." Hua Xiali took the money and put it in her pocket.

"Brother-in-law, quit your job after this month. Come earn money with me. I believe that with our hard work, we’ll definitely earn more than you do at the brick factory." Wages outside were around two or three hundred, but the brick factory only paid about a hundred for back-breaking labor. Working there was just a waste of time.

Before, there was no other way, but now that Hua Xiali had a way to make money, she couldn't let her brother-in-law continue wasting his time at the brick factory.

In this life, she wanted her sister and brother-in-law to grow old together; she didn't want to watch her brother-in-law die young and leave her sister all alone.

Zhang Yongfeng nodded. "Alright, I'll finish out the month."

"By the way, brother-in-law, how did it go with my sister registering at school? Did it go smoothly?" Thinking of Hua Chunli, Hua Xiali asked anxiously.

"It went great. The registration was smooth, and the principal placed her in the repeaters' class," Zhang Yongfeng said.

At Hua Chunli's age, she was indeed older than the average student, and being married, it wouldn't have been appropriate for her to sit with a bunch of seventeen or eighteen-year-olds. If things went wrong, those kids might affect her mood and, consequently, her college entrance exam.

The repeaters' class was different; everyone was a bit older, and some had been repeating for years, so naturally, no one would make an issue out of age.

"Brother-in-law, what are your thoughts on my sister going back to school, taking the college entrance exam, and eventually going to university? Do you truly support her?"

Hua Xiali was afraid that Zhang Yongfeng might feel unbalanced. After all, once Hua Chunli got into university, the gap between them would widen. At that point, it would depend on whether her sister had a conscience, because she knew her brother-in-law would never abandon her sister.

"Of course I'm sincere. We are husband and wife; if she does well, I benefit too, don't I?" Zhang Yongfeng looked at Mother Hua, then at Hua Xiali, and said earnestly, "Back when I was registering for high school and had to pay tuition, I was ten yuan short. It was Chunli who lent me the ten yuan so I could pay it. I made a silent vow then that I would protect Chunli for the rest of my life. If Chunli really becomes successful in the future and doesn't want me anymore, as long as Mom doesn't abandon me, I'm happy to keep being a son to her."