Chapter 465: Chapter 458: Zhong Yuying’s Hard Life
Shanghai Tenement
"Debiao, give me some money; we’ve run out of vegetables at home." Yu Ying stretched out her hand to Huang Debiao for money.
Yu Ying was wearing a red woolen coat that was neither new nor old, her hair still in little curls, though it didn’t look freshly done; parts of it had uncurled and hung limp against her scalp.
It seems that Yu Ying really had hard days; otherwise, with her love for dressing up, how could she possibly wear old clothes and not have her hair done during the New Year!
Her appearance had not changed much, except for becoming slightly plumper, still similar to before, and appearing even more like a mature woman after having given birth.
Huang Debiao was still the same old self, not a bit older but plumper than a few years ago. He was currently sitting in a rattan chair watching TV, his belly fat quivering disgustingly.
Seeing the greasy face of the man, Yu Ying frowned slightly, turning her face a bit and looked towards the TV.
God knows how much she despised this man in front of her; just the thought of having had children with him makes her feel nauseous and unwilling to stoop low to coax him. She deeply regretted why she hadn’t persisted and married such a man.
She had thought about divorce, but she had no education, no skills, no money; leaving this man would mean she couldn’t even afford food. Moreover, she had tested Huang Debiao; he didn’t love her anymore, but he refused to divorce.
Indeed, this short and stocky man had finally found a wife as alluring as her; it would be strange for him to let her go!
But she couldn’t accept this! Could it be that Yu Ying’s whole life had to be tied to this short and portly man?
Huang Debiao placed his chubby daughter on his belly, initially, when she was born, he disliked her since he always wanted a son to continue the family line, but as the daughter increasingly resembled him, Huang Debiao grew just fond of her, spending time playing with her after work; she also especially clung to him.
"How did we run out of vegetables again? Didn’t I tell you to cook less per meal? Yu Ying, you really don’t know the cost of essentials if you don’t manage a household!"
Huang Debiao scolded with a stern face, yet he still pulled out his wallet from his bag, took out a five yuan note and handed it to Yu Ying.
"Here, this five yuan is this week’s meal money; be thrifty, and buy some eggs and meat for Yuanyuan later, she’s gotten thin; you as a Mama don’t seem to care."
Huang Debiao straightened his belly, the layers of fat shook like water, the little girl swung back and forth like sitting in a cradle, giggling happily, her chubby hands constantly waving, as if urging her dad to sway faster.
"Later, Yuanyuan can eat some meat, and some eggs too; our Yuanyuan has gotten thin, she needs to eat more later." Huang Debiao was also very happy, his belly shook even faster.
Yu Ying took the five yuan, staring disdainfully at the father and daughter, especially the little girl; she despised her even more. Although this daughter was born after ten months of her pregnancy, she didn’t like her at all, hideous like Huang Debiao, her existence constantly reminded her that her husband was Huang Debiao, a man resembling Wu Dalang.
Watching Yu Ying go to buy vegetables, Huang Debiao’s smiling face suddenly darkened, "Yu Ying, you think you can leave me and climb up the social ladder, huh? Keep dreaming!"
I’ll just have to drag you down with me!
Who can outlast the other?
Zhong Yuying walked out the door with her vegetable basket, only to see a young man coming out of the room at the end of the corridor. She knew that the university student Meng Shi from the compound had married and moved to Beijing. The man was also a university student and a child of officials; Meng Shi’s Mama had boasted about it many times in the compound,
but she didn’t expect Meng Shi’s husband to be him? Zhong Yuying paused, then quickly quickened her pace and walked outside.
The man was actually Tang Qiubai. He and Meng Shi had married two years ago, and this was his first time visiting his wife’s home for the New Year. His wife was sulking inside the room, so he came out to get some air, but he hadn’t expected to run into someone he knew.
Yes, Tang Qiubai always remembered Zhong Yuying. Although he had not spoken much to her during his time in Yuequan Village, for some reason, he had a deep impression of this girl who shared a similar plight. Could the Sister-in-law De Biao his wife often mentioned actually be her?
He had seen her husband too, and to be honest, he was not worthy of Zhong Yuying at all. It was like a fresh flower stuck in cow dung, and according to his wife, that cow dung treated Zhong Yuying poorly, scolding her every day. Even though he had only been there for a few days, he had heard the man’s curses several times.
Tang Qiubai thought of Zhong Yuying’s expression when she saw him earlier; perhaps she recognized him too?
For some reason, this thought pleased Tang Qiubai a great deal.
Zhong Yuying walked hurriedly on the street, unable to believe that Meng Shi’s husband would be Tang Qiubai—
the boy she had once fantasized about!
But why did she have to meet Tang Qiubai? To let him see her at her lowest, Zhong Yuying felt as if her heart was being pricked by needles, wishing she could turn back time to eight years ago. Even if it was hard and exhausting, she would have persevered and not agreed to marry Huang Debiao.
Tang Qiubai’s trip to Shanghai was an official assignment; he was performing excellently at his company, and the head office had decided to station him in the Shanghai branch for three years. If nothing went wrong, he would be promoted when he returned to the head office.
Therefore, he was very pleased to come to Shanghai, but his wife was unhappy about being separated for three years like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, remaining gloomy and even persuading him to give up this opportunity, to which he firmly objected.
His wife was good-looking, well-educated, and had a decent job, but her temper was too delicate, behaving like a clueless child despite being well into her twenties, always unable to distinguish what mattered most, which was frustrating.
Fortunately, his in-laws were reasonable. They scolded his wife during this visit, which helped her see reason, but her mood remained low, constantly making faces at him.
Tang Qiubai was not the type of man who would cajole a woman to make her feel better. Seeing Meng Shi in such a mood, he couldn’t be bothered with her and went out for some fresh air, unexpectedly running into Zhong Yuying.
If Zhong Yuying were in this situation, she would definitely support her husband’s career wholeheartedly, right?
For some reason, Tang Qiubai bizarrely switched Zhong Yuying into his thoughts, conjuring images of her gentle smile, which gave him a shiver.
Sisi sneered: Scumbag men and cheap women are just like simian feces, even separated by thousands of miles they still manage to meet each other; isn’t it a destined meeting from miles apart!