Pastoral Splendor

The moon slowly rose, and the earth was shrouded in a silver veil. The gate of the Xiao family's courtyard was half open, and a figure slipped out from inside the courtyard.

A man dressed in a scholar's robe stood under the peach tree beside the courtyard wall, leaning close to the trunk as if afraid others would see him hiding behind it and witness the figure emerging from the courtyard. He exclaimed in surprise, "Erhua!"

Erhua then noticed Xiao Jingwei standing under the peach tree. She tiptoed over and asked, "Why did you come all this way so late? Did you find out some news?"

Xiao Jingwei glanced quickly at Erhua, then turned away again. This naive young man simply didn't have the courage to look directly at the woman he loved. "I went to Wangjia Village today," Xiao Jingwei said, his voice suddenly filled with indignation. "Your brother-in-law has actually changed his mind!"

Erhua was taken aback: "You've changed your mind? What did you hear?"

"They're all saying that your brother-in-law has been hooking up with a girl in the village named Lihua for a long time. Some people even say that Lihua seems to have..." He scratched his head, a little embarrassed to say it aloud, "Well, that's the gist of it!"

Erhua spat angrily: "Pah! Just look at him, he's no good!"

"Erhua, you mustn't tell your eldest sister. She's pregnant now and might not be able to handle any bad temper." Xiao Jingwei said nervously, "Just call a few people over and teach your brother-in-law a lesson."

“Xiao Jingwei, you’re a man, so of course you’ll side with Wang Fugui! With his character, even if you chopped him up and fed him to the dogs, they probably wouldn’t even want to eat him!” Erhua punched the peach tree in anger, the branches rustled, and a few leaves drifted down and landed on Xiao Jingwei’s shoulder.

“I… didn’t speak up for him.” Seeing Erhua’s anger, Xiao Jingwei felt a little nervous and didn’t know how to comfort her. He was only concerned about Erhua’s older sister and was afraid that she would feel uncomfortable because of this news. He didn’t mean to cover up for Wang Fugui. “Erhua, don’t worry, not all men are like your brother-in-law.” He wanted to say that he wouldn’t be fickle, but he just didn’t have the courage to say it.

Erhua glanced at Xiao Jingwei and saw that he was looking down at the tips of his shoes. She couldn't help but chuckle and said, "I wasn't talking about you."

"I...I...I wouldn't do that!" Xiao Jingwei finally mustered the courage to say in a low voice, "Erhua, I..."

"Brother Jingwei, what will you do?" A playful laugh suddenly came from the top of the wall. Erhua looked up and saw a person lying on the wall, which was her younger sister Sihua.

Hearing Sihua's voice, Xiao Jingwei was startled and immediately ran towards the path. His long scholar's robe swayed in the wind. Erhua sighed as she watched his retreating figure: "Why is this guy so shy? I was waiting for him to continue, but he ran away."

Sihua leaned against the wall and smiled slyly: "Second sister, do you think I came at the wrong time?" She reached out and shook the branch, and a few remaining peach blossoms and leaves drifted down, covering the ground.

Erhua glared at her: "You knew all along and you still have the nerve to say it?"

Turning around, she walked back into the courtyard and saw several people standing by the wall. Even though Erhua was usually generous, she was embarrassed: "Oh, you're all eavesdropping!" But when her eyes fell on Dahua, she suddenly fell silent.

Xiao Jingwei said he wouldn't let Da Hua know, but now Da Hua was standing under the courtyard wall. If Yan Ying hadn't been supporting her, she probably would have fallen down the wall. The moonlight shone on her face, making her look deathly pale, like paper. The paleness made Er Hua feel a little scared.

"Big sister, big sister!" Erhua quickly went over and helped Dahua up: "Are you alright?"

Sihua jumped down from the chair and was surprised to see Dahua's expression. She grabbed Dahua's arm and said, "Big sister, please don't get angry. What if you hurt yourself?"

Tears streamed down Da Hua's face as she forced out a sentence through gritted teeth: "They've been exchanging glances for a while now, but I'm here..." She raised her hand to wipe her eyes: "No, I have to go back to Wangjia Village."

"Big sister, how can you go back to Wangjia Village in this state?" Yan Ying grabbed Da Hua's arm tightly: "You absolutely cannot go. Just stay home and rest. Father, Er Hua, and I will go to Wangjia Village tomorrow to write a divorce agreement for you, and that will settle this matter. You can then stay home and wait to give birth. We'll find a good baby for you then."

Da Hua's tears fell like beads from a broken string, without stopping, which made Yan Ying's heart ache. Da Hua had stayed at home for a month, busy from morning till night. Besides taking care of Ye'er, she also helped Aunt Xiao take care of Qi Hua. Qi Hua was born prematurely and was very weak. Thanks to Da Hua's presence, she was able to take better care of her and barely made it through the month.

Someone like Da Hua, so beautiful, hardworking, and capable, how could Wang Fugui be blind to have an affair with another woman while Da Hua was pregnant! Yan Ying's fists clenched so tightly they cracked. No matter what Da Hua thought, she had to go to Wangjia Village tomorrow to help Da Hua escape this hellhole!

Yan Ying had been thinking that if Wang Fugui hadn't cheated on her, she would have needed to find someone else to "fish" for her. She hadn't expected Wang Fugui to be such a philanderer; before she could even make a move, he'd already hooked up with someone else. Tonight, Xiao Jingwei came to see Erhua, and Yan Ying guessed he was bringing news from Wangjia Village, so she specifically dragged Dahua along: "Big sister, let's go eavesdrop!"

Da Hua had just laid Ye'er down to sleep when she heard Yan Ying mention eavesdropping, and couldn't help but ask with some curiosity, "Where are you going?"

Yan Ying smiled broadly and pulled her aside: "Someone's looking for Er Hua!"

Upon hearing Yan Ying's words, Da Hua immediately understood and her eyes widened in surprise: "Who has taken a liking to our Er Hua? Let's go and see!"

Yan Ying and Da Hua walked outside together. Just as they stepped into the main room, Si Hua ran over from the side: "Big sister, third sister, where are you going?"

Da Hua beckoned to Si Hua: "Si Hua, come quickly, let's go meet Er Hua's lover!"

So the three sisters followed each other to the courtyard wall. Da Hua had just put her ear to the wall when she heard Xiao Jingwei say that Wang Fugui and Li Hua were having an affair. She felt very annoyed.

Back then, when she had just given birth to Ye'er, Lihua would frequently run to the Wang family. One moment she would come to borrow a broom, and the next she would say she wanted to come and help her mother-in-law, Wang Zhangshi, with embroidery. She was dressed exquisitely, her two braids were combed smooth and shiny, and a flower was tied around them with a red string.

At first, Da Hua didn't pay much attention, but later she slowly realized that every time Li Hua came, she would choose a time when Wang Fugui was there, and every time she would inevitably talk to Wang Fugui for a few words. When she stood up, she would deliberately puff out her chest to make her high breasts look even higher.

On one occasion, she even saw Wang Fugui take Lihua out, and one of his hands went past her armpit. She didn't know if he touched her there, but she just pretended that she was seeing things—they were already married and had a child, what else could they do? She couldn't very well take the child back to her parents' house, could she?

She had been sent back to her parents' home by the Wang family, and Wang Fugui had chased after her and brought Ye'er over. He must have been overjoyed, no longer needing to worry about her, and openly flirting with Lihua. Da Hua put her hand in her mouth and bit down hard, but she could no longer feel the pain. The heartache of betrayal was incomparable to any other kind of pain.

"You shameless bastard!" Erhua cursed through gritted teeth when she saw Dahua's pained expression. "Only those shameless people would fawn over you! Isn't it said that if a female dog doesn't wag her tail, a male dog won't ride on her back?"

Yan Ying snorted coldly: "It takes two to tango. If Wang Fugui were a gentleman, he wouldn't be so philandering." Since ancient times, when men cheat, women always like to blame those "vixens," not knowing that these men themselves have problems. What do they mean by being unable to resist temptation? They clearly already had a heart set on having an affair, and this was just a matter of them agreeing.

"Big sister, rest well and don't think about this anymore. You're pregnant." Yan Ying helped Da Hua sit on the bed. "Tomorrow I'll go to Wangjia Village and hand them a divorce agreement!"

“Sanhua…” Dahua raised her head and looked at Yanying with a sorrowful expression: “I also want to go back to Wangjia Village.”

"Big sister, you can't go!" Si Hua exclaimed. What if Da Hua went and saw that adulterous couple having an affair, and got sick from the anger?

"Don't worry about me. I just want to ask Fugui if he feels guilty towards us, mother and daughter. We were once inseparable, how could he have changed his mind now?" Dahua gently stroked Ye'er's face, her heart breaking. She still remembered how Wang Fugui insisted on marrying her and had argued with his parents for a long time. He had also told her, "Dahua, as long as you are willing to marry me, I will definitely treat you well, I will treat you well for the rest of my life."

But now? Only three years have passed, and this life is over? Da Hua really couldn't believe it, but everything she saw and heard proved that Wang Fugui had changed his mind—but she still wanted to ask him, to have Wang Fugui tell her in person that all of this was false, that it was all nonsense from others, that he still loved her, that he was waiting at home for her to give birth to their son before returning home, and that the family would live together in harmony.

"Big sister, since you insist on going, then go ahead." Yan Ying looked at Da Hua's appearance and knew that she hadn't figured things out yet. Who could make sense of things immediately when faced with such a situation? She gently placed her hand on Da Hua's shoulder, and her eyes slowly deepened. It's better to end things quickly than to suffer for a long time. While Da Hua is still young, she should quickly break up with Wang Fugui and live her own life in the future.

Chapter Fifty-Six Decision

The rooster's crowing woke people from their sleep. Yan Ying rubbed her eyes, and a ray of slightly yellow sunlight shone through the broken window, illuminating the bed. The straw stalks instantly looked as if they were coated with a layer of light gold dust, making them look exceptionally beautiful.

Erhua, who was on the opposite bed, had already woken up and was getting dressed. When she saw Yanying open her eyes, she smiled and said, "Sanhua, you can really sleep. I didn't sleep well for most of last night because I was thinking about going to Wangjia Village."

Yan Ying got up and put on her clothes. She turned to look at Wu Hua, who was sleeping soundly with her arms and legs spread out, her little hands clutching the tattered quilt. She gently shushed her, "Don't make a sound, let's hurry and stop Father."

Erhua nodded, and the two sisters quietly got out of bed. Just as they were about to leave, Sihua opened her eyes and said, "Second sister, third sister, take me with you."

“You’ll be taking care of the mushrooms for Third Sister at home; they’re our family’s precious darlings.” Yan Ying winked at Si Hua: “Just think about it, how many taels of silver will you get each time!”

Sihua hugged the quilt and rolled around, saying, "Okay, okay, I'll stay at home. I'll cook lunch for Mother and my sisters."

"Third Sister knows that Sihua is the best girl." Yan Ying reached out and patted Sihua's head. Poor children mature early. Sihua is only eleven or twelve years old this year, but she can do everything. Moreover, she always thinks about her family and is afraid that they are not being taken care of properly. Now, Sihua can go up the mountain to chop firewood, go to the fields to work with Boss Xiao, and also manage the household chores. She is truly capable in both the home and outside.

Receiving the praise, Sihua smiled happily, revealing a small dimple at the corner of her lips: "Third Sister, I will work hard. You and Father and Second Sister go and come back quickly!" Thinking about what happened last night, she suddenly became angry and pounded the bed a few times with her little fist: "Give that Wang Fugui a good beating!"

"I know, don't worry!" Yan Ying smiled at her and walked out of the house. Boss Xiao was already squatting at the door washing his face. The cold water splashed onto the blue stone at the door, leaving a black stain.