When She Stops Being Dramatic

Chapter 62: Chapter 41: The 1950s Scorned Wife (41)

The Zhu family had three sons, all tall and skinny with a good deal of brute strength. They weren’t very bright—all malice and no nerve. The wives they married, however, were sharp and formidable, and had forcibly molded them into skilled farmhands.

Perhaps because their children had all grown up, past family conflicts now seemed trivial. Sister Zhu would bring her husband and kids back to her parents’ home for holidays, and sometimes she could even talk back to her own mother and father with confidence.

The old couple would just chuckle sheepishly. They’d accept any money or gifts given to them, but at least they didn’t outright ask for things, which would have put their daughter in a difficult position.

In fact, during the seven years the original owner was away from home, her brothers and sisters-in-law would occasionally bring her things.

But the original owner was full of resentment. Every time, she threw the items back at them, saying, ”Don’t come looking for me until you have the two hundred yuan to buy me back!”

Those words shamed her brothers and sisters-in-law so much they stopped coming.

When they relayed her message back home, the old man didn’t say a word. He quit his decades-long drinking habit just like that and even started working in the fields.

The old woman, for her part, borrowed money to raise pigs, going to the back hills three times a day to cut pig feed.

A cold smile touched Zhu Yun’s lips. She knew that when Old Mrs. Wang came to the city to see her son, the Zhu family had eagerly approached her and handed over the five hundred yuan they had saved for several years. The last ten or so yuan of that sum had come from family members selling their blood!

The Zhu family had said that if the Wang Family found a new wife, they should return their Yun’er.

’So, that old woman wants to have her cake and eat it too?’

It was a good thing she had the Teletubbies to help. Otherwise, based on the memories she inherited from the original owner, she would have cut off all contact with those people back home for the rest of her life. And the Zhu family would have been too ashamed to ever approach her.

’If she were still the original owner, manipulated by Old Mrs. Wang... tsk, tsk, she’d be a pitiful, helpless victim all over again!’

Zhu Yun propped her head on her hand. ’It seems the Zhu family isn’t completely rotten after all. In any case, since I’ve taken over the original owner’s body, I might as well help improve their standard of living while I’m at it.’

After she had slept for a while, the sky had grown dim. Chu Shenyu had already returned with their meal.

A red candle had been lit at some point by the bed, its flickering flame casting a unique warmth.

”I wasn’t sure what you like to eat, so I got one of everything,” Chu Shenyu said. He paused as he saw her walk out in her loungewear, then chuckled softly and continued setting out the bowls and chopsticks.

Zhu Yun was wearing the sleeveless silk nightgown Mrs. Chu had bought for her. It was fine, smooth, light, and breathable—very comfortable. Although it only came down to just above her knees, it still elegantly outlined her graceful curves.

She smiled and said, ”Mr. Chu, when do you ever get our meals and *not* get one of everything?”

After quickly washing up, she, who hadn’t been hungry right after waking up, was suddenly hit by a wave of hunger as she smelled the fragrant food.

After dinner, Chu Shenyu dutifully cleared the dishes and took them to be washed.

The two of them sat on the sofa watching TV.

Back then, there were only two television channels, and they only broadcast for two hours each evening, starting around six or seven o’clock.

They had gotten along pleasantly enough during the day, but by nightfall, they both clammed up like silent gourds, unsure of how to interact or what to talk about.

The next day was a weekend. The young couple got up early, went into the city for a meal and a movie, and then strolled through the zoo, taking a few pictures. Their relationship progressed by leaps and bounds. The moment they got home and opened the door...

Chu Shenyu pushed her inside and pinned her against the door.

Although they couldn’t go all the way, he claimed every bit of the privileges he was due. His passion was so intense that Zhu Yun could barely handle it.

After the man, now impeccably dressed, had left to get their meal, Zhu Yun composed herself for a moment and knocked on the door across the hall.

The moment the old woman saw it was her, she instinctively tried to shut the door.

”Now, now, Aunt Wang,” Zhu Yun said, placing her hand lightly on the door. No matter how hard the old woman strained with a ferocious look on her face, the door wouldn’t budge an inch.

”I was out in the city and gave my family a call. And you’ll never guess what?”

Old Mrs. Wang’s heart skipped a beat. She forced a twitch of her lips. ”How do you even have your family’s phone number?”

”I just gave them the location and had the comrades at the service desk connect me, of course. My parents said they entrusted you with five hundred yuan to give to me. They told me to come and get it from you.”

Zhu Yun held out her other hand. It was long and slender, a beautiful, cool-toned white, and she thrust it right in the old woman’s face.

”If you refuse to acknowledge it, they’re going to report you to the police for human trafficking. The crackdown on that is very strict these days, and plenty of people can serve as witnesses to what happened back then.”

In later generations, there was a saying that the buyer and seller were equally guilty, but for now, most people were legally illiterate.

As long as she sold the lie with a straight face, no one would dig too deep into her bluff.

Wang Xianbing and Lin Jin were both at home, and they fell silent upon hearing her words.

’I really don’t know how our family has so many vulnerabilities for people to exploit. Every single one is a direct hit to a vital point!’

”Mom, if what Comrade Zhu Yun is saying is true, just give her the money,” Wang Xianbing said weakly, terrified of Zhu Yun’s sharp tongue. ”If you need anything, just tell me. Besides, you’re earning a salary now too.”

He recalled last night when he had tried to go into the bedroom to sleep. Lin Jin, who was usually gentle and generous, had stared at him and said that since she was further along in her pregnancy, she was afraid he might press on her belly. She had actually made him sleep on the sofa.

And his mother’s explanation was that his wife had heard Zhu Yun recounting his embarrassing childhood stories about falling into a latrine pit and eating goat droppings.

Forget Lin Jin—even he had lost his appetite for the last three meals just thinking about it!

The old woman’s lips trembled as she tried to argue, but when her eyes met Zhu Yun’s mocking gaze, she dejectedly went inside, got the money, and stuffed it into her hand. ”Count it right here,” she said gruffly. ”Don’t come back later and accuse me of pocketing some of it.”

And Zhu Yun actually began to count it, meticulously.

The Zhu family had earned this money penny by penny. The children gathered firewood and dug for wild vegetables; the men fished in the river and did odd jobs; the women sewed shoe soles and twisted hemp ropes. They scrimped on food and clothes to save up the five hundred yuan Old Mrs. Wang had mentioned, and they had even gone to the trouble of exchanging it all for a stack of ”Great Unity” ten-yuan bills to avoid looking shameful.

Zhu Yun really didn’t know what to think of the Zhu family.

If the whole family had worked together like this from the start, how could the original owner have been ”sold” to the Wang Family?

Now, it was too late to mend the pen after the sheep were lost. The original owner would never know what had happened.

If she had only known she had a family she could rely on, she would never have resorted to throwing herself into a pond.

After dinner, Chu Shenyu, despite his discomfort, was determined to sleep in the same bed with Zhu Yun.

Lying in the man’s strong, firm embrace, she felt a sense of security she had never known before. A faint, gentle feeling of attachment and belonging resonated in her chest.

After two lazy days, Zhu Yun woke up early.

Chu Shenyu opened his eyes and pulled her into his arms. ”It’s not even light out yet.”

”I know. You go back to sleep. I’ll get breakfast this morning, and we can eat together,” Zhu Yun said with a light laugh, giving him a quick kiss.

Chu Shenyu was instantly wide awake and pounced on her.

”You get up so early every day. It’s too much work,” he said, watching reluctantly as his wife got ready.

Zhu Yun finished getting ready and put a handful of candies into her shoulder bag. ”Once I’ve trained up my apprentice, I’ll be able to work in an office.”

”It’ll only be this hard for about six months to a year.”