CHAPTER 70: CHAPTER 68: COUNTRY FOLK ARE ALL THE SAME

Xiaotong is so annoyed right now.

Previously, no matter what she did, she couldn’t stop Fengmian from telling Mr. and Mrs. Xie about her long-term debt, and now the Xie Family doesn’t treat her as well as when they just found out she was pregnant.

Because Fengmian paid off two years of her debt, Mrs. Xie stopped giving her a living allowance. Now, she’s penniless and has to watch Mr. and Mrs. Xie’s moods just to eat, not to mention being pregnant and still having to diligently help with chores.

She’s doing all this just to gain favor in front of their family, to make them think she’s virtuous and that she was only tricked by Ye Manman.

But before she could even gain some more favor, Ye Guoqiang and Yang Xiumei suddenly showed up in the middle of the night seeking refuge.

Seeking refuge is one thing, but Yang Xiumei was clearly not well, looking terribly pale, her clothes all torn and disheveled like a worn-out rag, and her hair a complete mess like a bird’s nest.

Ye Guoqiang, in the middle of their dispute, had his clothes torn too, with a red scratch mark on his face from a fingernail. Both of them looked dusty, extremely embarrassed, like two vagrant refugees.

When it became known that these two were Xiaotong’s parents from the countryside, Mr. and Mrs. Xie showed obvious disdain and didn’t even offer them any hospitality, letting Xiaotong handle it herself.

But how was she supposed to handle it?

Their visit completely ruined the bit of goodwill she had managed to build up, and she was furious.

"Xiaotong, Ma is feeling so unwell. I’ve been sick for many days without improvement, and now the hospital is closed. Get Ma inside to rest for a bit; I can barely walk."

Yang Xiumei was utterly exhausted, unable to notice the repressed anger and disdain on Xiaotong’s face.

Ye Guoqiang was also occupied with supporting Yang Xiumei, not considering the possibility that Xiaotong might not welcome them.

"Follow me."

Xiaotong, suppressing her anger, didn’t exchange many words of concern with Yang Xiumei and led them directly to a small, cluttered room.

There was a bed inside, and Xiaotong laid a thin layer of bedding on it, threw in a small quilt, and was about to leave.

But Ye Guoqiang stopped her.

"Xiaotong, your mom is seriously ill, and this bed is too thin, there’s no thick quilt. It’s winter, and she can’t withstand this. Is there any other bedding?"

Xiaotong was beyond frustrated. Just thinking about Mr. and Mrs. Xie’s expressions made her feel a fire burning inside, and she blamed her parents for showing up uninvited to stay. She was in no mood to find them any bedding.

So her tone became particularly impatient, and she rolled her eyes when she turned her back to the door.

"There isn’t any more. With so many people at home, there’s no extra bedding. This is from my bed. Make do for the night, and go to the hospital early tomorrow."

"Then go boil some hot water for your mom to drink; she’s really unwell."

She was almost at the point of wanting to kick them out, wishing they had never appeared. Yet Ye Guoqiang was here issuing orders like they were still at home.

Xiaotong took another deep breath.

"How can I boil water this late? Drink it tomorrow. I need to sleep, so you should sleep too."

With that, she quickly slipped away, as if the two in the cluttered room were not her parents but a plague.

Watching Xiaotong become so uncompassionate, Ye Guoqiang sighed deeply.

Yang Xiumei felt just as awful, her sickness overwhelming her, and her daughter’s heartless words made her feel even worse, but she was out of strength and could only shed tears silently.

How they managed to sleep that night, neither of them knew. Early the next morning, still groggy, Ye Guoqiang and Yang Xiumei were urgently awakened by Xiaotong.

"Wake up, wake up, Mom, Dad, aren’t you going to the hospital? It’s daylight."

Xiaotong had a lot on her mind last night. She figured that the only way to reduce Mr. and Mrs. Xie’s prejudice against her was to make sure they didn’t see Ye Guoqiang and Yang Xiumei again, thus regaining their favor.

So she deliberately got up early, hoping to get Ye Guoqiang and Yang Xiumei out before the Xie family was up.

However, Yang Xiumei was already unwell and had spent a night in the cold. She was too sick to even get up, her face flushed with fever, and she couldn’t speak properly.

But Xiaotong acted as if she didn’t notice, stubbornly trying to wake her and pull her up.

Ye Guoqiang, seeing this, became furious and couldn’t help but scold her.

"Xiaotong! Can’t you see how sick your mom is? She’s almost dying, and you can’t see it? Why do you keep pulling her?"

Though usually timid, Ye Guoqiang remembered he’s still Xiaotong’s father, and he had figured out her reason for treating them this way last night. Anger overcame his usual restraint, raising his voice.

That shout immediately woke up Mr. and Mrs. Xie along with Xie Fengmian.

The three of them came out with frowns, finding the family pulling and shoving each other, which annoyed Xie Fengmian greatly.

"What now? It’s early in the morning; can’t anyone get some sleep?"

Already annoyed with Xiaotong for her stupid debts, his patience wore thin.

Never had he regretted marrying this countryside woman more than at this moment.

Mrs. Xie also wore a look of disdain, her tone sarcastic.

"Just like all country folk, no manners; they don’t know how to behave in someone else’s house, acting like it’s their own."

Mr. Xie, already troubled by business at the factory, was now annoyed by this daughter-in-law as well.

"Xiaotong, take your parents to the hospital quickly, stop making a scene at home. It’s not good if the neighbors hear."

Blamed by everyone, Xiaotong internally directed her resentment solely at Ye Guoqiang and Yang Xiumei, but she couldn’t show it in front of the Xie family and could only feign pitiful tears.

"I just wanted Mom to get up quickly to see the doctor, and I don’t know why Dad yelled at me. I’m worried sick about Mom being so ill; I just wanted to help her get up and to the hospital quickly, sob, sob..."

Her crying, messy as it was, somehow sounded reasonable, at least not openly saying she wanted them gone.

Ye Guoqiang, unable to talk eloquently, had no choice but to carry the now speechless Yang Xiumei out under their watchful eyes.

Hoping to gain more favor, Xiaotong couldn’t act indifferent towards her parents in front of the Xie family; instead, she had to appear even more concerned.

So she quickly followed Ye Guoqiang to the hospital.

Meanwhile, Ye Manman’s injuries had completely healed, her knees covered by her pants, with only a tiny scar left on her forehead. Still, despite this, walking down the street holding He Chen’s hand, they continued turning heads.

Even though they usually attracted attention, today, for some reason, almost every passerby seemed to be pointing and discussing them.

Even with Ye Manman’s thick skin and familiarity with attention, the constant comments made her feel uncomfortable.

She was puzzled, wondering if there was something other than the scar on her forehead, when a young girl excitedly approached her.

"Sister, sister! Are you a movie star? Your photos are so beautiful! You’re beautiful too!"

"Have you been on TV, sister?"