Courtyard House: My Wife is Xu Huizhen

Page 177

He Yuzhu now knew for certain that Xu Wude's hidden savings, totaling more than 600 silver dollars and small yellow croakers, were all gone. Combined with the information he had just heard from He Daqing, Xu Wude had recently asked He Daqing for money, which He Daqing naturally refused.

Based on the information in these letters, Xu Wude was caught in bed with another woman, but Cheng Dayuan chose not to report it to the police and instead suppressed the matter.

He probably got money from Xu Wude, otherwise he wouldn't have taken out all 600 yuan from his home and borrowed money from all over the place.

If that's the case, Xu Wude is probably still facing a lot of trouble. After all, it would cost a lot of money to keep this a secret, and he also needs to give an explanation to his wife.

Despite such dire circumstances, Schwold actually put a sack over Yi Zhonghai's neck and beat him up, suggesting that something must have happened that he was unaware of.

He Yuzhu thought it over and then came up with an idea: Yi Zhonghai was probably targeted by Xu Wude, and there was something he could use to his advantage.

He Yuzhu said, "Don't try to smear me, old man Yi. Who are you trying to scare by calling the police?"

He glanced at Xu Wude behind him and asked, "Old Xu, come quick, Old Yi got a beating."

Xu Wude went around in circles today, disposed of what he had, and deliberately returned after Yi Zhonghai to create the illusion that he was back later than Yi Zhonghai, so as not to arouse his suspicion.

But to his surprise, he found Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu arguing as soon as he entered the courtyard.

"I won't get involved in your affairs. I'm going back now."

As he spoke, Xu Wude walked past him, quickly passing through the moon gate and entering the backyard.

Jia Dongxu came out of the west room and showed great concern for Yi Zhonghai, then turned around, took some liniment for bruises, and helped Yi Zhonghai to the east wing.

He Daqing watched from beginning to end but still couldn't figure it out. The father and son talked for a while, and He Yuzhu didn't stay either. He got up and returned to Yandaixie Street.

Xu Wude was confident that he had handled things properly, so he readily gave Cheng Dayuan 1000 yuan and settled the matter. However, to his surprise, rumors soon began to circulate about the incident.

That day, when Xu Wude returned from distributing movies in the countryside, he entered the steel mill and noticed that his coworkers were looking at him strangely. There was pity, schadenfreude, and a hint of envy in their gazes.

I asked two people I knew, but they hesitated and didn't give me any details.

Xu Wude was even more puzzled. He quickly returned to his office, stored the film and projector, and asked, "Section Chief, is something wrong?"

He was just a team leader, and the section chief said, "There is a rumor about you. You're such a grown man, yet you're having an affair with a widow and you got caught. What am I supposed to say about you?"

"What? This has already spread?" Xu Wude was dumbfounded.

The section chief nodded and told him about the recent rumors. He didn't know why, but since yesterday, there had suddenly been a rumor that Xu Wude was having affairs with many widows and young wives under the guise of showing movies.

The rumor spread like wildfire, and suddenly everyone in the steel rolling mill knew about it.

As the section chief recounted the rumors, Xu Wude's face instantly turned deathly pale, his body swayed slightly, and then his face turned ashen.

He reached out and helped Xu Wude sit down in a chair, asking, "Old Xu, are these rumors true?"

Xu Wude first shook his head, then nodded sheepishly, his mind blank. This rumor was only slightly better than being reported to the police station.

The section chief lectured Xu Wude, who, after recovering from his shock, tried to deny it. The section chief said:

"It's no use denying it to me. The whole factory knows about it, especially your son, who has already taken leave and gone home."

Xu Wude was wondering why his son, Xu Damao, wasn't in the office. That little rascal must have heard the rumors and gone home to tell his mother.

Now what to do? He made up an excuse to take the money from the house, but now that things have come to light, his wife will surely guess that he used the money to pay compensation.

I'm sure I'll be in big trouble when I get home tonight.

The section chief sighed and said, "Old Xu, your movie projection skills are good, but you should also keep your integrity in mind!"

Xu Wude protested, "Section Chief, I didn't!"

"Alright, whether there's evidence or not isn't important. Just look at the rumors outside; they're all quite detailed. Right now, you should focus on things at home."

Xu Wude knew that if it was just a rumor, he might still be able to keep his job, since it was just a rumor and no one had come forward to testify against him.

The saying goes, "If the people don't complain, the officials won't investigate," so the factory could still get away with it.

But things are different at home. Although his wife has no evidence, the 600 yuan and the debts owed to relatives and friends are real, and he can't hide from them.

Xu Wude was extremely troubled. He told the section chief and left the steel rolling mill.

After dawdling back to the courtyard, Yan Bugui greeted him as soon as he entered, saying, "Old Xu, this is incredible! Everyone in this alley is saying you're keeping a young widow on the side. Could it be true?"

Xu Wude swayed slightly. If it was just in the factory, it would be fine and the rumors would die down after a while. But if it spread to the alleys, people would still remember to talk about it even three or five years later.

"Old Yan, don't listen to their nonsense. Someone is framing me."

Yan Bugui chuckled and said, "I know it's not true. How could I do such a thing? But your husband is very angry. You should go back quickly, stop fighting, and explain things properly."

Xu Wude didn't bother to guess what Yan Bugui meant by those words; right now, appeasing the tigress at home was the priority.

He rushed to the backyard, and as soon as he entered the house, he saw the whole family there, but what greeted him was his wife's Nine Yin White Bone Claw.

The couple quickly got into a physical fight, with shouts, blows, and their children trying to break them up filling the air.

The neighbors in the courtyard quickly noticed what was happening. They came out and separated the couple, and the whole backyard was in an uproar. Several older women were trying to persuade Xu Damao's mother, while others were criticizing Xu Wude for doing something wrong.

Some people, unaware of the truth, inquired about what mistake Xu Wude had made, and some vividly recounted Xu Wude's glorious achievements.

Xu Wude hung his head, knowing he had really lost face this time.

He Yuzhu didn't go forward to join the fun; he just stood at the back of the crowd and watched it all.

Xu Wude has done all sorts of evil things. He plotted to harm me, and even wanted to get me drunk so he could sleep with Xu Zhaodi. What kind of good thing is that?

This really put Xu Wude through a lot. Although he made some mistakes on the phone and thought he could be taken to the police station, things didn't turn out quite as he imagined.

However, Hüwood must have lost a lot of money and ruined his reputation, so he deserves what he got.

He Yuzhu thought the matter was over, but then Yi Zhonghai returned from outside, parted the crowd, and walked to Xu Wude's side, saying:

"Old Xu, this is too immoral of you to do such a thing. You must repent and never do such a foolish thing again."

Xu Wude had been holding back his anger for a long time, and he immediately cursed, "I'll change, I'll change your grandma's mouth."

"Old Xu, why are you swearing? I'm doing this for your own good, how can you not distinguish right from wrong?" Yi Zhonghai questioned.

"If you swear at me, I'll hit you too!"

Xu Wude stood up angrily and punched Yi Zhonghai in the face.

He shouted, "Old Yi, did you tip off Cheng Dayuan so he could arrest me? And you're even spreading rumors that I'm keeping a widow?"

Before Yi Zhonghai could answer, he received a heavy punch to the face.

Unable to hold back any longer, Yi Zhonghai opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood, along with a tooth, before staggering and falling to the ground.

Even so, Xu Wude was still not satisfied and wanted to go up and beat Yi Zhonghai again. Fortunately, the neighbors in the courtyard were there, and they rushed forward and stopped Xu Wude from committing the crime.

Yi Zhonghai, clutching his aching face, angrily said, "You bastard surnamed Xu, why did you hit me?"

"Don't you know what's going on? You did all this, you bastard, I'll beat you to death!" Xu Wude was furious, and even as he was being pulled along, he continued to curse.

Xu Wude was convinced that Yi Zhonghai was responsible for the incident, and that he must have told Cheng Dayuan, leading to their capture of him.

Later, I beat up Yi Zhonghai. At the time, I just wanted to beat him up and vent my anger, without considering the consequences.

It must have been Yi Zhonghai who guessed it was him, which is why he went all out and spread the news about him in the factory and alleys, making everyone know that he had stolen a widow.

Yi Zhonghai was furious. He had been beaten up a couple of days ago by someone who put a sack over his head and hadn't been able to find out who it was. He had only said a couple of words to Xu Wude, but he was punched again and Xu Wude had also smeared him.

"Stop talking nonsense, I didn't do such a thing."

"It was you, and no one else knew, but you held a grudge and secretly tripped me up."

The two were pulled away by the crowd and could only exchange insults from a distance. After a few words, Yi Zhonghai was dragged back to the Intermediate People's Court. Xu Wude started arguing with his wife again, and the couple argued about getting a divorce and even threatened to commit suicide.

He Yuzhu watched a great show and felt relieved. He had planned everything beforehand, but he only mentioned the old fitter in the letter. He never expected it to have such a good effect.

Xu Wude and Yi Zhonghai immediately started fighting.

In front of so many people, Xu Wude punched Yi Zhonghai in the face and knocked out a tooth. How could Yi Zhonghai possibly let it go?

The two have now completely broken off relations, and it will be very difficult to repair them.

He Yuzhu didn't linger. He went to the front yard and saw Jia Dongxu comforting Yi Zhonghai. Too lazy to pay attention to them, he greeted He Daqing and returned to Yandaixie Street.

He Yuzhu came into the room, picked up Xu Huizhen, spun her around, and kissed her cherry lips until she was breathless before letting go.

Why are you so happy?

He Yuzhu laughed and said, "Let me tell you something funny."

He recounted in detail how Xu Wude was caught cheating in the past two days, how he had to pay a lot of money, how rumors were spread about him and spread throughout the steel mill and Nanluoguxiang alley, and the big battle that took place tonight.

Xu Huizhen rolled her eyes and asked with a smile, "You're the one?"

He Yuzhu said, "I knew I couldn't hide it from you. I'm so happy today, I have to celebrate."

"How are we going to celebrate?" Xu Huizhen asked, still a little naive.

"What do you think?" He Yuzhu picked the person up and walked inside.

"Put me down, you little rascal."

"No, I'm a big hooligan. I'll prove it to you if you don't believe me."

Xu Huizhen had been married for so long, so of course she knew what he meant. She buried her head in He Yuzhu's neck and giggled.

After a sweat-inducing battle, Xu Huizhen, still feeling weak all over, leaned against He Yuzhu's chest and asked, "I've been exercising every day lately, but why is it still not working?"

"This requires long-term training; it cannot be effective in a short period of time."

Xu Huizhen gave an "oh" and quickly fell asleep in his arms.

After getting up in the morning, the two of them exercised separately. Xu Huizhen practiced health-preserving exercises, while He Yuzhu practiced traditional Chinese martial arts.