Chapter 458 The Road to Happiness Ahead
Wang Fengling, seeing that matters were settled, waved her hand, leaving the matchmaker and Sun Fangni at home for dinner.
Mom Ye and Aunt Bai were also kept behind. Wang Fengling even killed two chickens from her home. Anyone could see that Wang Fengling was very pleased with this daughter-in-law.
"Wentao, go call your eldest and second brothers to come for dinner."
Gong Wentao glanced at Sun Fangni and turned to leave. This was good; everyone was happy, and it was a win-win situation.
"Aunt, I'll help you."
Sun Fangni rolled up her sleeves, ready to get to work. Work was a simple matter for her, and she was not one to sit idle.
Wang Fengling didn't treat Sun Fangni as an outsider; she would be family soon.
"Alright, come and tend the fire for your aunt. Old man, hurry and kill the chicken."
An Xia was at home preparing lunch, while her little daughter sat playing in the yard. She was quite surprised to see Gong Wentao arrive.
"Second sister-in-law, Mother wants us to come over for lunch."
"Oh, okay, I'll go get your second brother."
"No need, I'll deliver the message directly to him in the fields."
An Xia quickly tidied up, picked up her daughter, and headed towards her mother-in-law's house. Since marrying Gong Wenliang, An Xia's life wasn't exactly perfect, but she no longer lived in fear. After giving birth to their daughter, her relationship with Gong Wenliang had grown even stronger.
"Mama, hungry hungry."
"Qianqian is hungry, aren't you? Shall we go to Grandma's house for yummy food?"
"Good, Grandma good."
An Xia smiled and pinched her daughter's cheek. When she gave birth to her daughter, she was afraid her mother-in-law would dislike her. However, the Gong family cherished daughters. Not only did they not dislike her, but they often sent delicious food home.
"If you like Grandma, you must be filial to her."
Little Qianqian tilted her head, not quite understanding what her mother meant by filial piety.
As An Xia entered the house, she first called out "Mom," but froze when she saw a stranger coming out of the kitchen.
"An Xia, you're here. Oh my little Qianqian, do you miss Grandma?"
"Miss Grandma."
Wang Fengling tapped her little granddaughter's nose.
"Clever little thing, you miss Grandma's meat, don't you?"
"Meat, baby eat meat."
"Hahaha, shall our baby have a big chicken leg today?"
After teasing her granddaughter, Wang Fengling quickly introduced Sun Fangni. An Xia smiled and nodded. Not yet married, she didn't know what to call her.
Sun Fangni, however, kept her eyes fixed on little Qianqian, her eyes full of affection.
"How old is the child?"
"Almost three years old, her name is Qianqian. Qianqian, say hello to Auntie."
"Auntie!"
As the childish voice rang out, tears welled up in Sun Fangni's eyes. Her own child was still alive, and by now, she should also be calling her Mommy.
"Yes! Little Qianqian, may Auntie hold you?"
An Xia didn't understand why Sun Fangni's eyes were teary. She glanced at her mother-in-law, and seeing her smile and nod, she quickly handed little Qianqian to Sun Fangni.
Sun Fangni carefully held the child, afraid of hurting her with too much force.
"If you like children, then have plenty. Our family can afford to raise as many as you want."
"Mmm hmm!"
Sun Fangni pressed her cheek against little Qianqian's, her face filled with anticipation for their future life.
Gong Wentao returned home after a tour and saw this scene. He didn't know how he felt, but it was a mix of sourness and bitterness.
Gong Wentao exhaled deeply. Everything would be good in the future.
"Old woman, quickly come and get the chicken blood."
"Aye, coming."
Hearing this, Sun Fangni quickly returned Qianqian to An Xia, gave an apologetic smile, and went to help with the work. But as she turned away, she wiped away a falling tear.
An Xia also quickly put down Qianqian and went to help. Little Qianqian looked up at Gong Wentao, and without a word, stretched out her arms, wanting to be held.
Gong Wentao rarely showed a smile, but he picked up Qianqian and deliberately tossed her up high, her laughter echoing far and wide.
Seeing this, Sun Fangni's face was full of smiles, and she became even more convinced in her heart that her one choice was not wrong.
Mom Ye and the Bai aunts, seeing this, were also happy. After all, this was the first time they had helped with matchmaking, and they hadn't expected it to work. This further strengthened their resolve for future matchmaking endeavors.
The men of the Ye and Bai families didn't feel that it was bad that their wives were away. A large group gathered at Ye Shengge's house for lunch, and they could even take turns holding little Youyou.
"I wonder if Uncle Gong's blind date was successful today?"
"It must have been, otherwise Mom and the others wouldn't still be out."
Ye Mu En was somewhat schadenfreude, as with the women in the family busy, no one was bothering him.
"That's good. I feel like I'm next."
"Heh, do you think your big brother is made of clay? Just because they're looking for me doesn't mean I have to go on a blind date?"
"But I want a little nephew."
Ye Shengge acted spoiled. She felt that marriage and having children weren't bad things; it would give them, who had transmigrated, a sense of belonging.
"Go find your eldest cousin. He's getting married soon. Ask him to work hard and have a little nephew for you to play with quickly."
Ye Shengge glanced at her eldest cousin, only to find him smiling and nodding in agreement.
"Alright, it seems Big Brother is destined to be a bachelor forever. Too pathetic."
Ye Mu En helplessly tapped his sister's head. Even as a mother, she still had no sense of propriety.
The lunches on both sides were joyous. After the meal, Gong Wentao proactively gave Sun Fangni a ride. He decided to take his future wife to buy some clothes and shoes first. His woman, Gong Wentao, must not suffer any grievances.
Sun Fangni sat on the back of the bicycle, her lips curving upwards as she looked at the man's broad back.
The choices available in the county town were limited, and the supply and marketing cooperative had very few clothes. Gong Wentao insisted on buying Sun Fangni three sets of tops and pants, and two pairs of shoes.
Sun Fangni kept trying to refuse, but passively accepted, her heart feeling warm. She had never worn new clothes in her life, let alone ready-made ones.
"We'll buy a watch when we get married and go to Spring City. The styles here aren't good."
"I don't want a watch. I have to work in the fields every day, so how can I wear such a precious item?"
"You must take what I give you. This is what you deserve. I'll ask the village chief to arrange lighter work for you. You need to take good care of your health."
Upon hearing about taking care of her health, Sun Fangni stopped refusing. She absolutely had to get her body back in shape.
"Should I get a check-up? I'm afraid I won't be able to have children in the future."
"When we get married, I'll have the doctor from the brigade examine you."
"But, I'm afraid..."
"What's there to be afraid of? Children are a matter of fate. Whether we have them or not is destined."
Gong Wentao then bought some milk powder and malted milk, but he didn't plan to let Sun Fangni take them back to her dilapidated home. Anyway, after registering tomorrow, she would live in his house, so carrying them back and forth would be a hassle.
The two ate dinner outside before Gong Wentao slowly took Sun Fangni back. Looking at the dilapidated house, it could even be called a thatched hut.
"Would you like to come in for some water?"
"Alright, I have some time to wait anyway."
Sun Fangni didn't understand why, but she still let Gong Wentao into the house. She busied herself lighting a fire to boil water. There were only two bowls at home, and they were chipped.
"Do you have any sacks at home?"
"Hmm? Yes, how many do you need?"
"That depends on how many people you want to beat."
Sun Fangni tilted her head and looked at Gong Wentao. It was so dark; the oil lamp in the room was dim, and she couldn't see his expression clearly.
"Beat who? It's not who I'm thinking of, is it?"
"It is who you're thinking of. You just need to say how many you want to beat."
Tears immediately streamed down Sun Fangni's face, followed by laughter.
"There are so many people who need to be beaten. I never thought I'd have a chance for revenge."
"Then take your revenge today. Whenever you're in a bad mood, I'll bring you here to vent."
"Mmm, you're so good. I will definitely spend my life well with you."
Gong Wentao was not a man who knew how to coax women; he only expressed himself through actions.
"Let's go, grab the sacks."
"One, two, three, there's a woman too. You help me put sacks on them, and I'll beat the woman."
"Okay, as long as you're happy."
Sun Fangni took several sacks and a stick about as thick as a wrist. She excitedly trotted after Gong Wentao.
"Their house is the seventh one to the south. They should all be home now."
"Are we beating the whole family?"
"Mmm, except for the children. The two old ones, one man, and one young woman."
"Alright, one by one."
Gong Wentao asked Sun Fangni to stand aside and knocked on the courtyard gate a few times.
"Who is it? Just come in, why are you knocking?"
"It's the old woman. I'll deal with her."
Gong Wentao grunted and continued to knock. Soon, he heard footsteps.
The person who came out saw a figure being put into a sack and knocked unconscious with a palm strike.
Gong Wentao carried the person with one hand to an empty house not far away. He had already chosen the place to beat them when he came earlier.
He threw the person on the ground, tore off a piece of their hem, rolled it up, and stuffed it into their mouth.
"You start beating, I'll go get another one."
"Okay."
Sun Fangni couldn't wait a moment longer. She grabbed the stick and started swinging, returning all the blows she had suffered. During this time, the person on the ground woke up, but not only was their body in a sack, but their mouth was also stuffed, so they could only let out muffled sounds from their throat.
Sun Fangni didn't stop for a moment, especially when the stick hit a leg with a crisp sound of bone breaking. Sun Fangni's mouth stretched into a wide grin.
Before Sun Fangni could vent her anger, Gong Wentao brought another person.
"It's a woman again."
Gong Wentao whispered in Sun Fangni's ear, so she only nodded without speaking.
With the same operation, Gong Wentao left again. Sun Fangni swung the stick even harder, her whole body sweating from exhaustion.
Gong Wentao didn't take long to bring over the remaining two men. He threw them on the ground and started kicking them, then stood aside to watch Sun Fangni vent her anger.
Soon, all four were motionless. Gong Wentao removed the sacks and felt their carotid arteries. They were still alive.
"They're not dead, do you want to beat them more?"
As he spoke, he took out matches from his pocket, struck one, and let Sun Fangni see the miserable state of the four.
Sun Fangni saw blood trickling from their mouths and knew they had been beaten severely. Not wanting to kill anyone, she temporarily stopped.
"Can we come again later?"
"Anytime."
"Then let's go. I still need to go to my parents' house."
Gong Wentao quickly picked up the sacks and stick and led Sun Fangni, holding her rough hand, away.
Sun Fangni followed closely behind Gong Wentao, especially feeling secure when looking at their clasped hands.
The two rode their bicycles to the neighboring village and stopped near Sun Fangni's parents' house.
"There isn't a good person in my family, but I can't beat my parents, so I'll have to settle for my two brothers."
"Okay, just give me two sacks."
"I'll point out which rooms they live in."
After confirming the specific location, Gong Wentao climbed over the courtyard wall. It was already very late, and there was no light in the house.
Gong Wentao used a dagger to pry open a room door and quickly rushed to the bed, delivering a palm strike to the temple of each person on the bed, giving them almost no chance to cry out.
Gong Wentao was very thorough; he took away the couple on the bed together.
When Sun Fangni saw her sister-in-law, a wider smile appeared on her face. She grabbed the stick and started beating.
Gong Wentao brought over the last couple and joined the beating. He was even more ruthless with his kicks. Beasts who sold out their relatives were even more hateful.
As Sun Fangni rode on the back of the bicycle home, she hummed a little tune, ignoring her trembling arms and hands. Beating people was much more tiring than working.
Gong Wentao, riding ahead, also curled his lips, looking at the twinkling stars in the night sky, as if they too were excited.
"We'll come back after they've recovered."
"Okay, I want to make them pay for all the suffering I've endured over the years."
Sun Fangni lay on her dilapidated plank bed that night, excited for a long time. She finally closed her eyes only after hearing the ghostly wails at dawn.
After enjoying this happiness, Sun Fangni quickly washed up and even washed her hair. She put on her new clothes and waited at home for the person who would pick her up.
Gong Wentao, also in new clothes, set off early, riding his bicycle at full speed.
He didn't even bother to glance at the people he passed.
"Hey, who is that? I've never seen them before."
"Who knows? Even though they're riding a bicycle, their face is scary."
"You guys say, who did Old Hong's family offend? Their whole family was beaten last night. I don't think they'll survive if they're not sent to the hospital."
"Hmph, the Hong family has no good people. They've offended many people. I say, good job beating them."
"..."
Hearing the bicycle bell, Sun Fangni rushed out. Gong Wentao looked at the woman in her new clothes and thought she looked several years younger than yesterday.
"Fangni, I'm here to pick you up."
"Mmm, I've been waiting for you for a long time."
The two exchanged a smile. Sun Fangni grabbed a worn-out bundle and got on the bicycle.
Gong Wentao, however, took the worn bundle and threw it away.
"We'll buy everything new. We'll leave everything from before behind."
Although Sun Fangni felt a pang of regret, she didn't object and rode the bicycle towards their future life.
"Hey, isn't that Fangni?"
"Fangni, where are you going?"
Sun Fangni smiled and said loudly.
"I'm getting married today and won't be living here anymore."
"Ah, why are you marrying someone with a disfigured face?"
"Exactly, even with a bicycle, you shouldn't marry him."
Sun Fangni still smiled, but her words were impolite.
"I like him, what business is it of yours!"
"Hey, how can you talk like that? Aren't we concerned about you?"
"Heh, no need. If you have time, go take care of yourselves."
A group of people who kicked you when you're down. It was good enough they weren't beaten.