Hehua didn’t care what Xiaoxiao was saying; she kept looking at Yang Ming, waiting for his reply.
Yang Ming sighed. He thought Hehua was truly crazy. He had wanted to leave her some dignity, but she went so far as to point at his own wife.
"It has nothing to do with her; I just don’t like you."
Hehua cried even harder upon hearing this. Xiaoxiao found it very strange. In the past, when Hehua cried, she would whimper as though she was faking it, but this time she was wailing. It seemed she was genuinely upset! But too bad, who asked her to offend her!
"I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it."
Suddenly, there was a clang, and as she spoke, Hehua knelt down in front of Xiaoxiao, "Third sister-in-law, please, just agree to let Brother Ming marry me! I’ll work like a horse or an ox in return for your kindness!"
"Do you think I would help you out, considering our past conflicts?"
Xiaoxiao really hadn’t expected the girl to kneel down; had she no pride left for the sake of a man?
"I was wrong. I only wanted to spread rumors so you and Brother Ming would divorce and he would marry me, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m willing to be a concubine now, please!"
By this time, everyone had stopped their work and came out to watch the excitement. Everyone heard Hehua’s words very clearly. So, it was Hehua who had started the rumors.
"Was it Hehua who made up that story?"
"I knew it. Look at how affectionate our boss and his wife are!"
"Hehua is shameless to think she could marry our boss!"
"She even dared to say she’d be willing to be a concubine, which girl would want that!"
Everyone was discussing it, and by this point, Xiaoxiao didn’t know what to say. Little Qingmei, where was your brain? Willing to be a concubine too?
Continuing to cry, Little Qingmei said, "My mother wants me to marry as a concubine to Officer Li from the city. That old man is over fifty, how can I marry into that family! The matchmaker has already come to our house, it’s too late if I wait any longer, please..."
Hehua was crying even harder, unwilling to get up as she begged Xiaoxiao. Seeing this, almost everyone felt their hearts soften. Which eighteen-year-old girl would willingly marry a man over fifty?
Xiaoxiao, still angry, hadn’t expected it to be . No wonder Little Qingmei was acting so out of character today. Women in ancient times really were pitiful. If monogamy were the norm, wouldn’t all this be avoided?
But no matter how pitiable she was, it couldn’t negate the fact that she spread rumors about her. The grudge was well established!
"You want to be a concubine? Over my dead body!"
Xiaoxiao shook off Hehua, left those harsh words, and walked out of the courtyard and back home.
After Xiaoxiao left, the second sister-in-law’s temper flared. She had heard that it was Hehua who had spread the rumors, and she was furious that she had been misunderstood by her younger brother and sister-in-law because of Hehua.
She went up and started to fight with Hehua, "That’ll teach you to spread rumors. Dream on thinking you can marry our youngest brother!"
The second sister-in-law was very strong, and before anyone could react, she had messed up Hehua’s hair, slapped her face, and pinched her body.
People quickly pulled the two apart.
"Hehua, I have never liked you, and I will never marry you!"
After saying this, Yang Ming left too; he needed to hurry back and check on his wife.
Hehua sat there alone, crying her heart out. She was finished. Brother Ming wouldn’t marry her, and her actions had ruined her reputation. The more she thought about it, the less she wanted to live; she couldn’t marry an old man.
Before anyone could react, Hehua ran towards the entrance and fiercely banged her head against the door. In the nick of time, the door opened, and Hehua plunged into the arms of a man, who said:
"He doesn’t want to marry you, but I’ll marry you!"