"I’ll go home with you."
"..." Was her husband out of his mind? They had just agreed earlier that day, and now he was changing his plans just like that. Had he been going to school ? Did he take his studies so lightly? It was impossible to imagine him passing any exams! Xiaoxiao immediately retorted, "You are breaking your word!"
"..." He knew she would be angry.
Yang Ming didn’t say a word and walked straight to the ox cart, climbed in, and started preparing to drive the cart, then turned his head, waiting for Xiaoxiao and Yang Dong.
"Sister-in-law, let’s go." Yang Dong didn’t care about the issue at all. Someone was helping him with the cart, and he was happy about it, then he also climbed into the ox cart.
"..." Xiaoxiao felt that these two taciturn fellows were surely sent by heavens to annoy her. She reluctantly got into the ox cart as well, remaining silent throughout the journey.
Soon, the ox cart reached home, just in time for dinner. Everyone saw that the third brother had returned, puzzled, but no one voiced their questions.
After dinner, Xiaoxiao and Yang Ming entered the house.
Xiaoxiao still remained silent, busying herself with her own work. It’s not like silence was unique to him; she could be silent too.
Yang Ming saw his wife ignoring him. Did his wife really despise him that much? Had he made a mistake? Was it so wrong that he just wanted to be alone with his wife?
He tentatively called out to his wife, "Xiaoxiao."
But all that responded to him was silence.
He called out again, "Xiaoxiao."
Still, no sound came from his wife.
"..." His wife had responded, but it might have been better if she hadn’t, as she was always dismissing their relationship.
"I was wrong!" he admitted.
"What did you do wrong?"
"..." What had he done wrong? Was it wrong because he hated being apart from his wife too much, and that’s why he figured since his wife was using the ox cart to go to the county this week, he might as well hitch a ride home to stay, and then return when the ox cart wasn’t needed?
"What did you do wrong?"
His wife asked again. He felt he hadn’t done anything wrong, but keeping his wife from getting angry was the priority, "I shouldn’t have gone back on my word."
"..." What else? What else had he done wrong? "I shouldn’t have followed you home to stay."
"..." How could one mistake lead to so many? He really couldn’t think of anything else.
"You’re wrong because you are wasting your life."
"..." How was staying home wasting his life if he was in good health?
"Time is money, time is life. By not using your time to study well and wasting it on the road, aren’t you wasting your life?"
"You really don’t take your studies seriously. Do you think passing exams is so easy? With your inconsistent efforts, it’s impossible for you to succeed! Do you think you’re a genius or that other students are fools?"
"While you waste your life, other students have already far surpassed you, aiming for greatness. And you still think about passing exams? You must be dreaming!"
"Your father and mother, the whole family has been scrimping and saving just so you can go to college. Is this how you repay them?"
"If you’re not willing to study, then don’t waste the money, just go back home to farming!"
"There are plenty of others in the family who want to go to college; they don’t need you."
The more Xiaoxiao talked, the more agitated she became. Every time she thought about her husband neglecting his studies, she grew infuriated. She didn’t even realize that she considered Yang Ming’s neglect of his studies to be much more important than whether he lived with her or not.