He was choking and belching, but picked up the bowl, blushed and asked, "Sister-in-law, is there any more?"
With no recourse, Tong Yao shook her head, "I’ve fried all the leftover rice. If you’re still hungry, have some sugar cakes! There are a few of my mom’s fried sugar cakes left."
Song Yu quickly said, "Sugar cakes are fine."
Upon hearing this, Tong Yao went back to the kitchen and brought out the sugar cakes. By the time he had finished several sugar cakes and gulped down a large bowl of water, Tong Yao saw that he had almost finished eating and finally asked curiously.
"What happened to you, where’s Xiaohui?"
The mention of Xiaohui enraged and irritated Song Yu. He began complaining like a bitter woman, "Sister-in-law, brother, I didn’t want to come and bother you, but I had nowhere else to go. Xiaohui has changed. She despises me for not being capable and keeps on arguing for a divorce. I don’t want a divorce, so she hits and scratches me. I pushed her just once and she ran crying to my brother-in-law, who brought some men to physically punish me before driving me out. The lease on my rental has expired, I have no money and I can’t return home. I’ve been roaming the streets for five days and even fainted this morning from hunger. I had no other option but to come to you."
By the end, Song Yu couldn’t help but burst into tears. Even though he came from humble beginnings, he had never witnessed such misery.
Moreover, having lived a comfortable life for so long, suddenly finding himself adrift on the streets was something nobody could bear.
Without a job, wife, nor a penny to his name, roaming the unfamiliar city streets alone, Song Yu felt more miserable than pigs awaiting slaughter in a pigsty.
Tong Yao, catching sight of Si Chen’s stern expression, probed further: "Didn’t Lin Man get you both a job? Why does Xiaohui suddenly despise you for not having a job?"
"Don’t even talk about her. It is because of her that Xiaohui changed so quickly." Song Yu grew angrier as he mentioned Lin Man; he wiped a mix of snot and tears on his shoe, grinding his teeth, "Ever since Xiaohui met her, she frequently took Xiaohui to luxurious places and taught her to apply makeup, all the while holding her nose up high in the air. The work she introduced to us was grueling and the wage barely enough for necessities, let alone foot the bill for Xiaohui’s lavish spending."
At this point, Song Yu’s voice dwindled, "Gradually, Xiaohui started complaining that the money I earned was not enough. She kept pestering all day and I had no choice but to change jobs. Unfortunately, after only two days, I was let go. Lin Man also stopped regarding us."
"To make matters worse, after Xiaohui’s uncle divorced his wife, he started seeking out Xiaohui, spoiling her with money. Xiaohui, who now sees herself as a princess, began looking down on me, belittling me and treating me like I was as good as nothing, resulting in the incident I just told you about."
Song Yu spoke haphazardly and incoherently in a soft voice. Nevertheless, Tong Yao was pretty much able to gauge the situation, that it was Xiaohui’s ambition and taste of extravagance in Kyoto that led her to despise Song Yu who appeared inadequate.
Si Weimin divorced Yuan Caizhen and the child was awarded to Yuan Caizhen. With no son by his side, he inevitably returned to his daughter and seeing that she regretted marrying such a husband, he seized this opportunity to replace his son-in-law.
As for Lin Man ignoring Song Yu and Xiaohui, it was presumably because she realized that she could not get close to Si Chen through Xiaohui; she must’ve given up on that plan.
Plainly speaking, apart from Song Yu who essentially played the fall guy, no one else suffered any loss.
Tong Yao again looked at Si Chen, who remained tight-lipped with a grim expression, and asked Song Yu, "So, what’s your plan now?"
Song Yu also glanced at Si Chen and seeing no signs of irritation, hesitantly said, "As long as Xiaohui doesn’t file for a divorce, she remains my wife. Since she’s in Kyoto, I won’t return home either. If I return alone now after our whole village knows that I’m married, wouldn’t I be an utter laughingstock?".
Tong Yao:...
Without money and unwilling to go home, is he planning to beg in Kyoto?
She had no obligation to Song Yu, so Tong Yao refrained from giving advice and directly looked at Si Chen for his response.
Catching Tong Yao’s gaze, Si Chen frowned and said sternly, "When you first came to Kyoto, I told you, if you want to return home, I’ll buy the train ticket. If not, figure out how to survive in Kyoto on your own."
His logic was pretty straightforward. If Song Yu didn’t intend to return to Li City, Si Chen would provide no assistance. However, if Song Yu decided to return home, Si Chen, considering their common origins, would buy Song Yu a return ticket.
Song Yu had foreseen this outcome but hearing it from Si Chen directly made him despair. He blubbered, "Brother, if you and my sister-in-law don’t help me, I’ll genuinely be out on the street. I don’t need much from you, just help me find a job. I promise not to cause any trouble. I am willing to do any arduous or exhausting work."
Before Si Chen could respond, he raised his hand to pledge, "Brother, I swear, I really just need a job. I promise never to depend on anyone else again. This time, I have come to realize that if a man is poor and incompetent, even his wife looks down upon him. I will use my own two hands to earn money and stay in Kyoto, to show Xiaohui that I am not entirely useless."
During his time in Kyoto, he had a taste of the good life. Now reduced to a vagrant, he realized that he couldn’t just depend on women; it was emasculating.
If he had to regain his dignity, he had to work hard and earn money.
Looking at Song Yu’s determined eyes, Si Chen said coldly, "If you want to stay in Kyoto, stop thinking about relying on others."
Song Yu looked distressed, "I know I can’t keep relying on others, but I don’t have a single cent now. I can’t afford even meals and simply can’t survive. Brother, sister-in-law, I wouldn’t have come to you if I weren’t desperate."
After pondering a while, he shamelessly said, "Brother, could you lend me twenty yuan? I promise to pay you back in three months."
In fact, during his time in Kyoto, Song Yu had discovered that unlike in Li City where you needed references for jobs, anyone willing to work hard could find work here.
He had noticed there were jobs available carrying sacks of flour at a factory, and the pay wasn’t bad. However, the place didn’t provide meals or lodging and required hard physical labour which he couldn’t do on an empty stomach.
As for where he could sleep, he could manage under a bridge, but he couldn’t solve the problem of meals under a bridge.
Song Yu truly wanted to stay in Kyoto and work, but he didn’t know if Si Chen would give him this chance.
So, he could only gaze at Si Chen expectantly.
"I won’t lend you money, but I’ll get you a hotel for the night. Whether you want to return home or stay in Kyoto, it’s up to you to decide." Si Chen stood up, clearly signaling the end of their meeting.
Seeing Si Chen’s firm stance, and knowing that further discussion was futile, Song Yu thanked him with tear-filled eyes, "Thank you, brother".