Yang Dahe had exhausted himself beating her, drenched in sweat, before he finally stopped.
"I’m going to take the towel off now. If I hear you dare to scream out loud, our business isn’t finished!" Yang Dahe said, before untying her and removing the towel.
Feng Chunhua didn’t dare to cry out loud, sobbing softly, "Why? Why did you hit me?"
"Reflect on yourself. When I get back, we’ll continue our talk," Yang Dahe said, throwing the towel over his shoulder and picking up the basin to leave.
Just then, colleagues from the same building were returning from their meals, and upon seeing Yang Dahe drenched in sweat, bare-chested and gasping for air, they exchanged smiles.
"Old Yang, you’re quite spirited for such a hot day!"
"We were eating, and you were really putting in the effort! I bet the sister-in-law is happy, huh?"
"Get lost!" Yang Dahe glared at them and carried his basin to take his shower.
When he returned, Feng Chunhua had stopped crying and was sitting on the bed with a sullen face.
"Do you know why I hit you?" Yang Dahe lit a cigarette, sat down on the bed, and looked at her. Seeing she didn’t respond, he got straight to the point, "What were you ranting about outside? How did you offend Qin Jian’s wife? Listen to what you were saying! You upset her so much she went back crying to Qin Jian. You are a military spouse, a military spouse! Can’t you be more careful? Can’t you keep that big mouth of yours under control? Take better care of your ears! Stop eavesdropping on things you shouldn’t! Those are marital affairs; are they really that interesting to you?"
Upon hearing this, Feng Chunhua covered her face and started sobbing, "Look at how Qin Jian treats his wife, and how you treat me! I’ve been married to you for nearly twenty years. First, you didn’t come home for years at a time, then for years you didn’t touch me, what difference was there between me and a widow! And now you despise me! You even forbid me from visiting the base! Is it just because I’m ugly? With the lights off, when have I not satisfied you?"
The mention of this matter made Yang Dahe feel extremely miserable, "Feng Chunhua, if you and your mother hadn’t pulled that ’good deed’ back then, would I have married you?"
Back then, Yang Dahe had a sweetheart.
The girl and Feng Chunhua came from the same village; he and the girl had mutual affection. She was hardworking, beautiful, and truly kind-hearted, praised by everyone who knew her.
Yang Dahe adored her.
However, Feng Chunhua set her sights on Yang Dahe and found an excuse to ask him over to help with some work. Knowing full well that he couldn’t hold his liquor, she and her mother still forcibly got him to drink.
He couldn’t handle more than two ounces, and after one cup of strong sorghum liquor, he was drunk.
Then, taking an ill-intentioned advantage, they made a done deal out of raw rice.
He had been unaware of their intentions beforehand. Had he known, he would never have gone!
Even now, he remained teetotal.
Given how things had turned out, he couldn’t just not marry Feng Chunhua. Thus, he had to betray his beloved girl.
Watching her heartbroken but powerless, his own heart ached.
As a man, whether he was to blame or not, he had to take responsibility.
Otherwise, in that era, Feng Chunhua wouldn’t have been able to go on living.
It was only after his beloved girl fell ill and died that he gradually came to accept Feng Chunhua, though he greatly disliked her vices.
Their relationship remained that way ever since!
When he saw Qin Jian and An Hao so loving with each other, his heart filled with gloom, reminiscing the beautiful love he once had.
With Feng Chunhua being in the wrong on this matter, every time Yang Dahe brought it up, she felt uneasy, "It’s all in the past, why do you have to mention her? I’ve had my own share of hardships in the village all these years. I just want you to love me. I’m jealous of An Hao in my heart; we’re both women, why does she get to have such a good life? Why am I so inferior!"
Yang Dahe stubbed out his cigarette butt and pointed angrily at Feng Chunhua, "Look at your own faults! If you can’t change those bad habits, I’ll never be able to fully trust you in my lifetime!"