Chapter 25: Li Zhaodi Visits the Educated Youth Quarters to Discuss Marriage

Wu Hongtao called over two elderly women who were watching the commotion to help pull the two apart.

"I know the cause of the dispute now. How do you intend to resolve this?"

"In any case, our family will not pay any dowry, and she will have to cover the cost of the wedding banquet herself," Li Zhaodi spoke first.

Yang Hui refused flatly: "No way! Twenty yuan for the dowry, and there must be a banquet. Otherwise, I will go to the police. If I’m going down, I’m taking you with me. If I don’t have a good life, don’t expect to have one either."

"Impossible! Don't even think about it. You won't get a single cent," Li Zhaodi insisted, refusing to budge.

"I don't agree to it either."

Jiang Guo had just returned from a stroll. Seeing his mother was not home, he asked his sister-in-law, Cui Xia, "Sister-in-law, where is Mom? Why isn't she home?"

Cui Xia replied coldly, "She said she went to the educated youth dormitory to discuss marriage arrangements with Yang Hui and hasn't returned yet."

Jiang Guo turned and headed to the dormitory. When he arrived, Li Zhaodi and Yang Hui were still deadlocked.

Jiang Guo walked over and asked his mother, "Mom, what’s going on?"

Seeing her son, Li Zhaodi immediately regained her confidence. "Son, this little hussy wants a twenty-yuan dowry and refuses to pay for the wedding banquet. She’s even threatening to go to the police! If it weren't for her, you could have married someone much better."

"Mom, what are you saying?" Jiang Guo immediately cut her off.

He had originally intended to use his injuries to extort money from Su Yao, but upon returning home, he realized he had no physical wounds at all. Yet, every movement or touch caused him intense pain. This had scared him into a cold sweat. This educated youth, Su, was no simple person. Who hits someone without leaving a mark? He truly didn't dare to provoke her again.

Hearing that Yang Hui intended to call the police, Jiang Guo sneered, but he didn't say much. Instead, he advised Li Zhaodi, "Mom, if she wants the dowry, give it to her. We’ll cover the banquet costs ourselves."

"Son, what are you talking about? Have you lost your mind?" Li Zhaodi was displeased.

Jiang Guo whispered into Li Zhaodi's ear, "Don't worry, Mom. Whatever money she takes now, I will get it back double later."

"And what if she doesn't give it back?" Li Zhaodi remained unconvinced.

"If she doesn't, I’ll beat it out of her until she does. Don't worry, the money will eventually end up in your hands."

Li Zhaodi was reassured by Jiang Guo’s words. That’s right—this cheap hussy wanted to scam their family, but once she was through their front door, they would see who was really in charge.

"Fine. Twenty yuan for the dowry it is. We’ll pay for the banquet ourselves. We’ll hold the wedding in a few days."

Li Zhaodi’s sudden change in attitude left Yang Hui confused. Her stubbornness was meant to avoid marrying Jiang Guo; even though she had already slept with him, so what? As long as she schemed against the educated youth, Mu, one more time, and succeeded, Mu would have no choice but to marry her.

But now that Li Zhaodi had suddenly agreed, how was she supposed to escape? Seeing Mu Xingjue standing nearby, Yang Hui’s eyes turned red. "Educated Youth Mu, please help me! I don't want to marry him."

Mu Xingjue was startled when he heard Yang Hui call him. "Educated Youth Yang, your affairs have nothing to do with me. Don't try to associate yourself with me, lest my partner misunderstand."

He then pulled Su Yao closer to explain, "Yaoyao, I truly have nothing to do with her. Don't listen to her nonsense."

"Impossible! When did Educated Youth Su become your partner? You don't even have a partner! Why won't you help me?" Yang Hui crawled toward Mu Xingjue, reaching out to grab him.

Mu Xingjue hid behind Su Yao, keeping out of her reach. When Yang Hui tried to push Su Yao, Su Yao kicked her several meters away. "Mu Xingjue is my partner now. You dare to touch him? Do you want to die?"

"You..." Yang Hui clutched her stomach, unable to speak from the pain.

Su Yao looked at Jiang Guo, who was standing to the side. "Comrade Jiang Guo, why don't you take your wife-to-be home? The wedding is soon; don't let anything else happen to embarrass yourself."

"Right, right, right. I'll take her home right now." He grabbed Yang Hui from the ground and dragged her away, uncaring of whether she was in pain or willing to go.

Li Zhaodi was also pleased. This little tramp was bad news; if she stayed here, she might seduce other men and disgrace her son. Besides, now that they were heading home, whether the dowry actually stayed with her or not was entirely up to her.

Seeing no more spectacle, the crowd dispersed.

Zeng Yue hesitated for a moment before stopping Su Yao. "Educated Youth Su, since you and Educated Youth Mu are together, when are you getting married?"

"Ah, why do you ask?" Su Yao was puzzled.

"No, I don't mean to pry into your business. It's just that once you're married, you'll have an extra room, right? I was thinking I would like to rent it."

"You want to rent it? Now that Yang Hui is married off, shouldn't your place be more spacious?"

"I know, but I want to hide from Yu Lu and Tian Zhixue. You don't know how shameless those two are. They would steal my food when I wasn't looking until I started locking my cupboard. Then they started following me everywhere. If it weren't for the fact that Educated Youth Yang was a bit tough, I wouldn't know what to do."

"They are still pestering you? But hiding isn't a solution. There are so many male educated youths in the dormitory—is there no one you fancy? Or, you could have your family find a way to get you transferred somewhere else."

"I already transferred once because of Tian Zhixue, but that was before they came here. It probably won't be easy to transfer again now."

"As for that, we really don't know when we'll get married. You’ll just have to wait a little longer."

"Alright, just let me know when the time comes."

"Okay."

Yang Hui was dragged home by Jiang Guo, who immediately began punching and kicking her. "You bitch! You dared to seduce another man right in front of me? Do you think I'm dead?"

"I... I didn't! Jiang Guo, I never liked you in the first place; you forced yourself on me!"

"Pah! I don't know how many times I've touched you; don't pretend to be a chaste woman. Let me tell you, from today on, you belong to me, Jiang Guo. If I ever see you flirting or seducing men again, I’ll beat you every time I see you!" He launched into another round of abuse.

Li Zhaodi wanted to join in, but Jiang Guo stopped her. "Mom, don't hit her face. We still have a wedding to hold; it won't look good."

"Fine, I get it. I'll just hit her body so no one can see it under her clothes." With that, Li Zhaodi began kicking her.

Cui Xia, standing to the side watching the show, felt a surge of joy. So, Yang Hui, you have your day too! Although she didn't want to marry Jiang Hong either, Jiang Hong was much better than Jiang Guo; at the very least, he wouldn't hit people for no reason, and he wouldn't allow Li Zhaodi to bully her.

She was curious to see what kind of life Yang Hui would lead from now on.

Yang Hui was beaten until she couldn't stand. After Jiang Guo threw her onto the bed, he went to the kitchen to eat dinner.

After dinner, Jiang Guo didn't wash his face or bathe; he just stripped and climbed into bed. Ignoring whether Yang Hui was injured or not, he grabbed her and began to have his way.

Yang Hui was forced to endure it, hating Li Zhaodi and Jiang Guo with all her heart. She hated Mu Xingjue even more for refusing to save her, and she hated Su Yao for pushing her into the abyss. She thought to herself that if she ever had the chance, she would definitely take revenge on all of them.