Chapter 37: Zhang Yi’s Unusual Behavior
Yang Jiabo didn’t hesitate, he rushed forward, grabbed Zhou Lingling by the collar with one hand and slapped her across the face with the other. “Smack!” The crisp sound of the slap rang out, leaving Zhou Lingling stunned. Before she could react, another slap landed.
“Yang Jiabo, have you lost your mind?” Zhou Lingling shrieked, struggling as the two began to tussle.
“I have lost my mind, isn’t that what you said?” Yang Jiabo retorted, shaking off her grip.
“I wasn’t lying! Everything I said was true!” Zhou Lingling shot back defiantly.
“Who told you that? Sounds like baseless rumors to me.” Yang Jiabo deliberately tried to bait her into revealing more.
“Your mom told my -, I heard it myself! Ugh” Zhou Lingling groaned, clutching her stomach as she stumbled backward. Yang Jiabo had just kicked her squarely in the abdomen.
“Jiajia, what are you doing?” Uncle, returning just in time to witness the scene, shouted and dashed forward, punching Yang Jiabo.
Yang Jiabo doubled over, cold sweat beading on his forehead. “You dare ask me? Why don’t you ask your daughter what she did? She nearly ruined my life!”
“I didn’t! He’s lying!” Zhou Lingling protested angrily.
“Heh. Zhou Lingling, did I wrong you in a past life? Is that why you’re trying to destroy me?” Yang Jiabo sneered.
“I said I didn’t do anything!” Zhou Lingling screamed.
“Enough! Inside - now.” Uncle opened the door and herded the two inside. He then called Yang Jianjun and his wife. By the time they arrived, Aunt had also returned from the fields.
In front of the adults, Yang Jiabo laid out everything Zhou Lingling had done. Zhou Lingling remained unrepentant, insisting she’d only spoken the truth. The four adults exchanged uneasy glances, their expressions grim.
“Lingling, why would you do this? Do you realize the consequences? Jiajia could be expelled at any moment, if that happens, his life will be ruined,” Yang Jianjun demanded, his gaze piercing.
“I’m so sorry. She’s just a child, she didn’t know better,” Uncle apologized guiltily, though he still defended his daughter.
“An apology won’t fix this. It’s not just about expulsion. Do you have any idea how it feels to be stared at like some kind of freak, whispered about everywhere you go? Because of these rumors, even if I test into No. 1 High School, they might still reject me!” Yang Jiabo seethed.
“Jiajia, I’m sorry. It’s my fault for not raising your cousin properly,” Aunt said, her remorse palpable.
“What did I do? I only told the truth! He’s the one who tried to kill himself, why blame me for reporting it? It was Third Aunt who hit him, not me! And it’s not like you haven’t called Jiajia lazy and greedy behind his back. Why am I the villain here?” Zhou Lingling spat, her face twisted with resentment.
Li Guizhen was both ashamed and nervous. She never expected Zhou Lingling to eavesdrop on her private conversations with her sister, let alone remember something from so long ago. Aunt and Uncle were equally stunned. The Li siblings often gathered at their home on weekends, and their careless remarks about Jiajia had clearly influenced Zhou Lingling. The adults’ thoughtless words, spoken without filter, had unknowingly shaped the child’s behavior.
Yang Jiabo’s emotions were a tangled mess, but his hatred for Zhou Lingling remained unchanged.
“It’s too late to undo the damage now. Just raise your child properly, don’t let her cause more trouble,” Yang Jianjun sighed. He wanted to hit Zhou Lingling himself, but as an elder, he restrained himself.
“I’m sorry. We failed as parents,” Uncle muttered, humiliated. Secretly, he also resented the gossipy relatives, and even his wife. If not for her, the siblings wouldn’t crowd their home every weekend, eating their food and spewing venom. Now, even his daughter had been corrupted.
The Li family had their virtues and flaws. At their core, they were simple farmers, some stingy due to hardship, others arrogant with age, quick to judge and blind to others’ merits. But they weren’t truly malicious.
This was how the older generation in the village behaved, their ways passed down through the uneducated. After the Reform and Opening Up, society progressed rapidly. The younger generation, educated in schools, lived in a completely different world. The elders disapproved of the youth, and the youth scorned the elders. Yang Jiabo, doted on by Yang Jianjun, was seen as spoiled, a target for their disdain. Li Guizhen, never one to defend her son, had allowed these prejudices to fester.
With the situation beyond repair, blaming Zhou Lingling further was pointless. The Yang family prepared to leave, but then Yang Jiabo suddenly clutched his stomach, his face pale. “Dad… it hurts. Take me to the hospital.”
“Jiajia! What’s wrong?” Li Guizhen cried out in panic.
At the hospital, tests revealed internal bleeding. Fortunately, they’d arrived in time, the condition wasn’t critical. Yang Jiabo lamented his rotten luck: Zhou Lingling had taken a kick without issue, yet he ended up hospitalized after a single punch. Fragile as porcelain.
It never occurred to him that a bookish, frail teenager couldn’t compare to a grown man in his prime, toughened by years of labor. Uncle, guilt-ridden, regretted his outburst. He adored his daughter, and seeing Yang Jiabo kick her had blinded him with rage.
To make amends, Aunt and Uncle took turns bringing Yang Jiabo nourishing meals. Though he loathed Zhou Lingling, he held no grudge against them. They were hot-tempered and harsh with their words, but they were good people at heart.
During his hospitalization, Zhang Yi surprised Yang Jiabo by visiting him early one morning.
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