Cannon Fodder Husband Ch.377-378

Chapter 377 – The Continuation of Zhao Hua and the Shi Family

In addition to this, Shen Qingqing also mentioned in the letter the situations of other educated youths who had married into the village.

Zhuang Hongmei’s life continued to be as miserable as ever. The Chen family no longer treated her like a human being, forcing her to work every day. After giving birth to a child last time, she hadn’t fully recovered before becoming pregnant again. Now, she was eager to give birth to a son.

As for Yu Fang, her life was relatively good. She was also pregnant now, and the Hu family treated her better, especially after she decided not to leave when she found out that educated youth could return to the city after the college entrance exams were restored. According to what Old Lady Hu said, after she gave birth to this child, she planned to rent a house in the county so that Yu Fang could move in with Hu Jianjun, ending their separation.

As for Chen Xue, she came back to visit during the Lunar New Year this year and even went to the educated youth spot to see them. She had become a mother and had gained some weight, but she seemed to be doing well.

She didn’t take the college entrance exam. She congratulated them when she heard that Lu Xia and the others had been admitted to university, although she felt a twinge of envy in her heart. However, she had no intention of taking the exam, indicating that she was content with her current life.

In summary, except for Zhuang Hongmei, everyone else seemed to be doing quite well.

Finally, Shen Qingqing also mentioned some other things about the village, such as how Aunt Cuiyun had become a grandmother again. Big Sister Xu wanted to personally arrange a stepmother for her granddaughter to accompany Li Aiguo, her good son-in-law. And the former village head, Old Man Li, who had been seriously injured in that incident, still hadn’t fully recovered and probably wouldn’t live much longer…

In short, it seemed like Shen Qingqing had recounted everything that had happened in the village since her departure.

Lu Xia read it with mixed emotions.

“Done?” Jiang Junmo asked from the side.

Lu Xia nodded, “Yes, I’ve finished. Do you want to read it?”

Jiang Junmo shook his head, “No need, just tell me if there’s anything important.”

Lu Xia smiled and summarized the contents of the letter. She concluded, “I can’t believe Zhao Hua turned out to be this kind of person. If he hadn’t chosen to study at the University for Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers, I might not have noticed.”

But Jiang Junmo responded, “He has always been like this; you just didn’t notice. Didn’t you realize that when we first arrived, he was very enthusiastic, talking and seeming concerned, but in reality, he didn’t do much?”

Lu Xia pondered for a moment, “You’re right; it seems like he’s always been all talk and no action.”

“Yeah, that’s why he hasn’t changed much, and it’s not surprising that he’s ended up like this today.”

Lu Xia nodded, “Alright, let’s not talk about him anymore. I need to write a letter back to Shen Qingqing, congratulating her on getting into university. It’s great; she’s finally made it.”

Jiang Junmo smiled and didn’t disturb her further.

The next day, Lu Xia sent the letter.

Nowadays, mail delivery was relatively slow, taking at least half a month to receive a letter, and round-trip communication would take a month. Actually, Lu Xia was quite curious about what would happen after the Shi family visited Zhao Hua’s hometown. However, she would have to wait until she received another letter to find out.

Time passed quickly, and when Lu Xia received Shen Qingqing’s second letter, it was already after the Dragon Boat Festival, in June.

This time, she did indeed mention the continuation of Zhao Hua and the Shi family’s story.

It turned out that after the Shi family had gone all out to visit Zhao Hua’s hometown in the city, they coincidentally caught him in the middle of a blind date.

The Shi family was furious. Their daughter couldn’t have children because of him, and yet he had the audacity to deceive their daughter into getting a divorce and immediately go on a blind date upon returning.

Moreover, Zhao Hua had dressed exceptionally well, unlike his sloppy appearance in the countryside. His clothes were brand new, and his hair was slicked back, shining brightly.

This sight made the Shi family feel extremely uncomfortable, and they erupted into a big quarrel.

*

Chapter 378 – Moved In Directly

.

Needless to say, the blind date was completely ruined because there were too many onlookers, which also tarnished Zhao Hua’s reputation in his neighborhood.

However, Zhao Hua wasn’t willing to admit defeat. He had already divorced, and his relationship with Shi Chunyan was no longer relevant. Seeing the commotion caused by the Shi family, he finally found an outlet for his pent-up frustration and reported the incident to the police.

The Shi family members were taken into custody by the police.

…

However, they were released soon after. Firstly, this was considered a family matter. Although Zhao Hua had caused Shi Chunyan’s infertility, it was considered reasonable for her family to seek compensation. Secondly, the Shi family had brought recommendation letters and were not “blind drifters.” Besides, there had been quite a few incidents recently where educated youth who returned to the city abandoned their wives and children, and people had become indifferent to such cases.

So, after a brief reprimand, they were released.

Although the Shi family members were frightened when they were initially taken to the police station, they grew angrier after their release.

They never expected that, while they were living comfortably, they had raised a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

So, they began spreading the word about what Zhao Hua had done in the area near the Zhao family’s home. Especially how he had married Shi Chunyan for the quota for university students from the working class, how the Shi family had supported him, and how he had deceived his wife and secretly returned to the city.

This revelation completely destroyed Zhao Hua’s good image.

Initially, when he had just returned, people had a favorable impression of him. He was eloquent and good at bluffing, and although he didn’t have a job, there were quite a few people willing to be matched with him.

He was also quite picky and only dated girls from families with good conditions. The girl he had dated before was the niece of the factory director. Although she had been divorced, she didn’t have children. If they had become a couple, there was a chance she would arrange a job for him.

However, all of this was ruined by the Shi family.

And it didn’t end there. The Shi family members, after making a scene, brazenly moved into the Zhao family’s home.

The Shi family’s son was tall and strong, and even Shi Chunyan’s father was physically active. So, the Zhao family couldn’t drive them away.

Going to the police again wouldn’t help since the police had stopped caring about such matters due to the numerous cases of educated youth returning to the city and abandoning their families.

So, they had to endure it.

But the Shi family members were like a thorn in the Zhao family’s side. They ate and drank at the Zhao family’s home without contributing anything. In a matter of days, the Zhao family couldn’t take it anymore.

The Zhao family was not well-off to begin with. Besides Father Zhao, who had a job, Zhao Hua’s younger brother had used all the savings to buy a temporary job once he reached a certain age. Later, he got married, which cost a lot of money.

So, their household was always tight on finances, especially considering Zhao Hua’s younger brother had just graduated, and they had a younger sister still in school.

When Zhao Hua returned, his family initially treated him well out of guilt, but they couldn’t bear the Shi family’s actions now.

Their living space was already small, but the Shi family didn’t mind, sleeping in the living room. Sometimes, seeing people suddenly in the middle of the night would startle them.

As the situation continued, Zhao Hua’s sister-in-law eventually returned to her parents’ home.

Seeing that this couldn’t go on, Zhao Hua gritted his teeth and approached the Shi family to discuss a solution.

The Shi family’s demands were straightforward: either allow Shi Chunyan to remarry or provide compensation.

Remarriage was out of the question, but when it came to discussing the amount of compensation, the Shi family made an exorbitant request.

Zhao Hua couldn’t agree to it.

In the end, they parted ways without a resolution. The Zhao family no longer bothered with them; they could stay if they wanted to, and they would have to make do with whatever food was available.

The Zhao family, who was already struggling financially, had to cut back on their meals. Eventually, they were barely getting by, and their food was even worse than in the countryside, more water and less grains. The Shi family caused several disturbances, but the Zhao family remained unfazed, and they continued their frugal eating habits.

<< >>