Chapter 19: A Passion Betrayed

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Chang Yongqin brought a bowl of egg tea into the room. Seeing her daughter crying like that, her heart ached terribly.

“Liping, don’t cry anymore. He’s not worth it. Don’t pay attention to what people outside say. We have nothing to be ashamed of. Just live your life well. Live for yourself, not for others’ gossip. Here, I made you a bowl of egg tea with brown sugar. Drink it quickly to nourish your body. If you keep crying like this, how can your body handle it?”

“Take it away! I won’t drink it. I’ve lost my face, my reputation. What’s the point of living anymore? I might as well just die now. Sob, sob..."

At the door, Song Daguai was smoking. Not long ago, his daughter had come home with a stack of bills and money, saying a man had given them to her to pursue her. Back then, he and his wife were happy for her, thinking she had finally met the right person and would have a good life with her three children.

But unexpectedly, she had been deceived. That man clearly had a fiancée but still treated her well. What kind of person is that? A scoundrel!

Poor Liping, her heartfelt passion was betrayed like this. Ah, it was their failure as parents.

“Liping, don’t say that. You’re hurting your mother and me. It’s that man who wronged you. You were just dating him; he hid the truth. It’s not your fault, child. Drink the egg tea and take good care of yourself. You mustn’t be negative at this time, or how will you face the world?”

Liping’s sobs faltered. Isn’t that true? In her condition, she knew many were waiting to see her downfall.

Especially Wei Yao—this whole ordeal was because of that despicable woman’s scheming. Otherwise, Liping wouldn’t have done something so reckless as banging on the door in broad daylight.

She gritted her teeth, undeterred by the heat, and drank the tea in one gulp. Then she said she wanted to sleep, to rest and recover, shutting Chang Yongqin and Song Daguai outside the door.

On the twenty-ninth, Wei Yao had cooked a pot of sauerkraut dumplings early in the morning. After washing up, mother and daughter began to eat when the courtyard gate was suddenly slammed repeatedly.

“Mom! Mom!”

The urgency in the voice felt like the anger of someone outside. Song Yang dropped his chopsticks in fright and threw himself into Wei Yao’s arms, trembling.

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“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. Mommy’s here. You eat your food and watch your little sister. I’ll go see what’s going on.”

“No, Mommy, don’t go.”

Before she could say more, scolding began outside. It was clearly Song Liping’s voice.

Wei Yao glanced around, then suddenly spotted a large iron tongs by the coal stove. She pushed Song Yang aside and lifted the tongs.

“Yangyang, your shameless aunt is outside. Mommy will go check. You watch your sister and eat well. Our neighbors are outside too. They won’t let your mother be bullied. Stay inside, okay?”

Song Yang’s small hands still clung tightly to Wei Yao’s clothes. When his eyes fell on the large iron tongs in her hand, he instinctively loosened his grip.

“Wei Yao, you shameless wretch! A stinking rat from the gutter, despicable to the core! Don’t think I’ll let you off just because you hide inside. You framed me, wanted to see me humiliated? No way! If I’m going down, I’ll drag you with me!”

The neighbors nearby, who got along well with Wei Yao, frowned when they heard someone cursing at her doorstep. They came out to intervene. It was just the three women at home, no men. Clearly, someone was trying to take advantage.

“Who are you? Why are you cursing at little Wei like that? What do you want? Be careful, or we’ll call the police!”

“Call if you want! I’m Wei Yao’s aunt. That shameless wretch’s parents helped raise her kids for years with no thanks. When the family split up, she even conned me out of my house and took all the money. She’s a poisonous scorpion. If you defend her, are you her lovers?”

“Stop talking nonsense! Wait for little Wei to speak. We know her. She’s not like that. If you keep cursing, I’ll slap you!”

“Exactly! Coming here to curse on New Year’s like this—are you looking for trouble? And claiming to be an aunt? You haven’t visited little Wei and the kids once all this time. Is this how elders behave?”

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Song Liping, hearing the neighbors’ words, jumped up and down as she cursed back. She had once maintained dignity and refinement, but now she was completely broken, hysterical.

When Wei Yao opened the door with the iron tongs, she saw Liping almost grabbing the hair of the neighbor’s wife across the way.

“Song Liping, are you crazy? It’s New Year’s, why don’t you just stay home and hide your shame instead of causing trouble at my door?”

Hearing that, Liping no longer cared about others and raised her hand to slap Wei Yao. Wei Yao stepped back swiftly and swung the tongs at her arm, causing her to scream in pain.

“Song Liping, you shameless wretch! You dare come here to slander me? Everyone has known me for years. Since you aren’t afraid of losing face, I won’t hesitate to expose your family’s shame. After your husband died, you came to my parents’ house every day with your three kids to scrounge food. Fine, I’m the sister-in-law and can’t be heartless. But my in-laws, those old pests, got all the good dishes—cabbage with green onions and eggs, meat—while my two kids and I ate radishes and cabbage stalks. I went back to work before finishing my confinement period. My husband’s and my wages were handed over. We barely had enough to eat, and Yangyang was almost beaten into the hospital. Yes, I took your house. Why? Because your son almost killed me and the police made him pay compensation!”

Wei Yao’s eyes were bloodshot, glaring at Song Liping as if ready to slap her to death.

The neighbors, hearing this, could no longer tolerate it. They hadn’t understood the situation before, but now they saw the truth. When Wei Yao and her mother first moved in, they were so thin—it proved she was telling the truth.

Song Liping’s face flushed red. Just as she was about to speak, Wei Yao continued, “Do you know why she’s cursing on the street today? Because she was caught cheating and needed a scapegoat. So she came here.”

After Wei Yao finished, the neighbors who disliked Song Liping pushed and scolded her away. She stumbled and fell into the mud as she ran off, covered in dirt and water.

Thanks to Wei Yao’s version, Song Liping’s reputation was thoroughly tarnished.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Song Mingrui’s surgery had just ended. Old Shi sat outside the ward, weighed down by the doctor’s words, struggling to breathe heavily with a heavy heart.