Chapter 179: What Goes Around, Comes Around

Chapter 179: Chapter 179: What Goes Around, Comes Around

"So... does this mean our second son will get to wear a four-pocket military uniform someday?"

Song Yao didn’t say anything, just watched her quietly.

Wu Xixi had just opened her mouth to say more.

Wei Guilan tossed the bamboo pole on the ground, spat on the dirt, and strode back, pointing outside with a sneer.

"That whole family is utterly shameless! They’ve brought such disgrace, their ancestors must be rolling in their graves!"

She returned to Song Yao’s side and sighed, her face full of sympathy.

"That old fool, Liu Yumin? Jail is getting off easy. If they were to execute her, nobody would even try to stop them. Aigh, you’ve just had the worst luck imaginable, being worked like an ox by her for all these years."

She reached out, wanting to tidy the stray hairs on Song Yao’s forehead that had been ruffled by the wind, but she hesitated, drew her hand back, and only patted Song Yao’s shoulder lightly.

"How vicious! She knew perfectly well you were a girl from a good family. It was bad enough she didn’t send you back, but she also had to find all sorts of ways to bully and degrade you."

"Rotten to the core."

The Li family’s third aunt patted Song Yao’s arm.

"Don’t be afraid. Heaven is watching. People like that will get what’s coming to them sooner or later!"

A few of the other middle-aged women standing nearby nodded in agreement.

"Isn’t that the truth! And look, isn’t she eating prison food now? And that boy from the Song Family got into a fight a couple of days ago. The police station sent someone to take him away, and he’s still locked up."

The group went on, each chiming in to list the Song Family’s wrongdoings.

Once they had said their piece, they each picked up their baskets and slowly dispersed.

Li Ying stood at the courtyard gate and shouted toward the house.

"Mom, the buns are steamed! I can see the white steam! The fire in the stove hasn’t gone out yet, and the steamer basket is hot, so be careful!"

Wiping her hands on her apron, Wei Guilan answered briskly. 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

"Aye, coming!"

She whisked the lid off the pot and then hurried back out.

Just as Wu Xixi was about to get closer to Song Yao and strike up a conversation...

Li Hanchen had already strode over and casually straightened her collar.

"It’s chilly. Are your hands cold? Are these sleeves too wide? I’ll have Mom alter them for you later."

Song Yao quickly pulled her hands into her sleeves and shook her head.

Up ahead, Wei Guilan called out again.

"Song Yao, come try a hot one! Fresh from the steamer! They’re filled with chives and we used freshly pressed sesame oil. They’re delicious!"

「Meanwhile.」

Shen Yujie and her two companions had just walked a good distance away.

"Who is she trying to fool, acting all high and mighty? She’s just relying on a man. What skills does she have on her own?"

Zheng Cuiyun, however, was green with envy. She muttered, "You know, if we hadn’t had that falling out back then, when she came back and was acknowledged by her real family, couldn’t our family have benefited a little? Maybe gotten some gifts during the holidays, or even been invited into a leader’s home for a visit."

"And our mother... really... she knew Song Yao was a golden phoenix in disguise, so why didn’t she treat her better? If she had just given her a few more sweets and coaxed her with a few nice words back then, we wouldn’t be in a position where we can’t even get a kind word from her now."

Shen Yujie sneered on the spot.

"Still daydreaming, are we? ’A rising tide lifts all boats’? She probably wishes our whole family would just disappear! We couldn’t even get through the door, and you’re still thinking about benefiting from her?"

"Look at her, all high and mighty, riding in a military jeep with her chin in the air!"

Zheng Cuiyun opened her mouth but was at a loss for words.

Song Pengfei, on the other hand, slapped his thigh.

"Exactly! Li Hanchen is a regiment commander, and her dad is a leader. That’s a solid iron rice bowl for life, totally secure! When the transfer orders come, he’ll get promoted or reassigned just like that. He won’t even need to go through another political review!"

’A strong fate is what really matters.’

’If your fate is bad, you’re just a jinx, no matter how beautiful you are.’

’But now?’

’Her husband is a regiment commander... but what if he wasn’t a regiment commander one day?’

’If I wait for Li Hanchen to make a mistake and get stripped of his rank, could she still be so arrogant?’

Shen Yujie stared at the distant Li Family courtyard, her nails digging fiercely into her palms.

Suddenly, she turned her head, her voice low and vicious.

"Pengfei, what do you say... to making her take a huge fall?"

Song Pengfei was taken aback. "How?"

He raised a hand to scratch the back of his neck, a thin layer of sweat beading on his forehead.

Shen Yujie narrowed her eyes, gazing at the distant entrance to the Li Family’s home.

"That vehicle Li Hanchen drove back was clearly issued to him. I bet they made a special exception and let him use it because of her biological father."

She paused, pressing the tip of her tongue against the roof of her mouth.

"Tell me... if that vehicle were to suddenly break down, would the military give him trouble or not?"

Song Pengfei’s palms began to sweat.

"Wh-what are you planning to do?"

Shen Yujie sneered, the corners of her mouth pulling down into a cold, hard line.

"Don’t be scared. It has nothing to do with you. You just stand watch from a distance. If you see someone coming, just shout, and that’s it."

"Just squat over there. If anyone comes within twenty paces, just yell that someone’s chicken got out."

After saying this, Shen Yujie laid out her whole crooked plan in detail.

Song Pengfei and Zheng Cuiyun exchanged a glance, their faces turning pale.

But then Shen Yujie changed her tone.

"Mom just got taken away, and they pushed and shoved us today. Are we supposed to just take that?"

She suddenly lifted her chin, the tip of her nose turning red.

"We’re miserable, so he gets to be a comfortable military officer with a new wife?"

"Besides, if something really happens, I’ll take the fall! You don’t even have to show your face. Just give a shout, and when people come, you turn and leave. Even if I go to jail, I won’t drag you into it. What are you panicking for?"

She spoke faster and faster, her eyes gleaming with a frightening light.

"If this works, Li Hanchen will be stripped of his rank. That Lin Songyao will immediately turn back into a Guo Family girl, and she’ll have to wait in line just to pull weeds and feed pigs back home!"

The moment Zheng Cuiyun heard this, any hesitation she had vanished into thin air.

She immediately nudged Song Pengfei with her elbow.

"Did you hear that? You’re just being a lookout for your sister. She’s not asking you to do anything yourself."

She grabbed her brother’s sleeve and gave it a sharp tug downwards.

"You don’t even have to lift a finger!"

"J-just watch for people?"

Song Pengfei’s voice was weak, and he hunched his shoulders, not daring to look his sister in the eye.

"That’s right! Just stand far away. You can pretend to be a crooked tree for all I care!"

Shen Yujie let out a cold laugh.

She turned, grabbed the chipped sickle from behind the door, and tapped it twice on the windowsill.

They got to work immediately. The two of them snuck out in the dark. One of them ducked behind a pile of wheat straw by the roadside, while the other slipped away.

As it happened, this was the day Wei Guilan was steaming buns.

Li Hanchen and Song Yao had eaten their fill at her house and were strolling back a little before eight.

The two walked side by side, Song Yao carrying a cloth bag, while Li Hanchen had one hand in his pants pocket, the other hanging naturally at his side.

As they turned into the mouth of the alley, Song Yao was bent over, tying her shoelace.

Li Hanchen stopped and glanced toward the entrance of the village.

Just as they turned into the alley, they saw someone squatting by the jeep’s wheel, scraping the paint with a hard object.

"Who’s there?"

Li Hanchen’s body went taut instantly.

Shen Yujie was scared out of her wits, her face instantly turning deathly pale.

She let out a shrill, trembling scream. The piece of tile she was holding slipped from her hand and flew off, hitting the courtyard wall with a CLANG.

As she ran, she shouted at the top of her lungs, "Pengfei! Run for it!"

Song Pengfei’s legs had already gone soft, and his knees buckled, almost sending him to the ground.

Hearing her shout, he jolted. His mind went blank with a BUZZ, and he turned and bolted.

But Li Hanchen completely ignored Shen Yujie, who had collapsed on the ground and couldn’t get up. His gaze remained locked on Song Pengfei’s back.

He covered two meters in a single stride, pushing off the ground with force. His boots crunched over the gravel as he lunged straight for Song Pengfei’s back.

Just then, Li Yuan and a few others were coming out of Wei Guilan’s house, their belts not yet tightened.

Hearing the commotion, they quickly gathered around and asked Song Yao.

"What’s wrong? What happened?"

Song Yao raised her hand and pointed at Shen Yujie, who had scrambled back to her feet.