Chapter 6 Fu Mama Gets Beaten Up

  The willow tree river is less than a kilometer away from the Fu family's residence in Willow Alley. The shore is lined with weeping willows, and during the day, there are often some old men who move chairs to sit under the trees to play chess or chat, very lively. However, at night, tourists gradually return home, and the quiet riverbank has only the rustling of leaves, adding a touch of eeriness to the entire riverside.

  In the late 1980s, Qingcheng didn't have all those neon lights and bustling nightlife. On this small path leading to Liu Shu Xiang, only a few people occasionally passed by in a hurry, going to or from their night shifts. When they saw Fu Pei Lan and Feng Xiao Li standing by the river, they would just curiously glance at them before continuing on their way.

  Fu Peilan stared at the rippling river surface, the feeling of being overwhelmed by the water seemed to sweep over her entire body again, and her feet involuntarily took a few steps back. It was at this moment that she had jumped into the river all those years ago.

  Looking back now, how foolish was I twenty years ago to choose such a stupid way to die! Water flowing into the lungs, suffocating bit by bit, and suffering torture until the moment of death. If it weren't for an old man running to the riverbank to look for his fishing rod that he had left behind during the day, perhaps her body would have been discovered only after soaking in the river for a whole night. Thinking about this, Fu Peishan shuddered, and indeed, suicide was the most foolish thing she had done in three lifetimes.

  "Getting cold?" Feng Xiang took out a thin jacket from the bicycle basket and put it on Fu Peilan's shoulders, "Let's go back, it's almost eight o'clock, if we're late again, Old Lady Fu will scold you."

  Fu Peilan pursed her lips and turned to look at Feng Xiang. She didn't know how painful it was for Feng Xiang to lose herself back then, but she knew that no one would forever be immersed in sorrow. The pain might not be forgotten, but it wouldn't stop anyone from moving forward.

  Fu Pei Lan knew she had no right to be jealous, but whenever she thought that after her death, Feng Xiao might spend the rest of his life with another woman, her heart felt extremely uncomfortable. She knew that as a good girl, she should hope that the man she loved would be happy and joyful after losing her, especially since she was the one who had made the mistake and given up the opportunity for happiness. However, whenever she thought about Feng Xiao's smile and gentleness being possessed by someone else, her heart would uncontrollably ache with suppressed pain. She knew that dwelling on these things now was utterly pointless, but she couldn't control her thoughts.

  Looking at the girl beside him with an increasingly pale face, Feng Xiao furrowed his brow in concern, "What's wrong? Are you uncomfortable somewhere?"

  "If I were to die, would you still like another girl?" Fu Pei Lan's words slipped out, and she immediately regretted it, lowering her head in dismay, kicking away the pebbles at her feet. This kind of self-centeredness was really too much!

  Feng Xiao was taken aback, and a flash of gloom and worry flickered across his eyes. He coldly said: "What nonsense are you thinking about?! It's just that Madam Fu opposes your going to university, must you joke with your own life?!"

  Fu Peilan waved her hand and said, "I was just casually asking, let's go back."

  Feng Xiang gazed at the girl with her head hung low, but her feet constantly rubbing against the ground. He sighed inwardly and reached out to gently rub her hair, saying in a soft voice: "If you were gone, I couldn't guarantee that I'd spend my whole life standing still, reminiscing about the past - it would be too lonely. But we've spent over a decade together, and every little thing about you is a part of my memories. I'll never be able to forget, nor can I abandon them. Xiao Lan, the dead don't suffer, but the living will always have regrets. So, Xiao Lan, let's both take care of ourselves."

  Fu Pei Lan looked at her palm, and her heart moved slightly. In fact, the dead also have nostalgia and regrets. She couldn't let Feng Xiao stay as a dead person back then. It was she who, for temporary anger and grievance, hurt the people who cared about and loved her, and thus missed out on the happiness that could have been hers. But now, she has come to her senses. Since it's like this, why bother being so entangled? She will firmly grasp the man in front of her, not letting him be sad, nor giving other women a chance to possess him.

  Fu Pei Lan stretched out her hand and tightly grasped the large hand in front of her.

  Feng Xiao's arm exerted a slight force, pulling her into his embrace, holding her tightly. This little girl had explicitly expressed her affection and concern for him for the first time today. Thinking of the kiss from earlier in the day, Feng Xiao's eyes crinkled at the corners with a smile. Now, she should be considered his girlfriend, right?

  "Xiao Lan, don't worry about university tuition fees. In the future, I'll give you my entire salary to support your family expenses. Once you have money, Fu Dama won't oppose you continuing your studies." Fu Mama opposed her daughter's education because she hoped she could work and earn money to alleviate the family burden. If Xiao Lan can provide a fixed amount of money to her family every month, it's likely that Fu Mama will not object to her daughter having a better future.

  "Your salary was given to me, what will you use to pay Auntie Feng?" Fu Peilan shook her head, the Feng family's life wasn't easy either, and he still lived with his brother and sister-in-law, it wouldn't be right if he didn't take out household expenses.

  "Don't worry, there's still some time before school starts, I'll think of a way."

  The two of them chatted as they walked and before long they arrived at the entrance to the Fu family's courtyard. Fu Pei Lan said softly, "I'm going in now, be careful on your way."

  Feng Xiao nodded, "I'll wait for you to go inside before I leave."

  Fu Peilan smiled lightly, turned around and pushed open the large door with a thin crack and slipped in. Originally thinking of going back to her own small house, she inadvertently heard the mournful cry coming from Fu's mother's room, her footsteps hesitated for a moment, thought about it and changed direction.

  Fu's mother's room is the largest of the four rooms in Fu's house, and the family dining table and the only black-and-white TV are also placed here. Therefore, when the Fu sisters have nothing to do, they will come here to sit for a while, especially Fu Peilin who loves watching TV.

  At this time, Fu's mother was lying on the kang, scolding and shouting, while Fu Peiyao sat on the edge of the bed wiping her red medicine. Fu Peilin, who was beside her, was about to go find Zhou Aunt to settle accounts, but was firmly held back by Fu Peiqi.

  "Big brother, neither of these two families is reasonable, who are you going to reason with?!" Fu Pei Qi said in a fluster.

  "Was our mom beaten up for nothing?"

  "What's going on?" Fu Pei-lan had just entered the house when she heard Fu Pei-lin say this, and asked with an open mouth.

  "Do you still know how to come back?" Fu Pei Qi rolled her eyes and whispered, "If it weren't for you, would Mom be able to quarrel with Auntie Zhou?"

  Fu Peilan frowned and stared at Fu Peiqi, saying, "I don't remember when I ever instigated Mom to fight with others!"

  Fu Pei Qi was choked with anger, hummed and turned around to pick up the book on the kang, saying to Fu's mother, "Mom, I'm going back to my room to read."

  "What's wrong? Mom, are you okay?" Fu Peilan took two steps forward and stopped at a distance of half a meter from the kang, asking slowly.

  "You won't die!" Fu's mother snorted, raising an eyebrow and staring at Fu Peiran, "I'll tell you again, stay away from that Feng guy from now on. If you dare to get pregnant like that shameless girl from the Zhou family, I'll break your legs!"

  Fu Peilan's eyebrows jumped, and she silently stood to one side. Fu Peilin approached her and whispered, "You should go back to the house too, Mom was beaten by Aunt Zhou, and she's in a bad mood now!" He knew that his little sister wasn't favored by their mother, and rather than waiting for something unpleasant to happen when the old lady calmed down, it was better to let Peilan hurry back and hide.

  Fu Peilan nodded, seeing that her mother was not seriously injured, she took advantage of her inattention to return to the house. After a while, Fu Peiyao returned to the house, and only then did she know the cause and process of today's incident.

  Originally, Fu's mother shouted out the shameful marriage of Zhou's daughter in front of the neighbors in the evening, and Zhou's aunt was embarrassed, angry, and pushed Fu's mother twice, accusing her of favoring sons over daughters. She said that she was not worthy of being a mother for sacrificing her daughter's future for a sickly son. Fu's mother had always been self-righteous in preventing Fu Peishan from reading books, but deep down, she was guilty. Now, being scolded by the neighbors made her even more furious. The two old women stood in the alley, exposing each other's shortcomings, and eventually, it is unknown who started it first, but later, the surrounding neighbors came forward to pull them apart and finally calmed down the two quarrelsome old women.

  "Our mom's arm and lower back were beaten black and blue by Auntie Zhou, while on the other hand, I heard that our mom scratched her so badly that she had several blood marks." Fu Peiyao sighed, "It can be said that both sides suffered losses!"

  Fu Peilan's mouth twitched slightly, and she buried her face in the quilt without making a sound.

  Fu Peiyao saw her sister silent, softly sighed, turned around and pulled open the quilt on her sister's face, said in a low voice, "Mom is not happy these two days, don't mention university for now, let's think of a solution slowly."

  Fu Peilan sneered and laughed twice, "I can wait, but can mom? Can the position in the foundry be waited for?"

  Fu Peiyao was stunned for a moment, yes, Fu's mother had already agreed to the arrangement of the foundry, and wanted her sister to take over her father's job as a statistician at the foundry. Now the factory is waiting for Peishan to go to work. Thinking of this, Fu Peiyao patted her sister's back gently and comforted her in a low voice, "It will be okay, everything will be okay."

  Fu Jia had six sisters, and perhaps due to their close age, Fu Pei Lan and Fu Pei Yao were the closest. Towards this sister who always treated her with kindness, she truly loved and appreciated her. Fu Pei Lan stretched out her hand from under the covers, held down Fu Pei Yao's hand, and softly said, "Third Sister, don't worry."

  She was determined to go to college, and it had become an obsession. In her first life, she lost her life for the sake of going to college and rebelling against her mother's unfair treatment; in her second life, she was bedridden with a heart that couldn't even allow her to attend school regularly, and her parents, fearing she couldn't withstand the pressure of the college entrance exam, cut off her path to college on their own.

  Fu's mother opposed her studying, she could fight to the death in resistance, but facing her parents who loved her as their own life, she couldn't bear to let them worry about her, and silently accepted their proposal.

  After two lifetimes, she already knew that academic qualifications could not represent a person's entire ability. Moreover, the parents of her second lifetime had high academic qualifications themselves. Although she couldn't attend school normally, the knowledge she gained was not less. In fact, Fu Pei Lan herself also understood that even if she really attended university, it didn't mean she would gain much new knowledge. However, she still couldn't help but look forward to it, wanting to know what it felt like to be in a university campus... Something she had yearned for in both lifetimes but never possessed, Heaven pitied her and gave her a third chance, how could she give up?

  In this life, she has a healthy body and a unique perspective that others don't have. She doesn't have too many unrealistic desires, but just wants to realize all her past dreams, whether it's learning, career, or love.

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