Chapter 207: Let’s Break Off the Engagement

Chapter 207: Chapter 207: Let’s Break Off the Engagement

"You want me to... split the family?" Hu Liang’s voice was even colder than the look on his face.

"W-well, not exactly splitting the family," Cao Yunyun tried to explain.

"We aren’t planning on building a very big new house. Wouldn’t it be a little crowded if everyone moved in...? The old house isn’t that decrepit. They’d be more comfortable and at ease there... We could go back and visit them often."

Hu Liang muttered to himself, "If this isn’t splitting the family, what is..."

Cao Yunyun didn’t hear him. Recalling the words her sister-in-law had taught her, she continued, lost in her own train of thought.

"Honestly, your family has two sons. Dacheng won’t be getting married for a few more years, so it wouldn’t be a big deal if we moved out on our own..."

The ideas of splitting the family and controlling the money were things Granny Cao had drilled into her daily, with plenty of covert coaching from Mrs. Wang as well.

Cao Yunyun thought it made perfect sense.

Seeing Hu Liang remain silent, she took it as tacit approval and boldly continued her proposal.

"I’m also just thinking about our little family’s future... Your grandmother is paralyzed and bedridden, constantly needing medicine, and your two nephews are so young... My sister-in-law says that if things go on like this, even a good life will be ruined by the burden. If it comes to it, we can give them some of the money we earn from our stall..."

Filled with rosy visions of a beautiful future, Cao Yunyun grew more and more excited as she spoke, only to fall silent when her eyes met Hu Liang’s.

"L-Liangzi?"

She finally noticed Hu Liang’s darkening expression and realized that something was wrong.

From the moment he ran out of his house, a fire had been burning in Hu Liang’s chest—a fire that made him want to charge into the Cao Family’s home and beat every last one of them.

But as he ran, he slowly calmed down.

’I can’t be impulsive,’ he thought. ’I have to at least hear what Cao Yunyun has to say.’

’What if those two women Wan ran into were lying?’

’Although it sounded so real...’

’But what if Yunyun didn’t know anything about it...’

He was almost unconsciously making excuses for Cao Yunyun.

But he never could have imagined that before he even had a chance to speak, Cao Yunyun would deal him another heavy blow.

Hu Liang stared at her, as if he didn’t recognize her.

"Liangzi, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me..."

The Hu Liang before her felt like a stranger. Cao Yunyun was afraid.

Hu Liang took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the foul emotions coursing through his body.

When he spoke, his voice was strained.

"Yunyun, I’m asking you. Do you really, truly want Ximei to marry into the family of Village Chief Cao?"

Cao Yunyun froze.

She had thought Hu Liang’s cold expression was because she had just mentioned splitting the family. She never expected it was about Hu Ximei.

The breath she had just started to release caught in her throat again.

’Why is he suddenly asking about this?’

"What’s wrong, Liangzi? Weren’t you and Auntie Xie quite satisfied with it? And you even asked around about it today... Even if you don’t trust others, don’t you trust me? Ximei will be living a life of comfort if she marries over..."

As Cao Yunyun spoke, she kept her eyes fixed on the tips of her shoes.

But while she could avoid eye contact, she couldn’t hide the evasiveness in her words.

Veins bulged on Hu Liang’s neck, and his clenched fists trembled slightly.

"You’re lying!" he snarled, glaring at Cao Yunyun and grinding his teeth so hard they audibly clicked.

His uncontrollable rage was like a flood overwhelming its banks, suddenly bursting through the levee.

"The proposal wasn’t for Village Chief Cao’s youngest son at all! It was for his eldest son! He’s a simpleton! He’s even beaten a man to death!"

In his fury, Hu Liang’s face was twisted and fearsome.

Cao Yunyun subconsciously took a step back. A BUZZ went through her head, and her mind went completely blank.

’Hu Liang knows. How does he know so soon?’

’What do I do? What should I do?’

Cao Yunyun’s face flushed red with anxiety. She wanted to grab Hu Liang’s arm but timidly pulled her hand back.

Hu Liang’s tightly pressed lips, his clenched fists... he was truly angry. Cao Yunyun could see that.

"Liangzi, listen to me, this wasn’t my idea, I..."

Cao Yunyun was truly panicking now.

In her haste to absolve herself, the words that tumbled out of her mouth only served to confirm her involvement.

Hu Liang completely exploded.

With a deafening crash, something inside him shattered.

The raging flames were extinguished, leaving only a bone-deep chill.

And Cao Yunyun’s explanation turned that chill into icicles that pierced him to the core.

"How could you... How could you..." Hu Liang pointed at her, his voice filled with both anger and helplessness.

That day, Cao Yunyun had hesitantly told him that Mrs. Wang wanted to act as a matchmaker for Hu Ximei.

’I should have realized something was wrong back then.’

But he hadn’t thought too deeply about it. He trusted Cao Yunyun, and besides, he was happy that someone was proposing to his sister.

For one, the family’s circumstances were indeed very good.

For another, just as Mrs. Wang had said, marrying Ximei into Cao Family Village would make their families even closer. Not only would the Cao Family look after her, but it wasn’t far from Dafeng Village, so she could easily return home to visit.

If Ji Huan hadn’t been so vigilant and insisted they investigate again...

If not for that...

Hu Ximei’s entire life would have been ruined! And ruined at the hands of her own brother!

Even now, Hu Liang couldn’t believe it.

He couldn’t believe something so outrageous could happen! That such vicious people could exist!

He couldn’t believe, even more, that Cao Yunyun had lied to him!

If she had lied to him about anything else, it would have been one thing. But she had conspired with others to push his own sister into a fiery pit!

’How could she be so heartless?’

Ximei called her "sister-in-law" all day long. How could she be so cruel?

’And me... how could I have been so blind? How could I have been so bewitched...’

Terrified, Cao Yunyun moved forward with tear-filled eyes to grab him.

Hu Liang flung her aside, his arm raised high—

A sharp slap echoed across the hillside.

At the Hu Family home, Widow Xie heard the whole story and trembled with rage. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to march to Cao Family Village and demand an explanation.

Ji Huan stopped her, telling her to wait for Hu Liang to come back before doing anything.

"What are we waiting for him for! He’s the Cao Family’s ’good son-in-law’ now; how could he still remember his surname is Hu? He nearly got his own sister killed! He was trying to trade his sister’s life for a wife!"

"Aunt Xie..." Ji Huan tried to soothe her. "Calm down. Liangzi wouldn’t do something like this. He was kept in the dark, too."

"He can’t absolve himself of this! He walked her home every day, who knows what they plotted behind our backs! I never should have agreed to this match in the first place. When a son grows up, he’s no longer his mother’s... He hasn’t even married the girl yet, and he’s already been won over by the Cao Family. He wanted to use his mother and sister to curry favor with them..."

Widow Xie couldn’t accept this reality.

The thought that she had almost believed the Cao Family’s lies and sent Hu Ximei into a wolf’s den filled her with uncontrollable, belated fear.

In her extreme emotional state, she became even more convinced that Hu Liang was inextricably involved.

Just then, Hu Liang walked into the courtyard, his head hanging low.

Ji Huan couldn’t hold her back, and Widow Xie had already charged out of the main hall.

She rushed right up to Hu Liang and, without a single word, swung her arm and slapped him across the face.

"Look what you’ve done! Why don’t you just kill me? Just kill me already! I’m just a bag of old bones, I’ll make way for you and your new wife! Why did you have to harm Ximei? Are you even human? With such a venomous heart, are you even human?!"

Hu Liang didn’t move an inch, letting Widow Xie hit and curse him.

When Widow Xie was too tired to curse anymore and had no strength left to hit him,

he, with his red, swollen, and bleeding face, fell straight to his knees with a THUD.

Through a thick, choked sob, he said in a hoarse voice, "Mother! Break off the engagement!"