Chapter 204

At the gate of the Second Branch of the Jiang Family's courtyard, a crowd had already gathered.

The ground was filled with all kinds of items: a money chest, a dressing table, a large bundle of sesame cakes, tea, wine, fruit, and two male and two female chickens—two pairs; the rooster was crowing gee-gee-gee.

At the main gate stood a large red bridal sedan carried by four people, its curtains embroidered with the auspicious motifs of a phoenix facing the sun and a qilin delivering children.

It was very festive.

Seeing this scene, the villagers chatted among themselves.

"Look at this spectacle—could it be that they've come to present the betrothal gifts?"

"Who presents betrothal gifts like that? Look at all those servants and maids—each one fierce and menacing; to the uninformed, it looks like they've come to abduct a bride!"

"Surely they wouldn't go so far as to abduct a bride; after all, they're officials, and they wouldn't dare break the law knowingly."

"If not abduction, then it's a wedding procession—but didn't he already have a wife? I heard she's a noble lady from a marquis's mansion…"

Du Ren Mei, in order to ingratiate himself with the powerful, had divorced his wife and taken another; everyone knew this already.

Now he comes with great fanfare to fetch the wife he himself cast aside—what kind of show is this?

Never mind that they don't understand; even Zheng Clan, the party involved, is just as confused.

"Don't touch me!" Zheng Clan shoved Du Ren Mei's hand away in the courtyard—those hands had once ruthlessly pushed her out of the Du household, and now they naturally wanted to drag her back, as if she were a puppet to be manipulated at will!

Seeing her face flushed unusually red with anger, Du Ren Mei froze.

It had been less than half a year since their last parting; I recall that time was at Li Xianling's manor, where Hui Niang was seized by Zhu'er and taken to the cellar, while A Man went to demand her release.

It was that very day that Zhu'er was thrown into jail for poisoning her own sister.

And he also saw his former wife, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

At that time, Hui Niang looked disheveled—her hair a tangled mess, her whole body filthy, frail and aged, hardly different from a street‑beggar woman.

He too felt heartbroken then, wanting to step forward and say a few comforting words, but constrained by Jiang Clan's ***, he ultimately couldn't utter a word.

Who would have thought that in such a short time Hui Niang would undergo a complete transformation!

Although she still dressed plainly, wore no makeup, and had only a half‑new, half‑old wooden pin slantwise in her hair, she looked like an ordinary farmwoman.

But take a second look, and you find your gaze cannot be moved.

Her skin was like congealed fat, her brows willow‑shaped and curved, her watery eyes seeming to hold a thread of worry, evoking an involuntary protective tenderness—an indescribable gentle beauty.

Even when she was angry, she showed no trace of fierceness; instead, it added a touch of vitality.

With Hui Niang looking like this, who would think she's nearly forty? She clearly looks barely twenty—no wonder Mother said she should bear a son for the Du family; in my view, she could easily have two or three…

Du Ren Mei's heart softened; he hurried forward two steps and spoke gently: "Hui Niang, I was wrong to you back then—I shouldn't have acted confused and divorced you. Actually, these years I haven't fared well either; almost every night I dream of you, dreaming we're still as we used to be, you grinding ink for me while I shape your eyebrows…"

Saying this, he reached out to grasp Zheng Clan's tender hand, speaking earnestly: "Hui Niang, I know I was wrong—will you come back with me? Can we start over?"

Zheng Clan's eye sockets suddenly reddened.

All the years of resentment and indignation surged up at once—back then… huh, back then!

Back then she was diligent and uncomplaining, doing her duty as a good wife and daughter‑in‑law, yet ended up with that fate; if not for A Man, she wouldn't have survived.

Are the sufferings she endured to be brushed aside by Du Ren Mei's light‑hearted "I know I was wrong"?

No, impossible!

"Lord Du, let's not mention the past; just consider me Zheng Hui Lan blind‑eyed, mistaking a beast for a person. From now on you walk your sunlit path, I walk my narrow plank bridge—let's not disturb each other." Zheng Clan withdrew her hand, saying this with a cold face.

Du Ren Mei thought she was just throwing a tantrum, so he simply pulled her into his embrace and said, "All right, Hui Niang, I'm not a person—I'm a beast. As long as you're willing to come back with me, you can scold me however you like, or even hit me a few times if you wish."

Zheng Clan panicked, struggling desperately: "Du Ren Mei, let go of me! Let go quickly!"

Unfortunately, her strength was too small; she couldn't break free at all.

The few servants standing at the gate glanced at each other, all wearing a knowing smile.

The couple are lovey‑dovey, arguing playfully—just wait, the master will soon have the beauty in his arms.

Just then, suddenly there was a swoosh.

A black shadow lunged from the side, a paw slamming into Du Ren Mei's shoulder; he felt a sharp pain and cried out "Ah!"

He instinctively loosened his grip.

But it wasn't over yet; before he could see clearly, another furry leg flew up and struck his chest.

Whoosh, Du Ren Mei staggered backward, then plopped onto the ground, landing in an extremely ungainly seated position.

His fine silk robe was dirtied, wrinkled, and dusted with gray.

Several servants rushed forward to help him up, "Master, how are you? Are you all right?"

Du Ren Mei felt a bit dazed.

"Who? Who has the audacity to lay hands on me!"

He glared angrily in that direction and saw Zheng Clan's feet, where a scrawny black dog crouched, black as a coal ball, sticking out its long tongue and staring at him.

Its gaze was full of impatience and contempt.

Du Ren Mei felt embarrassed, twitching the corner of his mouth—he had actually been beaten by a dog…?

"Someone, seize that beast, tie it up and throw it outside!" If it weren't for Hui Niang's sake, I'd have stewed you, humph.

The servants answered, rolled up their sleeves, and stepped forward one by one to surround the dog, cracking their knuckles.

Zheng Clan looked at the dog, then at the men, and after thinking spoke: "Just give it a little lesson—don't cause loss of life."

"Don't worry, Zheng Clan lady, we know our limits—we'll certainly not harm your dog." One servant chuckled.

Zheng Clan said nothing more, silently stepping to the side.

Several servants lunged forward.

Only a few miserable cries were heard.

Immediately afterward, bodies were kicked out into the courtyard like rags, the bridal sedan was overturned, the wine jars shattered, the two large roosters were startled, squawking wildly as they tried to fly but couldn't get high.

The onlookers stared, mouths agape.

What's going on—were they beaten out?

Du Ren Mei also had her jaw drop.

He stared foolishly at the dog, and the dog was also slowly walking toward him, its gaze fierce, getting closer and closer.

Du Ren Mei gulped, then straightened her posture, forced herself to stay calm, even cracked a smile: "Hui Niang, your dog is quite formidable, wasn't it trained by Jiang Li? Haha, our son-in-law really does have some skills."

"Who's your son-in-law? Stop pretending to be relatives." Du Ruo walked in from outside, her beautiful face dark with anger.

Seeing her daughter return, Zheng Clan seemed to have found her backbone, immediately hid behind her: "A Man, he said he would come pick me up to return to the Du Fu."

Du Ren Mei quickly nodded: "Yes yes yes, Father came to fetch Mother back to enjoy blessings."

Enjoy blessings? Hah, that's utterly absurd!

Du Ruo glanced at him askance: "Did you divorce the Jiang clan?"

Du Ren Mei's face stiffened: "Well, not exactly..."

"So then? You want to bring my mother back as a concubine, so that the vicious woman in your family can torment her to death? Is that what you call enjoying blessings?"

Du Ruo grew impatient with this scoundrel, raised her hand pointing at the door: "Get out with your lackey right now, or don't blame me for being rude."