Chapter 42: Still a Nuisance Even When Old

Military family?

Is this young man in front of me a soldier?

No way, how can this mother-daughter pair from the Shen family be so fortunate?

Having Director Shen’s protection isn’t enough, and now a soldier shows up to defend them too.

What, have all the good fortunes been sucked dry by this mother-daughter pair?

Though still cursing inwardly, Auntie Tian forced an awkward smile onto her contorted face.

“Oh, so you’re… ahem, this comrade is actually a soldier.”

“Then you should keep your eyes wide open!”

“Let me tell you, this Shen family mother-daughter pair is truly…”

“Wang Cuihua!” Before Auntie Tian could finish, an angry shout came from nearby.

“Have you no shame left in that old face of yours?”

“What, too cowardly to confront me directly, so you come to the Family Compound to bully my daughter instead?”

“Let me tell you, if anything happens to my daughter, we’ll settle all those old rotten accounts at once!”

While speaking, Deng Yaxin had already hurried over and positioned herself in front of Shen Yi’an.

She first looked her daughter up and down, and only after confirming nothing seemed amiss did she heave a heavy sigh of relief.

“Baby, are you alright?”

“I thought I’d get off work early to help with dinner, never expected to run into this disgusting scene.”

“Did Wang Cuihua do anything to you?”

“Your delicate frame can’t handle any trouble!”

Hearing this, Shen Yi’an quickly shook her head, “Mom, I’m fine, don’t worry!”

Only then did she glance toward Wang Cuihua’s direction, “But Mom, are people from the Woolen Mill’s Family Compound always this free?”

“Auntie Tian just stopped me and hurled all kinds of filthy language, as if she wanted to grind my bones to dust.”

“I don’t even know what I did wrong, I’m still completely confused.”

This blatant tattling almost made Deng Yaxin laugh, but she restrained herself considering the situation.

She coughed lightly and patted her daughter’s shoulder reassuringly.

“That woman has no sense of propriety.”

“She’s managed to offend practically everyone in the Woolen Mill’s Family Compound.”

“Probably no one wants anything to do with her there, so she came to cause trouble in our compound.”

After explaining the general situation, she quickly added.

“But don’t worry, leave this matter to me.”

“You and Xiao Li should head home first, don’t delay your Third Sister-in-law’s cooking.”

“With the whole family eating together tonight, preparing a full table of dishes will take considerable time.”

Shen Yi’an nodded in understanding, but before leaving she couldn’t resist muttering quietly, “Mom, make sure you give her a good scolding for me later.”

“I haven’t seen Auntie Tian in ages, yet she just spread rumors about me seducing men.”

“She shouldn’t think she can fling mud at people just because she’s older.”

“Hmph, I’m really angry!”

Hearing this, Deng Yaxin thought for a moment and understood the situation, “Actually, I do know something about this matter.”

Meeting two pairs of clearly disapproving eyes, she hurriedly clarified, “Not that meaning – I mean I know why Wang Cuihua is spreading these rumors.”

“This matter… it actually traces back to that middle school classmate of yours, what’s his name, Wang Guoqing…”

Under Deng Yaxin’s explanation, Shen Yi’an and Li Beichen learned the reason behind Wang Cuihua’s rumors.

It turned out Wang Guoqing was Wang Cuihua’s nephew from the same clan.

They hadn’t been in contact for many years, but for some reason had recently reconnected.

Although college graduates were the most sought-after these days, middle school graduates were also in high demand.

So, when Wang Cuihua learned that Wang Guoqing was still unmarried, she thought of marrying her daughter to him.

She figured that since they shared the same surname, strengthening family ties would ensure a lasting relationship.

But Wang Guoqing refused, saying his teacher had taught him that children born from close relatives could have disabilities.

To put an end to Wang Cuihua’s idea, he even claimed he had taken a liking to his middle school classmate Shen Yi’an and asked his aunt Wang Cuihua to help him inquire about it.

This immediately infuriated Wang Cuihua, who went around telling everyone that the Shen family’s youngest daughter had seduced her nephew.

When these words reached Deng Yaxin, she was furious.

Her daughter was a college graduate, part of the first class after the reinstatement of the college entrance exams.

After graduation, the school would directly assign her a job.

Even if she didn’t stay in Jingshi and returned to marry, she would definitely marry a college graduate. How could she lower herself to marry a middle school graduate?

Of course, unless her daughter herself took a liking to someone with only a middle school education, no one else should even think about it.

Because of this, Deng Yaxin directly confronted Wang Cuihua and, in front of many family members of the Woolen Mill, declared that her daughter had no plans to marry for now.

Even if she were to marry in the future, she would absolutely not marry Wang Cuihua’s nephew.

This statement abruptly cut short the rampant gossip.

But because of this incident, Wang Cuihua disliked Deng Yaxin even more, and Shen Yi’an was dragged into the turmoil as well.

If not for bringing it up now, Deng Yaxin had almost forgotten about this whole affair.

After hearing this bizarre story, Shen Yi’an’s astonishment was almost palpable. “I can barely remember what Wang Guoqing even looks like. How dare they use me as a shield?”

“If I had known she was cursing me because of this, I should have gone straight to Wang Guoqing’s house to confront him.”

“Wanting to avoid trouble themselves but dragging innocent people into it—that’s just despicable.”

Afraid her daughter would get too upset, Deng Yaxin quickly stepped forward and patted her back.

“It’s fine. You and Xiao Li go home first. I’ll make sure justice is served for you.”

“Someone like Wang Cuihua, who’s already disliked by everyone and still doesn’t know when to stop.”

“I bet she’ll be a nuisance even in her old age.”

Hearing her mother’s words, Shen Yi’an finally turned and left with Li Beichen to go home.

When elders have conflicts, it’s best for the younger generation not to be present.

Otherwise, it’s hard to say what consequences might arise.

Watching the two leave together, Deng Yaxin walked up to Wang Cuihua with a stern face.

“The Family Compound of the Woolen Mill wasn’t enough for you to stir up trouble, so now you’ve come to the Steel Mill Residential Compound to make a scene.”

“What, are you really planning to have your old Tian lose his job and pack up to go home?”

“Oh, and what about your two sons and three daughters? Do they plan to never show their faces outside again?”

“Bullshit!” Wang Cuihua retorted defiantly upon hearing this.

“Everyone within ten miles knows about the issues between you and me.”

“Stealing Director Shen, snatching the title of Advanced Cadre, fighting for the position of Women’s Federation Director—which of these dirty deeds wasn’t done by you, Deng Yaxin?”

“What, you’re allowed to do such rotten things, but I’m not allowed to talk to people outside?”

Hearing this, Deng Yaxin couldn’t help but laugh in anger.

“Old Shen just happens to like someone like me. What can you do about it?”

“Furthermore, the model worker quota is an incentive the Woolen Mill gives to those who work conscientiously.”

“The Women’s Federation director position was entrusted to me by the trade union only after comprehensive evaluations of my qualifications.”

“Don’t you understand why you weren’t considered? Do I need to spell it out for you?”

After addressing this matter, she steered the conversation toward her daughter. “I can tolerate you criticizing me, since our feud dates back to our younger days.”

“But if you dare drag my daughter into this, I will never forgive you for that.”

“I’ve made it perfectly clear that my daughter would rather remain unmarried her entire life than marry your nephew Wang Cuihua. How dare you use this to attack her?”

“If we can’t resolve this matter properly, I’ll make sure your husband and son have no peace…”

While the two women were engaged in their heated exchange, Shen Yi’an and Li Beichen had already picked up their belongings and were heading home.

But every few steps, dissatisfied huffs could be heard.

Finding this somewhat amusing, Li Beichen directly blocked her path. “Is An’an angry?”

“What else?” Shen Yi’an raised her indignant eyes.

“Since getting into university, I’ve lost contact with many of my former classmates.”

“Because Aunt Tian always speaks ill of my mother outside, I avoid anyone connected to her, including her nephew Wang Guoqing.”

“But why does she have to ruin my reputation?”

“Can’t I even vent when I’m upset?”

Hearing this, Li Beichen – unable to set down the pork bones he was carrying – bent down to meet her at eye level. “When you’re angry, you can vent in various ways, including but not limited to hitting people, cursing, or kicking stones.”

“But why is An’an different from others when angry?”

“You just keep walking with your head down, occasionally letting out a few huffs.”

“Can this really be called venting frustration?”

Meeting his gaze directly, Shen Yi’an awkwardly averted her eyes. “I…”