Chapter 350: Chapter 350: Angry
After listening to Yang Peiying’s fragmented recollection, several people, including Yang Peimin, were left stunned.
Bai Hehua suddenly slapped the edge of the Kang fiercely, startling everyone. She cursed loudly, "This Yang Peidi, I had no idea she was so cunning. I’ve underestimated her. She seems quiet and unassuming, but it turns out she’s been holding her cards close to her chest. No wonder everyone says that the dog that doesn’t bark bites the hardest... Yingzi, didn’t you say you didn’t agree to her?"
Zhang Minghua glared at her youngest daughter, her face showing disappointment. "Don’t you have a brain? Would Peidi really die without a match from the Yu family?"
Unexpectedly, Yang Peiyang nodded slightly and whispered, "She said she’d rather die than marry that old man..."
Hearing this, Zhang Minghua was furious. She raised her hand and pointed at her daughter’s head, "Then let her die!"
Yang Peiying, terrified, shuddered and hunched her shoulders, not daring to respond.
"Mother, calm down," Yang Peimin tried to soothe her, "Let’s wait for father to come back and discuss it with him. See what he has to say about this. We should also bring the Third Uncle and Third Aunt here to ask whose idea this was. The way they’re using such tactics on Yingzi because she’s naive is just despicable."
"Exactly, let dad come back. Doesn’t he always say that siblings should look after and support each other? He thinks of them as brothers, but apparently, they don’t feel the same way..."
"Second daughter-in-law," Zhang Minghua interrupted Bai Hehua, a look of displeasure across her brow, "Now you’re even implicating your father-in-law. Always talking too much, just go out and get some work done!"
Bai Hehua looked at her mother-in-law with a hint of grievance, sighed, and then walked out.
Zhang Minghua watched her leave, still muttering discontentedly, "She’s like a noisy myna bird, gives me a headache."
Yang Peimin couldn’t hold back a laugh.
Zhang Peiying shrunk her neck further, trying to make herself as small as possible to avoid her mother’s notice.
Zhang Minghua turned around and asked her younger daughter, "Did you agree to what Yang Peidi asked?"
Yang Peiying hesitated before nodding.
"What a disgrace!" Zhang Minghua was about to lash out again, but Yang Peimin quickly held her back, "Mother, let’s talk this through calmly. Getting angry isn’t good for your health."
She turned to Yang Peiying and asked, "Yingzi, what do you think about this situation? Have you considered if any of Peidi’s words were sincere?"
Yang Peiying looked up and then said, "Peidi is my best friend, we... since childhood, she has helped me a lot..."
"But do you realize she has bad intentions? Let me analyze this for you... Why is it so coincidental? Aren’t you two best friends? Why didn’t she mention it earlier, but only after the Yu family left? Could she really have been unaware of Third Aunt’s intentions before? Even if she only found out today, how could she suggest such a thing? Doesn’t she feel shameful? Has she not calculated that you are easily softened by sentiment? Is there really no one else other than the Yu family? Why must she steal from you specifically, claiming to be a best friend? Is that what best friends do?"
Yang Peiying was taken aback again and stubbornly shook her head, "She... she had no other choice..."
Yang Peimin sighed, "So, do you still plan to agree to her request?"
Yang Peiying glanced at Zhang Minghua nervously, hesitated, and looked afraid to answer.
But Yang Peimin and Zhang Minghua already knew her answer.
Zhang Minghua raised her hand to slap her back, but Yang Peimin, perhaps having anticipated this, quickly grabbed her mother’s hand, urgently saying, "Mother, please, let’s talk this out. Yingzi is not a child anymore; we can’t just hit her like this."
"I’m so angry... Minmin, let go. I need to wake this foolish girl up. Look what I have given birth to; people are scheming right over her head and she’s still counting money for them, still thinking they are good people!" Although her voice was still filled with anger, she eventually let her hand drop. The sudden rush of anger had overwhelmed her, but she took in Yang Peimin’s words as eventually, her younger daughter was no longer a child, and it was inappropriate to hit her in front of her grandchildren.
Yang Peiying saw how upset Zhang Minghua was and felt guilty, "Mother, I..."
Zhang Minghua closed her eyes and then opened them with a sharp look, "Tell me, are you planning to agree to her, to fulfill her wishes, right?"
Yang Peiying barely nodded.
Zhang Minghua massaged her forehead and gritted her teeth, "What if I don’t agree?"
Yang Peiying hesitated, then lowered her voice to almost a whisper, "Mother, please agree... I... I don’t like that Mr. Yu..."
Zhang Minghua was taken aback and then angry again, "Don’t try to fool me with talk of ’not liking him.’ You’re just trying to help that girl Yang Peidi, stop talking about having no feelings."
Yang Peimin hurriedly shook her head, "Mother, I’m telling the truth. That Mr. Yu... he doesn’t care for me either. When I... when I poured tea for him, he didn’t even glance at me... and also..."
"And what?"
Yang Peiying glanced at Yang Peimin and then lowered her head again, "And I noticed that he... he looked happily at my sister..."
Yang Peimin paused, this was something she hadn’t realized...
Zhang Minghua was shocked, "Are you serious?"
Yang Peiying nodded repeatedly, "He... he looked over happily a couple of times... but then my brother-in-law noticed, and he didn’t dare to look anymore."
"I... I don’t blame my sister, it’s just... I think he prefers more attractive daughters-in-law, and I think he probably wouldn’t agree to being with me..."
"Why didn’t you say this earlier?" Zhang Minghua thought about how she had just been arguing and probing here with the second daughter-in-law, if she had spoken earlier, perhaps much could have been avoided. She knew it was normal for a man to take a couple more glances at a pretty girl, and for women to do the same. It wasn’t a big deal as long as it wasn’t too blatant, but choosing a partner was different, especially since that Mr. Yu was peeking at her eldest daughter during a matchmaking session. He should have controlled himself better. Such a man couldn’t even manage that much, which was distressing. More importantly, since the woman he was supposed to be considering was the sister of the one he was sneaking looks at, she didn’t want her daughters to harbor grudges over him, even if he didn’t mean anything by it.
But once again, her younger daughter had angered her, "If it weren’t for Yang Peidi’s situation, would you still have kept quiet? What if we had really let you marry that Mr. Yu, what would you do? Would you still marry him?"