Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Don’t You Want a Good Life?

"Fushan, you..." Tan Qingjuan began to question him the moment she saw him.

Liang Fushan’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly pulled Tan Qingjuan toward his room. "Come on, let’s talk in my room."

Without another word, he dragged Tan Qingjuan inside.

Chen Danou, hearing what Zeng Hui said, came out of the main room just in time to see Liang Fushan pulling Tan Qingjuan into his room. She only caught a glimpse of the girl’s profile before turning to Zeng Hui. "What’s going on? Who is that girl? What does she want with our second son?"

Zeng Hui quickly shook her head. "I don’t know either, Mom. I had just let her in when Fushan pulled her into his room."

Chen Danou shot Zeng Hui a disgusted look. "You’re useless. Can you do anything right? Couldn’t you have asked a few more questions? God, you’re stupid. Now get to the kitchen and make breakfast. If it’s late, you’ll have me to answer to."

The corners of Zeng Hui’s eyes reddened from the verbal lashing. With a small "yes," she turned and went into the kitchen. She had lived in this house for five years, and she always felt stifled. Her mother-in-law chewed her out over the slightest thing, and in the eyes of the rest of the Liang family—including her own husband, Liang Fusong—it was perfectly justified, all because the Liang family had helped her in the past.

Zeng Hui also felt she owed the Liang family a debt. But after all these years, she still felt wronged. There was always a sense that something wasn’t right, but she could never quite put her finger on it.

Chen Danou glanced at Liang Fushan’s room, then tiptoed to the window to eavesdrop.

Inside, Liang Fushan was frowning at Tan Qingjuan. "What are you doing here? Didn’t I tell you not to come over? I haven’t worked things out with my family yet. This is just going to make things more complicated."

Tan Qingjuan looked at him, wanting to lash out, but seeing his face, the anger dissipated. Biting her lip, she said, "I shouldn’t have come? If I hadn’t, you’d be marrying Su Qing by now, wouldn’t you?"

Liang Fushan was taken aback. He’d expected she would find out, but he never thought she’d show up at his door in person. His plan had been to give her the cold shoulder—to avoid seeing her until everything was settled and then deal with it.

But he never imagined she’d come barging in first thing in the morning.

"Why do you always believe every little rumor?" Liang Fushan said, frowning.

"Believe every rumor?" Tan Qingjuan retorted. "The news is all over Lihua Village! The matchmaker your family hired went to Su Qing’s house this morning to propose. Su Qing admitted it herself! She said she already turned you down."

"So you know she already refused. Then what are you doing here?" Liang Fushan shot her an irritated glance. "I told you, I have a plan. I’ll tell you about it when everything is arranged. Why can’t you just trust me?"

"But I do trust you! I haven’t come looking for you at all because I thought you’d handle everything." Tan Qingjuan’s lip trembled, her eyes welling with tears. "But what kind of plan is this? I haven’t seen you for days and didn’t dare come to your house. And what’s the result? You send a matchmaker to propose to Su Qing! Fushan, have you even considered my position in all this? I’ve already... with you... What if I’m pregnant? Have you thought about that? You keep talking about your plan. Where exactly do you plan to ’put’ me in the end?"

"You..." Liang Fushan was stunned, but Chen Danou, eavesdropping at the window, was even more shocked. ’What did that girl just say? She and Fushan have already... already...?’

Chen Danou quietly clapped her hands. ’This is great! I have to ask who this girl is later. Oh my, if I really am getting a grandson, he can’t be born out of wedlock! We don’t have a third generation in the Liang family yet. That barren hen Zeng Hui hasn’t produced a single chick in five years.’

"Don’t be ridiculous," Liang Fushan finally managed to say after sputtering for a moment. "We’ve only done it a few times. What are the odds?"

Tan Qingjuan touched her stomach, her voice full of misery. "I don’t know... but what if? Fushan, what if I’m carrying our child?"

"You, you!" The possibility terrified Liang Fushan. He glanced outside, his mind racing, then quickly helped Tan Qingjuan sit on the bed. "Qing Juan, there are things I haven’t told you. It’s because you and Su Qing are from the same village, and I was afraid you couldn’t keep a secret and would let the real reason slip. If you blow the lid on my plan, then our chance at a good life is gone. Don’t you want a good life?"

"A good life?" Tan Qingjuan looked at him skeptically, pursing her lips. "What kind of ’good life’ are you talking about?"

Liang Fushan asked softly, "Qing Juan, do you want to spend the rest of your life toiling in the fields? You’re from the city. Don’t you want to go back?"

"Of course I do," Tan Qingjuan said, lowering her head. She was sick to death of all the farm work. She wanted to go back to the city, too, but she didn’t have any connections. She couldn’t even land a factory job in the county seat, let alone return to the city. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been in such a hurry to marry into the Liang family. Even though they were a farming family, at least they had money. Life wouldn’t be so exhausting.

But as she thought about it, she recalled the woman she’d just seen—Liang Fushan’s sister-in-law. Remembering the weary look on her face, she felt a flicker of doubt. ’Is life as a Liang daughter-in-law really so easy?’

Before Tan Qingjuan could think it through, Liang Fushan spoke again. "Do you know why I want to marry Su Qing?"

"Why?" This was the part Tan Qingjuan couldn’t understand. ’What does Su Qing have that I don’t? If it had been anyone else, I probably wouldn’t be this devastated.’

"Su Qing has a relative in the county seat," Liang Fushan explained. "And that relative has a family member who is a deputy director at the food processing plant. Now, do you see? If I marry Su Qing, I’ll have a way to get a job at the plant, right?"

"If you get a job at the plant, what about me?" Tan Qingjuan asked, still miserable.

"How can you be so dense?" Liang Fushan said quickly. "Just look at Su Qing. Do you really think I could ever like someone who looks like that?"

Tan Qingjuan quickly shook her head.

"Exactly," Liang Fushan said. "So, I’m only marrying her for the job. Once I’ve secured the position, I’ll find an excuse to divorce her. Then we can get married. See? It’s a great plan, isn’t it?" 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Really?" Tan Qingjuan asked, looking at him eagerly.

"When have I ever lied to you?" Liang Fushan brought his face close to hers, smiling.

Liang Fushan’s smile made her heart race. "You... you kept it a secret from me," she stammered.

"I did it for us," Liang Fushan said with a grin, then pushed her down onto the bed. Tan Qingjuan’s heart pounded even harder, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

Looking at her, Liang Fushan sneered inwardly but made no further move. He knew exactly how to make her surrender without her even realizing it. From the look of her now, it was clear she had swallowed his story hook, line, and sinker.

’Women...’ he thought. ’Just a little coaxing and they’ll eat right out of your hand.’