TFRLTOP Chapter 50 Part 2

That’s where the conflict came from.

His mother, He Xiufen, acted as a buffer, but as the saying goes, “Two people can’t share one bed with different dreams.” She had her own way of wanting to control him—gentle on the surface, but no less suffocating.

Yan Junsheng respected and loved her, but he never obeyed her.

A week later, Chen Weiguo was discharged. Ming Ming, with nearly a hundred thousand yuan in her hand, had no desire to go back to the countryside. She was already planning to buy land and a house in the city.

“This is called the countryside surrounding the city—firing the first shot in the battle to move into the city!” Ming Ming babbled as she hugged her history book.

“You think it’s as simple as just moving into the city? What about Yan Junsheng? You think he can just say he’s coming back and be allowed to return?” Chen Weiguo found her ideas unrealistic. “There are so many educated youths in the village, all breaking their heads to get back to the city. How many have actually managed it? You really think it’s that easy?”

Ming Ming thought: Sure, I don’t have a cheat, but Yan Junsheng is the male lead. Of course, he has one.

She stared at Yan Junsheng with hopeful eyes.

Yan Junsheng felt a twinge of regret. Honestly, he had wanted to enjoy village life a while longer.

But if his wife wanted to push forward, he couldn’t crush her ambition.

Otherwise, she’d never study politics again.

“I’ll make arrangements,” he said.

Chen Weiguo hesitated.

Yan Junsheng knew what he was hesitating over. “Don’t worry, my affairs don’t need my parents’ connections.”

“I already said, I won’t let Juan’er suffer.”

Once Yan Junsheng got his matters settled, Ming Ming had just about picked out a house too—a small three-story with a yard. She even bought a plot of land on the side.

The land was a blind pick. Whatever, in the future every inch will be worth gold—doesn’t matter where.

Country bumpkin Ming Ming comforted herself like that.

The house still needed renovations. Chen Weiguo went back to the village first to pack up their two places. Ming Ming wanted to tag along, but Yan Junsheng wouldn’t let her.

What a joke—sending her back alone? What if that Wang Hu pestered her again?

Ming Ming coaxed, “Why don’t we stay at your family’s place first?”

She’d heard the Yan family lived right next to the Bai family—that’d mean more contact with the heroine.

Yan Junsheng flatly refused. He even tried to scare her: “Do you know how city in-laws treat a little country bride like you? They’d sneer and mock you, call you useless like a quail, force you to wake up at dawn every day to cook, clean, and do laundry. They’d throw baseless accusations at you, scold you, and seize the chance to drive you out.

“And sure, your husband—that’s me—would swoop in like a hero at the last second to defend you, then we’d ‘reconcile’ in bed a few times. But I’d rather fix the problem at the root—skip straight to the happy ending.”

His hand slipped onto her waist, rubbing up and down.

Ming Ming: “…”

Wait a second… this plot sounds exactly like that smutty book I bought before.

The poor wife was left at home, abused by her in-laws. The absent husband always bursts in like a godsend to rescue her. Then page after page of… steamy content.

No, seriously, how did he extract that kind of storyline from such flimsy material?!

While they were debating whether to rent or stay at a hotel, Yan Junsheng’s mother, He Xiufen, extended an olive branch.

“Your father’s on a business trip this month. If you two aren’t in a hurry to leave, why not stay at home for a while?”

He Xiufen had heard her son planned to settle in the city, but she still doubted how much two young people could really do without family support.

“Come on, let’s go,” Ming Ming wheedled Yan Junsheng. “If your mom bullies me, you’ll stand up for me, right? Then we’ll reconcile in bed after… just like you said.”

Yan Junsheng sighed and gave in.

It turned out fine, though. They mostly just needed a place to sleep. During the day, they were hardly ever home—either out having fun, checking on the house, or scouting for Ming Ming’s small business plans, with Yan Junsheng tagging along.

With no chance to pick fights, He Xiufen couldn’t find fault with Ming Ming, and Ming Ming didn’t manage to talk with the heroine either.

Yan Junsheng didn’t want her getting close to Bai Yuehua anyway—he was sure she’d badmouth him behind his back.

One morning, Ming Ming slept in, groggy and unwilling to get up. She ordered Yan Junsheng to fetch roast duck from a famous shop on the east side of town.

He pinched her nose. “Get up and come with me. It’s so far that by the time I bring it back, the skin’ll be soft. Let’s eat there instead. We can check on the house too—it’ll be ready to move in within days.”

Ming Ming wriggled free, grumbling, “Don’t wanna get up.”

“Why are you always sleeping in lately?” He poked her cheek. “Anything else you want to eat? Fruit? Oranges? Apples?”

Her cheek soured at the thought. “Forget it. Don’t buy fruit yourself anymore. Every time you do, it’s so sour it hurts my teeth.”

He chuckled under his breath. “Then come with me and pick it yourself.”

“Nope. I’m not getting up.” She shoved her head under the blanket, waved her hand from inside, and mumbled, “Just go, I’ll wait here.”

His chest warmed. He caught her hand and kissed it. “Then I’ll be quick.”

“Go, go.”

Not long after he left, a racket broke out outside—clang, bang, clang. Ming Ming thought her “evil mother-in-law” had finally found her chance to attack, and she sat bolt upright, clutching her hair in despair.

Can’t I just sleep a little longer?

But she quickly realized the noise came from both inside and outside.

What was going on?

She poked her head out to see—the Bai household next door was just as noisy.

Soon, Bai Yuehua emerged, eyes red. She looked up and locked eyes with Ming Ming, who was peeking out curiously.

Ming Ming: “…”

She ducked back inside.

A few seconds later, she peeked out again.

Bai Yuehua was still looking up, her face forlorn.

Ming Ming hesitated, then waved her up and mouthed, “Let’s talk.”

Bai Yuehua really came.

Next door, Yan’s mother saw her and called warmly, “Ah, Yuehua, you’re here! What’s wrong, let Auntie cut some fruit for you.”

“No, I’m here to see Chen Chanjüan.”

“Oh.” Yan’s mother’s smile dropped instantly. She muttered, “What’s she looking for her for?”

Bai Yuehua dashed upstairs, slammed the door behind her, and sat down.

“What happened?” Ming Ming asked. “Did you fight with your parents?”

Bai Yuehua let out a bitter laugh. “Fight? As if I had the guts. My parents are about to sell their daughter off. What good would arguing do?”

Ming Ming’s eyes widened. “What’s going on?”

“They want to get my little brother a wife. The bride’s family is way above ours, so it’s basically marrying down. Their condition? My brother and his wife get their own place.

“My dad may be a hospital director, but the house they want costs more than double what we could get by selling this one. After a lot of begging, they finally agreed to just move into our place instead…”

“And what’s that got to do with you?”

Tears welled in Bai Yuehua’s eyes. She gritted her teeth. “The bride’s family said they’d tolerate my mom as a mother-in-law, but they refuse to live with a sister-in-law. So my parents are desperate to marry me off—to the son of one of my dad’s comrades.”

“They didn’t even ask me! I walked in and a strange man was sitting in the living room…”

That’s tragic.

Turns out, whether you had parents or not, life had its own kind of suffering.

“They think my not being married yet has made them lose face and ruined my brother’s marriage prospects. They shout at me every day, call me names, and beat me down. Years ago, I almost stayed overseas, but they were terrified I’d abandon them, so they lied and said something had happened to my mom. That’s how they tricked me back. And now they treat me like this…”

Ming Ming handed her a tissue. Bai Yuehua wiped her tears, breaking down further. “It’s fine. You don’t need to worry about me. I’ll cry it out.”

“So what’s your plan?”

“I’ve got some money saved, and I learned real skills abroad. Plenty of places wanted me, but my parents interfered every time. They think I outshine my brother, and that makes them lose face too.”

“If I could run away to another city, I’d thrive. But the problem is, for the sake of their so-called ‘face,’ they’d drag me right back.”

“Running away from home isn’t exactly respectable.”

“Face, face,” Bai Yuehua spat bitterly. “For the sake of face, they’ll sacrifice anything. No one cares if I live or die!”

“If they care so much about face…” Ming Ming thought for a moment. “I do have an idea. But it’s a bit shameless, and it’ll hurt you too.”

Bai Yuehua looked at her steadily. “Let’s hear it.” Her expression was fearless. “What could be worse than being forced to marry a stranger and live a wasted life, never being myself again?”

So Ming Ming leaned in and whispered a few words in her ear.

Bai Yuehua’s face went from shock to sudden understanding.

“This plan is nasty,” Ming Ming warned. “If you go through with it, there’s no turning back—it’s burning your bridges.”

But Bai Yuehua said, “Wouldn’t this hurt you too? Is it worth it, helping me like this?”

Ming Ming smiled and winked. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve got my own motives.”

“Besides, Yan Junsheng and I are about to live our own little married life. So—doesn’t the plan work?”

Bai Yuehua’s eyes firmed. “For the sake of freedom, I’ll throw everything away!”