" Wait! Wait! Wait! Hold up! Time please!" Yu Dong felt her temples throb, she was responsible for Fang Chi? Because she was somehow entangled with him in an affair? And she and Fang Chi had a thing going on? When did that happen!!!!??? Why didn't she know of it - no, wait. That wasn't what was important, she never met with Fang Chi, so how can they have an affair - that means the rumours from months ago haven't been cleared up? If it wasn't cleared up and was still circulating around then how did she not know such a big thing being one of the protagonists of the drama? Was she this oblivious to her surroundings?
Shen Li, Ye Liu and Chen Mi ( including the secret admirer): Yes you are!!
" I - I had an affair with Fang Chi?" asked Yu Dong after trying to get all the ifs and buts and all the twists and turns of the rumours " how can that be possible! I can't even have an affair with my husbands!"
" Dong Dong! Watch what you are saying -" scolded Chen Mi while furiously blushing. Was this something one tells an entire bunch of crowd " but she is right, she is so busy with work. She doesn't even have time for us"
"Everyone likes the chicken roaming on the outside than the coarse grains pancakes stored in their kitchen" retorted Madam Li at once, her sleazy rat eyes flickering around as she pointed at Yu Dong.
"I like my coarse grains pancakes!" said Yu Dong at once, though she didn't know how the matter despite being cleared up escalated this far. She still wanted to wash herself clean, another husband she really couldn't take on another husband if she did - her kidney won't be able to take it at all!
The newly arrived coarse grain pancakes, Shen Li and Ye Liu "..."
The still shell shocked coarse grain pancake Chen Mi "..."
Thank you very much?
Aunt Wang was so angry that she wanted to beat Madam Li up, if not for Old Fu holding her back she would have fought it out with this bastard! " Madam Li! You better watch your mouth while I am still controlling my hands! Or I swear I will make it impossible for your entire future generations to give birth! I will have to castrate your sons and break your daughters into half! I will f*ck you! Your sons and even your daughter! And have them carry my bastards you bitch !"
Aunt Wang's words were vulgar but they showed how much she cared for Yu Dong. She couldn't see Yu Dong bullied when she was wrong in the past and even more so now that Yu Doing was finally walking on the right path.
Shen Li and Ye Liu rushed to Yu Dong at once while Aunt Wang and Madam Li were busy ' orally f*cking each other up' .
" I AM INNOCENT," said Yu Dong emphasising on every word, just in case her husbands thought that she was indeed involved in some nightly endeavour " I got no time to have an affair"
" We know," said Shen Li, they had complete trust in Yu Dong but the matter that she got herself entangled in was really tricky. This wasn't something they could win through just wits and punches, even if they wanted to, the matter was regarding a mer's reputation and should be handled with care.
Even if neither of them wanted to agree to it - there will be only one outcome of this situation and that was -
" PLEASE STOP! STOP" shouted Fang Chi, as he finally stood up from the ground with Chen Mi's help, he looked tired and really frustrated while trying to hold back his tears " Yu Dong has been nothing but kind to me, but not as a lover but as a fellow villager. She helped me and Grandma because she pitied us just like everyone else! There is nothing between the two of us, in fact, we only met with each other a total of two or three times so how can we have an affair?" then he looked at Madam Li and Madam Zhang before pining them with an inquisitive glance " Do you both have an affair with Old Hai and Old Pei's mers? Just because you smiled and talked with them while they were going to their fields ?"
" How is that similar to this -"
" HOW IS IT DIFFERENT?" shouted Fang Chi while closing his eyes and clenching his fists by his side " You tell me how is it different? Have you seen Yu Dong holding my hand? or did you catch us in a compromising situation? You haven't, have you? At most Yu Dong and I were only seen together when I broke my ankle and that was because she was trying to help me as a good acquaintance who lives in the same village - what affair? Just because she helped me? If this was called an affair then I think, talking to another mer, smiling at another mer and so much as looking at other mers should be considered having affairs? Don't you think ?"
Fang Chi was shouting so loudly that his voice was echoing along the shore. He was furious and upset, as all the frustration that was piled up in his heart was slowly released one by one - he did like Yu Dong but that was because she was nice to him. And even if he did have some romantic feeling for Yu Dong then it was going to fail anyway because Yu Dong, she didn't like him at all.
And Fang Chi would never ever try to walk on the same path of one-sided love ever again. So, it was better to end this before his feelings get out of control before he loses control and before he turns bitter and twisted like a villain.
He would never believe in the hope that Yu Dong could ever become his. This was the right thing to do, he shouldn't break a happy family because that's what villains do, and he wasn't a villain nor was he a hero - he was just Fang Chi, a normal mer, living in a normal village with normal heartbreaks.
" be that it may, " said Qiu Bai finally stepping out of the crowd with a twist of his willowy waist " Your reputation is already in shambles Fang Chi, you will never find a match in your life no matter how hard you try. Even if your grandma and Yu Dong somehow succeed in shutting down the mouths of our fellow villagers, what about the village next to ours and the village next to that village? How many mouths can they silence? And if this isn't, your cinnabar is also faint when compared to other mers, no one knows whether you can give birth to a healthy baby. You are poor and have no dowry to make up for your flaws, believe me, if Yu Dong doesn't marry you - you only have one path to take and that's to just turn around and jump again in the sea "
" YOU BASTARD-" Grandma Fang furiously roared but before she could throw herself at Qiu Bai, Fang Chi stopped her. Because he knew Qiu Bai was right, if not he wouldn't have taken such drastic steps such as drowning himself in the sea.
" Granny Fang calm down," said Mu Xuan briskly who finally made an appearance after returning from the Townhall, she couldn't believe that in just a single day so many things happened. Why was it that every time she went somewhere, her villagers would create a ruckus like some naughty children finally freed from the clutches of their strict teacher? " I know that you are upset with what Qiu Bai said but he is speaking the truth"
With Mu Xuan's backing, Qiu Bai puffed out his chest gallantly.
" and I'm not saying this because I have a feud with Yu Dong - you too understand this don't you? It no longer matters whether Yu Dong or Fang Chi are indeed involved together or not - they have no other option but to marry each other. If they can't do that then, you and Fang Chi have to leave the village and start somewhere completely far away afresh, either this or either you know" Fang Chi have to die, so as to clear the rumours and his image.
Grandma Fang bit her lips, she knew? Of course, she did! But she didn't want her Fang Chi to become a burden nor did she want him to die - so there was only one option left, no matter how difficult they have to leave the village.
" We-"
" I will marry him" before she could finish what she wanted to, Yu Dong cut her off and that too by declaring such a scandalous promise.