She had no idea what he had said to Yang Yunhua and her husband.
But from his expression, it must have been something very serious.
Song Qingya's heart pounded with anxiety, unsure of what would happen next.
When Song Qingya pushed the door open, the room was as still as stagnant water.
Sun Qiang was slumped on the floor, his face paper-white. He was clutching the wall just to stay upright.
Yang Yunhua's expression was a whirlwind of emotions, shifting from anger to sorrow, and finally to resignation.
Seeing Song Qingya enter, she didn't dare to look her daughter in the eye. Her eyes were red, clear evidence that she had just been crying.
"Mom, I'm leaving. When I have time, I'll come and see you."
Song Qingya deliberately emphasized the last three words.
'I'll slowly repay them for all the suffering I've endured at their hands.'
'But it seems Fei Jin has already played the villain.'
'In that case, I might as well play the part of the helpless, pitiful daughter for a while and give them a taste of their own medicine.'
As she passed by Sun Qiang, Song Qingya's body suddenly lurched as if she had lost her footing.
However, this movement just so happened to trip Sun Qiang, who was already struggling to support himself.
Sun Qiang cried out in pain and fell heavily to the floor.
His face was a mess of bruises, and in an instant, a pool of blood from his nose stained the floor.
"Song Qingya! What do you think you're doing? You…"
Seeing this, Yang Yunhua couldn't help but cry out, rushing over to check on Sun Qiang's injuries.
But she stopped mid-sentence.
She suddenly remembered her son-in-law was still there, and she had to swallow the string of accusations that were on the tip of her tongue.
Song Qingya acted as if she'd tripped, but in reality, she was completely unscathed.
As if frightened, she scrambled frantically into Fei Jin's arms.
"I didn't mean to…"
She tilted her head up, looking at Fei Jin with pleading eyes.
A corner of Fei Jin's mouth lifted in a slight smile; he knew exactly what had happened.
He had seen everything that had just transpired.
It was obvious from the angle that Song Qingya had done it on purpose.
But he didn't see it as her being sly; instead, he felt a little gratified.
She knew how to fight back when appropriate and was no longer the type to just endure bullying. She had more of a temper than he had imagined.
'This is good,' he thought.
He himself had yet to realize just how much his own mindset had completely changed.
Before he arrived, he had wanted to cut ties with Song Qingya for good.
But now, he was starting to worry about her being mistreated at her parents' home.
Fei Jin nodded.
"Mom, we'll be going now."
"Wait, where are you two going?"
Yang Yunhua asked hurriedly.
The couple froze.
'Haven't they already decided to get a divorce?'
Song Qingya replied with a smile.
"We're going home, of course."
The corners of her mouth turned up slightly.
'I can feel Fei Jin taking my side,' she thought, feeling a little smug but careful not to show it.
Towards Fei Jin, she still wore that same pitiful expression.
"Shall we go?"
"Mm."
Fei Jin responded softly.
Song Qingya linked her arm with his, and a fragrant scent wafted over him.
Fei Jin's body stiffened slightly.
'She's never been this close to me before.'
He wasn't used to it at all, but he had no desire to pull away.
'When is she going to let go?' he wondered.
With her old temper, she would have complained that his body was too firm and that he always smelled of the rain and snow he brought in from outside. She never let him get too close and always slept alone in another room.
And yet, this time, she had taken his arm on her own initiative.
Even after they left the tenement building, Song Qingya was still holding Fei Jin's arm. She was even starting to get sleepy, and her head rested gently on his shoulder.
Fei Jin's heart couldn't help but beat a little faster.
'Why is this road so short?' Fei Jin suddenly thought.
'Are we at the main gate already? It felt like the blink of an eye.'
An army-green jeep was parked downstairs. The driver, who looked to be about eighteen, stood ramrod straight beside it.
When the young driver saw Fei Jin and Song Qingya, he quickly saluted and shouted a greeting.
"Hello, Village Chief! Hello, Sister-in-law!!"
The sudden voice startled Song Qingya from her half-asleep state.
She slowly opened her eyes, tilted her head slightly, and released her tight grip on Fei Jin's arm.
"Hello. Thank you for your hard work. Have you been waiting long for us?"
Hearing Song Qingya's words, the young man subconsciously scratched his head and said, a little embarrassed, "I was waiting for the Village Chief. Weren't you supposed to be staying at your family's home, Sister-in-law? Not coming back to the family quarters?"
"You've got that wrong this time."
Song Qingya replied with a smile.
"The Village Chief's home is my home. If I don't go home, where else would I go?"
"But everyone was saying you thought this place was too run-down and that you went back to your parents' place because you didn't want to come back. When I was leaving, I heard the leadership talking about finding the Village Chief a new wife!"
the young man said anxiously.
"Who's been spreading idle gossip? The leadership doesn't have time for that sort of thing."
Fei Jin usually got along well with the soldiers.
But now, his face darkened.
"Help your sister-in-law into the car first, and stop talking nonsense."
Seeing this, Song Qingya couldn't help but laugh.
"Leave him be. He's just being earnest."
'This kid really is blunt.'
'The previous owner of this body didn't have a good reputation in the family quarters.'
'The moment I returned to my parents' home, everyone started making plans to find Fei Jin a new wife.'
The young man started the car, but he seemed curious about the situation in the back seat, sneaking glances every now and then.
And what he saw only confused him more.
'I've seen some strange couples, but I've never seen one sit together with so much space between them!'
In truth, Song Qingya wanted to sit closer.
'I already held his arm earlier,' she thought. 'I should probably rein it in a bit so I don't scare him off.'
Meanwhile, Fei Jin was still mulling over Song Qingya's actions.
'Does she actually like being close to me or not?'
It left him somewhat confused.
The car left Qi City and gradually drove into the outskirts.
The rural dirt roads were bumpy and difficult to drive on.
Suddenly, the car seemed to hit a large, well-hidden pothole.
The vehicle jolted violently with a dull THUD.
At that moment, Song Qingya was gazing with great interest at the scenery rushing past the window.
Caught completely off guard, she cried out as the violent jolt threw her sideways, right into Fei Jin's embrace.
She ended up falling directly into Fei Jin's arms.
"Village Chief, Sister-in-law, I'm sorry! There was a huge pothole there, I didn't see it!"
the young man explained in a panic, his heart pounding with nervousness.
To his surprise, Fei Jin's face showed none of the anger he had expected.
Instead, he just gave a slightly awkward cough.
"It's fine. Just keep driving."
Fei Jin said calmly.
Song Qingya, at this point, hadn't noticed the change in the man's mood.
'We're husband and wife, after all,' she thought. 'It seems a bit much to deliberately pull away now.'
So, she simply settled comfortably into the crook of Fei Jin's arm.
and went back to admiring the pastoral scenery outside the window.
Song Qingya felt quite comfortable and content.
But Fei Jin, on the other hand, sat ramrod straight.
The sun was just about to set, casting a golden light over the wheat fields where farmers were still at work.