Rebirth: Splendid Marriage in the 80s Chapter 2448 - 2384: A Tragedy

Previously on Rebirth: Splendid Marriage in the 80s...

Zhu Shun unearthed a bottle of homemade plum wine from the lakeside, sharing it with the group amid lighthearted banter, where Meng Xinian playfully deferred to Chiang Xiao's wishes, earning teasing from Zhu Shun. The afternoon passed in lively stories from Zhu Shun's travels, fostering a warm atmosphere, though he declined to return to the city with them, insisting on staying longer. As the four headed back at night and shared a simple meal of noodle soup, Meng Xinian revealed Zhu Shun's past: tricked home by his family after years away, he discovered an arranged marriage and was coerced into consummating it, only to clash with his new wife over her demands for him to retire and farm, fueling his decision to leave the special forces.

Upon hearing those words, Chiang Xiao believed that Zhu Shun must have uttered them in a moment of fury back then.

Clearly, Zhu Shun during that period was deeply passionate about serving as a special forces team member, which led him to dedicate everything to the Alliance District without stepping foot back home for a full five years.

His wife had urged him to leave the team and return to tend the fields; naturally, that sparked his anger.

Maybe in that instant, he felt a surge of resentment too, convinced that a woman ready to wed someone absent wasn't the kind he desired.

That's why he lashed out at her.

"To his surprise, his wife took those words seriously. Since her health wasn't robust, and heavy farm labor was beyond her, she started preparing meals to peddle in town, setting off before sunrise and trekking long distances over rugged mountain trails, hawking her wares till sunset, then trudging back home."

"Afterward, she discovered her pregnancy and recalled Zhu Shun’s remarks, deciding she wouldn't exploit the baby to dodge chores or lean on the two elders for help, so she pressed on with her trade."

As Meng Xinian reached this point in his tale, his expression darkened considerably.

Chiang Xiao and Wang Yi shared a look; as fellow women, they could more deeply sense the grief and struggles Sister-in-law Zhu endured in those days.

Chiang Xiao grasped it even clearer.

For she had grown up in a remote mountain hamlet herself, where reaching the town meant covering a good stretch of ground on foot.

Luckily, their village offered ox carts for transport.

Yet certain locals, to pinch a bit of coin, opted to hike the entire way out and back.

She'd witnessed kids making the trip alone, their soles raw and blistered.

Still, the thrill of grabbing treats from town filled them with joy.

Such was the tough reality for folks in mountain villages.

With Sister-in-law Zhu expecting and hauling goods across that kind of span, the exhaustion must have been immense.

True enough, as Meng Xinian went on, disaster struck Sister-in-law Zhu.

One evening, laboring homeward in the pitch black after a slow trek halfway, she crossed paths with a brute who assaulted her, costing her the unborn child.

Sister-in-law Zhu was discovered later, but rescue came too late.

Once Zhu Shun got word, his parents couldn't withstand the blow; they stormed to the thug’s dwelling demanding retribution, only to suffer a savage beating.

Soon after, the thug, terrified they'd head to town or the city to accuse him and bring down arrest, set the Zhu Family’s house ablaze under cover of night.

At this revelation, Chiang Xiao balled her hands into fists, her jaw set hard.

Wang Yi’s eyes brimmed with tears.

"What happened to Brother Shun’s parents?"

"They both perished, consumed by the flames," Meng Xinian replied gravely, "When the telegram first arrived announcing his parents’ deaths, Zhu Shun figured it was their familiar ploy to lure him home, so he held off a few days before heading back."

"Oh my God."

Wang Yi drew in a sharp breath at the news.

Previously, Zhu Shun’s folks had pulled that ruse on him, faking severe illness to draw him back; thus, this time around, Zhu Shun dismissed it as more of the same.

Wang Yi’s complexion paled, "Once he uncovered the facts, didn’t Brother Shun nearly shatter?"

"Exactly. He burned to eliminate that thug, prompting him to request discharge from the team right away, aware he couldn’t act on such vengeance while still in uniform."

This explained Zhu Shun’s drive to exit the team.

And sure enough, he departed back then with zero reluctance.

Without sharing the cause with anyone.

Chiang Xiao knit her brows and inquired, "In the end, did he take that man’s life?"