The old woman grew more and more agitated as she spoke, her words filled with increasing regret.

Then, suddenly, her tone took a sharp turn downward, and she began to wail, “But it’s just awful—such a wonderful child! And then, all of a sudden, he was gone! They said a cruise ship exploded, reducing him to a bloody mess, leaving only one leg.”

Tears welled up slightly in the corners of the old woman’s eyes. “Some people from our side went to see for themselves—it was truly too horrific to bear! The boy’s mother and younger sister fainted dead on the spot. Not long after, the mother herself started acting crazy.”

“His mother…”

“Yes, the original wife of the Ming family, the daughter of the Song clan. Oh, speaking of this child, she really was a lovesick fool. She used to be the pampered young lady of the Song family, cherished by both parents, and so many fine young men were vying for her hand back then!”

“But she? She wouldn’t even look at any of them—she just fell for this Ming Shuo. She was completely smitten by his handsome face and smooth talk, paying no mind to what his father or mother were like, or to the prestige of his family. It drove her mother mad, ruined her younger brother and father, harmed herself, and even dragged her children into the mess! How pitiful—and how infuriating! Who knows whether she’s still alive or not now.”

“What do you mean by that?” asked Zhang Mama.

The old woman hurriedly replied, “You don’t know?”

Zhang Mama looked even more puzzled. “Know what?”

“Of course you should know what happened!”

Both Mr. and Mrs. Zhang shook their heads in unison.

At once, the old woman became even more interested.

She pulled her stool closer and lowered her voice even further. “Let me tell you, when Xiao Kai had his accident back then, we all thought it was strange—we just figured the Ming family was unlucky. After all, before his accident, the Ming family’s youngest son, Yaoyao, had already been in a car crash and lost both legs.”

“Lost both legs?”

“Exactly! Speaking of Yaoyao, although he couldn’t quite match his older brother, he was still a handsome, well-groomed kid. We all liked him, too.”

Feeling the conversation had drifted off-topic, the old woman quickly brought it back. “At first, we all thought it was just bad luck for the Ming family—some kind of misfortune that had befallen them, with two perfectly healthy sons having accidents one after another. It wasn’t until later, when that Ming guy brought home that seductive mistress of his and the two little bastards they’d had together, that everyone finally realized something. Maybe those two kids of the Ming family weren’t really in an accident at all—maybe someone did it on purpose. After all, if they didn’t forcibly remove these two obstacles, how could those two little brats possibly enter the Ming household so openly? And how could they ever inherit the Ming family’s wealth? Sure enough, just as everyone suspected, not long after that seductress moved in, she managed to bring the entire Liu family into the picture, leaving the original wife, the children, and the Song relatives all in a terrible situation!”

“Wait a minute, Auntie—according to what you just said, doesn’t the Ming family also have a daughter? Even if their two sons had accidents, there’s still that daughter, isn’t there?”

Mr. Zhang asked in a low voice, beads of sweat already forming on his forehead.

Although his son wasn’t some outside flirtation—a third or fourth mistress—but rather the proper, legitimate suitor, Liu Qingqing, that didn’t necessarily make him any better than the Ming family’s children and their original wives.

According to what this old lady said, and based on the information available, it’s clear that neither the Liu family nor Liu Qingqing are exactly model citizens. They may seem quiet and obedient now, but what about the future? What if she takes a fancy to another man and decides she no longer wants to live with Yang Yang, demanding a divorce? But if Yang Yang refuses to agree, what will she do then? Will she treat him the way the Ming family did, or will she end up like Pan Jinlian in the operas?

End of Chapter 222: Counterattack 149