Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Chapter 342 - 181: Getting Scolded (Part 2)

She hurriedly said to her son, "You just promised Juhua that you’d go to their home and apologize. I think you should go over to Uncle Yang’s house in a little while and do just that. We can’t have people saying we raised an unreasonable son. Besides, you gave your word. You can’t go back on it. Juhua said if you do, she’ll look down on you even more."

That remark hit Liu Yungen right where it hurt, and he was so angry that tears started welling up in his eyes again.

’To be humiliated like this by a girl... How could he not be furious?’

Seeing her brother’s state, Liu Yunlan was so frustrated she could have screamed. She poked him on the forehead. "Can’t you try to have a little backbone? Is there something you can’t talk about? A problem you can’t think through? Why do you start crying over every little thing? You’re a boy!"

Just then, Liu Fugui strolled into the courtyard with his hands clasped behind his back, swaying as he hummed a little tune, looking utterly content.

As he came in, he saw his wife and daughter talking to their son, who was standing stiff as a board with red-rimmed eyes. "What’s going on here?" he asked. "It’s the New Year celebration. Can’t we let things be? Scolding the boy on just the second day... It’ll look bad if the neighbors see."

When Mrs. Zhang saw her husband, she quickly pulled him aside and told him everything that had just happened, from start to finish.

At first, Liu Fugui stood with his hands behind his back, craning his neck to listen to his wife’s explanation. But as he heard the full story, he leaped to his feet. "Oh no! This is bad," he cried. "Forget the little girl—kids bickering is nothing. But Aunt Wang heard Yungen call her grandson a ’bastard’? She must be furious! She’s definitely not going to agree to the marriage now. Ai! And I spent so much time saying good things to Yang Defa the other day. Yungen, you little rascal, you get over there and apologize this instant!"

Mrs. Zhang and Liu Yunlan were taken aback by Liu Fugui’s words. They hadn’t actually noticed whether Mrs. Wang had been angry at the time; they had been too caught up in the argument between Juhua and Yungen. Even Mrs. Wang had been focused on Juhua scolding Yungen and hadn’t seemed to react to her grandson being cursed.

Seeing how highly his family regarded Zheng Qingmu, Liu Yungen felt a surge of resentment. With red-rimmed eyes, he asked, "Fine, I’ll apologize. It’s not a big deal. But Dad, are you really going to marry Sis off to Zheng Qingmu? That scar-faced girl is vicious, you didn’t see her..."

Liu Yunlan exploded with anger, berating him. "You’re spouting nonsense again! Watch your mouth! Haven’t you had enough of a scolding for one day? Yes, there’s something wrong with her face, but she’s still a hundred times more capable than you. What good is that unblemished face of yours? First you call a boy who should be your brother a ’bastard,’ and now you’re calling a girl who should be your sister a ’scar-faced girl.’ Aren’t you just so impressive!"

She then turned to Liu Fugui and his wife and said gravely, "Dad, Mom, I’m a girl. Sooner or later, I’ll have to marry and leave home. After that, this family will have to depend on my brother to support it. But listen to the things he says! If you don’t discipline him and change his ways, he’s going to run this family into the ground after I’m gone."

Her words struck a nerve with Liu Fugui. The reason he was so reluctant to see his daughter married off was precisely because his son was so worthless. In truth, even he and his wife weren’t as capable as their daughter.

Though he wasn’t the sharpest man, he was keenly aware of this fact. Whenever a problem arose, he always discussed it with his daughter. "Discussed" was the nice way to put it; in reality, he was asking her for advice.

Seeing his daughter so worried that her brother wouldn’t be able to support the family after she left, Liu Fugui felt a pang of both heartache and anger. He yelled at Liu Yungen, "Your old man might not be much, but at least I have one good quality—I can take advice! Look at you! You’ve got no skills of your own, yet you refuse to listen to your sister. If she wasn’t looking out for you, why would she care what happens to you? Don’t you go rushing off to apologize just yet. You stay here and think this through properly. Otherwise, it’ll look like we’re forcing you."

At the mention of her daughter’s marriage, Mrs. Zhang also grew sad. She stepped forward, took Liu Yungen’s hand, and said sorrowfully, "Yungen, your sister is only trying to help you. You have to listen carefully to what she says. You speak without thinking, and sooner or later, you’ll pay the price for it. That girl, Juhua, was right. If you run into someone truly ruthless, they won’t care what happens to you. How can you expect to get ahead in life acting like this?"

Liu Fugui added sullenly, "If they don’t hold this against you and still agree to the marriage, you’d better learn a thing or two from Juhua. She’s got that problem with her face, yet she’s so capable. You’ve got nothing wrong with you, so why can’t you at least try to make us proud?"

Liu Yungen knew his sister meant well. Seeing her angry and his parents so sad, he mumbled dejectedly, "I’ll go apologize to Brother Qingmu in a little while. Sis, please don’t be mad. I only said those things because I was worried you’d be bullied by Juhua if you married into the Zheng Family."

Liu Yunlan was exasperated. "Do you think I’m like you? I might not have any great talents, but at least I’m reasonable. Why would anyone have a reason to bully me? You still don’t get what you did wrong, do you? If you conducted yourself properly, would people show up at our door to pick a fight with you?"

Seeing she was about to continue, Liu Yungen quickly cut her off. "I get it, I get it! I shouldn’t have cursed at him today. Not only did I not thank Brother Qingmu for bringing me home, but I also blamed him for not paying for the eggs. That’s why Juhua got mad and started a fight with me."

Liu Yunlan said in surprise, "Well, look at that, you finally get it. You understood the logic all along, didn’t you? You’re just too stubborn to admit when you’re wrong, always trying to win the argument, and in the end, you’re the one who loses out even more."

Liu Fugui shot him an angry glare. "Learn from your sister. You’re still young. If you don’t learn how to conduct yourself now, what will you do when you’re older? It’s not like me—I’m old, and it’s too late for me to change. When you go to Uncle Yang’s house, don’t just stand there like a block of wood. Greet people. It costs you nothing to be polite, just a flick of the tongue. When you walk around with a long face like someone owes you ten taels of silver, you just make people sick of looking at you."