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

Upon hearing those words, Chiang Xiao believed 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 in his hometown for a full five years.

His wife had pressed him to abandon the team and return to tend the fields; naturally, that sparked his rage.

Maybe in that moment, a sense of resentment boiled within him too, convinced that a woman ready to wed an absent man simply wasn't the partner he envisioned.

That's how he ended up venting his anger on her.

"To his surprise, his wife internalized his harsh words completely. With her fragile health limiting her ability to handle strenuous farm chores, she began preparing meals to peddle in the town, setting off before the sun rose and hiking lengthy mountain trails, hawking her wares right up to sunset before trudging all the way back."

"Soon after, she realized she was genuinely expecting a child and recalled Zhu Shun’s statements, deciding she wouldn't leverage the pregnancy to dodge labor or burden the two elders, so she pressed on with her trade."

By this point in his recounting, Meng Xinian's expression darkened considerably.

Chiang Xiao and Wang Yi shared a knowing look; as women themselves, they could more keenly grasp the deep grief and grueling trials Sister-in-law Zhu endured in those days.

Chiang Xiao related to it on an even deeper level.

After all, she had grown up in a remote mountain hamlet too, where the journey on foot to the nearest town stretched on for a good long way.

Thank goodness their village offered ox carts for folks to hitch a ride on.

Still, plenty of locals, eager to spare a handful of coins, preferred making the round trip entirely by shank's mare.

She'd personally watched young kids trudge there and back on their own, coming home with feet covered in painful blisters.

Yet the mere idea of picking up a few sweets or treats in town brought a spark of delight to their faces.

That's the harsh reality and powerlessness gripping folks from such isolated mountain spots.

With Sister-in-law Zhu carrying a baby and forced to lug her goods across all that ground, it had to have been utterly draining, hadn't it?

True to form, Meng Xinian pressed on with the tale, revealing how calamity struck Sister-in-law Zhu.

During one pitch-black evening, as she plodded along halfway back home at a cautious pace, a vicious thug ambushed her, causing her to lose the unborn child.

Sister-in-law Zhu was discovered soon after, yet efforts to save her proved futile.

Once Zhu Shun got word of the tragedy, the overwhelming blow proved too much for both his father and mother; they charged over to the thug's place demanding accountability, only to suffer a brutal beating in return.

Eventually, the thug grew terrified that they'd head to the town or even the city to accuse him and bring about his capture, so he torched the Zhu Family's house in the dead of night.

At this revelation, Chiang Xiao gripped her fists hard, her jaw clenched in seething anger.

Wang Yi's eyes brimmed with unshed tears, turning red-rimmed.

"And what became of Brother Shun’s parents?"

"They both perished, consumed by the flames," Meng Xinian replied with a heavy tone, "When the first telegram arrived announcing his parents' deaths, Zhu Shun dismissed it as their familiar ploy to lure him home, so he held off for several days before making the journey back."

"Oh my God."

Wang Yi let out a sharp intake of breath upon absorbing this detail.

On the prior occasion, Zhu Shun’s parents had resorted to feigning dire illness to trick him into returning; consequently, Zhu Shun placed no faith in the message this time around.

Wang Yi's complexion drained of color slightly, "Once he uncovered the awful truth, wouldn't Brother Shun have teetered on the edge of total collapse?"

"Exactly. He burned with the urge to end that thug's life, prompting him to seek discharge from the team right away, fully aware he couldn't carry out such a deed while still clad in that uniform."

This tragedy fueled Zhu Shun's determination to depart the team.

And without a doubt, he walked away back then, showing no trace of reluctance.

Moreover, he kept the underlying cause hidden from everyone.

Chiang Xiao knit her brows and questioned, "In the end, did he take that person's life?"