TFWYH – Chapter 97 The Bitter Girl Yuanyuan

“No! Don’t worry!” Tang Wan answered firmly. Seeing Jiang-shi still looking at her with concern, she added, “A venereal disease isn’t that easy to catch.”

Even with something like AIDS—so long as you’re careful, you won’t get infected.

But Jiang-shi still wasn’t reassured. She truly didn’t want Tang Wan to go.

Yet Tang Wan had already taken Widow Hong by the arm and was walking away with her.

According to Widow Hong, she had hidden her daughter in an abandoned hut up in the mountains.

But when they passed by Auntie Yang’s house, she happened to spot them.

Seeing Tang Wan walking together with Widow Hong, Auntie Yang was quite shocked.

When she came back to her senses, she hurried out after them.
“Wan-niang, where are you going?” she asked, giving Widow Hong a sharp glare as she spoke.

Widow Hong gave a bitter smile, quickened her steps, and walked ahead to put some distance between them.

She knew well enough—the villagers all thought she was dirty.

That was only human nature.

As long as her daughter could be saved, dirty or not didn’t matter anymore.

Tang Wan, sensing her emotions, glanced at her and then told Auntie Yang the whole story about Widow Hong.

Hearing it, Auntie Yang was stunned for a moment. When she looked at Widow Hong again, her eyes no longer held disdain, only sympathy.

“You… why didn’t you say anything before?” she sighed. “Because of that, I misunderstood you and even gossiped behind your back.”

Widow Hong gave a faint smile.
“Words can kill. What use was there in explaining? Whether it’s me or my daughter, we’ve both done such shameful things. Even if the villagers knew the truth, they wouldn’t understand. If anything, they’d despise me more because of my daughter’s illness, or worse, bully her.”

Auntie Yang opened her mouth but found no words to argue.

True enough—that kind of disease… who wouldn’t fear it?

But still, the mother and daughter’s situation was pitiful beyond words.

Auntie Yang might love to gossip, but she wasn’t malicious.

On the contrary, she was a warm-hearted person.

Now that she knew Widow Hong’s circumstances, she clenched her teeth and decided to go with them, to see if she could help somehow.

So the two became three.

Before long, they reached their destination.

There was no real path, only tall weeds everywhere. A long-abandoned wooden hut stood quietly in the clearing.

It was impressive that Widow Hong had even managed to find such a place to hide her daughter.

Widow Hong led them to the door.

The moment she pushed it open, a foul, rotting stench rushed out to meet them.

Auntie Yang instantly covered her nose and pulled Tang Wan several steps back.
“Heavens, that smell! How bad must her illness be?” she exclaimed. But seeing Widow Hong’s pained expression, she quickly added, “I’ve a blunt tongue—don’t take it to heart. I just mean, wasn’t Zhang the Butcher treating her all this time? How could she still end up like this?”

“That’s exactly why I fell out with him!” Widow Hong spat, full of hatred. “He took plenty of money from me, but never cured my daughter. That beast will get what’s coming to him one day.”

“You two wait at the door,” Tang Wan said as she took out a handkerchief and tied it over her face before stepping inside.

Widow Hong, of course, couldn’t just wait outside. She quickly tied a handkerchief over her own mouth and nose and followed in.

Auntie Yang, however, dared not go in. She remained anxiously at the door, peering inside.

The interior was pitch dark. On a broken wooden bed lay a woman, thin as a skeleton.

Tang Wan glanced at her only once before turning her eyes to the tightly shut windows.
“Open the windows. Without fresh air circulating, her illness will only worsen.”

“That damned Zhang the Butcher—it was he who told me to keep them closed!” Widow Hong cursed him again as she hurried to push the windows open.

With the fresh air and sunlight streaming in, Tang Wan could finally see the woman clearly.

She was a strikingly beautiful young lady, bearing a five-point resemblance to Widow Hong—only younger, with features even more radiant and alluring.