My Husband Secretly Married Another Woman Chapter 2

The next morning, before dawn, a scream echoed from the courtyard.

It was Xiulan she’d been kicked by the cow.

In my previous life, she’d faked an injury to keep me from going to the city. This time, I made sure the cow would be more agitated by adding the night before. Cows can’t stand the smell of blood and get restless.

Sure enough, soon I heard Mingfu calling for help, “Yinghua, quick! Your mom’s been kicked by the cow!”

I got up slowly, dressed, and walked into the courtyard, feigning sleepiness.

Blood was pooled on the ground. Xiulan’s mouth was bleeding, and she looked badly hurt.

I shouted, “Dad, we need to get her to the city hospital now. She might have internal injuries. If we wait, it could be too late.”

After my death, I’d spent a long time watching Zhenghao and his new wife. I remembered their wedding was soon,if we went to the city now, I might just catch it.

I called for neighbors to help. Mingfu didn’t want to go to the city, but the village doctor shook his head after examining Xiulan, “She needs to go to the city hospital. My equipment isn’t enough for this.”

Xiulan lay in the cart, coughing and pale, spitting up blood.

Mingfu smoked his pipe, deep in thought, then finally agreed, “Let’s go to the city.”

I left my daughter with Auntie Liu next door, packed a few things for Xiulan, and set out with Mingfu.

By the time we got her admitted, it was lunchtime. My stomach rumbled, and so did Mingfu’s.

He told me to buy food, but I showed him my empty pockets, “Dad, we spent all our money on the hospital deposit. I’ll have to go back to the village to borrow more.”

He looked at me for a long moment and waved me off.

As soon as I left the hospital, I headed straight for Zhenghao’s workplace, looking for my father’s old friend, Uncle Sun.

Years ago, my father had died in a factory accident. The factory offered a compensation job, and Zhenghao insisted on taking it, saying the work was too hard for me.

Uncle Sun had arranged Zhenghao’s job. If I was going to expose him at his wedding, I needed Uncle Sun’s help.

When I found him, I explained the situation and borrowed fifty yuan for Xiulan’s hospital bills, then hurried back to the village.

I told everyone about Xiulan’s condition the doctor said it was serious and she might need surgery.

The neighbors were worried and wanted to visit her in the hospital. Some brought eggs, others brought sugar. The next day, a group of us, more than ten people took the bus to the city.

After visiting Xiulan, I took the neighbors out to eat.

The city was two hours from the county, but to us villagers, it was like stepping into a wonderland. Everything was new and exciting.

I led everyone to the biggest restaurant in the city, the Harmony Restaurant.

Most importantly, Zhenghao’s wedding was being held there that day. If I remembered correctly, it was today. Before leaving the hospital, I’d called Uncle Sun and invited him to lunch at the Harmony Restaurant to thank him.

We walked in, everyone marveling at the decor. I kept my eyes on the wedding in the main hall.

I whispered to Auntie Liu, “Auntie, city weddings are so fancy. Look at those beautiful clothes.”

She squinted, then hurried forward for a better look. Suddenly, she turned and shouted, “Yinghua, isn’t that the groom, Zhenghao?”

Everyone turned to look.

“It really does look like him.”

“Could there really be two people who look so alike?”

“But he seems different, more polished than before.”

Zhenghao was leading his new bride, Lin Qiaohua, around to toast the guests.

I clenched my teeth and said, “Let’s get a closer look.”

As we approached, I saw the familiar mole on Zhenghao’s chin. Auntie Liu spotted it too and cried out, “Zhenghao”

He looked up, saw us, and quickly turned away, pretending not to notice.

But I wasn’t about to let him get away.

I marched up and slapped him across the face. “Li Zhenghao, you’re marrying another woman and didn’t even tell me?”

Zhenghao’s face twisted in anger, then flickered with panic, but he quickly composed himself. Hiding behind his new wife, he insisted he didn’t know me.

Auntie Liu stomped her foot, “I watched you grow up, Zhenghao. I’d know you anywhere, even if you were ashes”

“You left a farewell letter for Yinghua. How can you be here, marrying someone else?”

The villagers, now understanding the situation, grew furious.

“Zhenghao, we almost didn’t recognize you”

“You have a wife back home. What’s this wedding for?”

“You left a letter and disappeared. Don’t you know your mother’s in the hospital, about to have surgery?”

The scene grew chaotic.

Lin Qiaohua, Zhenghao’s new wife, turned red with anger or fear. “Stop making things up. This is my husband. I’m his wife. He never married anyone else”

“We don’t know you. If you keep this up, we’ll call the police”

Most of the guests were Qiaohua’s relatives. Zhenghao had hidden his first marriage from his colleagues.

But I was prepared. As I glanced at the entrance, Uncle Sun walked in.

I called out, “Uncle Sun, over here!”

Everyone turned to look. Zhenghao’s face went pale.

He was handsome, even more so after months in the city. No wonder Qiaohua had fallen for him.

He tried to slip away, but I grabbed him by his lapel, tears streaming down my face.

“Uncle, didn’t you say Zhenghao was out of town for a friend’s wedding. Why is he here, marrying someone else?”

I sat on the floor and wailed, “I’ve been raising our daughter alone, taking care of his aging parents. To make ends meet, I carry stones from the mountain, my back raw and bleeding. If Xiulan hadn’t been hurt, I wouldn’t have come to the city and caught him at his wedding.”

“Uncle, you have to help me”

Uncle Sun, shocked, turned to Zhenghao with a stern look. “This is outrageous, Zhenghao. You have a wife at home. Marrying someone else is illegal”

Zhenghao stammered, “Uncle, we never registered our marriage. It’s not official.”

The villagers grew angrier. “You held a wedding. Everyone in the village knows”

“And that job you have, Yinghua’s father died for it. How can you abandon her and marry someone else?”

The scene was a mess. Qiaohua tried to argue, but her parents pulled her away.

Zhenghao was at a loss. He never expected this.

Uncle Sun turned to me, “Yinghua, what do you want to do? Don’t worry, I’ll stand by you”

Auntie Liu and the others helped me up.

“Give him another chance, Yinghua. He’s made a mistake, but you two can still be a family.”

I shook my head. “No, Uncle. If he doesn’t want to be with me, I want a divorce. But I have one condition: my daughter stays with me.”