Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 255, Section 254: Cheng Aimei's Past

Upright, honest, and conscientious.

This is the label that people like Zheng Muwen have given themselves.

Feng Xiuhu considered himself a noble person, but he didn't sense any similarity in Zheng Muwen.

He pondered the reason and thought it might be because Zheng Muwen had the character "high" in his name, so he mistakenly thought he was a "noble" person.

People who stand high usually have one thing in common: they look down on those who are in lower positions.

But they won't say it outright. Instead, they'll use high-sounding words to find fault with the other person, making them doubt themselves while further proving their own nobility.

At this point, if just one person in a lowly position steps forward, tears off his hypocritical facade, challenges his authority, and questions his character, he will panic and be terrified.

What he feared was not being hurt or losing benefits, but rather that if he were to associate with people of lower status, people would think he was not noble enough.

Feng Xiuhu is not worthy of this position because he has already reached a high enough level. Even if he makes Zheng Muwen look miserable, others will only give Zheng Muwen a thumbs up and say, "Zheng Gong truly has backbone."

But it doesn't matter, there's still Cheng Aimei, an excellent candidate.

Feng Xiuhu's words terrified Cheng Aimei.

He shook his head frantically, his hair flying everywhere: "No! Absolutely not!"

Cheng Aimei quickly glanced back at Zheng Sumei in the shop, then lowered her voice and pleaded with Feng Xiuhu: "That's my father-in-law! Let alone doing this, just saying it out loud and my wife overhearing it will kill me."

Feng Xiuhu handed him a cigarette, lit it himself, and asked, "How long has it been since your wife and father-in-law last met?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Aimei fell silent.

He lit a cigarette and smoked it silently until it was half-burned, then gave a bitter laugh: "You can't argue like that. Director Zheng is very busy with official duties, and you've seen the situation at my shop. Business has always been very good. It's normal that we don't see each other when we're both busy—but my wife sends me desserts every month, so we've always kept in touch."

"is it?"

Feng Xiuhu glanced at him sideways: "How come I heard that since Zheng Sumei started following you, she hasn't even stepped into the Zheng residence?"

Cheng Aimei unconsciously clenched her fist, which was hidden in her sleeve.

But she immediately relaxed and put on a smile again: "It's just some trivial family matter, not worth taking to heart."

His implication was that this was a family matter and he didn't want Feng Xiuhu to meddle.

Feng Xiuhu understood, so he slapped him.

Cheng Aimei covered her face, staring at Feng Xiuhu in astonishment.

Feng Xiuhu asked him, "Is it too heavy or too light?"

Cheng Aimei nodded and replied, "It was a bit too hard, it hurt."

Feng Xiuhu then asked, "Zheng Muwen also whipped you like this, right? Was it harder or lighter than mine?"

Cheng Aimei lowered her head silently and remained silent.

Feng Xiuhu, however, was still not satisfied and continued to press on: "Your wife was also whipped by your father-in-law, right? I can guarantee it was even harder than when he whipped you."

Cheng Aimei suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with suppressed anger: "What's the point of saying all this? What exactly do you want to do!"

Feng Xiuhu slapped Cheng Aimei back, silencing her anger: "If you have a temper, yell at me. Don't you have the guts to fight your father-in-law?"

Cheng Aimei gripped her trouser leg tightly, breathing heavily through her nostrils: "He's a high-ranking official in the government, and he's also Amei's father. What could I do? Where would I get the guts!"

"I'll lend it to you."

Feng Xiuhu put his arm around his shoulder: "Are you going to get revenge for all the grievances your wife suffered, or continue to suffer in silence? Remember this: if you don't seize this opportunity today, you'll suffer for the rest of your life and never be able to turn things around with Zheng Muwen."

Cheng Aimei suddenly stood up, her demeanor fierce. Feng Xiuhu was overjoyed: "You've decided?"

Cheng Aimei took a deep breath and whispered, "I want to discuss this with my wife."

Feng Xiuhu rolled his eyes: "It's not negotiable."

"If you tell her, she'll be caught in a dilemma – whether she stops you or not. So, not telling her is the right thing to do."

Cheng Aimei knew she was right, but she still couldn't get over that hurdle in her heart.

After hesitating for a moment, he turned and walked back into the store.

Seeing his worried expression, Zheng Sumei asked, "Husband, what's wrong?"

“Hmm…” Cheng Aimei’s gaze wandered, finally settling on the freshly baked desserts on the table.

He said, "Pack this up. I'll take it to Dad to try while I have some free time."

"Ok?"

Zheng Sumei paused slightly, her gaze lingering on Cheng Aimei's face for a few seconds before she smiled and said, "Okay, then be careful on your way."

……

Feng Xiuhu originally wanted to take a horse-drawn carriage, but Cheng Aimei said that she had to go to the port area to run business in the afternoon and had to ride her own big bicycle.

Feng Xiuhu couldn't refuse him, so he had no choice but to accompany him.

Cheng Aimei carefully placed the delicate food box containing desserts in the basket in front of the car, next to his faded briefcase.

He pushed the cart himself and walked side by side with Feng Xiuhu.

Feng Xiuhu knew that Cheng Aimei was still a little scared, so he deliberately adopted the slowest way of traveling, but he didn't point it out.

Seemingly to ease her inner tension, Cheng Aimei took the initiative to tell him her story on the way.

"Director Zheng's family were originally native to Taijing. He had two daughters. Amei was the youngest in the family, and her older sister was named Zheng Sulan."

"Back then, Zheng Muwen hadn't yet reached such a high position."

Cheng Aimei gazed at the distant street, seemingly recalling: "If I remember correctly, Zheng Muwen was just an inspector in the Department of Education back then. He couldn't even get close to the position of section chief, let alone the director."

"The turning point in her life came from Zheng Sulan. She married a rotating speaker of the Taijing Council. I don't know exactly who the important person was. Zheng Muwen wouldn't tell me, and I haven't inquired about it. I only know that from then on, Zheng Muwen rose through the ranks."

“Amei and I met in Taekyong; we were classmates in college.”

Speaking of this past event, Cheng Aimei smiled bitterly: "But as you know, Zheng Muwen looked down on me and even ordered Amei to sever ties with me."

“But Amei refused. She and I were in love. We were both young then and didn’t think too far ahead. Zheng Muwen wouldn’t agree, so she would always sneak out to see me… Unfortunately, Zheng Muwen eventually found out.”

"Just then, Zheng Muwen was promoted again—as you see now, he was transferred to Fancheng to serve as the Director of the Education Department."

“He took this opportunity to separate me and Amei, so he didn’t even tell Amei about it beforehand. Amei only found out that she was leaving Taijing on the day she was leaving after packing her things.”

“If it weren’t for the last-minute message from the Ametto people, she would have truly disappeared from my life.”

"So I can't let her down."

When she said this, Cheng Aimei's tone was firm and serious.

"So, I quit my job in Taijing, which was just starting out, and came to Fancheng without hesitation."

(End of this chapter)