In this era, a woman who cannot bear sons is essentially considered barren, and the reason "no sons" can be grounds for a man to divorce her.
Yang Dongshi had given birth to two daughters and had no more children afterward, thus feeling inferior to others, she always accepted her lot with resignation. At least previously, with the head wife’s existence, the family treated her relatively well. But after the division of the family, all the disdain that had been aimed at the head wife fell on her.
Yang Baifu grew increasingly disgusted with his wife, and if he hadn’t failed to find pleasure outside, he wouldn’t have touched Dongshi at all, so constrained he was by his desires.
Dongshi suffered silently; she lived with a man yet lived like a widow—a hardship indeed.
Yang Dongshi’s maternal home was in the Dong Family Village, which was just seven or eight li from Budong Village.
Due to the limited flat land in the mountains, the few villages around were all close to each other.
Feeling extremely oppressed, Yang Dongshi would not be touched by Yang Baifu at night; how then could she bear sons? She had a cousin, Mrs. Lu, with whom she used to be quite close. However, Mrs. Lu was unlucky in marriage, her two husbands having died within a year, earning her the reputation of being a husband killer.
Mrs. Lu’s last husband had been a widower from Dong Family Village who had no relatives and made a living as a debt collector for others. As a result, upon his death, he not only left behind a house but, it was said, some silver as well.
Mrs. Lu was quite attractive, and even though she was nearing middle age, she hadn’t suffered any hardship, having been well looked after. She actually outshone the other village women, particularly in physique, with her ample bosom that could make any woman feel ashamed. Even though nobody dared to marry her afterward, there were many men who wished to sleep with her, forming lines to approach her whenever she went out. There were even men who boasted that they would welcome death for a chance to touch her breasts.
But Widow Lu was fierce; any man she deemed unworthy would be fiercely rebuffed if they approached. Yet, she wasn’t shy about leading men she fancied into her house, regardless of whether they had wives, driven by the hardships of early widowhood.
As a result, many women hated her intensely but were helpless to do anything about it, guarding their men vigilantly.
Yang Dongshi knew that her cousin wasn’t a good person, but she also knew she was adept at ensnaring men. So, overwhelmed, Yang Dongshi once sought advice from Widow Lu on how to keep a husband’s attention.
Widow Lu did not withhold her secrets, teaching Yang Dongshi quite a few tricks.
Unfortunately, due to Dongshi’s nature, she did not dare to use these methods, and with Yang Baifu not approaching her, there was no progress to be seen.
Widow Lu had long heard about the handsome Yang Fourth Brother, and for some reason, decided she was interested. She brazenly paid a visit to her cousin, resulting in Yang Baifu and Widow Lu meeting.
Yang Baifu was handsome and Widow Lu was seductive. Particularly when she sashayed her wasp waist, no man could resist the itch in his hands. The moment these two met, it was like a toad lusting over a swan — they fell for each other instantly.
However, Yang Baifu was, after all, Yang Dongshi’s man. What could they do? Widow Lu could only visit stealthily. It was said that that very evening, Yang Baifu immediately followed her to Dong Family Village, daring to knock on Widow Lu’s door.
He had braced himself to be scolded or perhaps... but to his surprise, as soon as the door opened, Widow Lu, giggling, pulled him inside: "You scoundrel, I thought you didn’t have the guts to come."