Rebirth: Contract Husband Falls in Love with Me-Chapter 573 - 297: Sang Rou’s Escape

Sang Rou was so terrified that she almost committed suicide, so she had no choice but to boldly beg her father. Sang Pingliang, who was indifferent towards her existence to begin with, lost all fondness of her after seeing how she spitefully mistreated her own sister. How could he possibly pay any attention to her? Instead, he chastised her for being ignorant and presumptuous. Since ancient times, marriages had always been arranged by parents and matchmakers; didn’t she know that?

Now, Sang Rou was truly in a state of despair, sitting silently under the tree in the courtyard at night, unable to sleep, her knees hugged to her chest as she quietly shed tears. Little did she know, this would lead her to discover a huge secret—she found where her father, Sang Pingliang, had hidden his gold and silver!

Speaking of Sang Pingliang, he was quite the character, so fearful of theft that he had buried all his gold and silver savings underground near the privy.

Once he had left, Sang Rou couldn’t resist the temptation and stealthily dug it up to take a look. Under the moonlight, the lustrous sheen of the gold and silver dazzled her eyes almost to the point of overwhelming her senses!

Sang Rou’s heart pounded furiously as she reached out with trembling hands and picked up a piece of gold. Holding it in her hand, it felt heavy and cold, yet its gleaming surface shone seductively, as if whispering to her the endless temptations it harbored.

The next day, Sang Rou was distracted all day long, her mind consumed by thoughts of that gold and silver. It was an abundance she had never seen in her life. With that wealth, she would not have to worry for the rest of her life, would she?

She was sure she could live a good life!

Sang Rou struggled with these thoughts all day long, the greedy desires within her growing uncontrollable, like a restless beast. Furthermore, she didn’t really want to control it, because, in truth, she was out of options!

If her theft were to be exposed, death was inevitable either way! Rather than marrying that heartless and hideous man to suffer his brutal beatings until death, she’d prefer a swift end! If she succeeded, she would not have to worry for the rest of her life!

Weighing the pros and cons, the insane thought in her heart burned fiercer. Finally, Sang Rou rose silently, packed up the two sets of clothes and two pairs of good shoes that belonged to Sang Yan, hanging outside, along with all the gold and silver, and stole away from home in the middle of the night!

By the time the family realized what had happened the next day, Sang Rou was long gone without a trace.

At first, Mrs. Li thought she had gone up the mountain to chop wood and didn’t pay it any mind, cursing "She doesn’t even know to boil water for washing faces" before ordering the concubine to start the fire. Later, when Sang Pingliang went to the privy and discovered the loose soil where he had buried his gold and silver, it was clear someone had tampered with it. His heart tightened with panic, he hastily took a shovel to dig and found nothing left!

With a loud cry, Sang Pingliang turned deathly pale and "thump," he fainted to the ground. When he awoke, he recounted what happened in a fragmented manner. Combining this with the disappearance of Sang Rou, the whole family became frantic, hurrying to inquire about her whereabouts, but to no avail.

Only then did they confirm that Sang Rou had truly fled!

Sang Pingliang was overwhelmed with anger and indignation, cursing out loud, calling for people to search for Sang Rou, but half a day had passed, and how could Sang Rou’s shadow be found?

Three days later, with still no sign of Sang Rou, the family finally lost hope and had to accept the fact: The wretched girl had taken the money and eloped!

Grief-stricken with pain as if his liver and intestines were being wrenched, Sang Pingliang turned his anger on Mrs. Li, berating her for being malicious and saying if she hadn’t been so eager to marry Sang Rou to that old widower, none of this would have happened. He grabbed Mrs. Li, demanding she compensate his loss.

Although she couldn’t get her hands on the money herself, it was still her own family’s wealth, and Mrs. Li was deeply pained. Upon hearing Sang Pingliang lay all the blame on her, she also became furious and fought back, shouting that he deserved it for his self-inflicted suffering! If he hadn’t hidden the money in such an absurd place and locked it in a cabinet in the room instead, would this disaster have happened?

The couple fought so fiercely that it turned the house upside down, causing unrest for both chickens and dogs!

Sang Pingliang, who had loved wealth and hoarded it all his life, had now lost all his lifelong earnings overnight, a blow that was undoubtedly fatal to him. Suddenly seeming to age a decade, he became gaunt and disoriented, his temples sprouted white hair, and he fell ill, unable to recover.

Only then did Mrs. Li start to panic, hurriedly seeking doctors and medicine. Although she had some private savings, she was unwilling to use them at this time and went to Sang Hong’s house to plead for help. Sang Hong and Mrs. Fang could ultimately not ignore her, so they offered money for a doctor and gathered the herbs as prescribed.

But Sang Pingliang’s illness was of the heart; how could it be easily cured? His condition continued to deteriorate day by day. In less than a month, he was skin and bones, unable to even leave the bed!