Everyone thought that he was unwilling to give up on the woman outside, so they persuaded him even more fervently.
"Look, given the situation we encountered today, if we really can't get out, your wife will definitely take good care of your parents and children. What about that woman outside? She'll probably run away when she hears the news!"
Perhaps because he was unsure if he could get out, or because he was upset by what everyone said, he wanted to find an outlet to vent. In the end, Old Yang could not help but say, "I… I didn't actually go to the county to find women! I don't have any women outside either!"
"What?"
"Were you acting all this while?"
Old Yang said, "I… I suddenly found out last year that I… I don't have much time left. I… I was afraid that my wife would find out and abandon our family. That… That's why I pretended that I found a woman in the county…"