Having just regained her balance, Shen Yun gasped for breath and said haltingly, "Sister Meng, Sister Meng Zhao, I just saw, I saw Sister-in-law Li jump into the river!"

Sister-in-law Li, isn't that Li Yunxiang? I just gave her her wages, how could she jump into the river?

But she didn't have time to think about that right now. Meng Zhao ran towards the river without stopping. She could swim and had learned some simple first aid techniques. When someone falls into the water, time is of the essence, and there can be no delay.

Shen Yun, who was standing nearby, wanted to say something, but seeing Meng Zhao running so fast, she quickly chased after him.

When Meng Zhao ran to the riverbank as fast as he could, he saw Li Yunxiang lying on the riverbank, soaking wet, and hurried over to check on her.

Upon closer inspection, they discovered that Li Yunxiang was fully conscious, though her expression was somewhat dazed, which reassured them slightly.

Meng Zhao was still furious and said loudly, "Li Yunxiang, I don't know what's bothering you, but no matter what, you can't just jump into the river like that!"

The dazed Li Yunxiang only came to her senses slightly when she heard Meng Zhao's question, and spoke in a trembling voice, "Jump into the river? I didn't want to jump into the river."

Meng Zhao was stunned. Just then, Shen Yun caught up and, upon hearing Li Yunxiang's words, said awkwardly, "Ah? I, I just saw you running towards the river from afar, and then you fell in. I told you to grab the stick, but you wouldn't, so I thought you wanted to jump into the river."

Meng Zhao then noticed the spot where Li Yunxiang had been lying, with a long stick beside her. Shen Yun had no reason to lie, so Meng Zhao continued to look at Li Yunxiang.

Li Yunxiang's tears kept falling as she recounted, in fits and starts, what happened after she received her wages and left.

Li Yunxiang held a bowl of braised food in her hand and had money in her pocket, but she didn't go straight home. Instead, she went to a clump of weeds by the river and left the bowl there. She knew that if she took this last bowl of braised food home, Er Ya probably wouldn't get a single bite.

When she got home, she first gave her daughter a wink, signaling her to go to the usual spot. Then she took out the string of coins from her pocket and went into Granny Fang's room.

"Haha, good, that little girl is indeed generous. You've earned a string of cash in just half a month. You'll surely earn even more in the future." Granny Fang was overjoyed to see the money, and her gaze towards her became much kinder.

After paying the money, Li Yunxiang stammered out the next words, "Mother, Meng Zhao said she doesn't need anyone anymore, and that I don't need to go there anymore."

Upon hearing this, Granny Fang's eyes suddenly changed, her face gradually turning fierce, and she said sternly, "What? The work is gone? How can that little girl just abandon you like that? I told you, that little girl is very shrewd. Did she find out that you were slacking off and didn't do the work properly?"

Li Yunxiang looked anxious and hurriedly shook her head to explain, "No, Mother, I really didn't slack off. It's just that Meng Zhao said he was going to the county and there was no shortage of manpower, so he didn't let me go."

"What about Liu Feng'e? Do we still want her?" Granny Fang asked, squinting her eyes.

Li Yunxiang lowered her head. She wasn't sure about this, but she guessed it was necessary because she had heard Meng Zhao and Liu Feng'e talk about what to do when they went to the county.

This gave Granny Fang a handle to use against her, and she immediately lashed out, "So you're the only one who doesn't want you? You jinx, how come you can't even do this simple thing right? What's the use of keeping you around?"

Since she went to Meng Zhao's place, Granny Fang had rarely cursed her like this. Now that she had just finished her work, she had changed back to her old ways. Those sharp insults were like arrows shooting at Li Yunxiang, gradually making her as numb as before, until she heard the noise in the courtyard.

"Mother, Mother, come out quickly! Look what I've caught! A thief in our family! We have a thief in our family!" A sharp voice rang out in the courtyard.

"Let me go, let me go!" Li Erya struggled fiercely as her arm was grabbed, trying to break free. When she realized she couldn't, she twisted her body and bit the hand that was holding her.

"Ouch, you little brat, you dare bite me? I'll tear your mouth apart!"

Hearing her daughter's voice outside, Li Yunxiang's heart tightened, and she hurriedly ran into the yard. There she saw her second sister-in-law holding a plate of braised dishes in one hand and grabbing Er Ya's arm with the other, about to kick her.

She rushed forward and forcefully pulled her second sister-in-law's hand away, "Er Ya, are you alright, Er Ya?"

As soon as Er Ya saw her mother, tears streamed down her face, which made Li Yunxiang feel even more heartbroken. She knew her daughter's temperament; she wasn't the type to suffer a loss, and she would definitely run away if someone hit her.

But now Er Ya's hair, which she had combed in the morning, was all rumpled and messy, and her body and face were covered in dirt. Even with such a dirty face, the clear handprint on her face could not be covered up, showing how badly she had been beaten.

At this point, she couldn't hold back any longer. She stepped forward, grabbed Song Wu Niang's hair, and slapped her across the face. Then she pushed her hard, sending Song Wu Niang sprawling on her back.

Song Wuniang screamed when she was thrown to the ground. After she came to her senses, she got up and grabbed Li Yunxiang by the collar, trying to pull her hair. But she was no match for Li Yunxiang, who was used to farm work. In no time, she was pushed to the ground again.

Granny Fang stamped her feet anxiously beside her, shouting, "This is outrageous! This is outrageous! Stop it, all of you!"

Seeing that she couldn't win the fight, Song Wuniang immediately sought help, clinging to Granny Fang's leg and crying out:

"Mother, you don't know, I just got to the riverbank today and saw that brat Er Ya lying in the grass eating. She was eating the braised dishes that Meng Zhao sells. My sister-in-law always says there's nothing left, but it turns out she was lying to us. The two of them have eaten all the braised dishes every day."

Granny Fang was already angry because she had lost her job, so when she heard this, she couldn't hold back any longer and shouted angrily, "Eldest daughter, tell me, is this true or not?"

Li Erya, who was still crying, quickly said, "No, no, I stole these vegetables from the Shen family, they weren't given to me by my mother."

"Mother, I saw through their shady dealings a long time ago. They were deliberately caught today. Don't believe this brat's nonsense." Song Wu Niang didn't believe Li Er Ya's words.

Granny Fang wasn't stupid; she could guess what was going on. "Eldest daughter-in-law, when I asked you to wash the vegetables, I made sure to wash them thoroughly and make them mushy. You said that little brat was watching you closely and you didn't have a chance, but did you do it all? You just kept the vegetables for yourself every day."

Suddenly remembering something else, she became even angrier, "And the wages, how much did that little hussy give you? How come it was exactly one string of cash? Was there extra and you pocketed it?"

"No, Mother, I really didn't, I really didn't." Li Yunxiang shook her head vigorously. She had never done any of the things Granny Fang told her, and Meng Zhao didn't let her bring food home every day. Including today, she had only hidden food twice.

"This is outrageous! How could I have chosen such a daughter-in-law?" Granny Fang didn't believe her. She picked up a broom from the yard and was about to start sweeping when Song Wuniang just watched the spectacle.