"explain!"

Zhou Pandi shuddered, hearing Hao Ren's gloomy voice in her ear. She swallowed hard. "My mom borrowed it first... she said she would... she would return it..."

Hao Ren's face instantly darkened. "You borrowed them all?"

Asking this question tentatively shows that Zhou Pandi still holds onto a sliver of hope. Even if she is very close to her own family, she wouldn't use all her savings to support the Zhou family.

Zhou Pan hesitated for a moment, then Hao Ren roughly grabbed her by the collar, his sinister voice like a venomous snake piercing her heart, "You really... dare!"

Hao Fugui slumped down on the stool behind him, his face pale, staring blankly at Zhou Pandi. How could his mother have given all the family's money to his maternal grandmother's family?

Is she really his biological mother?

How could you do that? Don't you know you're supposed to be going to the countryside?

Zhou Pandi reached out and grabbed Hao Ren's tightening hand, struggling to utter each word, "My mom said she will, will pay it back."

"Return it? You gave those things to your family, when have you ever returned them?!"

"I want to go back...I want to..."

Seeing her face turn from red to purple, Hao Ren angrily loosened his collar and threw her to the ground. "Fine, you go back and get it for me now. If you don't get it back... you can just die!"

Hao Fugui seemed to realize something, staring at Zhou Pan with hatred in his eyes, "That's right, if you don't get it back, you might as well die! What's the point of living!"

Zhou Pandi stared blankly at the Hao father and son, her face pale, a chill inexplicably rising in her heart.

The commotion from the Hao family's house reached the courtyard. The people who had gone to bed exchanged glances, and an unspoken annoyance welled up in their eyes.

It's so annoying not to sleep so late at night.

The next morning, Old Mrs. Wu got up early to get ready, changing into a military green Lenin suit and black cloth shoes with multi-layered soles.

When Huang Mancang saw Wu's attire, he couldn't help but open his mouth wide. Wu was quite beautiful when she was young, and although she was old, she still had a good foundation. With this outfit, she was really hard to look away from.

"Honey, you look really energetic today."

Grandma Wu glanced at him indifferently, said nothing, and walked to the door where she saw her two sisters-in-law, Wang Huijun and Li Jin'e, and a little grandson who looked on expectantly.

After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Let's go, come with me to help. We can have a good lunch while we're at it."

Wang Huijun and Li Jin'e exchanged a glance, then exclaimed with delight, "Mom, are you taking us with you?"

Huang Mancang was stunned. What? They're not taking him? He hurriedly stepped forward, "Wife, what should I do?"

"You?" Old Mrs. Wu turned her head and glanced at him. "Stay at home. You're allowed to cook lunch today. Make whatever you want to eat."

Watching Old Lady Wu leave with her two excited daughters-in-law and grandson, Huang Mancang stood frozen in place.

Li Jin'e was bolder than Wang Huijun. After walking out of the courtyard, she asked Wu Laotai in confusion, "Mom, why didn't you take Dad with you?"

Old Mrs. Wu's eyes twitched as she recalled Huang Mancang's greasy face and loose-fitting clothes.

Li Jin'e, who had been keeping an eye on Old Lady Wu, noticed a look of disdain on her mother-in-law's face and her mouth slightly agape. Could it be that she was disgusted by her father-in-law...?

Grandma Wu is disgusted. He used to be somewhat decent, but ever since he became a stay-at-home husband after accumulating gambling debts, he seems to have completely given up on himself. He's slovenly, doesn't even wash his hair, and is so oily you could fry vegetables in it.

Seeing that Old Lady Wu didn't even pretend, and openly displayed her disdain for Huang Mancang, Li Jin'e thought to herself, "She really has changed. Before, her mother-in-law was so considerate and caring towards her father-in-law. She's a completely different person now, showing such disdain."

When the three arrived at Director Jia's house, quite a few people had already gathered.

Guo Zhixia was so busy that her feet barely touched the ground, but her sharp eyes spotted Old Lady Wu, and she immediately turned around and came towards her.

"Oh, you've finally arrived! I've been so busy I'm dizzy, and I was just worried about not having anyone to help me."

Grandma Wu was surprised, and the image of Guo Cuihua saying she wouldn't come flashed through her mind yesterday. She immediately realized what was happening, and a smile appeared on her face.

"I know you're busy, so I brought my two daughters-in-law to help you. They're both very capable, so just tell them what you need."

Guo Zhixia looked over in surprise. Wang Huijun nodded shyly at her, while Li Jin'e's mouth was wide open, her face beaming with joy. "Mom said, just ask her for anything today."

Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Wu glanced at her and gave her a smile.

Seeing this, Li Jin'e felt inexplicably excited and worked even harder.

Wang Huijun had also arranged her younger brother's wedding, so she was naturally familiar with these matters and was very skilled at it.

Guo Zhixia's large head suddenly shrank considerably. She patted Grandma Wu's hand gratefully, "Thanks to you so much."

"Not at all, you've helped me so much."

Tears welled up in Guo Zhixia's eyes, but she didn't say anything. Old Mrs. Wu smiled back and invited the guests to take their seats.

Logically speaking, given Director Jia's status, he shouldn't have had no one to help him. However, Director Jia declared that he didn't need outsiders, as his relatives and friends were all in the countryside and it was inconvenient for them to come and visit. They could only come on the day of the main banquet.

It was impossible to get them to come and help in advance, so the factory director and his wife only had their own younger sisters and brothers-in-law to help them, and no one else.

Old Mrs. Wu was one of the workers in the factory who got along the closest to them, which is why she was able to come and help.

Guo Cuihua left in anger yesterday and hasn't shown up since, which has made the already insufficient manpower even more strained.

Time passed slowly, and Guo Cuihua, heavily pregnant, arrived late, arm in arm with Li Da, whose expression was strange, as they walked up to Old Lady Wu. "Oh, why is there another outsider here?"

Guo Zhixia was speechless at her younger sister's behavior. "Didn't you say yesterday that you weren't coming?"

Li Da was embarrassed to talk to his sister and brother-in-law. He smiled and glanced at Guo Cuihua's sullen face, feeling a little awkward. He had told her not to come, but she insisted on coming.

Guo Cuihua took a deep breath. "Who said I wasn't coming? Why wouldn't I come to my niece's wedding?"

Seeing that everyone was looking this way, Director Jia waved and quickly invited people to sit down.

Guo Cuihua glanced at Old Lady Wu with a victorious expression, then bumped into her shoulder and left with high spirits.

Old Mrs. Wu twitched the corners of her mouth, reached out and dusted off her shoulders, "Pregnant woman! I won't hold it against you now that you have a child."

Guo Zhixia glared at her younger sister before turning to Grandma Wu, "Are you alright?"

"It's alright. She's heavily pregnant and has trouble walking on her own. How much force could she possibly have to bump into me?"

“Yes, she’s almost due, and she still won’t stop causing trouble,” Guo Zhixia complained. “Even on her own niece’s wedding, she can’t stop causing trouble. She just has to make things difficult for me.”

Li Da tugged at Guo Cuihua after they had walked a distance away, "What are you doing? Xiaoyue is getting married today, don't you know the occasion for your antics?"

"Tch, I only said a few words, is it really necessary to make such a big deal out of it?"