Chapter 014 Heartbroken

Director Xie, feeling awkward, waved his hand and said, "Fine, I was just being nosy. You can go home and sort out your own problems. Don't cause trouble at the factory again."

After saying that, he walked back to the office building with his hands behind his back.

Li Banxia watched him go upstairs with a cold face. When her gaze reached the second floor, she met the eyes of the young man standing at the second-floor window.

The young man nodded slightly to her. Li Banxia knew that he was He Taohua's son, Lin Jiefang, Director Xie's future son-in-law.

No wonder Director Xie came downstairs to help Old Man Su out of that predicament.

In his past life, Lin Jiefang married Director Xie's daughter. With Director Xie's help, he rose from a lowly office clerk to the factory director's secretary. He was then seconded to the city office. With his silver tongue and excellent writing skills, he caught the eye of a high-ranking leader, who took him under his wing and personally taught him.

Within a few years, he replaced the top leader and became the number one leader.

Li Banxia was very envious back then, envious of He Taohua, a widow who raised such an outstanding son.

In contrast, none of her classmates achieved great success.

The eldest son's wife said that she had spoiled them, making them lazy and ignorant of farming, only thinking about eating what was readily available; she had also spoiled them, making them ambitious and greedy, but they had no ability of their own and only knew how to leech off her.

Li Banxia let out a long sigh, her eyes filled with an unyielding sorrow.

Seeing Lin Jiefang and Director Xie meet by the second-floor window, Li Banxia pushed the cart out of the auto parts factory.

“Li Banxia…”

Old Man Su followed behind with a gloomy face, nagging incessantly, "Have you lost your mind! You've made such a scene, how am I supposed to face people at the auto parts factory after this? You used to be so understanding, what's wrong with you these past few days, acting like you're possessed! I don't care, you have to clarify to me tomorrow that today's incident was a misunderstanding, we were just having a simple argument..."

"Su Youfu, do you think I'm despicable?"

Li Banxia stopped and turned to look at him. "You've smeared me like that, and I still have to go along with you, cover up your lies, and clear your name?"

Old Man Su frowned, "If you don't clarify this, how am I supposed to..."

"Whatever you want! Su Youfu, your good days are over. From now on, we'll live a life where you argue and I argue back. If you dare to slander me, I'll ruin your life. You can live like this if you want, or get out of here!"

Old Su's forehead throbbed twice, and he opened his mouth to curse back, when suddenly a bicycle bell rang behind him, and several employees who left late rode past him.

He refrained from speaking.

After leaving the auto parts factory, Li Banxia hopped on her bicycle and rode away.

"Li Banxia! What am I going to do if you ride your bike away?"

Su Youfu glared angrily at Li Banxia's receding figure, then reluctantly walked to the bus stop to wait for the bus.

Li Banxia arrived home first.

I had just parked the car and taken the straw mat I bought at noon from the back seat when I saw my eldest daughter-in-law peeking out of the kitchen. She smiled and said, "Mom, my mom came to see me at school at noon and brought two pounds of meat, one pound fat and one pound lean. I just fried the fat into oil and put it in the fryer. I added some pickled cabbage to the rest and chopped it into dumpling filling. I made pickled cabbage and pork dumplings. The dumplings will be ready soon. Mom, you can wash your face and rest for a while."

"Okay, wait a moment, I'll take care of the rest."

Li Banxia took the mat to the hand pump well, pumped water, and used a brush to wash the new mat. She then placed it on the rocking chair to air dry.

She went back to her room, changed into a loose cotton outfit, rolled up her sleeves, and went into the kitchen.

"mom……"

Su Laosan squatted beside a pot of dumplings, staring longingly. When he saw her come in, he shrank his neck and called out.

Li Banxia frowned. "What are you doing here?"

She glanced sideways at the eldest son's wife.

The eldest son's wife laughed and said, "My third uncle said he's been starving all day and wants to squat here and watch the dumplings... to satisfy his craving."

Li Banxia, ​​"..."

Who did the third son take after to be so lazy, good-for-nothing?!

She glanced over and called to Su Laosan, "Did you apologize to your sister-in-law?"

"ah?"

Su Laosan looked at Li Banxia blankly, "Mom, I didn't offend my sister-in-law today."

Li Banxia glared at him.

Su Laosan: "...Mom, isn't what happened yesterday already over?"

"Just because the incident is over doesn't mean the damage is over either?"

Su Laosan was dumbfounded. "I didn't do anything, so how could I have been hurt?"

"You want your older brother to feel that all the good he did for you was wasted on ungrateful wretches? Isn't that hurting him?" Li Banxia gritted her teeth, her eyes gleaming as if she wanted to punch someone.

The eldest daughter-in-law paused in her dumpling-making, glanced quickly at her mother-in-law, and her eyes welled up with tears of emotion.

Su Laosan scratched his head and clicked his tongue in disdain. "Mom, isn't it a bit too sentimental for brothers to talk about these things?"

Li Banxia was exhausted.

She swung the stick and hit him.

"You're being dramatic, aren't you? I'll teach you to be dramatic! You never think before you act, and you don't know how to admit your mistakes! Is this how I taught you? You ungrateful wretch, I might as well just kill you!"

Li Banxia showed no mercy, and the stick landed solidly on Su Laosan every time.

Su Laosan could cover his buttocks, but not his back; he could cover his arms, but not his calves.

She jumped and dodged around the house, screaming, "Ah! Mommy, Mommy! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I apologize, I apologize to my older brother and sister-in-law, please stop hitting me, it hurts, it hurts..."

Li Banxia didn't stop, and delivered several more blows with the stick.

"Apologize, now, immediately, right now!"

Su Laosan, hugging the wall and avoiding Li Banxia, ​​walked up to his eldest sister-in-law and said, "Sister-in-law, I'm sorry..."

Li Banxia struck him on the back with a stick, and Su Laosan quickly bent down to dodge it.

Just then, Boss Su returned, carrying two lunchboxes of cooked food.

"Mom, what's this...?"

Li Banxia slightly raised her chin, and Su Laosan was momentarily stunned. Seeing Li Banxia raise her stick, she quickly ran to Su Laoda and said, "Big brother, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have stood by and watched you make a fool of yourselves yesterday. I was wrong!"

"Will you dare to do it again?" Li Banxia tapped her palm with the stick.

Su Laosan immediately shook his head vigorously, "I wouldn't dare!"

"Big brother! I've been chasing you all the way here, what delicious food did you bring back from school...?"

As soon as Su Lao Er stepped into the kitchen and saw the scene inside, the word "come" got stuck in his throat.

"The second son is back, just in time."

The second son of the Su family spotted the stick in Li Banxia's hand at a glance, and like a well-behaved little rascal, he forced a dry smile, "Mom..."

Su Laosan revealed a gloating smile.

Su Lao Er's mind raced. Before Li Banxia's stick could fall, he wisely said loudly to Su Lao Da and his wife, "I'm sorry!"

Su Laosan: "...Second Brother, you're so cunning!"

If he had apologized earlier, he would have avoided a beating. It hurt so much; his mother is really ruthless.

The eldest son and his wife exchanged a glance, then turned to look at Li Banxia, ​​"Mom..."

"Why are you looking at me? It's their business if they apologize. Whether you forgive them or not is up to you." Li Banxia put the stick aside, turned on the coal stove, and started boiling water to cook dumplings.