Chapter 296 You reap what you sow, don't come looking for me.

Zhang Lao Er did not deny it.

"You're insane!"

Zheng Xiulan was so angry that her chest tightened, and her hand gripping the phone cord trembled. "You good-for-nothing! You've been corrupted by Fan Liangyu too, you..."

"Fan Liangyu, Fan Liangyu! How dare you mention her again? If you hadn't instigated and sabotaged me, would I have divorced her?! I'm now a divorced man without a wife, all thanks to you!"

Zhang Lao Er said indignantly, "You're crying and making a scene over a few bucks, who are you trying to impress?!"

After saying that, he slammed the phone down.

"What did you say? You bastard..."

The call was disconnected, and Zheng Xiulan's eyes reddened with anger. She scolded Fan Liangyu a few times, then remembered Old Man Zhang and quickly called him to ask him to check if he had also been given an advance on his salary by the second son.

Upon hearing this, Old Zhang's expression changed instantly, and he quickly hung up the phone to ask.

The result, of course, is true.

In order to buy that courtyard, Zhang Lao Er took a year's salary advance from both of them.

In other words, apart from the eldest and third sons whose salaries were paid in full, the salaries of the couple and the second son were all advanced for a year. The second son had already promised the eldest son to pay him half of his salary. Zheng Xiulan analyzed the situation again and again, and her vision began to blur.

That bastard!

When I got home from work, the elderly couple didn't give me a friendly look.

When Zhang Haijun returned, Zheng Xiulan tried to hand the child to him, berating him with a sour face, "Your good wife caused a scene at my workplace, even called the police. Our leader, under pressure, deducted 5,500 yuan from my salary for her! 5,500 yuan! And you still praise her to me? Is this what she's good about?!"

Zhang Haijun was taken aback. "Hongying?"

"Who else could it be but her?! She's the reason I was expelled from the Party by the labor union, and now I can only do grassroots work. Are you satisfied?! I don't care, go find her and get my money back..."

Zheng Xiulan kept nagging and cursing, but Zhang Haijun's face turned cold. "Mom, have you forgotten? You forced me to divorce Su Hongying. What right do you expect me to go see her? And..."

He put the child back into Zheng Xiulan's arms.

He sarcastically remarked, "When Su Hongying had the surgery, she was still Zhang's daughter-in-law. The money should have been paid by Zhang's family. Before the divorce, they were willing to tolerate you for my sake. Why should they still give in to you after the divorce?"

"So what if she's divorced? Her son is in our hands. You take her son and go with her. I don't believe she'll abandon him to his fate..."

Zhang Haijun sneered and said, "Enough! Mom, you're the one who made this mess, don't drag me into it!"

Zheng Xiulan, "..."

She looked at her eldest son in disbelief, "Eldest son, you've really been corrupted by Su Hongying. It's one thing for you to talk back to me for a woman, but that's five thousand five hundred, five thousand five hundred..."

"What's wrong with 5,500?"

Zhang Haijun's eyes were full of sarcasm as he coldly looked at Zheng Xiulan. "Didn't you just casually give five thousand to the second and third sons? The five thousand I worked my butt off to save, didn't you say that the second son stole it? Why are you so upset that you want me to snatch it back when Su Hongying took five thousand from you?"

"How can that be the same? The second son is your own brother, you're from the same mother. Su Hongying is an outsider, she's not on our side, she..."

Zheng Xiulan was about to say something when Zhang Haijun raised his hand to stop her, saying, "Alright, Mom, I won't ask for this money back. Forget about it."

After saying that, he turned and went back to his room, closing the door behind him.

Zheng Xiulan was stunned for a long time, her chest aching with anger.

She turned to look at Old Man Zhang, "How did Zhang Haijun become like this? He used to be the most obedient and sensible of all his sons, and he set a good example for his two younger brothers. Look at him now..."

Zheng Xiulan's face darkened, and she gritted her teeth as she cursed Su Hongying.

"It must be her! She's corrupted our eldest son. He married the wrong person, ruining nine generations of his family. Old man, our son and grandson are going to be ruined by Su Hongying..."

Old Zhang couldn't stand it anymore and said with a dark face, "Alright, alright, I don't see what Su Hongying did wrong. Isn't it you who's been causing trouble from beginning to end? It's your insatiable greed that caused this situation. I think I'm the one who married the wrong person and went back nine generations!"

"What did you say? What did you say?!"

Zheng Xiulan was furious, slapping Old Man Zhang, "Your mother said you're the only son in three generations, and I gave birth to three sons for your Zhang family. I served your parents like a slave my whole life, sending them off with dignity. What have I ever done to wrong you, Zhang Yougen? How dare you talk to me like that! Do you have any conscience? Your conscience has been eaten by dogs..."

She hit Old Zhang a few times. Old Zhang was already annoyed, and now he didn't want to indulge her at all. He pushed her away and said, "Have you lost your mind? You're used to hitting your son, and now you dare to hit me too!"

Zheng Xiulan was caught off guard and stumbled from the push, falling awkwardly to the ground with a thud on her buttocks, which stung painfully.

Enraged, he sat down on the ground, slapping his thigh and wailing, "Zhang Yougen, you old bastard, you have no conscience, I..."

Just as he let out a howl, the door opened, and Zhang Lao Er returned from get off work.

Zheng Xiulan's voice suddenly came from the wide-open door.

Outside, the neighbors' chatter immediately filled the air.

"Oh dear, is this family arguing again?"

"What's wrong with you lately? You're arguing every day, and every three days you're having a big fight. Can't a person have a moment's peace?"

"...Don't even mention it. That child was still breastfeeding when Zheng Xiulan insisted on taking him back. But she didn't take good care of him after taking him back, and he cried every day, giving everyone a headache."

"I heard she doesn't care about her son, and she doesn't want to either. She said she'd send him to daycare. What do you think she's after?"

"Who knows! Isn't her daughter-in-law good enough? I wonder what kind of daughter-in-law she wants..."

"Hey, I heard that both of their sons are divorced."

"Really? Neither of her previous daughters-in-law was bad enough, what happened..."

"She wants her daughter-in-law to suffer the same hardships she endured when she was a daughter-in-law, but those girls were all pampered by their parents. Who spoiled her? Just wait and see, their eldest and second sons want to find a wife they like? I reckon they have no chance..."

Zheng Xiulan looked displeased and told Zhang Lao Er to close the door.

Zhang Lao Er looked down at his mother's tantrum, his eyes full of mockery.

Zheng Xiulan got up from the ground, rushed to the door and cursed, "What's it to you? A bunch of gossipy women, meddling in other people's business. Mind your own business!"

The person outside exclaimed, "Look at them, they're not even pretending anymore."

Someone shouted, "Jung Sau-lan, are you no longer pretending to be virtuous?"

The others burst into laughter.

Zheng Xiulan rolled up her sleeves, intending to go out, but Zhang Lao Er grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Mom, what are you doing? Are you going out to embarrass yourself? Aren't you coming back?"

"Zhang Lao Er!"

Zheng Xiulan patted Zhang Lao Er a few times and glared at him, "What are you doing? Didn't you hear them calling me a liar?"

"I heard them, they weren't wrong, you're always so pretentious..."

Zhang Lao Er's words were like stirring up a hornet's nest. Zheng Xiulan let out a "whoop" and scratched Lao Er's face.