In this world, people's joys and sorrows are different from one another.

The Zhao family has recently been experiencing only good news, while the Liang family has been facing a host of troubles.

On the day Liang Xiaohe was arrested, the police searched her home.

The finished hair ties and scraps of fabric were all taken away by the police as evidence. Seven or eight women who made hair ties were left looking at each other in bewilderment.

Zhang Meihua reacted quickly.

As soon as the police left, Zhang Meihua pulled Huang Shujuan aside to talk in the backyard.

Huang Liuer and Huang Xinger hurriedly followed.

Zhang Meihua is Huang Shujuan's eldest aunt, Huang Liuer is Huang Shujuan's eldest aunt, and Huang Xinger is Huang Shujuan's youngest aunt.

The three of them were all villagers from Huangjia Village and were among the first to work under Huang Xiuhong making hair ties.

After Liang Xiaohe opened her hair tie workshop, Huang Shujuan specially poached Zhang Meihua and a few other skilled workers from her by charging a "high price" of more than half a cent per hair tie for processing.

Originally, Zhang Meihua and the others were quite happy.

Previously, when working under Huang Xiuhong, the price was one cent per hair tie, and you could earn four or five yuan a day.

The wages at Liang Xiaohe's place are high; they can earn six or seven yuan a day. Two yuan more a day means sixty yuan more a month.

A day later, Zhang Meihua and the others discovered that Liang Xiaohe's wages were paid differently than Huang Xiuhong's.

As long as the hair ties submitted by Huang Xiuhong are of good quality, the daily wages are paid on the spot. Payment is made for the exact number of hair ties submitted, and settlement is completed on the same day.

Liang Xiaohe, however, said that the payment would be made monthly, on the last day of each month.

Zhang Meihua and the others were somewhat unhappy.

However, when Huang Shujuan left Huang Xiuhong's place, she made a point of showing off in front of Huang Xiuhong.

They've already offended Huang Xiuhong, so even if Zhang Meihua and the others wanted to go back to work for Huang Xiuhong, she might not want them anymore.

Considering the high wages, I'll settle for monthly payments!

With Huang Shujuan around, Liang Xiaohe wouldn't embezzle their wages.

And so, Zhang Meihua and the others patiently stayed at Liang Xiaohe's house.

But now, all the materials Liang Xiaohe's family uses to make hair ties have been confiscated by the police, and Liang Xiaohe has also been arrested.

Zhang Meihua and her colleagues worked for about twenty days, but they didn't receive a single penny of their wages.

How could Zhang Meihua and the others tolerate this?

"Shujuan! We're going back to the village. You should settle our wages! Here's my notebook. Let's check the accounts. In these twenty days, I've handed in a total of 9,500 hair ties. You should give me 142.5 yuan." Zhang Meihua pulled Huang Shujuan to the backyard, took out a small notebook from her pocket, and handed it to Huang Shujuan.

Zhang Meihua and the others each had a small notebook for keeping accounts.

Liang Xiaohe said that everyone should keep a record of the photos they submit each time. When the paychecks are distributed at the end of the month, they can reconcile the accounts with Liang Xiaohe's records.

Previously, Zhang Meihua thought Liang Xiaohe was a pretty good person.

They're so meticulous; they probably won't be shortchanged.

But now, looking at the numbers in her notebook, Zhang Meihua felt only bitterness in her mouth.

She was truly blinded by greed, abandoning the perfectly good money she could have made with Huang Xiuhong, and instead listened to Huang Shujuan's nonsense to come to town to "make big money."

"Shujuan, this is my notebook. I have 8,700. You should give me 135 cents." Huang Liuer also took out her own notebook and handed it to Huang Shujuan.

"Shujuan, I have exactly nine thousand, you need to give me one hundred and thirty-five yuan." Huang Xing'er also took out her notebook and said.

"Auntie, Auntie, Auntie, please don't make things worse, okay? You should go back to the village first, and I'll ask Brother Xiaobao about the wages later," Huang Shujuan said, her face falling.

"We're causing trouble? Shujuan! You can't say such things without a conscience! I was doing just fine working at Huang Xiuhong's house. You assured me that I would earn more money working for you than working for Huang Xiuhong, so I quit my job at Huang Xiuhong's house and came to town with you. Now that I'm asking for my wages back, how is that causing trouble?" Zhang Meihua was unhappy.

"Auntie, it's not that you can't have your wages, but the Liang family is in a mess right now! Can you wait a few days before bringing this up again?" Huang Shujuan felt extremely annoyed.

Huang Xiuhong.

She knew perfectly well that she and Huang Xiuhong didn't get along.

Can't my aunt just not mention Huang Xiuhong?

Besides, she asked her aunt and the others to work here because she thought Xiaohe's wages were higher, so her aunt and the others could earn more money. It wasn't just to get revenge for her, was it?

When she called her aunts and the others over, she never expected that Sister Xiaohe would have an accident!

“Shujuan, there are still several people waiting to get their wages! If I don’t bring this up today, will no one else bring it up? We’re really close relatives, can’t you even ask your in-laws to pay us our wages first? You’re not even married to Liang Xiaobao yet! How come your heart is already leaning towards their family?” Zhang Meihua glared at her, clearly displeased.

“Yes, yes! Shujuan, we are all real relatives. You can’t cheat us relatives out of our money! If you don’t help us get our wages back, what face will you have left in the Liang family?” Huang Liuer chimed in.

If it's only three or five yuan in wages, Huang Liuer might not pursue it for the sake of Huang Shujuan's parents.

But that's over a hundred yuan!

Moreover, they didn't come to Liang Xiaohe's house to work because they were eager to.

Huang Shujuan came to her house every day, pleading with her to quit her job at Huang Xiuhong's house, saying she would take her to town to make big money.

And the result? They didn't earn a single penny, and these past few days they've been eating lunch at Liang Xiaohe's house. They even have to pay three cents a day for food.

"Shujuan, you have to give this money. Your aunt's family isn't well-off, and your cousin is waiting for the money to pay his tuition!" Huang Xing'er was also very dissatisfied.

"But Sister Xiaohe didn't pay me, how am I supposed to pay you?" Huang Shujuan was almost in tears.

Huang Shujuan was filled with regret.

She shouldn't have poached Zhang Meihua and the others to work for Liang Xiaohe just to compete with Huang Xiuhong.

Now that Liang Xiaohe is in trouble, she's gotten herself into a lot of trouble.

“Shujuan, go ask your in-laws for it. If they won’t give it to you, I’ll go ask your parents. Anyway, this money is rightfully ours.” Zhang Meihua’s attitude was very firm.

"Yes, if you don't give it to me, I'll go to my brother and sister-in-law."

"If you don't pay us our wages, we'll cut ties."

Huang Liuer and Huang Xinger refused to budge.

Having no other option, Huang Shujuan had to go to Liang Xiaobao.

"Alright, alright, stop crying. I'll go ask my dad." Liang Xiaobao felt sorry for Huang Shujuan when he saw her crying.

Liang Xiaobao knew that after Hu Yong and Liang Xiaohe were arrested, his chances of getting a permanent job were definitely over. Given Liang Xiaobao's circumstances, if he missed out on Huang Shujuan, it would be difficult to find a wife with Huang Shujuan's qualities in the future.

"Brother Xiaobao, you're the best." Huang Shujuan sniffed and looked at Liang Xiaobao with her wet eyes.

Liang Xiaobao felt a tingling sensation on half of his body from being stared at.

"Wait here, I'll go ask right away." Liang Xiaobao hurriedly left.