Chapter 249 Recognizing Relatives

“What I mean is… life is tough in the village right now. The land is lying fallow, nothing can be grown, and the young people can’t find a way out. They’re about to go hungry. You have a factory and a shop, could you arrange some work for the Zhou family’s kids? They don’t have to be picky; they can do anything—moving goods, minding the shop, cleaning, anything! Give them a bite to eat, okay?”

As he spoke, he gazed expectantly at Zhou Shufen, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Zhou Shufen felt a wave of nausea as she looked at his expression that said, "It's only right that you help me."

She spoke coldly.

“Second Uncle Yongjun, my factory and shop have rules for hiring people—they need skills and good character, not just anyone who comes to the door and says, ‘Give me a job.’”

"Skills mean being able to keep accounts, distinguish goods, and deal with customers; character means being reliable, not lazy, and not cunning."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over Zhou Yongjun's flushed face.

"Besides, moving goods and watching the store sounds simple, but you have to keep track of accounts, identify the goods, guard the store, and deal with customers. You have to be reliable in everything."

"In the morning, we have to check the inventory; at noon, we have to check the cash flow; in the evening, we have to take stock of the accounts; on rainy days, we have to prevent moisture; on holidays, we have to prepare goods; and when customers are angry, we still have to greet them with a smile."

“If you just randomly pull someone in, they won’t be of any help and will likely cause trouble.”

"If there's a mistake in the accounts, the entire month's profits could be wiped out; if a product is shipped to the wrong supplier, the customer will turn around and go to another one—have you thought about these things, Uncle?"

She paused, her voice growing even colder.

"I don't want the Zhou family to lose face because of me."

"How could it be considered troublesome!"

Zhou Yongjun was so anxious that he stomped his feet, and his voice suddenly rose.

He ripped open his collar, revealing bulging veins on his neck.

“We Zhou family members are the most honest and efficient, and we can really be of help!”

As he spoke, he patted his chest twice forcefully.

"Look at Old Li's family at the east end of the village. His son delivers packages in the county town, making 300 orders a day. Isn't that hard work too?"

"The men of our Zhou family are all experts at carrying bags, moving bricks, and pulling carts."

He stared longingly at Zhou Shufen.

But Zhou Shufen just looked at him quietly, her eyes unwavering.

"Shufen, when you got divorced, it was our Zhou family who lent you a helping hand!"

"Back then, when you returned to the village with your child, living in a thatched hut and eating pickled vegetables, who brought you rice and oil?"

"It was me! It was Zhou Yongjun who led the organization!"

"Now that you're doing well, your factory is thriving, your shops are expanding into the county town, and you've even changed two cars, can't you show some old kindness and give us a way to make a living?"

"You eat meat, shouldn't you at least let us have some soup?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Huachen came out of the kitchen and heard the second half of the sentence.

She didn't look at Zhou Shufen, but instead raised her eyes and coldly swept her gaze towards Zhou Yongjun.

“Clan Chief Zhang, you’ve probably forgotten how your Zhou family bullied Shufen back in Liuchang Village. She had just returned to the village after her divorce, and you called her a jinx who would bring bad luck to her husbands, and you wouldn’t even let her into the ancestral hall.”

“Her child had a fever and borrowed your phone to call the hospital, but you shut the door and said it was bad luck. She was harvesting rice in the field, and you brought people to steal the half-harvested bundles of rice and threw them into the ditch.”

She paused, a mocking smile playing on her lips.

"Now that she's successful, she suddenly wants to be relatives?"

Zhou Yongjun glanced at her, his nostrils flaring upwards.

"Who do you think you are? Who gave you the right to speak here?"

He stuck out his neck and spoke in a domineering tone.

"You're an outsider; what business is it of yours to meddle in the Zhou family's affairs?"

"Let me tell you, Zhou Shufen is a married-out daughter of the Zhou family, but her roots are in our Zhou family! Every penny she earns is thanks to the Zhou family's ancestral blessings!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, his finger almost poking Li Huachen's face.

Zhou Shufen smiled gently.

She glanced at Li Huachen.

Then she turned back to face Zhou Yongjun's face, which was contorted with anger.

"Second Uncle, she's my second sister-in-law. Do you think she can make decisions for the Zhou family?"

She paused deliberately, letting the air in the room freeze.

"The business I run isn't something I can control. It takes the approval of my brother, sister, younger sister, and me to move a single penny. You mentioned the Zhou family earlier, so you'll have to ask them. Do they agree to your coming? Do they even consider you a relative?"

"fart!"

Zhou Yongjun blushed, and the veins on his neck throbbed even more violently.

He slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups on it rattle loudly.

"You've hired so many outsiders into the store lately, do you think I really didn't know?"

"Those from the county town, those from other provinces, and even those with southern accents—who among them is related to us?"

"Helping others is helping, but helping your own fellow villagers isn't helping?"

He spoke more and more urgently, almost cracking his voice.

"Lijuan and Liya are both descendants of the Zhou family!"

"root?"

Zhou Shufen gave a cold laugh.

She stared at Zhou Yongjun.

“The year Lijuan took the college entrance exam, you secretly tore up her admission ticket. She had studied for three years and her score was high enough to get into a university, but because a piece of paper was torn up, she couldn’t even enter the exam hall. She cried at home for three days and almost jumped into a well.”

Her voice grew lower and lower, yet every word carried immense weight.

"Liya had just given birth and was still in her postpartum period when you sold her to another place. Her baby was only seven days old when she was taken away and given away. She chased after the baby to the village entrance like a madwoman, kneeling and begging you to release her. What did you do? You tied her up with hemp rope and locked her in the woodshed for three days, saying she had a relapse of her mental illness. Now, do you still dare to mention the two of them?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhou Liya slammed the bowl of chicken feed in her hand to the ground with a bang.

The chickens were startled and flapped their wings wildly, flying all over the yard and scattering in all directions, clucking and squawking.

She grabbed Yang Qingyan, took a few steps, and rushed to Zhou Shufen.

"How can you be so shameless!"

"My mom tried to reason with you nicely, but instead of listening, you stabbed her in the heart! And you even brought up my sister? My sister failed her college entrance exam that year, had a mental breakdown, and couldn't take it again. Did any member of your Zhou family even visit her? The day I was sold, it was pouring rain, and I was crying my heart out at the door. Where were you then? Were you hiding at home counting your money?"

"Now that our family is doing well, we've built a house and made money, you all jump out one by one, all dressed up and pretending to be our relatives, acting like your own parents? Are your skin made of iron or plated with gold, so you're not afraid of getting burned?"

Zhou Yongjun's face twitched, a vein throbbed on his forehead, and his hand trembled as he pointed at Zhou Liya.

"You're just a kid, still wet behind the ears, what do you know! Who gave you the right to talk back? Get out of here! Don't get in my way!"

Why should I leave?

Zhou Liya straightened her chest and neck.

"The land deed for this courtyard is in my family's name! Just because you're the clan chief doesn't make you so great! You think you can act like a wolf in sheep's clothing? How did you cheat my mother back then? How did loan sharks come knocking on our door? You all pretended to be deaf and dumb, and secretly divided up my family's land! And now you're just standing there asking for money? I think you're not here to acknowledge your kinship, but to freeload!"