Chapter 7 Head of the Family

"Let's lay everything out right here in this courtyard today and make things clear!"

Li Qiaodi walked unsteadily, her steps faltering, and she almost fell to the ground.

She quickly grabbed the wall for support, her face filled with panic.

“From the day you entered our Zhou family,” Zhou Shufen’s voice was shrill and bright, “my son’s monthly salary has been handed over to you. As his mother, I have never even seen what money looks like, let alone touched it!”

These words immediately sparked hushed discussions among the surrounding neighbors.

Generally speaking, in a large family, the parents-in-law are the heads of the household.

What right does a newlywed daughter-in-law have to manage the money?

"Oh dear, Qiao Di," someone nearby remarked, their tone tinged with surprise, "how come you've only been married for a few days and you're already interfering in household affairs? That's really too unruly!"

"you do not say!"

Another voice immediately chimed in.

"I used to think she was quite sensible, but now it seems..."

Everyone was talking non-stop.

Li Qiaodi's cheeks flushed red, and she was filled with shame and indignation.

Her hands gripped the hem of her dress tightly.

My mother-in-law is usually a bit straightforward, but she's never been this mean.

What on earth is going on today?

How come it's like a completely different person?

Seeing that things were not going well, she quickly explained, "Mom, didn't I just tell you? We also need to deal with some social obligations. These expenses are actually for Haiwei's future development."

Zhou Shufen, however, was unmoved and interrupted her with a cold laugh.

"gab."

"Doing favors is one thing, but how could you secretly take money to support your family when I wasn't looking?"

Li Qiaodi was taken aback by these words.

But she quickly regained her composure and tried to remain calm.

"Mom, I know I've married into your Zhou family, but I can't forget the kindness of my parents in raising me. It's only natural to occasionally send them some food or other necessities. Why are you being so harsh on me?"

“If you were only helping out occasionally, I wouldn’t have bothered to tell you all this.”

Zhou Shufen let out another disdainful sneer.

It turns out she already knew these things in her previous life.

However, due to various reasons at the time, I didn't take it too seriously.

Before her death, Li Qiaodi dealt her the heaviest blow.

This ungrateful wretch is good to everyone.

All her efforts for her mother-in-law were in vain!

"You've secretly taken rice and flour from home at least a hundred times, haven't you? Every time you come to your mother-in-law's, you always leave with bags and bags of things."

Zhou Shufen stared coldly at Li Qiaodi.

Li Qiaodi's lips moved slightly, as she was about to say something to explain.

But he swallowed the words back down his throat.

"you do not say!"

“We’ve seen it with our own eyes on the street several times before. Qiao Di carries quite a lot of things when she leaves home.”

“Exactly,” another person added, “Yeah, life isn’t easy for anyone. Who can keep sending things back and forth like this all the time?”

The neighbors were all talking at once.

Li Qiaodi could only lower her head and remain silent, her face slightly flushed.

She finally muttered something, but not in a loud voice.

"It's just some food."

"Okay, then let's not talk about food."

Zhou Shufen coldly retorted.

"Ever since you got together with Haiwei, you've used our Zhou family's connections to get jobs for your family! Now your brother's a repairman, a secure job that many people would kill for!"

Zhou Shufen became more and more excited as she spoke.

Based on what Li Qiaodi has done, let alone slapping her.

Even if you slap her twice more, she should endure it!

People around them started pointing and whispering, their faces full of disdain.

Li Qiaodi was too ashamed to look up.

These are all undeniable facts.

Everyone can see how successful her brother is now.

It turns out that all of this was because he benefited from the Zhou family's influence!

At this moment, Zhou Haiwei heard that something terrible had happened at home, so he immediately rode his bicycle over.

The news spread quickly, and someone in the crowd shouted something.

"The eldest son of the Zhou family has arrived!"

Immediately, someone chimed in, "You'd better control your wife! This woman is becoming more and more outrageous!"

"Yeah, women like that who don't know their place deserve a good beating!"

Someone nearby chimed in.

As soon as sharp-eyed people saw Zhou Haiwei enter the courtyard, they immediately started to cheer excitedly.

Before the car had even come to a complete stop, some busybodies had already started embellishing his story.

Li Qiaodi already had a lot of grievances bottled up inside.

Now, upon seeing her husband Zhou Haiwei, she finally found an outlet for her unease.

She quickly stepped forward, muttering complaints under her breath while looking at her husband with a wronged expression.

"You don't know, Mom was acting strangely today. She promised to help me find a job in the county town, but at the crucial moment, she suddenly changed her mind and criticized and gossiped about me in front of so many relatives, friends, and neighbors... It was so embarrassing for me!"

After saying this, she looked at Zhou Haiwei with anticipation.

She so desperately wanted him to be on her side.

After all, Zhou Haiwei was the most successful son among the Zhou family's children.

Li Qiaodi would feel much more confident if he just stood up and said something.

At this moment, Zhou Shufen, who was standing next to her son, looked at him with a gaze that gradually turned from gentle to cold and ruthless.

Her thoughts were drawn back to that memory.

In those days, she worked tirelessly from dawn till dusk to support her son's education.

But this son, whom she had given her life for, still harbored resentment towards her.

In his heart, he always felt that his mother's existence was a burden to him.

Even in the last moments of her life, Zhou Haiwei did not look at her once.

Thinking of this, Zhou Shufen's gaze became increasingly complicated.

She can no longer be as obedient and protective of him as she used to be.

A deep sense of disappointment and resolve flashed in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Zhou Haiwei's face began to darken.

There is a very critical matter waiting for him to handle.

Just at this critical juncture, new troubles have arisen in the family.

So he lowered his voice and questioned Li Qiaodi with a hint of dissatisfaction.

"Why did you come all this way back? You even made a scene with Mom, and now the whole neighborhood is laughing at you! Don't you know this will ruin my reputation?"

Upon hearing this, Li Qiaodi was completely stunned.

She never expected her husband to say such a thing.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, his face turned pale and then flushed.

He was so angry that he couldn't even speak a complete sentence.

All I heard was her trembling finger pointing at Zhou Haiwei as she roared, "Zhou Haiwei! Are you determined to go against me now? I came here for you! Why is it that when things get to you, it becomes my fault?"

Faced with her agitated emotions, Zhou Haiwei did not offer any words of comfort.