Hua Baoguo said "Oh" and then said, "If that's the case, then I'm relieved."

"Look, our children are all grown up now, so Liangfen won't be sending her salary back anymore. She should start thinking about our family too."

Hua Baoguo was straightforward, but not stupid. He stared intently at Xun Xingshun, wanting to know if Xun Xingshun knew about Xun Liangfen paying him wages.

Xun Xingshun paused for a moment, licked his lips, and then said, "We borrowed some money from Liangfen when we were building the house before, and we've been paying it back slowly over the years. Didn't Liangfen tell you?"

Hua Baoguo was completely bewildered; he had never even heard of this before.

"Dad, is there some mistake? Liangfen has given all her salary and benefits to Mother-in-law over the years. Didn't she tell you?"

Hua Baoguo was unaware that he had inadvertently stumbled upon a brilliant idea, directly exposing Gu Yu's little scheme in front of Xun Xingshun.

Xun Xingshun, as the village chief, was no fool. He figured out the gist of what his son-in-law had said once he understood the situation.

"Let's go, we can talk as we walk."

Along the way, Xun Xingshun had enough time to sort things out!

He truly had no idea that his foolish wife would dare to do such a stupid thing behind his back.

Over the years, his family has only had a few difficult years, but with the help of his comrades and relatives, he managed to get through them.

Over the years, he has worked diligently and transformed the village into a prosperous one in the surrounding area, ensuring that people have no financial problems.

Aside from the time he was building a house a few years ago and was short of money, he asked his daughter to go back and discuss with the Hua family about borrowing some money from them.

I never expected that this mother and daughter would do so much behind my back. How can he face his former comrades and good friends now?

Hua Guangzong was entrusted by Gu Yu to bring Liang Fen, who had always been neglected and mistreated, to the city.

But life in the city isn't easy. Even with a letter of introduction, he couldn't stay there for long. It was Guangzong who took the initiative to arrange the marriage.

This marriage was actually a step up for his family, but now it seems he has repaid kindness with enmity.

"Baoguo, go back to your room and rest. You must be tired from the journey." With family matters to attend to, Xun Xingshun could only say with a forced smile.

Hua Baoguo, unusually, had a little scheme in mind at this moment, "Dad, my parents know about this, but they've never blamed us. They know our family is having difficulties..."

Xun Xingshun felt his face burning, and after replying a few words, he returned to the main room.

Seeing the mother and daughter still sitting inside chatting and laughing, Xun Xingshun simply closed the door and bolted it.

"Why are you closing the door in broad daylight?" Gu Yu finally stopped and glanced at him. "Look how dark this room is, are you getting senile?"

Xun Xingshun didn't find the room dark at all; he could walk around the house with his eyes closed.

Gu Yu felt a gust of wind flash by, and then a sharp pain shot through her face.

Then another sound rang out, followed by Liangliangfen's startled cry.

"What are you doing?" Gu Yu had barely finished questioning when she was met with a barrage of punches and kicks.

At that moment, she couldn't care less about what to say, and cried out repeatedly, "Stop hitting me, stop hitting me..."

Memories that had been dormant in Xun Liangfen's mind surged up at this moment. She had seen her mother being beaten when she was a child, but that was during the most difficult time when she stole grain from her family and took it back to her parents' home. If it weren't for the help of relatives in the village, they would have really gone hungry.

"What are you doing? I haven't been in contact with my family for a long time..." Gu Yu was overcome with subconscious fear. She knew that she had almost been beaten to death by Xun Xingshun.

"Am I starving you or needing your money? For so many years, you've been keeping all of Liangfen's salary for yourself." Xun Xingshun kicked her hard in the stomach, making Gu Yu curl up into a ball.

"And you, you're almost a grandmother, don't you have any opinions of your own? Do you just believe whatever your mother says? Even though your father is dead, haven't you said a word all these years?" Xun Xingshun raised his hand high but didn't actually strike, but he cursed, "Idiot,"

The foolish Xun Liangfen dared not utter a sound, and could only squat in the corner, sobbing in grievance.

“I’m her mother, what’s wrong with taking a little of her salary?” Gu Yu finally recovered a bit and struggled to sit up, saying, “I didn’t bring her to my parents’ home this time. I did this for your two sons.”

This grandson is getting older, and we need to expand the house and get a dowry for his wedding. With such a large family, can you support us with your meager income as the village chief?

Yes, you didn't starve us, but who doesn't want to live a good life?

What difference does it make if the Hua family has several workers, but only Shao Liangfen?

Hua Guangzong calls you his brother, but what has he done to help you all these years?

He was able to help Liangfen find a job back then, but why didn't he think about our two sons?

Raising a daughter was hard work, wasn't it?

"What's wrong with taking a little money from them? I'm not as selfless as you, giving them a daughter for free and getting nothing in return."

“They did give betrothal gifts back then,” Xun Xingshun said through gritted teeth. “Even before Liangfen married into the family, the betrothal gifts for the eldest and second sons were borrowed from him. Have you forgotten all of that?”

"Just because he's doing well and is being more lenient, does that mean we should be grateful?" Gu Yu felt she was right; she was only doing it for her children and grandchildren.

"You're just being unreasonable. People are helping you and you've made a mistake." Xun Xingshun secretly regretted that he had been too lenient with his family over the years, focusing all his attention on the village and neglecting many details.

"Where is the money?"

Gu Yu's eyes darted away. "I used them all."

Xun Xingshun dragged the bench over and sat down in front of her. Gu Yu, who had already adjusted to the dim light, saw the fierce look on his face and pressed her entire back against the corner of the wall.

"Don't think that just because I'm not in charge of the household, I don't know about the family's expenses."

Besides the village's income, my monthly village head allowance is all handed over to you. This ensures that the whole family has a budget for food and expenses. Even without considering Liangfen's allowance, our family still has a surplus.

"Are you going to confess yourself, or should I settle accounts with you?"

Gu Yu turned her head to the side and stubbornly said, "Anyway, I didn't."

Xun Xingshun nodded. "You'd better remember what you just said."

Gu Yu, "..."

Xun Xingshun suddenly stood up, kicked the stool away, and strode out of the main room. Before the mother and daughter could react, he locked the key that was on the windowsill.

Hearing the lock click, Gu Yu panicked, struggled to crawl over, and knocked on the door, "Old man, what are you doing? You can't lock us up here."

Xun Xingshun ignored her, ran to the kitchen, grabbed an axe, and stormed back to his room.

Hearing the commotion, Hua Baoguo stood quietly at the door and watched. He guessed what his father-in-law was planning to do, but he did not stop him.

A knock came from the main room, and this time even Xun Liangfen joined in, "Father, open the door!"

Is anyone outside? Please open the door for us quickly.