Food factories are all looking to poach talent, and textile factories certainly wouldn't let go of someone as talented as Gu An'an.

Everyone wanted to take her away from him. The village chief had mixed feelings. He wanted to keep Gu An'an in Xiaowang Village, but he was also afraid that it would ruin the child's life.

"Don't worry, Uncle, I won't go."

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, the village chief was pleased but still advised, "If a good opportunity comes along, you can accept it. There are many opportunities and better pay outside, so you should think more about yourself sometimes."

Gu An'an wasn't surprised by his words, but she still smiled and asked, "Uncle, are you willing to part with it?"

The village chief knew she was joking with him. "So what if I'm reluctant? I can't keep my own child cooped up at home all the time. Besides, if you and Aheng's relationship is settled, leaving is only a matter of time."

Wang Dashan brought the dishes into the house and overheard this. He immediately said with a sour tone, "Dad, you've never seemed so reluctant to part with me and Dahai before."

The village chief glared at him and said, "What's so great about you two brats that I have to miss you? Hurry up and help your wives with the chores."

Seeing that her husband was completely unsympathetic in his predicament, Zhang Cuicui stood aside and chuckled.

He still wants to compare himself to An An.

Actually, it's not just Wang Dashan; Gu An'an's image in the hearts of many villagers is almost as good as their own children, because Gu An'an can help them sell their wild vegetables.

The dinner was plentiful, and Gu An'an ate until she was stuffed. She was talking to the village chief about the garment factory when a wail suddenly rang out from outside.

"Big brother, big brother, please help your niece."

Upon hearing the voice, the village chief's wife immediately got up and went out. Just as she reached the door, she encountered a woman in her early forties leading a girl in her early twenties inside, with a young man following behind.

She recognized the middle-aged woman; her husband and the village chief were cousins, and the whole family was very capable and had stockpiled a lot of things.

When she returned from Haishi, her daughter-in-law gave her some frozen mushrooms picked from the mountains, which tasted very delicious.

"Xiuying, what happened? What's wrong with Tingting?"

Seeing the red mark on Wang Ting's face, the village chief's wife frowned. "Who hit Tingting on the face?"

Aunt Xiuying immediately said, "Who else could it be but the Chen family? They don't treat my daughter and son-in-law like human beings. They've only been married for a little over a year, and that old hag went to my daughter's room to move some clothes. When the two kids refused, the whole family beat them. Do you think the Chen family is even human?"

At this point, everyone in the room noticed the couple's condition. It was clear that the younger man in the back was more seriously injured, with bruises around his eyes and mouth, and probably many more in places that were not visible.

When Wang Ting got married, the village chief had heard that the Chen family didn't treat their eldest son like a human being, but he never expected it to have reached this level.

Stealing the daughter-in-law's dowry and beating the two children like this—no one with a shred of shame would do such a thing.

But these kinds of family matters are not so easy to handle, especially since the Chen family is from the next village.

"Junzi, what do you think about this?"

Upon hearing the village chief call him, Chen Jun immediately spoke up to state his position, "Uncle, I've known since I was a child that I'm not favored. All these years I've worked like a slave at home to repay their kindness in raising me, but this time they actually broke into my room and stole my things! I really..."

A man doesn't easily shed tears, unless he's truly heartbroken.

Seeing Chen Jun's tears in the corner made everyone feel uneasy.

In this day and age, families often have many children, making it difficult to treat them all equally. But this isn't just about not being able to treat everyone equally; it's like smashing the eldest son's bowl on the ground.

“I’m really heartbroken this time. All I want is to get Tingting’s things back and live a good life with our little family.”

Everyone was quite satisfied with Chen Jun's attitude. The Chen family, despite their bad reputation, had produced excellent bamboo shoots, and they had been heartbroken by them. They would regret it later.

"Alright, let's call a few uncles and brothers tomorrow and go to the Chen family."

The villagers of Xiaowang Village have been so focused on making money lately that they haven't had such a lively scene in a long time, which immediately energized Gu An'an.

"Uncle, isn't it too easy for them to just take back the dowry?"

Hearing her tone, the village chief knew that Gu An'an had a good idea. "An'an, just say what you have to say. There are no outsiders here."

Aunt Cuiying had a very good impression of Gu An'an. "Yes, Gu Zhiqing, just say what you want to say. We'll decide whether it's okay or not ourselves. We will definitely not push things onto you."

Gu An'an looked at Wang Ting, "Sister Ting, do you and your brother-in-law want to get more from the Chen family?"

Wang Ting glanced at her husband, then nodded emphatically, "I want to."

Forget about getting more from them, sometimes Wang Ting felt like tearing them apart.

Gu An'an looked at Chen Jun, who nodded affirmatively, "I'll do whatever Tingting wants to do."

Gu An'an was quite satisfied with this answer. The most hateful type of man is the one who is abused by his family but blindly obeys them.

"If that's the case, then why are you going crazy, Sister Ting?"

Facing the curious gazes of the crowd, Gu An'an carefully spoke out what had been on her mind.

“Uncle, you still have to go tomorrow. Smash the Chen family's place first and then take the things back. You have to stand up for yourself.”

“If they want to live their own lives in peace, they need to separate the family, but they might not agree to this kind of separation. Even if they do agree, I estimate that Sister Ting and the others will have to leave with nothing. Besides, I think it's too easy for them to separate the family like this.”

"They like to bully people, right? Sister Ting, just go crazy. If they sneak a bite, flip the table. If they hit someone, call for help. If all else fails, the two of you can get up in the middle of the night and sharpen your knives in the yard. You'll scare them to death. Then you won't be the ones who are eager to divide the family property."

Wang Ting had never heard such a statement before, and she was so shocked that her mouth dropped open. "Is this really okay?"

"The ruthless are afraid of the stubborn, and the stubborn are afraid of the reckless. As long as you are crazy enough, the Chen family will definitely not be able to withstand you. The premise is that you must protect yourselves. If you can't beat them, run back to get reinforcements. At worst, you can bring people to smash them again."

“You don’t need to worry about not being able to stay there after the family splits up. If it really doesn’t work out, take what you get and go back to Xiaowang Village. In your situation, you shouldn’t take the plot of land for building a house. It will keep you closer to your parents’ home, and no one will be able to bully you in the future.”

Wang Ting was tempted by Gu An'an's words, but she was still afraid that her husband would not be able to bear it. To her surprise, Chen Jun nodded firmly, "If you go crazy, I will protect you; if you run away, I will cover for you."

What could Wang Ting say now? She just had to do it. What could be worse than having her dowry stolen and being beaten by her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law?

"Alright, then I'll trouble you to make the trip tomorrow, Uncle."

The village chief didn't mind; they were all children from the same clan, so it was normal for him to step in. "Besides our two families, I'll also invite a few young men to go with us."

"I'll go too."