"Hungry? Eat and sleep, sleep and eat. You're not a fox, you're turning into a pig. Even pigs are more diligent than you, at least they know how to make manure."

While Gu Zuozuo was still regretting that she couldn't be a hero in the newspaper, Duan Yuyang on the other side was so excited that he could hardly contain himself.

"Brother Duan, I've helped you get what you wanted. When are you coming to my house to propose marriage?"

Duan Yuyang controlled his trembling hands, and for once, his gaze towards Ma Zhaodi softened with warmth, the mask of gentleness returning to his face.

Ma Zhaodi, her heart pounding under his "affectionate" gaze, lowered her head shyly, not letting Duan Yuyang see the coldness in her eyes.

"Don't worry, I've already given the bride price. I'll bring the gifts to your house tomorrow to propose marriage."

At this point, Duan Yuyang gritted his teeth in hatred. He had never heard of a family taking the bride price before proposing marriage. Once he had achieved his goal, he would never let that greedy and wicked woman go.

Qian Yao stood quietly at the door, listening to the conversation inside, her eyes dimming.

"Yaoyao?"

Duan Yuyang caught a glimpse of Qian Yao out of the corner of his eye, and his cheek twitched uncomfortably as he became somewhat uncomfortable.

Qian Yao took a deep breath. Her haggard face lacked its usual arrogance, and large dark circles under her eyes showed that she hadn't slept well for the past few days.

"Brother Yu, my brother is coming to pick me up. My family found me a job, and I'm transferring back."

A pair of bloodshot eyes stared intently at Duan Yuyang's reaction, trying to find even a trace of reluctance.

But after looking at her for a long time, she only saw surprise and relaxation, not the emotions she had hoped for. She realized that a person could change so quickly. Why was everything different after just sleeping with her?

Tears streamed down her cheeks. Qian Yao glanced deeply at Ma Zhaodi, who stood beside her like a little bird, a hint of mockery in her eyes. Did she really think that marrying Duan Yuyang would make her a daughter-in-law of the Duan family? The Duan family was not an easy place to enter.

Ma Zhaodi kept her head down the whole time. She had only one goal: to leave Ma Guihua, to escape her control, and preferably to leave Malutun. As for feelings and love, those were things that only pretentious people needed; she didn't need them.

Days passed slowly and steadily. Gu Zuozuo coldly watched through the system as Duan Yuyang's face turned ashen from being tormented by Ma Guihua every day, yet he had no choice but to endure it. Seeing his eyes growing brighter and more expectant each day, Gu Zuozuo began to sharpen her knife. She wanted to make it even sharper so that she could slaughter more treacherous dogs.

"Gu Zhiqing! Help! Something terrible has happened!"

Liu Ximei burst in like a firecracker, only to be startled by the way she was sharpening her knife, causing her to brake abruptly and nearly crash into the wall.

Gu Zuo's left hand trembled, almost slashing the little fox's ear. He patted the little fox beside him, still shaken, to soothe its ruffled fur.

"Stop touching your fox! Something's happened to the whole Ma family!"

As she spoke, Liu Ximei grabbed Gu Zuozuo and tried to rush out the door.

"Don't worry, sister-in-law! Wait a minute, I'll get the first-aid kit!"

On the way, Gu Zuozuo heard Liu Ximei give him a general account of what had happened.

Today, Ma Quan's younger sister, Ma Yuejiao, returned to her parents' home. As soon as she entered, Lan Xiuhe attacked her with a knife. Even Ma Quan and her mother-in-law, who tried to stop her, were slashed several times.

Especially her mother-in-law, who once slashed a vein in her thigh with a knife, causing blood to spurt out. If her daughter hadn't knelt down and hugged Lan Xiuhe's leg, she probably would have killed her mother-in-law and sister-in-law.

"It's no wonder Xiuhe went crazy. The one who died was her son, whom she had been longing for for years. This child was born and died in her own womb. How could she accept it?"

Even before getting close to the Ma family's house, you could hear the commotion inside. I remember hearing her mother-in-law's heart-wrenching screams from afar, but the sound didn't seem like she was bleeding too much.

Pushing through the crowd, I discovered a truly gruesome scene. The legendary sister-in-law was lying on the ground, covered in blood, clutching her arms. Ma Quan was holding his deranged wife, tears streaming down his face. The mother-in-law, her thigh spurting blood, was still groaning and cursing, her voice rising and falling in a dramatic way.

"Gu Zhiqing, you've arrived."

Duan Jianhua looked miserable and almost cried. What kind of mess was this? Was he being treated like a scapegoat as the brigade leader?