Chapter 175 Women's Director
Zhang Xiuying pulled out two crumpled one-yuan bills and threw them on the ground like she was giving money to a beggar: "Here's the money, take it or leave it! If you don't want it, get lost!"
Although Lu Huaiyuan thought it was too little, every little bit helps, so he quickly picked it up and stuffed it into his pocket. He glared fiercely at the Liu family mother and daughter, then dragged Lu Xiaohui away in a sorry state.
Lu Xiaohui was dragged a distance away, and desperately cried out to the villagers watching the scene, "Help! They're going to sell me! I'm already married! I'm not a member of the Lu family anymore! Someone, please save me!"
Liu Zhixia and Zhang Xiuying exchanged a glance and immediately gave chase.
"The Lu family! You've taken all the money, why aren't you releasing them?!" Liu Zhixia shouted angrily.
Lu Jianping stopped and glared at her fiercely: "You know this is a Lu family matter! You're not a member of the Lu family, what business is it of yours? Mind your own business!"
"Lu Jianping!" Zhang Xiuying shouted angrily, "You really have no shame! You used to be the brigade leader, all high and mighty, but now you're nothing but a nobody, relying on your wife and daughter to support you. Is your family really so poor that you have to sell your daughter to fill the hole?"
Lu Huaiyuan sneered: "Aunt Zhang, aren't you meddling too much in other people's business?"
Zhang Xiuying stood up straight, hands on her hips, and declared, "If other villagers were to interfere, that would be meddling. But I'm here, and I won't allow you to sell your daughter!"
Gu Mansheng frowned, her face full of disdain: "Who do you think you are?"
Zhang Xiuying proudly raised her head and said, enunciating each word clearly, "I am the women's director of the brigade! It is my duty to protect women's rights! I will never allow you to mistreat a girl like this! Let her go right now!"
Inspired by Zhang Xiuying's imposing manner, the surrounding villagers also began to condemn the Lu family's shameless behavior.
Lu Jianping's face turned ashen, he wanted nothing more than to tear Zhang Xiuying apart: "She's just a nobody women's director, yet she thinks she's something special! I've already agreed on the price, even if the King of Heaven himself came, she'd have to come with me!"
Lu Xiaohui abruptly stopped struggling and looked at her father in disbelief.
"Father...so you never intended to let me go!" she screamed in anguish. "Even if you got your wages, you still wanted to sell me!"
Lu Jianping was too lazy to waste words with her, so he grabbed her by the back of her collar and dragged her forward like a dead dog.
Just then, Aunt Zhou arrived after hearing the news, leading several militiamen who blocked Lu Jianping's path like a mountain.
Aunt Zhou shouted sternly, "With me here, don't even think about doing anything reckless! This is suspected trafficking of women! Lu Jianping, you were a brigade leader before, you should know how serious this crime is!"
Lu Jianping scoffed, unconvinced: "She's my daughter, I raised her, and now I'm finding her a husband? What law is that against?"
Aunt Zhou sneered: "How come I remember she's still a member of the Li family? They're not divorced yet, are they?"
"Let's get a divorce right away! I can remarry after the divorce, what's wrong with that?"
Zhang Xiuying stepped forward: "Anything that goes against the wishes of women is unacceptable!"
Liu Zhixia sighed and said slowly, "Tell me, if we send you to the police station, and the officer sees that you're a 'regular' again, and it's because you sold your daughter, what kind of sentence would that be? Aunt Zhou, what's the maximum sentence?"
Aunt Zhou, working seamlessly together, immediately replied, "The authorities are cracking down hard recently; those who traffic women and children, especially in serious cases, will be sentenced to death!"
"death penalty?!"
Lu Jianping's hand trembled, and he subconsciously loosened his grip on Lu Xiaohui's collar.
He stared wide-eyed in disbelief: "No way? It's illegal for me to marry my own daughter?"
Seeing that he was scared, Aunt Zhou pointed triumphantly to the village entrance: "Why don't we go to the police station now and ask?"
An older woman nearby added disdainfully, "Your daughter is already married into the Li family, and you still sent your in-laws' daughter to jail to take the blame for you. Do you really think the Li family is pushovers? Divorce? The Li family is probably waiting for you to come knocking on their door with sticks right now!"
"That's right! You've taken all of Xiaohui's hard-earned money. Have some decency! Let her go right now!"
The villagers started criticizing him all at once, and Lu Jianping's face turned pale and then red, unable to bear the humiliation any longer.
Finally, he gritted his teeth and glared at Lu Xiaohui: "Fine! You're lucky today! But you can forget about staying in my house. Get the hell out of here! Whether you live or die is none of my business!"
Lu Xiaohui clutched her luggage tightly, got up from the ground, and cursed loudly: "I wouldn't stay in your lousy house even if you begged me! You've sold everything that could be sold, and my mother and I have been supporting you these past few days. Now all that's left is a capitalist's daughter, a good-for-nothing young master, and a tyrant who only knows how to bully his own family. I think you'll be starving from now on!"
After she finished scolding them, she turned around and bowed deeply to the villagers, expressing her gratitude.
Finally, her gaze fell on Aunt Zhou, and her eyes reddened: "Auntie, I have to go..."
Aunt Zhou felt terrible seeing the child she had watched grow up fall into such a state.
She pulled a wad of loose change from her pocket and stuffed it into Lu Xiaohui's hand: "Auntie doesn't have much money. Take this for self-defense. Find a place to settle down and live a good life. Keep the money safe and don't let anyone steal it."
With tears welling up in her eyes, Lu Xiaohui choked out, "Okay! Thank you, Auntie!"
Aunt Zhou patted her on the shoulder: "It's alright, silly child! Auntie will see you out of the village!"
"We'll see you off too." Zhang Xiuying followed along with Liu Zhixia.
With these large statues protecting him, Lu Jianping knew he had no chance at all, so he could only grumble and curse as he went home.
Lu Huaiyuan was unwilling to give up. He pointed at Lu Xiaohui's back and angrily cursed, "Unfilial daughter! Your parents have raised you for nothing! The family is in such a difficult situation, and you not only don't help but also want to run away?"
Lu Xiaohui took a deep breath, handed the backpack to Aunt Zhou, and turned to walk towards Lu Huaiyuan.
"Smack!"
With a sharp crack, Lu Xiaohui slapped Lu Huaiyuan hard across the face.
Lu Huaiyuan covered his face, looking at her incredulously: "You dare hit me? Believe it or not..."
"Believe it or not, go tell Dad!" Lu Xiaohui sneered, her eyes full of mockery. "That's all you're good for."
She took a step closer, her eyes sharp: "Lu Huaiyuan, when I got married, my family didn't give me a single penny of dowry. Instead, we received a huge sum of betrothal money from the Li family, and all of that money was spent on you! When the Li family comes to you for me, you'd better be able to return that money! I'm leaving to live my carefree life, while you, along with your good wife and good father, can slowly pay off your debts!"
Lu Huaiyuan scoffed, "So that's why you were in such a hurry to run away! He Shijie's wanted by the authorities, so he doesn't have to pay that debt anymore. What an idiot!"
Lu Xiaohui curled her lips into a smile, her eyes filled with pity: "Who's talking about He Shijie's debt? You don't need to pay back the hundred yuan you borrowed from your relatives?"
Lu Huaiyuan's smile froze instantly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com