Chapter 156 Who Would Complain About Having Too Much Money?
Liu Zhixia smiled and said, "Mom, could you go and call all the families of those victims over here and ask if they'd be willing to come and help us? We'll pay them. It'll help those in need, keep an eye on things for us, and at the same time, it'll expand our production—a win-win-win situation."
Zhang Xiuying hesitated for a moment: "But isn't the brigade already doing it?"
"The brigade gets one share, and we get another one here. Who would complain about having too much money?"
Zhang Xiuying slapped her thigh: "That's right! The brigade only pays a fixed salary, but we can earn extra here. Who wouldn't be eager to do such a good thing?"
“The most crucial thing is—” Liu Zhixia lowered her voice, “with these families all stationed in our courtyard, would the Yang and Lu families still dare to cause trouble?”
These people all hate the Lu family. With so many eyes watching, it's impossible for the Lu family to succeed.
Although Aunt Yang was also a victim, her act of taking a share of the money first when she was making a fuss about compensation would make even the most magnanimous person feel uncomfortable.
This "using someone else's strength against them" tactic is absolutely brilliant!
After arranging everything, Liu Zhixia went out.
Today was the day to deliver the seasonings to the production team. To keep it a secret, she prepared the seasonings at home before delivering them to the villagers for mixing.
As soon as they arrived at the workshop, Lu Xiaohui greeted them with shining eyes.
"Xia! You're finally here! We've been waiting for you to put your seasonings in the pot!"
That fawning attitude was completely different from before.
Li Xuemei also came running over excitedly, eagerly taking the basket from her: "How could I let you do such heavy work? Auntie, come on! Auntie, you've worked so hard!"
Looking at Li Xuemei's face, which was all wrinkled from smiling, Liu Zhixia felt a mix of emotions.
In my past life, this wicked mother-in-law constantly beat and scolded me, and no matter how much I tried to please her, I could never get a smile in return. Now, the tables have turned, and my once high and mighty mother-in-law and sister-in-law are now bowing and scraping to me for a few dollars.
How ironic.
Liu Zhixia didn't stand on ceremony and handed over the basket: "Then I'll have to trouble you, Auntie."
Li Xuemei happily carried her basket away. Lu Xiaohui seized the opportunity to link arms with Liu Zhixia, lowering her voice, "Xia, I heard your family's stall is hiring? Can I go help out?"
Liu Zhixia raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised: "Are you short of money?"
Lu Xiaohui sighed, looking distressed: "With such a huge hole in the family, how can I, as their daughter, not worry about it? I have to find a way to fill it."
Looking at her dutiful daughter act, Liu Zhixia shook her head, a half-smile on her face: "Sister Xiaohui, let's be honest. This might fool a ghost, but not me?"
What is Lu Xiaohui's status in the Lu family? She was born into a life of being beaten by a maid, and was pushed into the fire pit of a domestic abuser by her own parents. She had long hated this family.
Would she willingly clean up Lu Huaiyuan's mess? Not even if the sun rose in the west!
Having her thoughts exposed, Lu Xiaohui stopped pretending. She smirked, pulled Liu Zhixia to a corner, and spoke in a low, menacing voice:
"I need money! Lots of money! Once I've raised enough, I'm leaving this godforsaken place and never coming back! This is a secret between you, me, and heaven, so don't you dare tell anyone!"
Liu Zhixia suddenly realized. This reason sounded more like what Lu Xiaohui would say.
"Don't you have the recipe? Why don't you go it alone?"
Lu Xiaohui gave a self-deprecating laugh: "If I take it out now, those bloodsucking Lu family members will snatch it away the next day and then throw me away. Besides, as long as you're here, even if the formula is the same, I can't achieve your fame. It's better to work for you; it's more stable!"
She leaned closer, her eyes gleaming with ambition: "I want to save up enough capital to go to another city! I won't compete with you for business; I'll leave myself a way to survive. Is that okay?"
Liu Zhixia scrutinized Lu Xiaohui, then suddenly changed the subject: "I heard the doctor went to your house today? What happened?"
Lu Xiaohui was taken aback, clearly not expecting this, and her eyes darted around: "Well... my father got sick from being angered by Lu Huaiyuan, so he called a doctor."
"Oh—I see."
Liu Zhixia drawled out her words, making a move to leave.
Lu Xiaohui panicked, gritted her teeth, and spilled the beans: "Fine, fine! I'll tell the truth! We got into a fight with Gu Mansheng and beat her up. Who knew that woman was pregnant, and she... she miscarried because of the beating. I swear I pulled her hair! The one who kicked her in the stomach was that beast Lu Huaiyuan!"
Although Liu Zhixia had expected it, she still pretended to be surprised when she heard it with her own ears.
Lu Xiaohui, afraid that Xia Xia wouldn't believe her, added another bombshell: "And the doctor said she can't have any more children! My dad and mom are plotting how to get rid of her and find Lu Huaiyuan someone who can have children! Xia Xia, I know you almost became my sister-in-law, but I know my two old folks' thoughts best. They're probably eyeing you again, so be careful!"
Liu Zhixia scrutinized Lu Xiaohui and saw a rare sincerity on her face this time.
This surprised her. Was this still the selfish and self-serving Lu Xiaohui?
Seeing that Liu Zhixia remained silent, Lu Xiaohui grew anxious: "Don't look at me like that! We're in this together now! I need money to run away, and you need to make money safely. Let's cooperate. If there's any trouble with the Lu family, I'll immediately inform you! Okay?"
Liu Zhixia nodded slightly: "Okay. But I can't make this decision alone; I have to discuss it with my family."
"Okay! I'll wait for your message!"
Liu Zhixia turned to go home and ran into Zhang Xiuying, who had just finished her work.
“Everything is settled. The families of those victims are all willing to come, even the old lady wants to come and help. I’ve calculated it, as long as we’re quick and efficient, we won’t lose out no matter what.”
"Mother, Lu Xiaohui wants to join us too."
Zhang Xiuying was taken aback and looked at her daughter in surprise: "You didn't refuse directly?"
Liu Zhixia shook her head: "She said she could be our informant in the Lu family. It's a tempting offer, so I didn't rule it out."
Zhang Xiuying frowned: "Is this girl reliable? We're making food that we'll be eating. What if she gets malicious and adds something to it? We'll be completely finished!"
"That's why I hesitated. Lu Xiaohui is a double-edged sword; if used well, she's a sharp weapon, but if used poorly, she can easily hurt herself."
Zhang Xiuying pondered for a moment: "It's usable, but we have to be careful. She knows the recipe, so we can ask her to help make the sauce, which will definitely save a lot of trouble. But, girl, are you sure she's sincere this time?"
Liu Zhixia said with certainty, "I think it's true. Lu Xiaohui is extremely selfish. Right now, she just wants to make enough money to run away. The Lu family is heavily in debt and could sell her at any time to cover it up; her husband is also a domestic abuser. She's caught between a rock and a hard place, and her only way out is to save money and leave. She wouldn't dare to do anything reckless for this goal."
Zhang Xiuying sighed and finally nodded: "Okay. I'll talk to her later. As long as she's willing to accept our rules, it's fine to let her come. We can even offer her a higher salary, just to put our minds at ease."
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