Wu Yuanyuan yelled, "Mom, can't you think about me for once? How old am I now? Other people my age are already married. I finally found someone, why do you want to break us up?"
"Am I really your biological daughter? Why do you have to treat me like this?"
Zhu Jiaojiao looked at Wu Yuanyuan in disbelief. Zhou Likang was no good man. Who was she doing all this for? Why did Yuanyuan see it as her demeaning herself?
It's not like she didn't introduce potential partners to Yuanyuan. She even offered a high dowry, all to find Yuanyuan a good family. Indeed, several families were willing to marry her. It was Yuanyuan who refused, so how can you blame her?
Zhu Jiaojiao said bitterly, "Yuanyuan, look more clearly. He doesn't care about you at all. He always pushes you out whenever something happens. What good will you get by throwing yourself at him like this?"
Wu Yuanyuan retorted, "I'm willing, I'm happy to pay for it, I have the freedom to date, it's none of your business."
Zhu Jiaojiao: "You are my own daughter, I can't just stand by and watch you get cheated."
Wu Yuanyuan stubbornly said, "I know whether I was deceived or not. You think that I was giving Zhou Zhiqing gifts and that I was paying him off, but all the men you found for me, didn't they all bring back the betrothal gifts and promise a hundred yuan dowry before they were willing to marry me?"
"Isn't this also giving money away? If it's the same as giving money away, why don't I choose to give money away to someone I like?"
The onlookers were shocked. In the countryside, people don't usually bring dowries when their daughters get married. If they can bring back half of the groom's betrothal gifts, they consider it a good thing for their daughters.
When Zhu Jiaojiao married off her daughter, she not only refused a dowry but also gave her a dowry of one hundred yuan, which was the hard-earned income of several strong laborers for a year. And her daughter just took it away like that.
Let alone people in the countryside, even in the city, very few people can do this.
Zhu Jiaojiao tried to explain, "The men I chose all come from families with good morals and whose backgrounds I know well. You won't be mistreated if you marry them. But what good will you get if you marry this man?"
"Listen to your mother, you are my own daughter, I would never hurt you."
Zhu Jiaojiao's feelings were sincere, but in Wu Yuanyuan's eyes, who was in a fit of rage, she was the villain who ruined her relationship with Zhou Likang.
Wu Yuanyuan: "I'm the one who's getting married, not you. How do you know if I'm suitable or not? If you break me up with Zhou Zhiqing, I'll go to town and sue you for an arranged marriage."
Zhu Jiaojiao thought she had only meant well, but she never expected to be betrayed by her daughter like this, and she fainted from anger.
Wu Yuanyuan, who was closest to her, initially thought Zhu Jiaojiao was up to some trick and didn't help her up.
It was bystanders who saw Zhu Jiaojiao about to fall to the ground and reached out to pull her up, preventing her from getting hurt again.
The person supporting Zhu Jiaojiao shook her: "Old Wu's wife, how are you?"
Seeing that Zhu Jiaojiao did not respond, everyone realized that she had fainted.
An older woman shouted to Yu Rujia, who was watching the melons a little further away, "Yu Zhiqing, Yu Zhiqing, come and take a look! Old Wu's family has fainted."
Yu Rujia stepped forward, took Zhu Jiaojiao's pulse, and said, "Sister-in-law Zhu is so angry that she has suffered a heart attack. Quickly lay her flat on the ground, and the onlookers should move away to give her more space and keep her breathing unobstructed."
After placing her on the ground, Yu Rujia pressed several acupoints on her to help her breathe. After a minute or two of this, Zhu Jiaojiao regained some consciousness, but she was still not fully awake.
Wu Yuanyuan was terrified. She never imagined that a few words could make her usually domineering mother faint. She felt a moment of regret.
When Zhu Jiaojiao regained consciousness, Wu Yuanyuan's conscience kicked in, and she rushed to Zhu Jiaojiao's side, anxiously asking, "Mom, Mom, how are you? Yu Zhiqing, is my mom alright?"
The older woman who had just helped Zhu Jiaojiao said, "You still know how to care about your mother. The things you just said made us all want to hit you, let alone your mother."
"She didn't die of anger on the spot because Yu Zhiqing was here, otherwise you would be collecting your mother's body right now."
Another older woman spat and said, "If I had a daughter like you, I would have drowned her long ago. I'd even prepare a hundred yuan dowry for you. Dream on! Even a heartless wretch like you is so ungrateful."
"That's right. Old Wu's family is so sincere, but they've encountered such a clueless daughter. If she goes there, it would be a terrible injustice."
"Hopefully, this incident will make the Wu family more aware of their situation. Daughters are meant to be married off anyway. Why put in so much effort only to have them not appreciated and treated as enemies? What's the point?"
The sound of people cursing Wu Yuanyuan filled the air, making her feel guilty, but she also had a vague feeling that if her mother had gone along with her wishes and let her marry Zhou Likang, none of this would have happened.
All of this is not her fault alone; her mother's stubbornness also plays a part. We can't blame everything on her.
The two voices kept switching back and forth in Wu Yuanyuan's mind, making her lose all interest in Zhu Jiaojiao.
Upon receiving the news, Wu Dazhu rushed over and saw his wife lying on the ground, her life hanging in the balance, while his daughter squatted to the side, lost in thought.
Wu Dazhu hurriedly squeezed into the crowd and squatted down next to Zhu Jiaojiao: "Yu Zhiqing, how is Jiaojiao?"
Yu Rujia: "My sister-in-law is fine now, but we can't upset her anymore. You should be more careful when you talk to her."
Upon hearing this, Wu Dazhu stood up and slapped Wu Yuanyuan hard across the face: "What has your mother ever done to offend you that you're making her faint?"
Wu Yuanyuan's face turned to the side after being hit. Facing Wu Dazhuang's murderous gaze and the pointing and whispering of the people around her, she couldn't bear it and ran away.
Wu Dazhu was so angry that his chest heaved, and he could not speak as he pointed in the direction Wu Yuanyuan had run away with one trembling hand.
An older woman advised, "Dazhu, don't worry about Yuanyuan for now. Jiaojiao hasn't woken up yet. Take her back and settle her in properly. We can't let her get upset anymore."
Yu Rujia: "This aunt is right. It's too hot here, which is not good for Sister Zhu's recovery. You should take her back and find a cool, well-ventilated place for her to lie down."
Wu Dazhu: "Thank you, Yu Zhiqing. I'll take her back now. I'll send you the medical fee later."
Zhou Likang came to see Wu Yuanyuan this time to ask her to persuade her family to help him get the teacher's position. Unexpectedly, before he could bring it up, Zhu Jiaojiao caught him red-handed.
Zhou Likang cursed Wu Yuanyuan in his heart for being too stupid, acting like a coward all the time, agreeing to whatever she said.
She actually broke off relations with her parents at such a crucial moment. Does she think she's some kind of precious treasure? It's only because her family treats her like a treasure that she's nothing without them.
Amidst the strange looks from the crowd, Zhou Likang turned and left expressionlessly.
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