Mr. Tan sighed: "Even if there is such a person, it's not Cao Fang. I heard him say that before he married Jiang Shuya, he dated a girlfriend for three years. He didn't say who she was, and he didn't go into details about why they broke up. He just said that after breaking up with her, he often got drunk and didn't want to go home to face Jiang Shuya. Seeing how good and enthusiastic she was to him, Huang Minghao just couldn't be happy."
Wu Lan looked bewildered and sneered, "You men are really strange. You have such a beautiful woman, yet you still think about other women. You're worse than pigs and dogs. If you don't like her, why did you marry her? Aren't you just asking for trouble? Did you get your brain caught in a door?"
Mr. Tan grinned mischievously: "What if Jiang Shuya seduced him?"
Wu Lan rolled her eyes at her husband and pouted, "Then I disagree even more. Did she drug him or force him with a knife? He already has a child with someone else, and he's still so fickle. I don't believe that the child was born after Huang Minghao made a mistake once. Before Jiang Shuya had the child, she often came to my shop to buy things. I saw with my own eyes that she often had those red marks on her neck, and more than once. She was always very sensitive, afraid that I would look at her strangely. Later, she even covered them with a silk scarf. What else can you call that if not a hickey?"
Mr. Tan shrugged, his eyes drooping: "That's normal between husband and wife. Huang Minghao might just be saying it. Couples always have conflicts. The main thing is, you mustn't try to give Cao Fang any pep talks. Huang Minghao only feels disgusted by her, not a bit of affection. They're both from Xixia Village and were classmates. If they had feelings for each other, they would have been together long ago. Huang Minghao isn't the kind of person who's easy to please. He's a handsome guy, and he still can't forget his ex-girlfriend. Maybe he has some unspeakable secret."
Wu Lan was even more curious, so she leaned closer to him and whispered, "Do you think Huang Minghao had a child with his ex, or maybe he saw Jiang Shuya and thought she was prettier than his ex, so he dumped her, but then he realized his ex was better and regretted it?"
Mr. Tan hung his head and said in a deep voice, "As far as I know, Huang Minghao dated his ex for three years without ever touching her. In this respect, he is truly a gentleman who believes that one should not consummate the marriage until marriage. As for why he married Jiang Shuya, only Huang Minghao himself can answer that question."
Wu Lan listened with great interest and curiosity, and couldn't help but speculate: "Then there is only one possibility: Jiang Shuya is so beautiful that Huang Minghao fell in love with her at first sight, thus destroying their three-year relationship."
Mr. Tan clicked his tongue twice, clearly disagreeing: "Stop speculating here. Is it really appropriate for my wife and me to be discussing other people's private matters here? Huang Minghao is my brother, and I trust his character."
At this moment, Wu Lan glanced outside and, seeing that no one was looking into the store, whispered in Boss Tan's ear what Cao Fang had told her about the whistleblower.
Upon hearing this, President Tan was first surprised, then puzzled, and looked at Wu Lan to confirm, "Jiang Shuya reported Huang Tao!"
Wu Lan lowered her eyes and nodded in response, "Yes."
Unable to figure it out, the two looked towards Jiang Shuya's two-story house.
Jiang Shuya, having just finished showering, sat lazily in her room, head drooping, staring silently at the wad of cash in the envelope. She pondered whether to deposit it into her card or find a way to hide it somewhere. She searched upstairs but couldn't find a suitable place. Dejected, she could only put the money back into her bag and carry it with her every day. If Lin Moxiao ever appeared before her again, she would find a more appropriate reason to return it to him.
The rooms in the house are not safe at all. Her mother-in-law, Li Yuxiang, comes up and rummages through things from time to time. She can't be sure that her mother-in-law won't find the hidden places. Her mother-in-law knows this house better than she does.
The next morning
When I got up, I heard my mother-in-law and father-in-law arguing again downstairs. They were going on and on about how the Lunar New Year was less than ten days away, and they hadn't bought any New Year's goods yet. They needed money to cover the expenses, and since they hadn't prepared anything, my mother-in-law was very anxious. She asked my father-in-law for money for the New Year, but he looked worried and said he was willing but unable to afford it. He complained, "Where would I get the money? I only get that little salary from my job, and I still owe money. They won't let me in these past few days, saying they won't let me in until I pay them back. I'm trying to figure out a way."
Jiang Shuya, who was brushing her teeth and washing her face, couldn't help but laugh at this ridiculous reason. She couldn't help but sigh: What a weirdo! Getting into the mahjong parlor is more important to you than your ancestors. For this unique hobby, aren't you afraid of being drowned in gossip?
Outside the door, all that could be heard was the mother-in-law's loud voice shouting at the old man: "You only earn two thousand yuan a month and you only care about yourself. Do you still want this family? I wash your clothes every day, and you eat the food at home. How can you not give me a single penny?"
The old man, with a sly, lecherous face, pointed at his mother-in-law with one finger and snapped, "Fine, then you find a way to borrow two thousand yuan for me. I won't eat at home anymore, and I won't let you wash my clothes. I'll wash them myself, okay?"
Just then, the mother-in-law grabbed a mop from the doorway and started hitting the old man. The old man, quick-witted and agile, ran away in a panic and disappeared. The mother-in-law, panting heavily, saw Jiang Shuya come out carrying a bowl of rice noodles. With a sweet smile, she said, "Shuya, I've noticed you've been leaving early and coming home late these past two months. Are you very busy? How much do you earn a month doing that reselling business?"
Jiang Shuya had only told her about her personal shopping business before, without specifying how much she could earn per month. She just knew that the clothing industry has peak and off-peak seasons. Spring and summer are the off-peak seasons, while autumn and winter are the peak seasons. Especially in winter, as the year draws to a close, many people work hard all year and want to go home to reunite with their families. They will definitely treat themselves and usually spend money very generously. During the New Year reunion with their families, dressing smartly is both a matter of face and substance, and it also proves that they are doing well outside, so that their families have less to worry about.
Actually, she had already calculated that the money she had earned in the past two months, after deducting costs and delivery fees, should have exceeded ten thousand yuan. She sorted out her thoughts, pretended to be calm, and blurted out: "After deducting what I gave you and what I paid for raising Tangtang, there's not much left."
Hearing this, the mother-in-law sighed deeply, pursed her lips, and sat down on a chair like a deflated balloon. Watching her calmly feed Tangtang, she sighed silently, then said in a huff, "Then let's not celebrate the New Year at all. After the New Year, don't go to your parents' house to pay New Year's visits, and don't go to our house either. Keep your mouth shut and let them talk about it."
"Okay." Jiang Shuya replied without thinking.
Seeing this, the mother-in-law was so angry that her lips twitched. She stood up from her chair, snorted coldly, and went into the room.
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