Miao Cuihua's face stiffened, and she tried to smooth things over herself: "Look at you, child, you've been taken advantage of and cheated. We're just here to defend you! How can you not tell right from wrong? I told you before, a woman can't do without her family's support! Don't you see how true that is?"
"If you had a family to back you up, would that guy surnamed Gu dare to treat you like this? Even if you wanted to go back to the capital, you'd have to skin him alive first—"
Xu Ningyan scoffed, "Xu Zhenzhu does have a family, but when the Lu family bullied her, none of you stood up for her!"
At this point, she feigned sudden realization: "Oh, so you guys really stood up for her! You ransacked her house and kicked her out! The whole county knows about it! I wouldn't want family like that!"
Miao Cuihua's face turned green, and she awkwardly offered a few words of explanation: "Well, well, we can't afford to offend the Lu family! Besides, she did such a thing later, which implicated the family. Now, several marriages that the family had arranged have fallen through! It's good enough that they don't blame her!"
Wan Chunni took the opportunity to wipe away her tears and said, "That's right, you can't blame us! When she had a falling out with the Lu family, our family stood up for her! Who would have thought that the Lu family would end up like that! We helped her, but we didn't get any credit for it! Your brothers in the family have all been implicated by her and their reputations have been ruined. The marriages that were supposed to be arranged have all fallen through!"
"We finally see it now. Xu Zhenzhu is an ungrateful wretch! We've supported her for so many years, and when she got married, she promised to arrange jobs for everyone in the family. But it was all a lie! She's dragged our whole family down with her!"
"In my opinion, Xu Zhenzhu is the jinx that fortune teller was talking about, bringing misfortune to her father, her brother, and all men! All these years, we've been blinded by this jinx, Xu Zhenzhu, while we've mistaken you, Siya, the good girl who brings good fortune to the family, for a jinx. We've wronged you—"
"Siya, we were all deceived by her sweet talk. Now that Xu Zhenzhu has received her retribution, we know we were wrong to you before! But we're still family, aren't we? That's why we came to see you and see if there's anything we can do to help you. We also want outsiders to know that you have a family and support, otherwise, wouldn't you be looked down upon?"
Sure enough, among the Xu family's wives, Wan Chunni was the most shrewd and eloquent.
In just a few words, she shifted all the blame for the Xu family's previous mistreatment of the original owner onto Xu Zhenzhu.
He also wanted to use Gu Zhiyuan's return to the capital to get closer to him.
Xu Ningyan chuckled lightly, thinking it was a pity they had run into her; they had made the wrong decision.
"Oh, so how can you help me? What can I rely on? Tell me about it." Xu Ningyan was free anyway, so she wanted to hear what nonsense the Xu family was spouting.
Upon hearing this, Wan Chunni realized there was hope.
He immediately became excited and said, "We've thought about this. That guy surnamed Gu just packed his bags and ran back to Beijing. Good thing he ran fast! It'll probably be difficult for us to find him in Beijing, but his job is still at the machine factory, right? Let's go to the machine factory! Their leaders have to give us an explanation, right?"
"If we can't go to Beijing, then we'll force the factory leaders to go to Beijing! Why should that Gu guy just leave like that? Our daughter is a perfectly good young woman who has been living under the same roof with him for over a year. How will she face people in the future if he just runs away like this?"
"They have to pay compensation!" Miao Cuihua said through gritted teeth.
"Yes, we have to make that Gu guy pay! If he won't pay, we'll go to the machinery factory! They're the ones who work there! We know you're shy, Siya, and don't want to cause trouble! But we're here for you! This is the time for us, your family, to help you out! We'll all go to the machinery factory gate and make a scene. If they don't give us a satisfactory answer, we'll make a scene right there at their factory gate, even if we're not afraid of anyone!"
"If things get out of hand, let's see if their leaders will agree!"
This means they've already come up with a plan.
Xu Ningyan chuckled. The Xu family members were just like leeches, unable to bear the sound of water. As soon as they heard the slightest noise, they would swarm over, as if trying to suck the blood dry.
"Oh, so what kind of compensation are you planning to ask for?" Xu Ningyan asked with a smile.
Seeing that Xu Ningyan wasn't angry, Wan Chunni and Miao Cuihua were even happier.
They exchanged a glance: "Money!"
"Work!"
The two of them each gave their own answers.
After exchanging another glance, Miao Cuihua spoke first: "We need money! Take the compensation, and Grandma will save it for you. We'll find you a good husband and make a dowry for you! A woman needs to have money in her hands!"
Wan Chunni retorted, "We need jobs! Money disappears in no time! With a job, you have an income every month! Siya, think about it, if you have a job and give it to your brothers, they can give you half of their jobs every month. Not only will you have money every month, but your family will also be grateful to you. Isn't that more worthwhile than money?"
After saying that, she glared at Miao Cuihua, as if she didn't know. This old hag had given all her savings to Xu Zhenzhu's daughter, and now that Xu Zhenzhu had been sent to the Uyghur province for reform, the old hag had lost both her money and her lover.
That's why he wants money, so he can keep lording it over his family and controlling them!
Bah! What a wishful thinking! She won't let Miao Cuihua have her way!
Having been daughters-in-law of the Xu family for so many years, it's only now that this old hag has lost some of his power that their lives as daughters-in-law have become a little easier. If she were to have money in her hands again, they'd probably be controlled by this old hag for the rest of their lives!
Besides, if this job could be given to their eldest son, he would become a city dweller, have a job, marry a city wife, and the whole family could move to the city to enjoy a better life. Who would want to stay in the countryside?
Having dealt with her three daughters-in-law for so many years, how could Miao Cuihua not know what kind of people they were?
She knew perfectly well what Wan Chunni was up to.
Just as Wan Chunni thought, ever since Xu Zhenzhu got into trouble and was sent to the countryside for reform, her status in the Xu family has been declining, and her words no longer carry the weight they used to.
Firstly, Xu Zhenzhu no longer gave him confidence, and secondly, he really didn't have much money left.
The dowry money that Xu Zhenzhu's three sons gave her for her wedding was all taken back by the three brothers. They didn't give the money to her; they kept it for themselves.
Then, her eyes darted around. "Siya, don't listen to her sweet talk. This money is only yours once you have it in your hands. If you really need a job, you won't have it. They'll just be getting a free ride. She's all talk now, but once she gets the job, who will still care about you?"
Before Xu Ningyan could say anything, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had already started fighting amongst themselves.
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