Chu Yu gave Chu Xiang a wink, and Chu Xiang obediently went to the back.
Deng Fangping berated Zhou Fangchun harshly. Zhou Fangchun considered herself an official's wife, and everyone treated her politely outside. Only Deng Fangping, this country bumpkin, dared to swear at her!
"Chu Yu's aunt doesn't say that. There's nothing in the world that can't be solved."
Zhou Fangchun looked around. Shu's Roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) shop was more upscale than other small shops, but it was still just a small storefront, incomparable to the restaurants and star-rated hotels in Deyang. What future could a place like this have?
Shu Hui must be living a very difficult life working here. Zhou Fangchun smiled and took out a wad of cash and put it on the table.
Deng Fangping raised an eyebrow, picked up the money, and counted it carefully.
"Wow, 2000 yuan! You're really generous! What do you want to buy with this money? Buy our Chu Xiang's manuscript? Buy our whole family to shut up? Your daughter can't write a book, so she steals and robs. The people from the publishing house set us up and changed Chu Xiang's manuscript to your name. You're shameless!"
These words were harsh, and Zhou Fangchun was furious, wishing she could slap her. But if this matter wasn't handled properly, it wouldn't look good if the Zhou family made a scene.
“Auntie, I didn’t mean it that way at all. It was my son Mao Xia who made a mistake. But what’s done is done, so we have to find a way to resolve it, right? The royalties are only 200 yuan. I’ll give you 2,000 yuan, enough for Chu Xiang and her sisters to live on for a few years. I’m doing this for the child’s own good. Don’t get the wrong idea.”
"Pah! Our family doesn't lack this little bit of money, and we won't bow down to someone like you for money."
Shujia Roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) shop is booming, earning several thousand yuan a month, so it's normal that they don't care about 2,000 yuan.
Zhou Fangchun smiled and took out another 2,000 from her bag.
“Sister-in-law, here’s 4,000 yuan. I’m not trying to be mean, but how many years would it take you to earn that much? We were in the wrong, but you have no proof, do you? To put it bluntly, if you don’t want this money, you won’t even get this much. We’ve already spoken to all the relevant departments, and if you try to cause trouble, no one will listen to you. If things really come to a head, with our family’s connections in Deyang, you can forget about doing business.”
Zhou Fangchun was unaware that both Mandarin and Xibao belonged to Chu Yu.
She thought that Shu Aiguo, who sold roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) in Deyang, was a coward at heart. Who would risk his own safety to seek justice for a relative?
Whenever interests are involved, Shu Aiguo and Deng Fangping become afraid and ask Chu Xiang to settle things peacefully, persuading Shu Hui to accept the 4,000 yuan.
Deng Fangping sneered:
"You're utterly shameless! You've done wrong and don't know how to repent, so you try to bribe us with money, and then threaten us when that fails! Yes, your Mao family is impressive, holding positions of power in Deyang that ordinary people like us can't compare to! But I don't believe your Mao family can control everything in Deyang. Is there no justice in this world? At worst, we'll fight to the death. I want to see who dares to be your protector and back you up!"
Deng Fangping was practically Chu Yu's mouth double; in this kind of situation, it was more appropriate for the elders to speak than her.
Zhou Fangchun trembled with anger, "You...you...how dare you talk to me like that!"
"Oh, you really think you're someone important? What's wrong with me talking to you like this? With your attitude, it's beneath me to even talk to you. You're in my own home, yet you try to put on airs. You're so spoiled!"
"Fine, you really don't know what's good for you. The royalties for that book were only 200 yuan. The money I gave you was enough to publish 20 books, and you're still not satisfied," Zhou Fangchun stood up and angrily stuffed the money into her bag. "If you don't want the money, then go ahead and make a scene. The book has Mao Xia's name on it, so it was written by Mao Xia. I want to see what you can do to prove that this book was written by Zhou Chuxiang!"
Zhou Fangchun did something wrong, yet she was so self-righteous. Shu Hui only regretted that she was powerless to stand up for Chu Xiang. Zhou Fangchun was right; she had no power or influence and could not fight back at all. Even if she said that the book was written by Chu Xiang, would anyone believe her?
The newspapers and procuratorate in Deyang will not speak up for her.
The people at the bottom will never have a voice.
Shu Hui knew all of this.
Zhou Fangchun thought to herself, she had already said so much, if Shu Hui was smart enough, she should negotiate with her instead of letting her slam the door and leave.
"A poor person is a poor person, they have no brains at all. They won't take so much money from her, she deserves to be poor for the rest of her life!"
Mao Xia came up to her and, upon hearing these words, knew that Chu Xiang had not agreed to a reconciliation. People who do bad things feel guilty. Mao Xia enjoyed the envy and jealousy of her classmates at school, and enjoyed everyone's attention and praise, but she was also uneasy, fearing that someone would expose her behavior and cause her to fall from grace.
"Mom, you won't even settle for 4,000 yuan? Should we add more?"
“It’s not about the money. This family is so stubborn. They won’t settle no matter how much money they offer,” Zhou Fangchun said, still angry. She took a few steps to comfort Mao Xia. “Don’t be afraid. They have no power or influence. What waves can they make? We have the Qiu family backing us up. We can’t be afraid of them! By the way, have you finished reading that book? Have you memorized all the characters in it?”
In the end, this kind of thing will definitely lead to a standoff between the two sides. As long as Mao Xia can memorize the characters and plot of the book and withstand questioning, there will be no way to prove that the book was written by Chu Xiang.
Even if Chu Xiang provides more information than Mao Xia, it won't make a difference. Courts judge cases based on evidence, and as long as Secretary Zhao doesn't admit it, Chu Xiang is helpless.
Mao Xia nodded, then said nervously, "Mom, I've watched it several times, and I can even recite the important parts by heart. I don't know if it'll still work."
Mao Xia received the manuscript from Secretary Zhao and has been reading it ever since. She has read it dozens of times and has to admit that the book is very well written. Chu Xiang's writing style is not mature enough, but it has a kind of simple and lively quality. The spiritual energy that comes out of the book makes her jealous.
Mao Xia imagined herself as the author, explaining why she created the characters and how she arranged the plot. She memorized the entire text like a Chinese textbook. Eventually, she became so familiar with the book that she began to accept the script that Zhou Fangchun had arranged for her.
She is the author of this book. Without her, this book could not have been published. What right does Chu Xiang have to blame her?
"It's good that you can memorize it. Don't panic, your parents will support you."
Zhou Fangchun's words relieved Mao Xia.
"By the way, a TV station is coming to interview you the day after tomorrow. This is a big deal, so you must be careful and not give anything away. Once you're on TV, you'll be the face of Deyang. You're so beautiful, no matter Chu Yu or Chu Xiang, no one can compare to you."
Mao Xia nodded. Her family had paved the way for her; all she had to do was follow it. That was the difference. No matter how good Chu Yu's grades were, without her family's support, she could only endure Mao Xia's criticism and be trampled under her feet.
No sooner had Zhou Fangchun left than news came from the Luo family that Luo Kangcheng seemed to have run into trouble.
"Could it be that Luo Kangcheng is gone?" Deng Fangping muttered.
If that were to happen, how could Uncle Luo and Aunt Zeng bear it? They only have one son, Luo Kangcheng. Even after caring for him for several years while he was in a vegetative state, it was better than him being gone. At least they would have something to remember him by.
Shu Hui helped the elderly couple take care of Luo Kangcheng for several months. It would be a lie to say that she wasn't moved at all. Humans aren't plants or trees. When the person she was taking care of passed away, her eyes welled up with tears. She felt that the world was really unfair. Why didn't good people live long?
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