Zhang Xinhua's words were true; her mother-in-law, Li Xiuying, and Zhao Meiyun were only distant relatives. Although they lived in the same village, they had always lived separate lives, and everyone knew what kind of life they had lived before, so naturally no one wanted to rush over to claim kinship.
Things are different now. After Shen Ying became successful, Jiang Yu also started to see the light. Not only did she open a clothing store in the city, but she also brought her sister-in-law along to earn money.
She hadn't heard Jiang Yu say that she was going to let Shen Wan run the clothing store. She came over now to urge the mother and daughter to take over the store so that she could hire her to work there and save them from fighting at home every day.
She had already found out that there were plenty of women working in the city who wore Western-style dresses and leather shoes.
"Whether you'll harm me or not is hard to say, but I know all about how you harmed my eldest grandson before. We see each other all the time, so don't treat everyone like fools. From now on, come to our house less often."
Zhao Meiyun picked up the dough from the basin and slammed it on the wooden board with a loud thud, startling Zhang Xinhua so much that she almost screamed.
"Auntie, are you misunderstanding something? Everyone knows that Jiang Yu, that little hussy, seduced the educated youth and cuckolded Brother Shen Ying a few years ago. How long has it been? You've already been bribed?"
And those two children, who knows, they might not actually be yours. No matter what, Shenbo should call you Great-Aunt, and in a few years, he'll be able to take care of you.”
Zhang Xinhua was smug and unrestrained in her speech. She had shown her sincerity to this extent, so what more could she ask for?
"Bullshit! Zhang Xinhua, you tiger woman, have you lost your mind? You dare to say anything. Get out of here right now, you're not welcome in our house."
Enraged, Zhao Meiyun grabbed a broom from the doorway and started hitting Zhang Xinhua, who couldn't dodge and took several blows. She ran outside cursing, thinking that this old hag deserved to be bullied to death.
Why bother going back to the village if you're so capable? You might as well just die out there.
The family of three, who had just stepped outside the gate, heard cursing coming from inside the house. Without thinking twice, they rushed inside. They happened to run into Zhang Xinhua, who had been kicked out of the house.
Zhao Meiyun was so angry that her face turned red. She swung the broom, hitting and cursing as she did so. Shen Ying quickly put down what she was holding and stopped her mother.
"Zhang Xinhua, what are you doing here?"
Jiang Yu had never seen her mother-in-law so angry before, her face contorted with rage as she questioned her. This woman had definitely done nothing good; to be precise, she had never done anything good.
"I'm... visiting someone's place."
After learning about her abilities, Zhang Xinhua became wiser. When facing the woman, she chuckled twice and then, taking advantage of the moment, ran away.
"Grandma, don't be angry. Dad bought lots of candied hawthorns for you."
Shen Suisui took the paper bag in her hand and stuffed it into Zhao Meiyun's hand. She calmed herself down and praised the child for being sensible.
After helping carry the purchased items into the house, Zhao Meiyun told the family about Zhang Xinhua's scheme. However, she didn't mention a word about the children's parentage, which Zhang Xinhua had mentioned at the end. The two children looked exactly like Shen Ying when he was a child; whoever spread such rumors was clearly just jealous.
Hearing a noise in the front yard, Shen Wan and Shen Niannian carried the cabbages they had dug up into the house. Seeing some candied hawthorns, Shen Niannian picked one up and couldn't wait to stuff it into her mouth.
For dinner, Zhao Meiyun made hand-pulled noodles with pickled vegetables; the taste was absolutely delicious.
The snow outside was falling heavier and heavier. After everyone had finished eating, they found that the snow was already above their calves. Shen Wan was glad that she and her mother had returned home, and that her sister-in-law had been so kind to them.
She didn't even dare to think about how she and her mother would survive in the factory if a snow disaster really happened.
'Knock knock knock.'
Halfway through the meal, there was a knock at the door. Shen Wan got up to open it and saw Song E, the village chief's wife, holding a letter for Jiang Yu.
When I walked over, I was covered in a layer of snow.
"Auntie, come in and sit for a while."
Shen Wan wiped her hands on her clothes, took the envelope, and extended a warm invitation. Song E waved her hand, glanced at the awful weather, and followed the footprints she had just left behind.
When Jiang Yu heard that the letter was addressed to her, she knew without guessing who the sender was. She opened the envelope and glanced at it; it was pretty much what Shen Ying had said.
“I heard from my coworkers at the factory that in previous years, when there were similar situations in other regions, they would give us several days' notice so we could prepare in advance. This time, the decision was made on short notice, and many people might think it's just a rumor and not take it seriously.”
However, most villagers had stored food rations, which should be enough to last them about ten days during the blizzard.
Shen Wan analyzed the situation while clearing away the dishes.
"I wonder if something really happened in the city."
Reminded by her words, Jiang Yu recalled the news she had overheard at the dried fruit shop and fell into deep thought.
"Recently, the mayor has been holding meetings with various leaders, busy arresting human traffickers."
Seeing everyone's confusion, the taciturn man revealed what he knew.
"Even if they were really catching human traffickers, they wouldn't miss such important information, would they?"
Shen Wan didn't understand. Even someone as clueless as her knew that each task was handled by the appropriate department. This kind of information, to put it bluntly, constituted dereliction of duty. Didn't the leader responsible for this information worry about being dismissed?
"The leader of the relevant department this time is Commander Bai's brother-in-law, so no one would dare to touch him if anything unexpected happened. Moreover, someone in the human trafficking organization has uncovered clues about when Commander Bai's daughter was stolen years ago."
The superiors dared not act rashly and could only wait for orders from their superiors.
If he hadn't bumped into Li Xue today, he wouldn't have known that Commander Bai actually had a daughter who had been kidnapped by human traffickers. As far as he knew, Commander Bai's current wife was his second wife.
Both children were born to the first wife. Currently, only the son is in school, while the daughter's whereabouts are unknown.
"Commander Bai's daughter, what a noble child she must be! How dare anyone make a move on her? They're practically throwing themselves to their deaths."
Jiang Yu was furious when she heard this, her clenched fists bulging with veins.
These criminals are openly challenging authority. If they dare to covet such high-ranking leaders, what about ordinary people without power or influence?
"So as his brother-in-law, upon learning of this important clue, he would definitely want to do everything in his power to investigate it. His current situation is not as good as before. If he can find his own flesh and blood, Commander Bai will be extremely grateful to him. Then he can walk around with his head held high again."
Shen Ying had heard some rumors while in the army, and combined with what had happened, he felt that his guess was pretty much right.
Jiang Yu hadn't thought about these things; she only remembered that the female lead had a connection with Commander Bai's family. However, the book didn't explain these plot points.
So, could the heiress who was robbed be the female protagonist in the story?
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