Someone standing nearby couldn’t help but say, “A mother would naturally panic when she sees her own daughter being beaten. Shufen may usually be a bit fiery, but she truly dotes on her daughter.”
“That’s true. Xia Wan, as the sister-in-law, you were in the wrong here. No matter what, you shouldn’t have laid hands on your sister-in-law.”
Xia Wan sat on the ground, sobbing in grievance. Her slender body trembled slightly, and the way she cried like pear blossoms drenched in rain made even those who had been criticizing her fall silent.
“Aunties, do you really think I would dare to hit my sister-in-law in this household? The injuries on her face saying she hit herself would be more believable than saying I did.”
Seeing that Xia Wan had lost her earlier domineering air, Lu Hongmei snapped impatiently, “Stop pretending! Weren’t you just now chasing my mother and me with this rattan stick and beating us?”
A trace of cunning flashed through Xia Wan’s eyes. She lifted her head and looked at her with a darkened gaze. “Words alone mean nothing. Since you say I beat you, why don’t you show everyone the injuries I supposedly gave you?”
A confident smile curled at the corner of Lu Hongmei’s mouth.
Xia Wan had struck her more than a dozen times with the rattan stick earlier. Every blow had hurt so badly it felt like her skin was splitting there had to be obvious marks left behind.
Xia Wan, you’re finished today!
Lu Hongmei grabbed at her clothes, but her hand froze.
She suddenly realized something and hurriedly pulled up her sleeve, revealing fair skin—there wasn’t a single mark on it.
“How could this be?”
She rushed over and tugged at Yang Shufen as well, only to find that the shriveled skin on her body was also completely unmarked.
Yet both of them were still in pain. Only then did they realize that the places where they’d been hit were all in private areas.
Lu Hongmei fumed, “Xia Wan! You’re despicable!”
“You bitch, you did this on purpose! I’ll beat you to death!”
She grabbed the rattan stick from the ground and tried to lash out at Xia Wan.
The aunties nearby quickly rushed over to restrain Lu Hongmei, and someone even confiscated the rattan stick.
“Hongmei, this is where you’re wrong. Not only did you hit Xia Wan, you even slandered her.”
Lu Hongmei’s chest heaved violently. Her sharp gaze looked as though she wanted to tear Xia Wan apart alive.
Yang Shufen remained silent at the side, her mind racing.
Although she didn’t have a good reputation among the neighbors, she had undeniably been beaten today. No matter what, she couldn’t let this bitch get away with it.
Yang Shufen suddenly plopped down on the ground and began wailing loudly:
“My poor son! He’s dead, and even his compensation money has all been taken over by this woman!”
“She didn’t even leave a single child for our Jingxing does that mean she’s going to take the money my son died for and give it to another man? My daughter only feels sorry for her brother!”
When Xia Wan heard the old woman bring up the compensation money, she immediately said sternly, “What I have in my hands is exactly the portion a martyr’s spouse is entitled to. As for the subsidy given to the family, I haven’t touched a single cent. Mother-in-law, the comrades who delivered the money personally handed that portion to you. This concerns the state—don’t spread nonsense.”
Yang Shufen’s wailing stopped abruptly.
The fury in her eyes turned into venomous resentment.
If those two men hadn’t insisted on personally handing the spouse’s share to Xia Wan back then, she wouldn’t have failed to get that money back.
At this moment, Su Lijuan, standing in the crowd, stared at Xia Wan in disbelief.
In her previous life, Xia Wan had already been beaten to death by Yang Shufen at this point so why was she still alive now?
Could it be that everything had changed because she had just transmigrated back and had Aunt Yang help her secure a job early?
Su Lijuan cast a cold, sinister glance at Xia Wan.
If Xia Wan didn’t die in this life, how could she end up with Lu Jingxing?
Su Lijuan stepped forward and affectionately supported Yang Shufen’s arm.
“Xia Wan, Aunt Yang is still your mother-in-law. How could you beat her so badly over a little compensation money?”
“She’s just a pitiful person. What’s wrong with yielding to her a bit?”
“Lu Uncle and Jingxing are both gone. As the daughter-in-law of their family, you should accommodate her more.”
Seeing Su Lijuan step in, Xia Wan’s anger flared.
In the original novel, the original owner had been beaten to death because of a conflict with her mother-in-law over Lu Jingxing’s compensation money.
Yang Shufen had always favored Su Lijuan anything good in the household was sent her way.
The original owner hadn’t wanted her mother-in-law to give that money to Su Lijuan for business, which was why she’d been beaten to death.
But in this life, the reason for her death had actually become the office job she’d secured.
It was obvious that Su Lijuan, the novel’s female lead, had already been reborn by this point and the job-snatching was clearly done at her instigation.
And this low-level white-lotus character dared to put on a performance in front of her?
Since she’d jumped out herself, Xia Wan would deal with her too today.
Xia Wan stood up and walked over to Su Lijuan, her voice choking with emotion. “Sister Su, this factory office job was something I earned by studying day and night and passing the exam myself. How could I bear to give it up?”
The people around them erupted in chatter.
One aunt muttered, “A job you passed an exam for can that really be given away? Hongmei is doing just fine working in the workshop, isn’t she?”
“Exactly! Hongmei even has a high school diploma, and she’s still young. She’ll definitely have other chances in the future!”
Xia Wan sighed softly in grievance. “My father is gone, and my mother has gone half-mad. She’s being supported by my uncle at my natal home. Who could I possibly go to for support?”
“I’m insignificant and weak. Even if I earned this job on my own ability, if my mother-in-law wants it, as a daughter-in-law I have to obey. Otherwise, wouldn’t people like you, Sister Su, drown me with your spit?”
“Fine then. Sister Su, since you want me to listen to my mother-in-law, and she insists I give this job to you then I’ll give it to you.”
When Xia Wan said this so casually, the people around them were even more stunned.
They had originally thought Yang Shufen was trying to snatch a job for her own daughter but it turned out she wanted Xia Wan to hand over the job she’d earned herself to Su Lijuan?
But Su Lijuan hadn’t even finished elementary school!
An aunt nearby had a son who’d taken the same exam but failed. She looked at Su Lijuan with clear disdain. “I thought you were trying to mediate just now, but it turns out you were the one stirring up trouble between this mother- and daughter-in-law?”
Su Lijuan completely ignored the aunt. When she heard Xia Wan say she was willing to give up the job, she couldn’t stop the smile from lifting the corners of her mouth.
Once she got this job, when Lu Jingxing came back and saw how hardworking she was, he would definitely fall in love with her.
Yang Shufen snorted coldly and looked at Xia Wan with satisfaction. “At least you know what’s good for you.”
Xia Wan fixed her gaze on Yang Shufen. “But I have one condition. I want to sever ties with you.”
“What? Sever ties?”
“No! If you move out, who’s going to do the housework?”
Yang Shufen shrieked sharply.
Xia Wan glanced sideways at Su Lijuan.
Upon hearing Yang Shufen’s refusal, Su Lijuan clearly grew anxious.
Xia Wan said calmly, “Then I won’t trade the job. From today on, I’ll still move out. With an office salary of thirty yuan a month, I can support myself. My husband is already dead anyway I’m just holding onto the title of being your Lu family’s daughter-in-law.”
Sure enough, Su Lijuan pulled Yang Shufen aside and anxiously whispered something to her.
Judging from her pleading look, she had clearly promised Yang Shufen something.
Yang Shufen walked back over, glaring fiercely. “Fine! Sever ties then! Saves you from taking our Lu family’s things and giving them to other men in the future! Since you want to leave, then Jingxing’s compensation money you must…”
“Jingxing’s compensation money must all be handed over to me.”