It turned out the problem was with herself all along. She didn’t even know when she had exposed it.
At this moment, Mother Xu wasn’t so easy to fool. Seeing her daughter wearing long sleeves in the height of summer, she grew more and more frightened.
Her voice trembled.
“Ah… he didn’t hit you, did he?”
Her son-in-law looked like a good man. He shouldn’t be the type to hit someone. But now she couldn’t feel at ease about anything.
She insisted on checking personally.
Beside them, Xu Linye snorted coldly.
“If she got hit, she deserved it.”
With that sharp tongue of hers, if someone wasn’t going to hit her, then who would?
Xu Zhixia was speechless. She had indeed suffered some very forceful whipping.
Only the “whip” was not what they were imagining.
She was wearing long sleeves today because she had cut her wrist. If her mother saw it, she would definitely burst into tears.
Seeing Mother Xu reaching to pull at her clothes, she might as well reveal it herself.
Better than letting her mother see the cut on her wrist and get frightened again.
Embarrassed, she let her mother take a look at her neck.
“Xiuyuan hadn’t seen me for too long. He couldn’t control his strength for a moment, so I wore long sleeves.”
A rare trace of shyness appeared on her face.
When Mother Xu saw the marks on her neck, she felt a little awkward too. She was experienced how could she not know what those were?
It only meant her daughter and son-in-law had a good relationship.
Her tone carried a hint of delight.
“Who spread rumors that you two were getting divorced? Aren’t you doing just fine?”
After saying that, she lowered her voice so only the two of them could hear.
“You can’t always let him have his way in this matter. You have to take care of your own body.”
Men only care about their own pleasure. It’s common for women to be too embarrassed to speak up.
In the end, it would be her daughter who suffered.
Her daughter even had dark circles under her eyes she clearly hadn’t slept well.
Thinking of the difference in their physiques, she must have endured quite a bit.
Xu Zhixia nodded.
Xu Linye might not have eaten pork, but he had seen pigs run. He grew a little embarrassed too, and even felt ashamed it turned out she hadn’t been beaten.
If you asked him, his sister still deserved a beating.
Bai Jingya was even more furious.
Xu Zhixia clearly didn’t look like she wanted a divorce anymore, and she even shamelessly showed off affection at the dinner table.
Father Xu wasn’t comfortable talking about such matters, so he changed the subject.
Feeling a bit apologetic toward Bai Jingya earlier, he spoke to her gently.
“Are you adapting well to your new position?”
Bai Jingya nodded obediently.
“Thank you, Uncle Xu. This job is quite challenging. I really like it.”
Xu Zhixia didn’t intend to keep pretending. She let out a mocking laugh.
“It is quite challenging. When I begged Dad to find me an office job, he refused.”
“But he turned around and found one for you. Anyone who didn’t know better might think you were his biological daughter.”
Xu Zhixia’s job had been earned on her own an ordinary factory worker.
As for Bai Jingya, her position was a prized one in the factory an office clerk.
After saying that, Xu Zhixia stared at the two of them.
Their expressions didn’t change. Xu Zhixia made a preliminary judgment probably not an illegitimate child relationship.
Father Xu’s face showed only anger.
“What nonsense are you spouting again? You come back and the first thing you do is anger me. What kind of temperament does Jingya have, and what kind do you have? Could you even sit still in an office?”
Mother Xu said unhappily,
“I think Xiaxia is right. An office job is a formal position. If Jingya can’t manage, she should move into the factory dormitory.”
Bai Jingya tightened her grip on her chopsticks.
The factory dormitory had six people to a room you even had to fight for a turn to bathe.
How could it compare to the conditions here?
Besides, if she moved out, how would she continue showing everyone she had powerful backing?
But with both of them telling her to leave, no matter how thick-skinned she was, she couldn’t continue living there.
Tears streamed down her face as if they cost nothing.
“Brother Linye, Uncle Xu, I’ll move out right now.”
After saying that, she didn’t even finish eating. She ran upstairs crying.
Xu Linye was furious and said to Xu Zhixia,
“Look at what you’ve done. You’re about to tear apart a perfectly good family.”
Father Xu was also enraged and said to Mother Xu,
“Make a fuss, go on! She’s my benefactor’s daughter. Is this how you teach the next generation to repay kindness?”
It was already work hours; people were moving about outside.
The family was arguing so fiercely that curious onlookers even leaned in to see what was happening.
Xu Zhixia had almost finished eating. She wiped her mouth.
“Dad, have you taken a liking to Bai Jingya? Why are you protecting her so much?”
“You used to know what kind of temper I have, didn’t you?”
“Ever since she came, this house has been arguing every few days. She’s just staying here temporarily, yet what she eats, what she wears even her job is better than mine.”
“I also don’t understand. She’s a young woman of marriageable age. Her mother isn’t dead. Is it appropriate for her to live in a house with two grown men?”
Her words were like a thunderclap, leaving everyone stunned.
Even the gossipers outside gaped what had they just heard?
Father Xu was old enough to be Bai Jingya’s father, and there was such a thing?
Thinking it over, Xu Zhixia’s reputation hadn’t always been like this. It was only after Bai Jingya came.
Most of the family’s resources went to Bai Jingya.
Xu Zhixia’s reputation worsened, and her food and clothing allowances decreased.
Even this summer’s fabric coupons had gone to Bai Jingya.
Without some benefit, who would do such a thing?
If Factory Director Xu had taken a fancy to this young girl, that would explain it.
In an instant, what had been gratitude for kindness turned into something suggestive.
Father Xu’s face flushed red with anger.
“You! You unfilial daughter! Get out!”
Xu Zhixia stood up too and said calmly,
“I’m leaving.”
She had done it on purpose. Small quarrels wouldn’t drive Bai Jingya away. She would just cry a bit and come back.
If she was going to make trouble, she would make it thorough. As long as such rumors spread.
Regardless of whether anything had happened, as deputy director of the machinery factory, Father Xu would have to avoid suspicion.
The reason she hadn’t brought up Bai Jingya coveting Lu Xiuyuan.
First, she had no evidence.
Second, she didn’t want Lu Xiuyuan’s name entangled with a woman like that.
Mother Xu stood there stunned for a long time, recalling scene after scene from the past.
Indeed, ever since Bai Jingya arrived, their home had been full of quarrels.
As for whether there was anything improper between the two of them, she hadn’t noticed. It seemed she would need someone to investigate.
Her own father had been the previous director of the machinery factory. As an only daughter, she had many choices for marriage.
When she chose to be with Xu Shuisheng, who had nothing at the time, her father had opposed it.
Unexpectedly, she might have gambled and lost this man apparently had many hidden thoughts.
And she had been kept in the dark.
For a moment, she felt a mixture of emotions.
Seeing her daughter go upstairs, she followed to help pack up.
And also to ask whether she had any evidence about that matter between Father Xu and Bai Jingya.
As soon as Xu Zhixia entered her room, she pulled out her jewelry box. It was full of pendants and bracelets in dazzling variety.
It was 1982 now; dressing up openly was allowed. Perhaps because they had been suppressed too harshly in earlier years.
Now young people liked to pursue fashion.
They wore plenty of jewelry and bought plenty too.
Mother Xu had also generously given her the better-looking pieces left by her own parents.
Along with the bride price from the Lu family at the wedding, it amounted to quite a lot.
Xu Zhixia searched for a long time but couldn’t find the bracelet she wanted.
Her eyes flickered.
Could it be with Bai Jingya?
She walked straight toward Bai Jingya’s room.
Bang!
She pushed the door open directly.
Inside, Bai Jingya was dawdling while packing, still expecting Father Xu and Xu Linye to come apologize and perhaps give her some compensation.
Instead, she saw Xu Zhixia storming in like a fierce spirit.
She jolted in shock. The bundle in her hands fell to the floor.
“Y… you… what are you here for?”