Yan Mo, who had just relaxed, felt her heart tighten upon hearing Zhang Qi's words.
Yan Mo invited Zhang Qi to sit down and said politely, "Sister-in-law, please speak."
Zhang Qi sat down and said slowly, "You married into the family late, so you might not be clear about the family's affairs. Before I married in, the Liang family already had a factory, which is now managed by my Eldest Brother and me. Although Eldest Brother and I manage it, Qingzhou also has a forty percent share just like us. Parents insisted that their retirement wouldn't cost much, so they only kept fifteen percent of the shares, and the remaining five percent were distributed to the old employees in the factory."
"I know about this." Yan Mo remembered her Mother-in-law mentioning it as soon as she heard the beginning, but she did not interrupt her Sister-in-law from continuing.
Zhang Qi nodded, "That's good. It's just that besides this dividend, Eldest Brother and I also receive a salary. Do you know about this?"
"I didn't know." Yan Mo said truthfully, "But this is nothing; you go to the factory every day, so it is only right to receive a salary."
Seeing that Yan Mo was so reasonable, Zhang Qi felt much more at ease and continued, "Actually, there is another matter. Previously, an order at the factory had problems, and a lot of money was lost this year. Qingzhou used his share of the dividends to fill the hole. You two just got married, and I was afraid that you might argue or get angry over this matter as newlyweds."
Yan Mo did not know what her Sister-in-law meant by this, so she listened silently without a word.
Zhang Qi added, "But don't worry, if the factory's efficiency gradually improves in the future, the dividends will continue as before."
At this point, Yan Mo understood; her Sister-in-law was giving her a preemptive warning, fearing that she, as the sister-in-law, would have an opinion if the dividends were less later on.
Yan Mo smiled slightly: "Sister-in-law, I understand what you mean. Qingzhou using his dividends to fill the hole shows he is considering the big picture. Moreover, this matter happened before our marriage, so it has nothing to do with me, and I have no say in it. You work hard for the factory, so it is only natural to receive a salary. I believe the factory has accountants and legal counsel, and the annual dividend ratio is definitely correct. I believe Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law will not treat me and Qingzhou unfairly."
Her implication was that even close relatives should keep clear accounts. Since her Sister-in-law gave her a preemptive warning, she also gave her Sister-in-law a reassurance, letting her know that she was not someone easily deceived. Even if she and Liang Qingzhou were to part ways in a year, she would not want to see Liang Qingzhou being schemed against by his older brother and sister-in-law.
Zhang Qi was very smart and immediately heard the sister-in-law's mix of praise and warning. Indeed, her sister-in-law was not a pushover. The look of astonishment that appeared on her face vanished in an instant, replaced by a barely polite smile.
"Alright, there is nothing else." Zhang Qi said as she stood up, "Then I will leave first."
Yan Mo followed her out of the bedroom, and her Sister-in-law truly said goodbye to her Mother-in-law.
Zhou Xiulan tried to persuade them to stay: "Stay and finish eating before you go! Your father bought two chickens."
"No, Mom! Xixi is still at my mother's house, and we agreed to go to my mother's house for lunch." Zhang Qi said as she walked.
"That's right, Mom, we won't eat at home today." Liang Qingyu also followed his Wife and was about to leave, "In the afternoon, the two of us still have to go to the factory."
Seeing that she couldn't keep them, Zhou Xiulan hurried to the kitchen and brought out a chicken, "Since you aren't eating here, take a chicken back to stew for Xixi in the evening."
"Alright."
Liang Qingyu did not stand on ceremony with his mother and left directly with a chicken.
At noon, before Yan Mo had even digested her breakfast, a large pot of old hen soup and a spread of meat and vegetable dishes were placed on the table.
Zhou Xiulan enthusiastically served a bowl of chicken soup to Yan Mo, "Momo, drink more chicken soup to nourish yourself. Look at how thin you are. The Doctor said that being overweight affects pregnancy, but being too thin is no good either."
"Thank you, Mom." Yan Mo said, her face already flushed red.
She glanced at Liang Qingzhou, only to see him looking indifferent, as if it had nothing to do with him, not even intending to look at her.
"Momo, don't take today's matter to heart." Liang Zhendong spoke up.
"It's fine, Dad." Yan Mo said very sincerely, "I am very grateful that you and Mom spoke up for me."
"Silly child, you married into our family, so we are one family. There is no way we would watch outsiders slander you and not defend our own family, even if they are relatives." Liang Zhendong said gently.
"Your father is right, we are a family now, and we cannot watch others bully you." Zhou Xiulan echoed.
Yan Mo felt moved again. She looked at Liang Qingzhou, only to see him still looking indifferent, calmly eating his meal.
After lunch, Yan Mo returned to her room as usual.
Although Liang Qingzhou's home was two hundred square meters, she only felt that Liang Qingzhou's room was temporarily hers.
Back in the room, Yan Zhiyuan's call came through, and he asked Yan Mo point-blank: "Have you seen the video online? That scumbag Zhang Zheng is slandering you everywhere. Momo, don't be afraid, Dad will find someone to delete the video."
"No need, Dad, Qingzhou said he would handle it. I'm fine; Zhang Zheng is just unbalanced because he had to pay back the money." Yan Mo comforted her father, "Believe me, I haven't been bullied since I grew up. Zhang Zheng just didn't get his way and wants to gain some verbal advantage."
After hanging up the phone, Liang Qingzhou happened to open the door and enter at that moment.
Yan Mo was not sure if he had heard the conversation with her father. The two of them remained silent until they went to sleep in the evening, when Liang Qingzhou said lightly, "The video matter has already been handled."
Yan Mo did not expect Liang Qingzhou to be able to handle the video in less than a day. She was puzzled: "How did you handle it?"
"Open your mobile phone and see for yourself." Liang Qingzhou said in a low voice.
Yan Mo opened her mobile phone and found the video she had bookmarked earlier; it seemed to still be there.
She opened the comments in confusion and saw that Zhang Zheng had posted a new comment at the top, apologizing for his slander against her and clarifying the content he had previously stated.
The netizens below soon exploded, unanimously criticizing Zhang Zheng, with the screen filled with the word "scumbag."
Yan Mo was pleasantly surprised and looked up at Liang Qingzhou, her eyes full of curiosity: "How exactly did you make him apologize and clarify?"
Liang Qingzhou sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Yan Mo, and said calmly:
"His mother is my older female cousin, and it just so happens that she works at the factory, so I called her. Naturally, she was afraid of losing her job. Plus, Zhang Zheng was afraid that if the matter escalated, it would be detrimental to him, so he obediently apologized. I originally wanted him to delete the original video and post a new one apologizing to you and clarifying the truth, but I ultimately felt that the original video had high traffic, and commenting on it would have a better reversal effect. In two days, this video will be completely deleted, and no one will say anything about you again."
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