Li Xiaohu lay across the top of the wall, happily cracking sunflower seeds while listening to the argument next door and grinning foolishly.
At that moment, Meng Yao’s voice came from behind him.
“Xiaohu, what are you looking at? Why are you smiling so happily?”
Li Xiaohu immediately jumped down and dusted the dirt from his clothes.
“Look, the people next door are arguing. It’s really entertaining.”
Meng Yao froze for a moment before realizing that he was referring to the commotion at the Meng residence.
The Meng family and the Qi family were truly a perfect match made in hell.
After all, both families had terrible reputations throughout Xiangyang District.
If either family tried to find another marriage partner now, it would be difficult to find anyone suitable.
In the end, this marriage arrangement probably would not fall apart.
However, their argument suddenly reminded Meng Yao that she had not yet returned the household registration booklet she had taken previously.
A thief might steal money, but no thief would take something as useless as a household registration booklet.
To prevent further trouble, Meng Yao decided to take advantage of the chaos and return to the Meng residence.
With that thought, she turned and started walking away.
“Sister Yao, where are you going?”
“To handle something important. Wait here.”
“…”
Meanwhile, the argument inside the Meng residence had become increasingly heated.
Li Yuqin’s shrewish behavior temporarily stunned the Qi couple.
They must have been blind back then to choose a family like this!
Seeing how unyielding the Meng family had become, Qi Shuai, who was accustomed to being flattered, angrily leaped from his chair.
“Meng Liangcai, you only own a tiny stone-processing workshop. The fact that our family even considered yours was already a blessing for you.
“Now you dare criticize and threaten us? Do you really think I, Qi Shuai, can be frightened so easily?”
Cold sweat poured down Meng Liangcai’s body.
It seemed that the marriage between the two families would truly be ruined today.
Bang!
The front door was forcefully pushed open.
Li Yuqin’s legs weakened for a moment. She thought the Qi family had failed to win the argument and had called people over to fight.
However, when she saw Meng Yao walking in from the light outside, the noisy room instantly fell silent.
Why had she come back again?
The Meng couple were the first to recover.
Remembering that their bodies still hurt from the beating the previous day, they instinctively shrank backward, turned their heads away, and remained silent.
Lin Xiuzhu also found it strange.
“Didn’t I hear that you had already severed ties with this family? Why are you here?”
The news of Meng Yao rescuing people from human traffickers had spread everywhere during the past two days, so Qi Shuai had naturally heard about it.
Had he known that this nameless adopted daughter would become so famous, he would never have agreed to replace her in the original engagement.
He regretted it deeply now, but it was already too late.
Meng Yao raised her eyes and made no attempt to conceal her disgust toward the Qi family.
“I was suddenly thrown out of the house without any money, so I came back to collect some belongings.”
Her gaze made Lin Xiuzhu uncomfortable.
They were not familiar with each other, yet Meng Yao looked as though she hated her intensely.
Ignoring everyone, Meng Yao headed directly toward the second floor.
As she passed Li Yuqin, she raised an eyebrow and asked, “You don’t have any objections, do you?”
The bruises beneath their clothes still throbbed painfully, sending a warning through the Meng couple’s nerves and reminding them not to act impulsively again.
They lowered their heads and remained silent.
“Since silence means permission, I’ll go upstairs now. Please continue.”
A mocking smile curled across Meng Yao’s lips, and triumph filled her eyes.
The Meng couple were furious but did not dare say anything.
Their cautious behavior seemed unbelievable to Lin Xiuzhu.
Were there truly parents in this world who were afraid of their own child?
Meng Yao first went upstairs and quickly packed her clothes.
Then she slipped into the small courtyard behind the kitchen and secretly moved all the chicks and ducklings into her spatial realm.
Afterward, she entered the Meng couple’s bedroom and returned the household registration booklet and the other documents to their original places.
Seeing that the cabinet door remained exactly as she had left it, she knew the couple had still not discovered that their valuables had been stolen.
Too many sudden incidents had occurred recently, leaving them with no time to react or process everything.
They had not taken a single word Jiang Jun said that day to heart.
How could something as significant as transferring a household registration be completed with only a verbal request?
However, none of that was her concern anymore.
Now that the Meng and Qi families had begun turning against each other, Meng Yao’s path of revenge had officially begun.
In the main hall, Meng Liangcai saw that the relationship between the two families had deteriorated this far and helplessly spread his hands.
“Since neither side is satisfied with this marriage, perhaps we should simply cancel it.”
He could think of another solution for the factory.
Besides, the family’s current financial situation had not yet reached the point of desperation.
Lin Xiuzhu suddenly raised her voice.
“Just cancel it? Then return the ‘deposit’ we gave you last time!”
What a joke.
How could money that had already entered their hands possibly be returned?
Li Yuqin planted her hands on her hips and shouted, “Get this straight. Your family is the one looking down on my daughter and refusing the marriage.
“And you still have the nerve to demand your money back?”
Moreover, it had only been a pitiful amount.
After the Qi couple left that day, Li Yuqin had eagerly opened the envelope.
Inside were bills of various denominations totaling 380 yuan.
No wonder the envelope had seemed thick. Aside from one ten-yuan note, the rest had all been small bills.
The matter had already made her furious, and now that it was mentioned again, her anger surged.
The Qi family appeared wealthy, yet they handled matters so miserably.
Or perhaps the Qi family had looked down on them from beginning to end and had deliberately humiliated them repeatedly.
Meng Liangcai nodded.
“Your son slept with my daughter. Everyone knows that.
“Now the marriage is being canceled, and my daughter’s reputation has been completely destroyed.
“We haven’t even demanded compensation, yet you shamelessly ask us to return the money. What kind of unreasonable logic is that?”
Lin Xiuzhu refused to back down.
“Heh. You know perfectly well how Xiaohai ended up sleeping with your daughter.
“Wasn’t it your family that invited him over and then arranged that disgusting incident?
“If necessary, we can call everyone here and explain the entire matter clearly.”
Li Yuqin, who had been full of confidence a moment earlier, immediately lost half her anger.
She guiltily looked away.
“In my opinion, you should return the money and settle this quietly.
“Otherwise, the Meng family will give the neighbors another scandal to enthusiastically discuss.”
At that moment, Meng Yao casually pushed aside the curtain separating the living room and stepped out.
She deliberately added fuel to the fire.
“Without this marriage, Meng Ying will have difficulty marrying while raising a child alone.
“And with Qi Yunhai’s infamous reputation, if this engagement is canceled, it will also be difficult for him to find another wife.
“There really is no need to make matters worse by forcing the two families together.”
Her words sounded like advice, but they actually humiliated both families so thoroughly that neither could raise their head.
Her true goal was not to separate them.
On the contrary, she wanted to provoke them into remaining bound together forever.
Sure enough, they immediately took the bait.
“You wretched girl! How can you speak like that?”
Lin Xiuzhu angrily pointed at Meng Yao and began scolding her.
“The Meng family truly raised you well. How could you say something so ill-mannered? When the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will naturally be crooked as well!”
Meng Liangcai became furious.
“What nonsense are you saying?”
Both families had been insulted, so why had the responsibility somehow fallen entirely on the Meng family?
Meng Yao continued adding fuel with an expressionless face.
“My adoptive parents said that apart from Yingzi, your Qi family will never find another woman willing to marry into it because Qi Yunhai was injured and is incapable of performing as a man.
“They also said Yingzi already has a child who can continue your family line, and your ancestors must have burned a great deal of incense for you to receive such good fortune.”
Qi Shuai’s face turned as black as coal.
Grinding his teeth, he roared, “Cancel the engagement! We must cancel it!
“Not only are we canceling it today, but you must return everything you swallowed!”
Although the Meng family no longer wanted the marriage either, they were furious that Meng Yao had fabricated those statements so openly.
They wanted to tear her apart on the spot.
However, they lacked the courage to attack her.
They wanted to accuse her of lying, but they had no evidence to refute her.
Now they had also completely offended the Qi family.
The best solution was to return the money immediately and drive all of them out of the Meng residence.
Meng Liangcai held his aching head and sat down.
He instructed Li Yuqin, who stood nearby, “Go return the money, then make them leave immediately!”
Li Yuqin shot them a venomous glare before turning and walking toward the bedroom.
A short while later, a terrified scream came from inside.
“Ahhh!”