The Wang family became infamous, mainly because Huang Jinhua had made plenty of enemies and few friends. Now, the whole street was watching the Wang family’s misfortune unfold.
After listening to the neighborhood gossip, Lin Suyu felt a twinge of sympathy. Wang Shunfa’s reckless destruction of state property would cost money, but that was a small matter. Would he also need to do labor reform?
Should she get revenge? Retaliation might seem like kicking someone when they’re down. Should she take the Wang family’s money so that they couldn’t pay compensation, making their crime even worse…
Every action has its consequences, and the Wang family’s retribution was now her responsibility.
In the end, Lin Suyu stuck to her principle: she repaid grudges and returned favors. Since the Wang family was already unlucky, she wouldn’t feel guilty about taking a little compensation for herself.
Because Wang Shunfa had caused trouble and the family hadn’t divided their property yet, whether they wanted to or not, they had to act quickly, seeking connections and favors. If not, the outcome would affect the future of the entire Wang family.
At this moment, no one was guarding the Wang household, which made Lin Suyu’s plan easier. She quietly placed two ladders against the Wang family wall and nimbly climbed inside.
A quick scan with her mental power revealed exactly where Huang Jinhua kept the money. Lin Suyu slipped the handkerchief holding the cash into her space and exited the house the same way she came.
The whole process took less than three minutes. She left no trace and calmly went to the market to buy groceries.
Meanwhile, the Wang family went to the factory where the machines had been damaged, pleading with the director. Three generations begged the director not to send Wang Shunfa to labor reform. The director, seeing an opportunity, said that if the Wang family paid full compensation for the machines, the factory could issue a letter of understanding.
A letter of understanding? Huang Jinhua immediately turned her pleas toward her in-laws and her eldest and second uncles, focused on gathering money to pay the compensation.
“Father, Mother, please help Shunfa! With a letter of understanding, he won’t have to go to labor reform. He’s your grandson!”
“Daughter-in-law, what are you talking about? That’s 2,600 yuan. If we had that much, why would we still be crowded in this old compound?”
Before her in-laws could respond, her eldest sister-in-law shot back. She also wanted to use this opportunity to push for property division, though that needed her husband’s agreement and ideally the second brother’s.
“Eldest sister-in-law, there are so many of us earning money—if we all pitch in, how much more is needed? If it’s not much, I can borrow a little from my parents’ house.”
“What do you mean, Huang Shi? Your plan is too clever—you’re trying to calculate money from the in-laws and from the first and second branches as well?”
Now even the second branch’s wife couldn’t tolerate it and angrily confronted Huang Jinhua.
“Eldest, second sister-in-law, we can’t just watch him suffer! Let’s say this money is borrowed by our third branch, okay? Please help Shunfa!”
Huang Jinhua had no choice but to lower her tone and beg. Her in-laws looked reluctant but stayed silent—they knew the Wang family simply didn’t have the money to pay the 2,600 yuan.
“The factory’s solution has been explained. Go home and discuss it! I still have work, so I won’t entertain you any longer.”
The director, impatient with Huang Jinhua’s melodrama, dismissed them. If not for trying to recover some losses for the factory, he wouldn’t have even met them.
“Let’s go back and discuss!”
With the director gone, lingering was useless. Two factory guards entered, clearly signaling it was time for them to leave.
“Father, Mother, you go ahead. I want to stay and plead with the leaders.”
Huang Jinhua was trapped—if she pressed further, she could be accused of causing a scene. The guards would have thrown her out in minutes, and returning home offered no guarantee the Wang family would raise money to save Shunfa.
“Third Brother, take your wife home. Don’t stay here embarrassing us further.”
Huang Jinhua’s father-in-law, long-faced, spoke and led the family back. It was truly humiliating—the Wang family had such bad luck, marrying a daughter-in-law who only caused trouble.
Wang Shunfa caused chaos, and the head of the Wang family blamed Huang Jinhua. The first and second branches’ wives exchanged knowing glances. Having been co-sisters-in-law for over twenty years, a single glance conveyed their unspoken agreement.
The eldest sister-in-law wrote the character “分” (divide) on the second sister-in-law’s hand. She nodded in agreement, and the two went off to discuss matters with their own heads of household.
Twenty minutes on the road was enough for the first and second branches to arrange the property division.
Back at the Wang family’s large compound, before everyone had even sat down, Huang Jinhua and her family knelt before the elderly heads.
“Father, Mother, please save Shunfa!”
Huang Jinhua cried continuously, and her husband pleaded with sorrowful eyes.
“Eldest, second, what do you suggest we do?”
The father-in-law ignored Huang Jinhua and her husband. As the head of the family, he had to consider the collective interests of the Wang family and see the attitude of the first and second branches.
Hearing this, the eldest son realized he could no longer stay silent and carefully spoke.
“Father, Shunfa’s situation is serious. Our family simply doesn’t have the 2,600 yuan. My son Shunlin is engaged, and we can’t spare the money right now.”
The second branch’s son wasn’t willing to concede. Although they had fewer children, they refused to give money to the third branch, knowing it wouldn’t be repaid.
“Father, we’re powerless to help Shunfa. Our children are of marriageable age, and mishandling this could affect them. There are too many expenses in the future.”
Clearly, they were blaming the third branch. Huang Jinhua, sensing the subtle resentment from her eldest and second brothers-in-law, cried even louder.
“Father, please decide! We can’t just watch Shunfa suffer. If the household can spare the money, my second brother and I won’t make things difficult for you.”
The first branch acted diplomatically. Seeing Huang Jinhua’s growing resentment, he quickly added smooth words. Though he knew the family didn’t have enough money, and that the father couldn’t possibly use all their funds to save a “useless” grandson, he still spoke nicely.
“Old lady, check how much money our household has. Let’s calculate together.”
“I, as the head of the house, know that the most we have is about five or six hundred yuan. Now there’s just over six hundred. Third Brother, even if we gave all the money from our branches to your third branch, the remaining 2,000 yuan—who do you expect to find it from?”
Grandmother Wang bluntly stated the family’s finances and turned the question back on Huang Jinhua and her husband, making it clear they had no means to raise the remaining 2,000 yuan.
Every angle showed they weren’t unwilling to help—they simply didn’t have the ability.