The sisters probably knew what their younger brother usually did.
They knew very well that the reason they could avoid being mistreated in their marital homes and still live reasonably well was because of this capable younger brother from their maiden family.
Li Yumei and the others exchanged glances. After steeling themselves, they spoke up.
“We’ll pay. We’ll compensate for the money!”
But they knew that things would probably be difficult for them when they returned home.
From now on, it would be better for them to stay out of Qiao Nian’s affairs as much as possible.
As soon as the Li sisters finished speaking, the people surrounding them immediately erupted in discussion.
“See? I told you there were plenty of problems in the Li family. And now, the people involved themselves have admitted it! Dazhuan’s new wife has only been in the family for two days, and look at what they’ve already driven her to!”
“Exactly. In this Li family, if you don’t stand up for yourself, they’ll chew you up until there’s nothing left!”
“Isn’t that the truth? If this new wife hadn’t insisted on reporting it to the police, wouldn’t the blame for the stolen money have ended up on her?”
“Even a rabbit will bite when it’s cornered. Sister Yumei and the others really went too far.”
Qiao Nian stopped making a scene, but Wang Xiuying’s face flushed with embarrassment as she listened to everyone around them commenting one after another.
She hurriedly said a few words and sent everyone away.
Qiao Nian looked at the house, which was now mostly empty. Even the air seemed fresher. She said, “Mom, how much money was lost altogether? That way, the sisters can pool their money and pay it back.”
Wang Xiuying glared at her. “You know perfectly well whether you took it or not. Stop dragging this out endlessly.”
Qiao Nian refused to let it go. Her smile became even brighter.
“Mom, look, you’re accusing me again. If that’s the case, why don’t we just report it to the police?”
Seeing Wang Xiuying’s face darken even further, Qiao Nian continued, “Mom, I know you care about your daughters, but you should also think about Dazhuan. If Dazhuan finds out that you gave so much money to your daughters, he might become estranged from you.”
Qiao Nian’s words completely destroyed Wang Xiuying’s intention of letting the matter end there. They also prevented Wang Xiuying from secretly returning the money later.
When Li Yumei and her sisters had previously said they would compensate for the money, all of their husbands except Li Yuzhu’s, who was absent, had looked extremely unhappy.
Perhaps because of Li Dazhuan, they had not stopped their wives, but it was obvious that they were not pleased either.
Wang Xiuying was so furious that her body trembled. That was a huge amount of money!
She pointed at Qiao Nian, her eyes bloodshot.
“I’m still here! Our Li family has no need for you to call the shots!”
Thinking about everything that had happened over the past two days, she firmly declared, “Divorce! I want Dazhuan to divorce you! I want the Qiao family to return the bride price! Get out of here! Your Qiao family deceived us into this marriage!”
When the matchmaker introduced the girl, they had said she was the kind of person who could not say a word even if you hit her three times. She was hardworking, timid, and very easy to control.
Her own father, Qiao Weiguo, had personally said that they would give five hundred yuan plus a job, and afterward, whatever happened to her in her husband’s family would have nothing to do with them.
So this was the girl who supposedly couldn’t say a word even after being hit three times?
All Wang Xiuying saw was a sharp tongue and someone who completely turned the natural order upside down.
On the very first day she entered the family, she sent her husband to the hospital. After beating the child, she beat her sister-in-law. After beating her sister-in-law, she beat her mother-in-law. And on her second day in the family, she even stole six thousand yuan from her husband’s family!
The more Wang Xiuying thought about it, the angrier she became.
Her family absolutely could not afford to keep a woman like this!
They couldn’t beat her, so they would divorce her!
They absolutely had to divorce!
What a bully who only dared to be tough with the weak!
Qiao Nian cursed inwardly.
“Divorce? Why should I divorce?” Qiao Nian sneered. “You turned me, a perfectly respectable unmarried young woman, into a divorced woman. Do you think I’m someone you can take whenever you want and throw away whenever you please?”
Qiao Nian gave a cold laugh.
“I’m eating and drinking well in the Li family. When I’m in a bad mood, I can even beat the children to vent my anger. Isn’t this a wonderful life? Why would I want a divorce?”
Wasn’t this exactly how they had treated her in her previous life?
How come they couldn’t stand it once they were the ones being beaten?
Wang Xiuying felt her temples throbbing violently. Her vision kept going dark, and she was breathing heavily, unable to speak.
Seeing her like that, Qiao Nian took a step back.
Could she have become so angry that she was about to suffer a stroke, just like Old Man Li?
That would be wonderful!
No matter how angry Li Yumei and the others were, they couldn’t just stand by when they saw their mother like this. They hurried over and patted Wang Xiuying’s back, helping her catch her breath.
After a while, Wang Xiuying finally spoke.
“I’m going to find your parents! I want to ask them exactly how they raised their daughter!”
Qiao Nian’s eyes lit up.
“Good! Go ahead! Go right now! And while you’re there, make sure you ask them to return the bride price!”
It would be even better if they could get into a fight.
The more badly they fought and the more both sides suffered, the better.
Wang Xiuying was momentarily speechless, but then she became energized again.
That’s right.
She would go to Qiao Nian’s parents and demand the bride price back. Then she would find a way to get a divorce.
Wang Xiuying was so excited that, for a moment, she even forgot that her son was lying in the hospital.
Just as she was about to leave, Qiao Nian stopped her.
“One thing at a time. Let’s settle the current matter first. The sisters still haven’t compensated me.”
If they didn’t compensate her, did they think she was made of mud?
Was she supposed to let anyone come along and step on her whenever they pleased?
Qiao Nian repeated the same thing over and over:
“If you don’t compensate me, I’ll report it to the police.”
Wang Xiuying’s face became so dark it looked as though water could drip from it. She could only look at her daughters for help.
In the end, Li Yumei and the others each gave Qiao Nian one hundred yuan, and the matter was finally settled.
Each of them placed ten large bills on the table, then left with grim expressions.
Li Yumei was completely heartbroken and felt so wronged that she wanted to cry.
Did her mother really not know whether they had taken the money or not?
She had said they would compensate her, but once everyone had left, she never expected her mother to actually make them pay!
Her mother had called them here in the first place.
Now look what had happened.
Not only had they failed to teach Qiao Nian a lesson, they had instead ended up with the reputation of being thieves.
And the worst part was that they hadn’t even gotten the money.
Instead, each of them had lost another one hundred yuan.
She finally understood.
Her mother never thought about them at all.
They had to pay the money themselves—one hundred yuan each, which was equivalent to three months of their wages.
Had their mother ever thought about how they were supposed to explain this when they returned to their husbands’ families?
Had she ever thought about whether their mothers-in-law would make things difficult for them?
Wang Xiuying watched as her daughters left after throwing the money down, their faces dark with resentment.
An unnamed anger burned inside her even more fiercely.
They were all useless!
Not only had they failed to teach Qiao Nian a lesson, they had instead caused her to lose so much money.
Besides, what’s wrong with making them pay some money?
She was their own mother, and Dazhuan was their own younger brother!
If they didn’t pay the money, were they just going to stand by and watch Dazhuan get sent to prison?
Why were they all so selfish?
Besides, if Dazhuan, their younger brother from their maiden family, became successful, wouldn’t they have someone to rely on as well?
They were all so short-sighted.
Qiao Nian watched as the mother and daughters became estranged over those four hundred yuan, and she was secretly delighted.
Looking at Wang Xiuying, she continued to stir things up.
“Mom, weren’t you going to find my parents? Are you still going?”
“Of course I’m going! Why wouldn’t I?”
Wang Xiuying was already bursting with anger and had been looking for somewhere to vent it. She had originally planned to call several of her daughters and sons-in-law along, but now that those ungrateful brats had all left, she would go by herself if necessary!
The Qiao family had clearly deceived them into this marriage. They had deliberately sent such a vicious woman over, and they obviously had never had good intentions.
She refused to believe there was nowhere she could go to seek justice!
“Mom, Mom, wait for me! I’ll go with you!”
Seeing Wang Xiuying push her bicycle away, Qiao Nian quickly mounted another bicycle and chased after her.
How could she possibly miss out on such an entertaining spectacle?
The Li family had become boring after these past two days. It was just the perfect time to change battlefields.
Between these two families, every single one of them could forget about giving her an easy time!