When the matchmaker first arranged the marriage, Qiao Shanshan specially went to the city to take a photograph and gave it to Mother Qiao to send to Lu Yunzhou in the army.
When Mother Lu sent the letter, she forgot that Yunzhou didn’t have high requirements for his wife—as long as his mother approved, it was fine.
Yunzhou couldn’t tell Qiao Shanshan and Qiao Wanyue apart. Rural people often had several names, and he would never have imagined that the Qiao family would dare to swap brides.
In truth, this matter was partly her fault.
After the engagement was settled, she had suggested sending the household registration booklet in advance so the young couple could register their marriage first, then hold the wedding later.
If anything went wrong in between, it could be resolved in time.
She never expected the Qiao family to exploit this loophole.
Father Qiao wanted to gloss over the matter.
But Mother Lu would never agree.
Father Qiao’s face turned cold. “Then what does your Lu family want?”
Mother Lu let out a cold laugh. “Yang Huaiyuan and Qiao Shanshan divorce.”
“Impossible.”
Before Mother Lu could finish speaking, Qiao Shanshan shouted anxiously.
Father Qiao’s expression darkened further. “Shut up.”
“Your Lu family is going too far. Qiao Wanyue is the one trying to climb higher—what right do you have to slander me? For the sake of the reputations of both the Qiao and Lu families, I endured humiliation and married Brother Huaiyuan. Not only are you ungrateful, you even came to my house to cause trouble. Do you think the Qiao family has no one?” Qiao Shanshan spoke righteously.
Slap, slap, slap, slap, slap.
Before Mother Lu could speak, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Lu family rushed forward and struck Qiao Shanshan repeatedly.
Her delicate face immediately swelled into a pig’s head.
“You shameless bitch! How did my Yunzhou ever wrong you? Ever since the engagement half a year ago, he’s been sending you pocket money every month. You spent our family’s money, then turned around and married Yang Huaiyuan.
And you even cursed my Yunzhou to die—do you think the Lu family has no one?” The eldest daughter-in-law of the Lu family, still unsatisfied, kicked her a few more times. The villagers symbolically tried to stop her, but she shoved them away roughly.
“What nonsense are you talking about? When did I ever ask Lu Yunzhou for money?” Qiao Shanshan naturally refused to admit it.
The eldest daughter-in-law sneered. “Do you think we have no evidence? Before coming here, we already went to the post office and got the records.
Since the engagement, Yunzhou has sent you fifty yuan every month. Do you dare say you didn’t receive it?”
Qiao Shanshan’s eyes darted around.
That was something from before her rebirth.
What did it have to do with her now?
She stubbornly denied it.
But the eldest daughter-in-law wasn’t someone to be trifled with. She directly took out the receipts. Money collected at the post office required a signature, and the name “Qiao Shanshan” was clearly written in black and white.
There was no way for her to deny it.
The eldest daughter-in-law sneered again, sweeping her gaze across the Qiao family. A family of wolves and tigers. When her eyes landed on Qiao Wanyue, the girl stood neither humble nor arrogant behind her mother-in-law, her eyes sly, clearly calculating something.
But she wasn’t as detestable or ruthless as Qiao Shanshan.
If Qiao Shanshan had simply admitted she didn’t like Yunzhou and wanted to marry Yang Huaiyuan, the Lu family wouldn’t have clung to her.
Instead, she colluded with the Yang family, registered the marriage, and secretly handed her elder sister over to the Lu family as compensation—all without informing them. Even so, the Lu family wasn’t unreasonable.
If discussed properly, they might have agreed.
But that shameless woman, Qiao Shanshan, in order to curry favor with the Yang family, not only belittled the Lu family but also spread rumors everywhere that Lu Yunzhou would die in service, and that marrying into the Yang family was the wise choice.
Yang’s mother had spread nonsense in front of her own mother-in-law, who, unable to endure it, led people straight to the Qiao family.
The Qiao family had gone too far.
“Uncle Qiao, I’m Yunzhou’s sister-in-law. Logically, my mother-in-law and father-in-law should be the ones speaking, not me. But what your family has done is too much. Do you think the Lu family has no one?”
She stood in front of her mother-in-law with a cold face. “I know you’re the brigade leader, and your two sons are capable. But have you thought about it? Even if Yunzhou sacrifices his life, he is still a dignified hero.
If you bully others like this today, aren’t you afraid the army will come for you in the future? Can you protect your sons then?”
Every word struck like a hammer.
Father Qiao’s heart pounded.
“What nonsense are you talking about? What does this have to do with my sons? It’s Qiao Wanyue—” Mother Qiao lunged forward, trying to shift the blame again.
The eldest daughter-in-law dodged and kicked her in the chest. Mother Qiao flew back, spitting blood, her body swaying. The second daughter-in-law rushed forward like a madwoman upon seeing her mother-in-law beaten.
The eldest daughter-in-law wasn’t afraid.
She fought the two of them at once, completely dominating. One hand grabbed Mother Qiao’s hair, the other tugged the second daughter-in-law’s ear, dragging them along the ground while kicking their chests.
The two were beaten into a miserable state.
The villagers stared in shock. The seemingly gentle young woman had turned into a fighting machine—no nonsense, just action.
Seeing his wife beaten half to death, Qiao’s second son got up to fight, but the Lu family’s eldest son swung a stick without hesitation. One blow knocked him down.
Witnessing this, the villagers who had intended to help backed off immediately.
The Lu family’s combat strength was too fierce.
They couldn’t win.
Mother Lu looked at her son and daughter-in-law with approval, silently giving them a thumbs up.
Qiao Sheng rubbed his temples wearily.
“In-law, what exactly do you want today?”
Mother Lu replied, “Nothing much. Just have Yang Huaiyuan and Qiao Shanshan divorce.”
Qiao Shanshan’s face was swollen beyond recognition. Hearing this, she shouted indistinctly, “Dream on!”
Mother Lu revealed a sly, fox-like smile and looked at Father Qiao. “Daughter-in-law, don’t beat her to death.”
The eldest daughter-in-law immediately stopped.
She quickly stood up and returned to her mother-in-law’s side, as if she hadn’t been the one fighting just moments ago.
She tilted her head and gave Qiao Wanyue an honest smile, showing four front teeth.
After witnessing her fierce beating earlier, this simple smile made her seem like a completely different person.
Qiao Wanyue…
She twitched her lips and returned a friendly smile.
The enemy of her enemy was her friend.
Mother Lu curved her lips slightly and crouched in front of Qiao Shanshan.
“Shanshan, I won’t make things difficult for you. Just tell me the truth—is it Wanyue who likes Yunzhou, or do you like Yang Huaiyuan?” Her voice was extremely gentle.
Qiao Shanshan was stunned from the beating.
Her mouth was faster than her brain.
“Huaiyuan and I love each other. Don’t even think about separating us!”
Her voice wasn’t quiet—everyone in the courtyard heard it clearly.
At once, the way everyone looked at Qiao Sheng changed.
Qiao Sheng’s mind buzzed.
It felt as if the sky had collapsed.
Mother Lu had no intention of letting him off.