Liu Chunhua’s eyes instantly turned sharp. “What did you say?”
Jiang Zao told her everything that had just happened.
“The people from the research institute sent her to the police station. If my dad finds out, do you think he’ll blame me?”
Jiang Zao’s father, Jiang Dashan, was a man with a strong patriarchal mindset and a deep sense of responsibility toward his younger brother, Jiang Dahe.
He had repeatedly taken things from their home to support Jiang Dahe. If he found out that Jiang Dahe’s only daughter had been taken to the police station while Jiang Zao stood by and did nothing, Jiang Dashan would definitely get angry—he might even take the initiative to compensate them.
As for Liu Chunhua, she usually followed Jiang Dashan’s lead in everything and was easily influenced.
There were four children in the Jiang family. The eldest sister, Jiang Xing, was preparing for marriage. The second, Jiang Ming, had also reached marriageable age. The youngest, Jiang Jun, was already eighteen. When he learned that Liu Chunhua planned to give the sewing machine meant for Jiang Xing’s dowry to Jiang Ming for his future wife, without even considering him, he was so angry that he stayed in the school dormitory for several days without coming home.
Out of the four children, three had their own calculations. Only Jiang Zao did not.
She had always been foolishly naive, firmly believing that as long as she treated her siblings well, they would help her in return when she needed it.
But Jiang Zao was no longer the same Jiang Zao as before.
She had to start thinking and planning for herself.
There were only so many resources in the family. They couldn’t let Jiang Dashan use them to make up for Jiang Dahe.
Moreover, this was clearly Jiang Shan’s fault. If the family used their resources to compensate Jiang Shan, Jiang Zao felt she might die of anger.
Liu Chunhua pulled Jiang Zao into the room and shut the door.
“You just let the police take Jiang Shan away? Nothing even happened, right? Why didn’t you stop them?!”
Jiang Zao’s gaze darkened. She knew it.
“Why should I stop them?”
Liu Chunhua said, “Jiang Shan is your cousin. She’s still young. You shouldn’t have stood by coldly. Your second aunt’s elder brother is the head of the personnel department at the steel factory. Your younger brother doesn’t study well—he’ll have to rely on their family in the future. If you offend them completely, what will happen to your brother?”
“Come with me to the police station now. Bring your fiancé. Let’s clear things up together.”
Jiang Zao clenched her fists. “She tried to steal my fiancé. Aren’t you going to think about me at all?”
Liu Chunhua replied, “Don’t be foolish. She didn’t succeed, did she? Why are you being so stubborn?”
Jiang Zao loosened her grip, her heart growing colder bit by bit.
“You’re the foolish one.”
“My fiancé is a senior researcher. Jiang Shan has her eyes on our family’s resources and wants to compete with us.”
Liu Chunhua frowned. “Your fiancé has access to factory resources too?”
“No… even if he does, would the Xiao family let us use them?”
In truth, Liu Chunhua wasn’t optimistic about Jiang Zao and Xiao Shuisheng. It was only because she didn’t get along with Xiao Shuisheng’s mother.
The two of them had a bad relationship.
Secretly, Liu Chunhua had even thought about breaking them apart.
If those resources couldn’t be used, it would be better to marry the pretty Jiang Zao into a wealthy and resourceful family—making the most of her value.
Jiang Zao almost ground her teeth to pieces. “Xiao Shuisheng only likes me. When we get married, I’ll be in charge of the household. He said he’d give a bride price of two hundred, a sewing machine, and seventy-two legs of furniture.”
“What he gives me is real. As for Second Aunt’s brother, he may not help you at all.”
Liu Chunhua thought about it and found it reasonable.
Jiang Zao continued, “Even though you and Xiao Shuisheng’s mother don’t get along, the Xiao family name carries weight.”
Liu Chunhua thought about it again—and it was true!
She slapped her forehead. “I’ve been foolish. Your second aunt keeps nagging in my ear, saying the Xiao family looks down on us and is useless. But I underestimated how much Xiao Shuisheng cares about you.”
“With all the girls around him, the fact that he chose you means he truly likes you. And he listens to you.”
“That Jiang Shan is really something else. I’ll handle your father.”
Jiang Zao nodded. “Exactly. If she were no good, would Second Aunt let her daughter try to steal him? She’s been misleading you all along, trying to make you let go yourself. When she saw you didn’t stop me, she came up with another plan.”
Those words completely convinced Liu Chunhua.
The groundwork for this matter was finally laid.
When Jiang Dashan came home from work, Liu Chunhua called him into the room. At first, they argued a bit, but later, no one knew what she said—Jiang Dashan fell silent. When he came out, he glanced reproachfully at Jiang Zao but said nothing.
That evening, Jiang Dahe and Feng Miao indeed came.
Feng Miao began cursing from outside the yard. “Jiang Zao, do you even have a conscience? Jiang Shan is your sister. She kindly brought you food—how could you just stand there and watch her get bullied?”
“She’s only nineteen! With a record like this, how are the three of us supposed to live?”
“You little brat! No wonder when I scolded you this afternoon, you didn’t talk back. Were you just waiting here to disgust me on purpose?”
Jiang Dahe stood in the yard, wiping his tears. “Big brother, did you already know about this? Our father died early—you’re like a father to me. You know my family is smaller than yours, and I only have this one precious daughter. Yet you let your daughter bully my family like this?”
“Are you trying to send Jiang Shan to prison and wipe out our family line since we have no other children?!”
Inside the house, Jiang Dashan couldn’t sit still upon hearing that and wanted to go out, but Liu Chunhua shot him a glare, forcing him back.
“You feel sorry for them? Think about your two sons who still haven’t married!”
“If you dare step out, I’ll go back to my maiden home. You can handle Jiang Xing’s wedding yourself.”
Jiang Xing’s marriage was no small matter.
Only after her marriage was settled could the sewing machine be used as part of Jiang Ming’s bride price.
If Jiang Xing’s marriage fell through, Jiang Ming wouldn’t be able to get married either.
Jiang Dashan could still tell which mattered more.
He sat on the kang, sighing.
Jiang Zao couldn’t describe what she felt.
After all, her father had never looked this troubled because of her.
Comrade Liu Chunhua, the vanguard, cast a sharp glare before lifting the grass-bead curtain and stepping out. Her brows were furrowed, her face cold, her presence imposing.
“Second brother, second sister-in-law, what are you shouting about?”
“Does shouting make you right?”
“Does shouting change the fact that your daughter drugged Xiao Shuisheng? If we really wanted to wipe out your family, your daughter would’ve been executed long ago!”
Jiang Zao didn’t go out. She stood in the dimly lit living room.
She wasn’t worried about her mother’s fighting ability.
Liu Chunhua didn’t argue often because she always assessed the situation first, weighing the pros and cons before deciding whether to smile or curse.
Before marriage, Liu Chunhua had managed to take more than half of the bride price from her three sisters-in-law and bring it back to her husband’s family, securing her position there. Such cunning was not something ordinary people possessed.
Liu Chunhua, who came from a life of hardship in the countryside, faced off against Feng Miao, who had grown up in a relatively decent family and was doted on by her brothers.
It was clear Feng Miao had never truly understood what kind of person Liu Chunhua was.
She thought that by shouting in the yard, Liu Chunhua would be afraid and would care about maintaining the relationship between the two families. But instead, Liu Chunhua shouted even louder.
No matter how much they argued, Feng Miao and Jiang Dahe had no ground to stand on. If this spread, it would be their family that lost face.
Feng Miao looked around, stomped her foot, and said, “What are we arguing for? Let’s go inside and talk!”