The moment Lu Qianqian saw this, she no longer needed to guess. The “Cold Beauty” that had gone for certification was the one Liu Zhaodi had stolen from the house.
“Mom, come here for a moment,” Lu Qianqian called toward the front yard.
Hearing her voice, Old Madam Lu told Lu Zhengguo and Lu Zhengjun to move everything into her room first before heading to the backyard.
“Daughter, what is it?”
Lu Qianqian explained the whole matter to her.
After hearing it, Old Madam Lu’s eyes widened in fury.
“Lu Zhengjun!”
Roaring angrily, Old Madam Lu stormed back to the front yard.
Lu Qianqian hurried after her. She was afraid the old lady might get too worked up and hurt herself.
“Mom, what’s wrong?”
Hearing his mother’s furious shout, Lu Zhengjun’s heart trembled. He had no idea what had angered her again.
“Has your wife come back yet?”
Yesterday, Old Madam Lu had already asked where Liu Zhaodi had gone. At the time, Lu Zhengjun had said Liu Zhaodi’s mother was sick, so she had returned to her maiden home to take care of her.
Oh, what illness? Clearly she had gone home after stealing something.
“She’s still at her parents’ house and hasn’t come back yet. Mom, do you need something from Zhaodi?” Lu Zhengjun still had no idea what had happened and thought his mother simply wanted to see Liu Zhaodi.
Old Madam Lu glared furiously. “Good. Very good. Sick, huh? Then I’d like to see just what terrible illness requires a married daughter to stay behind and serve them.”
“Eldest son and eldest daughter-in-law, come with me!”
Old Madam Lu directly called for Lu Zhengguo and Lin Gui to go with her.
Both Lu Zhengguo and Lin Gui were completely confused when they were called out, having no idea what was happening.
The commotion outside also drew Old Man Lu out. Seeing how furious his wife looked, he suspected something serious had happened, but before he could ask, she had already stormed out with the eldest son’s family.
Lu Zhengjun panicked terribly. He did not understand why his mother was so angry, nor why she insisted on personally going to Liu Zhaodi’s family home. He quickly followed after them.
Lu Qianqian did not stop him. She also wanted to see what this second sister-in-law intended to do. In the future, she would be busier and busier at home; she could not keep watching forever.
At the same time, she wanted to see her second brother’s stance. If after this incident he still sided with Liu Zhaodi, then she would ask her mother to divide the family assets and separate households. She could not live with someone like that, nor could she guard against a thief every single day.
“Dad, stay home and watch Xiao Chen and the others. I’ll go with Mom.”
After saying that, she also chased after them.
The Lu family marched out aggressively, heading straight for Liu Zhaodi’s maiden home.
The Liu family lived not far from Xinghua Village, only separated by a river. It took about twenty minutes to get there.
Along the way, the villagers were extremely curious when they saw the scene. Since the busy farming season had already ended, many people were free. Seeing a chance for excitement, many followed behind to watch.
By the time they reached Shanghe Village, nearly half of Xinghua Village had followed along.
The people of Shanghe Village were startled by the huge crowd, thinking someone had come to cause trouble. Someone immediately ran off to find the village chief.
The large group arrived noisily at the Liu family’s gate. Before they even got close, they could already hear cheerful laughter coming from inside.
Hearing that laughter made Old Madam Lu’s expression turn even darker. She strode forward and kicked the Liu family’s courtyard gate open with one kick.
“You rotten-hearted little slut! Liu Zhaodi, you shameless wretch! You’re already married yet still siding with your maiden family! You even stole from your husband’s family to support them! Where did you get the nerve? Get out here right now!”
With that single shout, the people from Xinghua Village instantly understood what was going on.
The second daughter-in-law of the Lu family had stolen something and taken it back to her parents’ house. Old Madam Lu had discovered it and now brought the whole family to make trouble.
The Liu family had just received twenty taels of silver and were overjoyed. They had even been discussing how Liu Zhaodi should keep an eye on the Lu family and secretly bring back anything valuable she found. But before they could celebrate for long, Old Madam Lu barging in shocked them badly.
“Liu Zhaodi, you black-hearted little wretch! How has our Lu family treated you? Yet you dared lay hands on your little sister-in-law’s things! Do you even deserve such blessings? Aren’t you afraid your hands will rot off?”
Old Madam Lu sat heavily on the ground and began wailing loudly. As she cried, she clearly explained the entire matter: how the family’s youngest daughter had become a florist master, had painstakingly cultivated a new plant, only for Liu Zhaodi to secretly steal it back to her maiden home and even take it to the Plant Association for certification.
Everyone listening was stunned.
The way they looked at the Liu family completely changed. A florist master was someone of high status—such people would become important figures in the future. Yet instead of treating her well, Liu Zhaodi had actually stolen from a florist master.
When Liu Zhaodi’s mother heard Old Madam Lu say this, she knew they absolutely could not admit it. If they did, how could the Liu family continue living in Shanghe Village in the future? She rushed out while cursing loudly.
“Old hag Lu, stop causing trouble at my house! If your daughter can become a florist master, why can’t my son become one too? Just because your family lost something doesn’t mean you can blame others!”
“Bah! Wang Daling, what kind of thing are you!” Old Madam Lu sprang up from the ground briskly. “That useless thing you gave birth to becoming a florist master? They say daughters take after their mothers. Liu Zhaodi being lazy, greedy, and sticky-fingered—isn’t that exactly what you taught her? Back then, I never agreed to let Liu Zhaodi marry into our Lu family. If my second son hadn’t insisted on marrying her, who would want a woman like that?”
Lu Zhengjun stood frozen at the courtyard entrance. Ever since hearing his mother’s words, he had been stunned. His wife had actually stolen his little sister’s things and sent them back to her maiden family.
“What a joke! Aren’t you talking about your own daughter? My Zhaodi is such a hardworking girl. Your Lu family should be thanking the heavens she even married into your family! Everyone knows what kind of person your daughter is, yet you still came to my house to make trouble. If anyone’s shameless here, it’s your Lu family!” Wang Daling refused to back down.
That instantly touched Old Madam Lu’s bottom line. Nobody was allowed to insult her daughter, yet Wang Daling had spoken of her so viciously.
“Fine! You stole something and still refuse to admit it—and now you dare insult my daughter? Let’s see if I don’t tear your mouth apart!”
Old Madam Lu charged forward, grabbing Wang Daling by the hair and beating her.
Wang Daling had long been used to lazing around at home. Compared to Old Madam Lu, who worked constantly, her strength was nowhere near enough. She was immediately pinned down and beaten.
Wang Daling’s son, Liu Hua, had already hidden himself away when the Lu family barged in. He did not dare step forward at all—especially with Lu Zhengguo and Lu Zhengjun standing at the entrance.
Liu Zhaodi was even more terrified. Her face had turned deathly pale. She had never expected her mother-in-law and the others to discover everything so quickly.