Chapter 43: Everything Got Ruined

Liu Hehua’s face flushed crimson. Meeting Li Xiangqin’s mocking gaze, her old face burned with shame.

Although she was a person who loved taking advantage of others and was greedy for money, she still tried to maintain a semblance of dignity. She never expected her daughter to actually dare to go head-to-head with her mother-in-law.

Should she praise her for being bold, or condemn her for being foolish?

"You brat! Have you been overstimulated, or has your brain been smeared with lard? What nonsense are you talking? Apologize to your mother-in-law immediately!"

Liu Hehua was fuming. She had been shrewd her entire life; how on earth had she given birth to such an idiot? Why hadn't she noticed it before?

Watching her mother's unpredictable expressions, Li Xiangqin remained calm.

"In-law, let's not speak of apologies anymore. I cannot accept them. From now on, we shall go our separate ways. I will act as if I never gave birth to that third son, and naturally, I will have no daughter-in-law. Go back now; don't delay my sleep."

Having come to apologize only to be chased away, Liu Hehua felt stifled and resentful.

"In-law... it isn't worth getting angry with the younger generation. We are both at an age where we will eventually have to rely on our children in our old age, right?"

Looking at her like this, the couple was infuriated. No matter how much she flowered her words, it was difficult to coax them back.

"I can still move around, so I dare to challenge me. Can you really count on them when you're old? If you and your daughter don't want your business to become public knowledge, then do not visit again.

If there is a next time, I will make sure to tell everyone exactly how the Zhao family raised such a fine daughter—not only lazy and idle, but also abusive to her mother-in-law and plotting to steal my job. The Zhao family certainly knows how to play their cards."

As Li Xiangqin spoke, she pushed the door open and jerked her chin toward her.

"Or, you can say it right now."

"No, no, no! We're leaving, we're leaving right now!"

Liu Hehua glared at her daughter and quickly hurried out.

She was indeed guilty. She had been eyeing Li Xiangqin's job, but she hadn't expected to be exposed so early. Ultimately, her daughter was useless; she couldn't get a single thing done.

Zhao Meijuan gave her mother a hateful look and hurried to catch up. She had worked so hard to move out; she had no intention of coming back.

"Lao Wu, give the apples back to them. It's an eyesore."

"Alright, I'm going."

Lao Wu grabbed the mesh bag and ran out. He didn't see the two women for a while, only seeing Liu Hehua and her daughter arguing by the roadside after chasing them all the way outside the residential compound.

"You brat! Now look what you've done! You've completely offended her. Are you and Zhang Jianshe planning to live on nothing but wind in the future?"

"Mom! I told you before we came that I wouldn't apologize to that old woman, but you insisted on dragging me here!" Zhao Meijuan pouted and huffed with indifference.

At the mention of "that old woman," the veins on Liu Hehua's forehead throbbed. She raised her hand and delivered two sharp slaps to her daughter's face.

*Slap! Slap!*

"How did I give birth to such a fool? You don't know how to read the room and you can't keep your mouth shut... Since you and your husband are so eager to live separately, I'll grant your wish.

From now on, don't come back to your maternal home for no reason. I don't have a half-baked daughter like you."

"Mom, what are you doing? My mother-in-law hits me, and now you hit me too?"

Zhao Meijuan clutched her face and looked at her biological mother in anger.

"The only reason I dragged Jianshe to move was to be closer to you! In the future, if the family needs help, Jianshe will definitely contribute money and labor. He won't be any less capable than your sons!"

She wanted to prove to her parents that a daughter was not a "money-losing burden."

Hearing her daughter's tone, Liu Hehua looked at her in disbelief and let out a sneer.

"You two only care about yourselves. It's enough that you aren't dragging the maternal family down with you. Relying on you for help would be worse than just starving to death.

You've just moved out and you're already in a state of poverty. How are you going to help this family?"

"Hmph, who are you looking down on? That money was taken from Jianshe's second brother. They are biological brothers! And the second brother is the son-in-law of the factory director; he has plenty of money. There's no need to pay it back at all."

Zhao Meijuan raised her chin proudly. Her second sister-in-law was an only child, so all the family assets would eventually go to her second brother. Twenty yuan was mere pocket change to him.

Hearing this, Liu Hehua froze for a moment. Remembering the wife married to the Zhang family's second son, her expression relaxed significantly.

"No matter how much money he has, it doesn't belong to your husband. What are you so happy about?"

"Who cares about all that? As long as we can borrow the money, it's fine."

Zhao Meijuan blinked, completely unconcerned.

"Anyway, Jianshe has already promised me that he will support me in the future."

Liu Hehua: "..."

No wonder Li Xiangqin was furious. If her own son had married such a daughter-in-law, she wouldn't be able to hold it in either.

However, her daughter wasn't entirely wrong. Her son-in-law had a wealthy second brother; if times got tough, there would be someone to provide relief, so they wouldn't fall into absolute destitution.

If there were extra money left over... Looking at her daughter's carefree expression, Liu Hehua's mind began to wander toward possibilities.

"Fine... do whatever you want. I'm too lazy to care. But let me tell you: don't bring me trouble in the future. I have plenty of sons and grandsons at home; watch out, or your sisters-in-law will have something to say about you."

Zhao Meijuan curled her lip.

"Speaking of which, you really aren't as authoritative as my mother-in-law. Lately, she's been attacking all of us daughters-in-law indiscriminately. Even my second sister-in-law, Wang Yulan, hasn't received any good treatment from her.

But look at you—you're completely controlled by your eldest and second daughters-in-law, acting like a maid to serve them every day. Why should it be like that?"

Liu Hehua was speechless. Both of her daughters-in-law had jobs and had given her grandsons; they all stood tall and proud. In contrast, she, the mother-in-law, had no job and no pension to look forward to.

When she got old, she would have to rely on her sons and daughters-in-law to support her. How could she act tough?

Li Xiangqin was a worker at the textile factory, with an enviable salary and benefits... Mentioning her in-law's job, Liu Hehua suddenly realized something. She reached out and pinched Zhao Meijuan's ear.

"You brat! You've ruined everything! We agreed to endure it for a while to get your mother-in-law's job first. Why are you so useless? You can't even endure a little bit of grievance.

Now look what you've done. Because of your meddling, not only is the relationship between mother and son broken, but the job is also gone!"

The textile factory! The benefits were so good, and she had let it slip away for nothing. It was all because this idiot couldn't keep her composure.

That was the job she had scouted for her third daughter-in-law, and she hadn't even secured it yet.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Liu Hehua couldn't help but twist her ear harder, making Zhao Meijuan howl in pain.

"Ahhh! Let go! It's just a job; I didn't even like it that much! My mother-in-law was right—the weaving workshop is noisy and has a sour, pungent smell. Even if I took the job, I couldn't do it!"

"Who expects you to do it? Once the job is secured, you can handle it however you want!"

Liu Hehua glared at her with frustration and turned to walk away.

Hiding behind a large tree, Lao Wu listened to the argument between the mother and daughter and realized that the Zhao family really had been eyeing his mother's job.

"Zhao Meijuan, take your apples. Mom said they're an eyesore."

Lao Wu shoved the apples into her hand and turned to leave.

He couldn't wait to tell his mother what he had heard, cursing indignantly afterward.

"Shameless! Not a single one of those Zhaos is a good person."

(End of Chapter)