“Are they really Sister Meijun’s family? Why don’t they look anything like her?”
“Yeah, this family all has flat noses and pancake faces, but Third Brother Qiao’s wife has a standard oval face with a high nose—she looks real good!”
“Of course she does, otherwise how could she give birth to such a fresh and beautiful daughter like Qiao Shu!”
“So these people are really He Meijun’s family? I just can’t believe it!”
“They wouldn’t be swindlers, would they???”
…
The villagers’ discussions were loud enough for everyone to hear. This left the He Family, who had been morally kidnapping He Meijun and trying to stand on the high ground of filial piety to crush her into submission, suddenly at a loss.
They had thought these bumpkin villagers from the countryside wouldn’t follow the script they had prepared!
“Folks, we really are He Meijun’s family! I’m He Yaodong, her eldest brother.”
With that, He Yaodong helped his mother up from the ground. “This is our mother, Li Feng, mine and He Meijun’s. We all have ID to prove it. If you don’t believe us, I’ll show you!”
Under He Yaodong’s explanation, the villagers of Qiao Village finally understood that these people, who didn’t look anything like He Meijun, were indeed her family.
At this, the villagers of Qiao Village began advising the silent but coldly-faced He Meijun on the side.
“Third Brother Qiao’s wife, no matter what, they’re your parents. Since they came all this way to apologize, don’t hold a grudge against them anymore.”
“Yeah, as a daughter, you should give in to your brothers a bit. After all, your brother getting married is the big deal…”
“It’s been so many years; you should let go of your anger by now…”
…
Listening to the villagers’ chatter from all sides, He Meijun felt extremely irritated.
She had thought that by staying in Qiao Village, she was tens of thousands of miles away from her family. And since she had married a local farmer, those snobbish, selfish ‘family members’ of hers would never show up in front of her again.
But who would have thought that after more than twenty years, these people had appeared before her again.
And they were pretending to be good people, morally kidnapping her in the name of family—of course, it was utterly ridiculous!!!
He Meijun had never been one with a good temper. Because of the bullying she suffered as a child, she had become sharp-tempered and fiery. Even when bullied, she wasn’t the type to swallow her anger.
So she immediately lost her temper—
“Folks, you judge for me! Tell me if I should even acknowledge such relatives!”
With that, He Meijun recounted all the hardships she had endured at home back then.
In her telling, all the villagers of Qiao Village were shocked. They never imagined there could be such vicious parents in the world.
Sure, they valued sons over daughters too, but that didn’t mean abusing girls!
Especially since the He parents—one worked at a textile factory, the other at a meat processing plant—were a dual-income family with great benefits. Their conditions were simply too good! And they had no parents, siblings, or anyone else to support above them, so their burden was even lighter.
Forget raising four kids; they could easily afford five or six!
But in such an affluent family, they had mistreated their youngest daughter He Meijun from childhood. She went hungry and poorly clothed, and from age five, she became the family’s little maid, ordered around by everyone to do chores.
He Meijun had endured the rest, thinking that as long as she got into technical school, she could leave to study, and after graduating, she’d be assigned a good job.
But the He Family had shattered her dreams.
They made her, still so young, go to the countryside to labor in place of He Family’s third son.
“Folks, you all know what I looked like when I first came to our village—I was skin and bones, wearing ragged clothes like a little beggar. And them? They were eating so well their mouths dripped oil, everyone in the family fat as pigs! So from childhood, I never felt like we were family. The way they abused me made me see them as enemies…”
“And that so-called ‘good match’ they claimed would let me stay in the city if I went back to marry…”
He Meijun sneered and spat disdainfully. “Pah! Their ‘good match’ was some leader’s son, an idiot with the intelligence of a toddler! How is that caring for me? They were clearly selling their daughter for benefits, not giving a damn about my life!”
Hearing He Meijun’s one accusation after another, the villagers of Qiao Village looked at her with sympathy.
After all, He Meijun had lived in Qiao Village for so many years; everyone knew her character.
She was a bit sharp-tongued, but her heart was good—whoever in the village asked for help, she’d lend a hand if she could.
Especially, as many elders in Qiao Village recalled at her reminder, when He Meijun first arrived, she had been so skinny and poorly dressed, truly like a little beggar just as she said.
Compared to the He Family, all plump and fat, clearly well-fed with rolls of flesh, the scales in their hearts naturally tipped toward He Meijun.
“What a sin! How can you parents abuse your own child like that!”
“Making a five-year-old burn the fire and cook? That doesn’t even happen in our countryside!”
“The whole family fat and sleek, but you starved Third Brother Qiao’s wife into that pitiful state—are you really family, really her parents!”
…
Seeing the Qiao Village villagers, who had just been speaking up for them, now looking at them with disdain and disgust, the He Family felt extremely frustrated.
After so many years apart, they had forgotten that He Meijun was never one to be easily bullied.
Just as they wanted to say something to defend themselves, a bucket of foul-smelling swill was dumped on them.
“Ah—!”
“What are you doing!”
“Disgusting!!! ”
It was Old Lady Qiao holding the pig-feeding bucket, splashing the He Family all over. After dumping it, she grabbed a broom and started beating the three of them.
“Get lost, all of you! You three beasts have dirtied my family’s ground! If I’d known you heartless things treated my Third Son’s wife like that, I never would’ve let you through our door—!”
As she spoke, Old Lady Qiao swung the broom, chasing the He Family out of their courtyard.
Everyone made way for the He Family, repulsed by the stench coming off them.
“Don’t come back! If you dare show up at our house again, next time I won’t be so polite!”
After chasing the He Family out of the courtyard, Old Lady Qiao shooed away the other onlookers and slammed the courtyard gate shut.
“Third Son’s wife, come inside! Ignore those people!”
Hearing her mother-in-law’s words and seeing how domineeringly she had driven away the He Family, He Meijun felt deeply grateful.
Back then, one reason she chose to marry Qiao Chang was that she somewhat liked him; another was that she saw his family as good-hearted people without bad intentions. His two sisters-in-law might have their little schemes, but they weren’t bad people at heart.
That was why she stayed in Qiao Village and married Qiao Chang, the man who loved her deeply.
“Mom, thank you…”
“What are you saying! We’re family—could Mom watch you get bullied?”
With that, Old Lady Qiao raised her voice and shouted loudly.
“You think this old lady is a pushover? I killed little devils back in the day! If they dare come blabbering at our house again, just watch me beat those beasts to death!”
The He Family, chased out of the Qiao courtyard, had already been scared by Old Lady Qiao’s fierce actions. Hearing her roar like that broke their courage completely.
They had planned to argue with her over the stinking swill dumped on them, but instead slunk away in defeat.
However, though Old Lady Qiao had scared them off, they still harbored their little schemes.
“Mom, we can’t leave empty-handed!”
“No rush. Now we know what company that wretched girl runs—we’ll go straight there next time!”
Hearing her husband’s family, Luo Qin—the wife of He Family’s third son—couldn’t sit still anymore. She saw that with this bunch of fools in the He Family, getting anything out of He Meijun was hopeless.
After all, He Meijun didn’t look as stupid as them!
And she could tell He Meijun felt no family ties toward them. Even using blood relations or filial piety to pressure or threaten her wouldn’t work!
Her sister-in-law was sharp-tongued and quick-witted!
So relying on the He Family idiots for ideas to get money was a no-go.
She had to step in!
“Mom, Big Brother, I think my sister-in-law has no feelings for you at all. Ordinary methods won’t work on her. Since she doesn’t care about family ties, we don’t need to be polite either. We need some ruthless tactics…”
Hearing Luo Qin, the He mother and son perked up and asked what she had in mind.
“Since she co-founded a company, we get some people to go make a scene at their company! The bigger the better—won’t she be afraid of her Hong Kong business partner finding out?”
“She’ll be terrified. After all, she wants to make money off that Hong Kong big shot! So she’ll want to shut our mouths then…”
Hearing Luo Qin’s idea, the He mother and son’s eyes lit up, thinking it was brilliant.
But—
“What if that Hong Kong big shot isn’t around? What if that wretched girl He Meijun isn’t scared???”
“Then we go to the newspapers, put on a pitiful act, smear her reputation. She’ll have to give in! After all, these business types care most about their name, right?”
Li Feng had brought her third son’s wife along because she was the only one in the family without a job and had time to come.
But she hadn’t expected this daughter-in-law to be so clever.
Usually quiet at home, but out here, full of bad ideas.
Suddenly, Li Feng grew wary of this daughter-in-law.
But she didn’t show it—they needed to stay united against outsiders now!
“Fine! We’ll do as you say! I don’t believe we can’t deal with that wretched girl!”
…
Though it had been over twenty years since she last saw them, He Meijun knew her natal family’s true nature all too well.
So she understood that even though her mother-in-law had chased them away today, since they had come, they wouldn’t let her off easily.
What she couldn’t figure out was why, after twenty-plus years, they had suddenly tracked her down.
After thinking it over, she figured there was only one possibility—they had learned she was now running a company and making money.
But even the Qiao Family didn’t know about it. How had these distant He Family members with no contact found out…?
“I hope I’m wrong…”
He Meijun shook her head, hoping her guess was off.
Because if the He Family was latching on because of this, they absolutely wouldn’t let her go easily…
Unfortunately, the next day, when He Meijun saw the He Family at her company’s entrance, she knew her worst fear had come true.