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Xie Shengcai was so angry with the Wang Clan that he trembled, forcefully striking the smoking pipe against the edge of the table, breaking it in two with a loud crack.
The Wang Clan shrank back in fear, realizing they had provoked this honest old man again. They muttered, "If you're going to give money, just give it. Why break things? That smoking pipe costs money too."
Xie Youshun and Xiao Lihua felt that their father was still on their side, but he was also thinking about Ruyi. They absolutely could not let him have his way; even if the Gao Family offered a fortune, they would not give the formula to the Gao Family.
The Fang Family advised their father-in-law and mother-in-law, saying, "Dad, Mom, don’t be angry. The Gao Family is wealthy and doesn’t lack silver. Besides, we are their in-laws. If we help them, they won’t let us suffer. They will definitely pay a high price for the formula. Fourth Brother, Sister Four, you won’t lose out. Quickly tell us if you have any other secret recipes that can make big money? It would be best if it could earn more than that sauce."
Xie Youshun replied, "Even if we have it, we won't give it to the Gao Family."
Xiao Lihua added, "The Gao Family is my enemy; giving it to them would be helping my enemy. I won't do such a thing."
Wang Clan frowned and said, "Now that Ruyi has married into the Gao Family, they are family. No more talk of enemies! This matter must not be mentioned again!"
The Li Family laughed and said, "Sister Four says she has a grudge against the Gao Family; isn’t that self-inflicted? You went to provoke Young Master Gao and got beaten up. You should be grateful you weren’t killed and still hold a grudge? If anyone should hold a grudge, it's the Gao Family against you. And let's not forget about your quarrel with your sister-in-law and the Su Family; the Gao Family has plenty of reasons to remember that too. Ruyi will probably face a lot of pressure from the Su Family in the future. Now you’re being asked for a formula; this is a chance for them to forgive you. It’s a win-win situation—why can’t you see that?"
Xie Youkang, Xie Youhe, and the Fang Family all nodded in agreement. Wang Clan glared at Xiao Lihua with eyes that seemed to say she had harmed their entire family and now they were waiting for her to atone for it. Even Xie Shengcai felt this way.
Xiao Lihua laughed in anger and glanced at Xie Youshun.
"My wife has been wronged by the Gao Family; because of them, she has been looked down upon for years, which has changed her temperament and made our family also be looked down upon. I don’t care if you think that because Ruyi married into the Gao Family they are family now and this matter can be settled; I will not let it go just like that. Li Hua is my wife; her matters are my matters. I cannot have a good relationship with the Gao Family, let alone do business with them."
Xie Youshun firmly stated that since Xiao Lihua's reputation was poor, as her husband he was also implicated, so his dislike for the Gao Family was no less than hers.
Xiao Lihua was satisfied with Xie Youshun's words; she didn’t care what attitude the Xie Family had as long as this man who would spend his life with her stood on her side.
The Li Family remarked, "You say you were wronged; well then it must be true! But we haven’t heard you mention being wronged all these years until now—who would believe it?"
Xiao Lihua glanced at her and said, "Those who believe will naturally believe, and those who do not will love to doubt."
The Fang Family then said, "So the matters concerning the Su Family are always your fault, right?"
Xiao Lihua replied, "That was her own carelessness."
The Wang Clan slammed the table and said, "How can you say that everything is reasonable on your part? No matter how much you argue, those issues have been blamed on you by the Gao Family. Now that Ruyi has entered the Gao Family, because she is your sister-in-law, she will definitely be implicated. As her sister-in-law, you didn’t put in enough effort regarding her marriage, which led to her becoming a concubine. Now that you have the ability, why not help her out? It’s not like we’re not offering you money. Why insist on being stubborn? Do you really want to watch your sister-in-law suffer? Is this how a sister-in-law should act?"
"Ruyi becoming a concubine was her own choice; don’t force me to reveal her embarrassing actions!"
Xiao Lihua was also somewhat annoyed. The in-laws were truly unreasonable. She had grievances with the Gao Family as a daughter-in-law; their son lost face because of the Gao Family, and now they were forcing them to make amends with the Gao Family just so Ruyi could have a better life. Where could they put their own faces? It was simply like throwing it on the ground and stepping on it!
Xiao Lihua was too lazy to say anything more to them and directly made a harsh remark.
Upon hearing Xiao Lihua's serious words, the Xie Family reacted differently.
Xie Youkang and the Fang Family's expressions changed; they knew what Ruyi had done in the past. Xie Youhe and Li Family exchanged glances, wondering if Xiao Lihua’s words meant she knew some dirt on Ruyi. Xie Youtai and Zi Clan remained silent; they already knew Fourth Brother and Sister Four's attitudes and were aware they could handle it. They were not anxious; now that they heard Xiao Lihua speak this way, they knew the main event was about to unfold.
Xie Shengcai’s lips trembled slightly as he asked, "Fourth Brother's Wife, what do you mean by that? What has Ruyi done?"
The Wang Clan maintained a stern face and said, "What can Ruyi do? Ruyi has been harmed by someone; I don’t know which wicked person harmed my Ruyi, but if I find out who it is, I will never let that person go!"
Xie Youkang and Fang Family's expressions changed again. Fang Family quietly looked at Xiao Lihua, hoping she didn’t really know anything. It would be terrible if she found out that she was also involved in this matter; then the mother-in-law wouldn’t blame Ruyi but would shift the blame onto her.
"Fourth Brother's Wife, do speak up!" Xie Shengcai urged again. Then he glanced at all the people staring at Xiao Lihua waiting for her response. He waved his hand and said, "You all go out! Keep your distance! Fourth Son, stand at the door and make sure they all stay far away!"
Seeing that Xiao Lihua showed no signs of panic and with Xie Youshun nearby, Xie Youtai and Zi Clan felt relieved to leave. They had no interest in what Ruyi had done; besides, if they wanted to know, they could just ask Xie Youshun.
Xie Youkang and the Fang Family, as well as Xie Youhe and the Li Family, slowly made their way out.
Bai Da and Auspicious stood quietly to the side, wanting to listen but knowing they couldn't stay, so they obediently followed out.
Only the Old Couple and Xie Youshun and Xiao Lihua remained in the room. Xie Youshun stood at the door while Xiao Lihua faced the Old Couple. At this moment, she no longer held back and told them everything she knew in detail.
Initially, at Dabai Temple, Xiao Lihua had exposed Ruyi and the Fang Family's plot against Zhao Linting. She had intended to inform Xie Shengcai about it, but both of them pleaded with her, saying that if she told their parents, it would lead to trouble in the temple. In the end, Xie Youshun and Xiao Lihua chose not to speak up; Xie Youshun didn't want anything bad to happen to Ruyi and didn't want their parents to know that their daughter could be so shameless. Xiao Lihua thought that this could serve as leverage against Ruyi later on; if she married into the Gao Family, they could use this incident to control her if any issues arose.
Little did they expect that they would need to reveal this fact so soon.
Xiao Lihua said, "Zhao Gongzi was quite upset. Considering that I helped him and Youshun, he didn't hold it against us. Otherwise, with his capabilities, dealing with Ruyi and our Xie Family wouldn't be difficult for him. Zhao Gongzi is a close friend of Hua Gongzi, who we do business with. If we cut ties with Hua Gongzi to do business with the Gao Family for Ruyi's sake, Zhao Gongzi will definitely be angry."
Xie Youshun added from the side, "You both are aware of Hua Gongzi's relationship with the Xiao Family. If we offend him, we will be offending three families."
"Are we really going to offend three wealthy and powerful families just for one Gao Family that already has a grudge against us? Father, Mother, we certainly don't want that," Xiao Lihua stated firmly.
Xie Shengcai and Wang Clan were left dumbfounded; they hadn't realized there was so much going on behind the scenes.
Thinking about Ruyi's actions made Xie Shengcai's face turn red and then purple-black with shame; he almost spat out blood from embarrassment. Wang Clan's face also flushed red.
"You all can leave now; let's consider this matter settled. And remember, keep this to yourselves," Xie Shengcai weakly waved them off before getting up and returning inside. His already bad mood regarding Ruyi marrying as a concubine was worsened.
Once Xie Youshun and Xiao Lihua exited, Wang Clan rushed to the door and loudly called for the Fang Family.
The Fang Family trembled slightly and hesitated to approach but knew they had no choice but to go over. As soon as they entered, Wang Clan slapped them several times across the face, causing stars to appear before their eyes and their cheeks to burn with pain. Listening to Wang Clan's scolding directed at her, she initially shrank back but couldn't help but retort a few times, claiming that Ruyi had begged her. This only led Wang Clan to slap her even harder; she dared not respond anymore but harbored intense hatred for Wang Clan in her heart.
The Xie Family's matters were no longer their concern. They picked up their sons, each one under the watchful eye of Zi Wu, and slowly walked home. Although the weather was cold and the path was slippery, both felt light-hearted. After today's commotion, they would no longer have any ties with the Gao Family.
Ruyi, although a concubine, had returned to her family after three generations. She sat in a large horse-drawn carriage, wearing a purple silk dress embroidered with blue orchids. On her head was a golden hairpin, and she wore jade earrings and a jade bracelet. Her face was powdered, and her lips were rosy. She was already quite beautiful, and this made her look even more elegant. As she was helped down from the carriage by a graceful maid, onlookers were left staring in awe.
Everyone thought that Ruyi truly lived a good life. Although she was a concubine, it was far more luxurious than marrying as the main wife to one of the wealthy families in town. Even the village chief's daughter, Golden Phoenix, did not return with such grandeur. Many began to consider letting their own daughters become concubines in the future.
Ruyi initially thought that with such a grand return, her family would surely come out to greet her; even her parents would have to welcome her. To her surprise, no one came out at all!
Confused, Ruyi walked into the courtyard and found it empty. She frowned, wondering what had happened at home; logically speaking, there shouldn't be no one around today.
The Li Family emerged from the house and greeted her with a few words before whispering, "Your Sister Four said some things to your parents, and your sister-in-law's face got swollen from being scolded. She's been punished to stay inside and can't see you. Others have also been told to stay indoors. I'm taking a risk coming out to talk to you; I’m not afraid of being scolded anyway, especially since we have such a good relationship."
"Thank you, Sister-in-law."
Ruyi smiled and glanced sideways to see Auspicious watching her from a doorway, making faces at her along with two nieces. She realized what had happened and asked the Li Family to take the maid aside for a chat about her temperament so that they could better care for her in the future.
The Li Family happily called away the maid.
Only then did Ruyi enter the house, where she immediately saw her parents glaring at her.
The author has something to say: Well, after finishing this chapter, I suddenly felt like writing about farming. The mind games are exhausting! Writing even one sentence is laborious. But then I realized it's winter; I almost couldn't continue! I want to cry but can't! After finishing Cured Meat, can we jump straight into spring? I hope it can be more natural then!
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