"Setting up a household for a daughter? What kind of household? They only set up a daughter’s household when there are no sons, and the daughter wants to inherit property. You have two younger brothers, so why set up a daughter’s household?" Father Zhou was furious when he heard this. Knowing there was no profit to be made, he blamed her for wasting money.
Although Mother Zhou was also very disappointed, she remembered what her daughter-in-law had said a while ago: a woman in their village had divorced and returned home, and then found another family who gave her two taels of betrothal gifts.
She had been tempted then. Since her daughter was so young, she couldn't possibly remain unmarried forever. If she married her off again, could she still ask for betrothal gifts from the other party? The answer was yes. No matter what, she had to take her back today.
Seeing her lower her head and say nothing, Father Zhou quickly smoothed things over, "It's done now, no use saying more. I'm not at ease with a woman outside. You should come home with us."
"No, when I first joined the embroidery workshop, the boss said that if I didn't work for three years, I would have to compensate ten taels of silver. It was written down in black and white, I heard. I couldn't read, but I pressed my fingerprint on it." Wu Caiwei knew very well that they wanted to manipulate her marriage, thinking she was the original owner and could be dictated to. She would likely disappoint them.
"How about this, since you want to go back, we'll go with you to take a look." Mother Zhou was not giving up, fearing that after the girl left, she would disappear again like last time, and they wouldn't know where to find her.
Wu Caiwei, who wanted to refuse, thought for a moment, swallowed the words that were about to come out, and reluctantly nodded.
Liu Changhe, who had previously had a better impression of her, was disappointed to see her still like this. Fortunately, she hadn't agreed to reconcile just now, otherwise he would have felt disgusted. How many times had he told her to stay away from the Zhou family? He didn't expect her to be soft-hearted again when the Zhou family spoke nicely.
The group rented an ox cart in the village and set off unsteadily towards the town.
Wu Caiwei had originally planned to eat something in town before leaving, but with the two of them following, she had no appetite at all. The Zhou couple, unwilling to spend extra money to buy an extra portion of food, could only endure.
The ox cart soon arrived at the county town. Wu Caiwei quickly paid the fare. Seeing her take out a handkerchief containing copper coins from her怀, Mother Zhou snatched it and looked through it. She was somewhat disappointed to find she was so poor that she only had five copper coins left. However, even a small piece of meat was still meat, so she quickly stuffed the coins into her sleeve.
Wu Caiwei curled her lips disdainfully and led them down the bustling street.
"Zhou Xue'e, you stop right there." Wu Caiwei heard a familiar voice and her lips unconsciously curved. Suddenly, she found her rather cute.
She immediately turned her head, nervously blocking the Zhou parents, and looked at Sun Wenlin in the distance, pretending to be calm. "Why is it you again? We agreed beforehand that each person is responsible for their own actions. It has nothing to do with my parents, you can't lay hands on them."
Upon hearing this, Sun Wenlin's eyes immediately lit up with interest. She glanced at the couple shrinking behind her, and her smile grew brighter. She had originally thought that she hadn't brought many people with her today and they were no match for her. She hadn't even asked yet, and this girl had already confessed.
"Since they are your parents, they are my enemies. Come, grab these two for me!" Sun Wenlin excitedly ordered.
"Is there no law? How can you arrest people on the street? They have no quarrel with you." Wu Caiwei was about to cry. The onlookers were secretly watching the development of the situation. Sun Wenlin had been notorious in the county town for so many years, who didn't recognize her? They only dared to stand far away, for fear of angering her. They deeply sympathized with Wu Caiwei's predicament but were powerless.
"Law? You're talking about law to me? Why don't you ask about my background, Sun Wenlin?" She immediately burst into laughter. Having clashed with her so many times, she had never seen her so anxious, and she was secretly delighted.
Seeing Sun Wenlin's servants slowly approaching, Mother Zhou quickly grabbed Wu Caiwei's sleeve. If they had known this would happen, they would have died before coming. What should they do now? She secretly resented Zhou Xue'e, not only for not bringing them a large sum of silver but also for getting them into trouble.
Wu Caiwei immediately turned around, as if inadvertently, and pulled her sleeve out of Mother Zhou's hand. While comforting her, she retreated, "Father, Mother, let's hurry towards the yamen and seek justice from the magistrate."
Saying that, she ran ahead. Father and Mother Zhou, despite trying their best, were old and no match for these young men. They were quickly captured.
These people had all witnessed Wu Caiwei's power. Capturing the couple was considered completing the young lady's task, and they couldn't be bothered to chase after her.
"Father, Mother, wait for me. I'll go find the magistrate to call for reinforcements and come back to save you soon." Wu Caiwei struggled in place for a while, then choked back sobs as she ran towards the yamen.
After leaving their sight, Wu Caiwei slowed down considerably, dawdling for a while before arriving at the yamen and anxiously looking for a yamen runner.
"Officer, officer, my parents have been captured by Miss Sun's family. Please save them. If it's any later, they'll be killed." Wu Caiwei looked at them with great anxiety.
Upon hearing this, the yamen runners exchanged glances and said helplessly, "Wait at the entrance, I'll report to the official."
A moment later, he came out from inside and slowly walked towards the scene of the incident with a few people. Wu Caiwei urged them repeatedly, but they were not in a hurry at all. If even the magistrate was too lazy to bother, why should they get involved?
As expected, by the time they reached the scene, the one-sided fight was almost over. Sun Wenlin looked at the yamen runners. Although she was not afraid, she still had to give them some face. She snorted and beckoned her people to leave.
At this time, Mother Zhou's face was bruised and swollen from the beating. Wu Caiwei walked up with some concern, reaching out to help her up while asking solicitously, "Father, Mother, how are you?"
Mother Zhou slapped her hand away and said crossly, "Don't you have eyes? Can't you see? This is truly undeserved misfortune. Whom did you have to offend, but her?"
Mother Zhou glanced at the crowd and wished she could disappear into the ground. She had never been so humiliated, and it was all her fault.
"Daughter is incompetent, causing Father and Mother to suffer. Let's go to the yamen to sue them," Wu Caiwei clenched her fists, her voice filled with anger.
Father Zhou looked at her speechlessly, wondering how he had such a foolish daughter. Didn't he see that after the yamen runners arrived, the other party left without haste? It was clear they had backing, and even the yamen people were not afraid. Going to sue them now would not only fail to bring them down but would also get them into trouble. Su Dan Novel Network
"Stop the nonsense and take us to the doctor." As soon as he spoke, it pulled at the wound on his lip, and Father Zhou winced in pain.