"If you're not worried about that, then what are you brooding over?" Sister Sa asked, puzzled.
"I'm thinking about how to get revenge on them."
"Heh, what's so difficult about that?"
"Oh?" Jiang Ling raised her eyebrows charmingly, looking at her. "Do you have a way?"
Sister Sa flashed a sly smile. "Lingzi, haven't you heard the saying, 'Poor mountains and harsh waters breed wicked people'?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ling immediately laughed. "Yes, the elders and aunties in my old village are all quite something. They gossip incessantly, weaving tales out of thin air. It's perfect for a tit-for-tat approach to deal with Jiang Jianguo's family."
Sister Sa added, "Moreover, those people are 'fair-weather friends.' Whoever brings them benefits, they'll praise to the skies. If it impinges on their interests, they'll dig up your entire ancestry."
Jiang Ling chuckled. "That's even better. I was already planning to donate money to the village in my parents' name after I became successful, to support children's education and the elderly facing difficulties. That way, they'd remember my parents' kindness. Now I can do it sooner."
Given her current status and wealth, anything that could be solved with money was not a problem at all.
Thus, Jiang Ling, in the name of her adoptive parents, donated hundreds of millions to her hometown.
For a small village with a population of less than a thousand, this donation of hundreds of millions was an immense sum.
When the vast majority of netizens learned of this, they praised Jiang Ling for her beauty and kindness, and for giving back to her hometown.
Due to the information asymmetry, netizens were unaware that Jiang Ling possessed a net worth of hundreds of billions, and that a platinum-tier artist earned hundreds of millions annually. To them, donating hundreds of millions seemed incredibly generous.
The elderly in the village and families with children needing schooling were even more grateful to Jiang Ling upon hearing the news.
They marveled at how Jiang Ling's adoptive parents had raised such a good daughter, while simultaneously mocking Jiang Jianguo's family for mistaking a pearl for a pebble and discarding it.
Don't underestimate the gossip of villagers; rumors possess immense destructive power. Public opinion can forge metal and crumble bones.
When Jiang Tianbao recovered, Jiang Jianguo and his family returned to the village, only to realize the potency of Jiang Ling's move.
Soon, the trio discovered that no matter where they went, people would point fingers at them, disgusted by their preference for sons over daughters, and laughing at them for letting go of a true phoenix.
If they hadn't abandoned Jiang Ling back then, they would have been the most envied people in the entire village.
But who could they blame for this?
With their reputation tarnished, it became extremely difficult for Jiang Tianbao to find a wife.
By now, all the surrounding villages knew that this family favored sons, treated daughters-in-law poorly, and might even abandon or kill their daughters. Who would dare to marry into their family?
What's more, Jiang Jianguo and Zhang Lian had exceptionally high standards for their son's wife, demanding good looks and a good physique.
What constituted 'good looks'?
It meant having a round face. According to traditional Chinese beliefs, a round face signified good fortune, while a pointed chin was seen as sharp and unlucky.
A good physique didn't mean a slender figure, but rather large hips.
There's a common saying, "Large hips are good for bearing children."
They hoped their daughter-in-law would quickly bear them grandsons, so naturally, they sought someone fertile.
With such picky demands and a terrible reputation, they struggled to find a suitable match for a long time.
Just then, a matchmaker proactively came to propose marriage.