Mrs. Pan's temper flared instantly. She had held her tongue when dealing with Zhang Dahai with her husband present, but these people were pushing their luck, demanding she cook for them.
Glaring at Zhang Taohong, who was sitting calmly, she snapped, "Some people have no sense of their duty as a daughter-in-law, not going to cook when it's time for a meal."
Since Zhang Taohong had backing now and wasn't explicitly named, she pretended not to understand.
Seeing Zhang Taohong's inaction, Mrs. Pan couldn't help but step forward, intending to slap her as usual. However, this time, Zhang Taohong caught her hand and swiftly drew back her other hand, landing a solid slap on Mrs. Pan's face.
Mrs. Pan clutched her face, disbelief etched on her features. "How dare you? Tomorrow, I'll go to the village and tell everyone what kind of daughter-in-law you are."
Zhang Taohong nonchalantly dusted off her hands and continued to sit. "Feel free. People will believe whatever you say, won't they? Everyone has seen how you've treated me all along."
Accustomed to wielding authority, Mrs. Pan could not tolerate this. She grabbed a stool and sat down, deciding that no one would eat.
Soon, someone's stomach rumbled. Wu Caiwei was also getting hungry. Unwilling to endure the situation, she took out some pastries from her pocket and ate them slowly. After a while, she shared some with Zhang Dahai and Zhang Taohong. Mr. and Mrs. Pan watched them, seething with anger. They had barely eaten at noon, wanting to discipline Zhang Taohong, and now they had nothing to eat.
Finally, Mrs. Pan couldn't stand it anymore and stomped off to the kitchen to cook. As soon as the meal was ready, Wu Caiwei, Zhang Dahai, and Zhang Taohong quickly grabbed bowls to serve themselves. By the time Mr. and Mrs. Pan went to eat, there was hardly anything left.
"In our home, can't you consider our feelings? You ate all the food, what are we supposed to eat?" Mrs. Pan was utterly heartbroken. These people couldn't be driven away, they couldn't be beaten, and their faces were thicker than the city walls.
"You could have made more. Don't I usually eat your leftovers? You've endured this for so long, and now you can't handle one meal?" Zhang Taohong looked at them with feigned innocence.
Mrs. Pan glanced at the two imposing figures behind Zhang Taohong and had to resign herself to misfortune. The couple ate a hasty meal, feeling utterly wronged.
When it was time to sleep at night, another problem arose. Their house only had one guest room. Zhang Taohong directly went into their room, took out a few quilts, tidied up the guest room, and settled in with Wu Caiwei. Her own room was then given to her father.
Their family of three was forced to share a single room, with the son sleeping on a makeshift bed on the floor. It had only been a day, and their lives were already chaotic. They couldn't imagine what the future held. Sudancn.com
To their dismay, the engaged couple showed no intention of leaving. After breakfast, they went around telling everyone how badly Zhang Taohong had been treated at the Pan household, claiming they needed to stay for a while longer, fearing she would be abused if they left.
As Zhang Taohong had said, the villagers had witnessed how she was treated daily. When the couple spoke, they gained sympathy. When the Pan family went out, people looked at them with changed expressions.
After a few more bumpy days, Mrs. Pan, watching them lounge around the yard, cooled off, could no longer bear it. She approached Wu Caiwei and said helplessly, "What do you want us to do for you to leave?"
Wu Caiwei saw that the time was right and replied seriously, "Actually, our ultimate goal is to take Zhang Taohong away. As long as you let her go, we will leave immediately."
"Impossible," Mrs. Pan refused without hesitation. Finding a daughter-in-law was already difficult, and if this resulted in a divorce, her son's reputation would be ruined. Would he be destined to be a bachelor?
"If you don't agree, we'll just drag this out. We have plenty of time. You know that a forced melon isn't sweet. Even if you keep her person, you can't keep her heart," Wu Caiwei said indifferently.
Mrs. Pan felt the situation was a dead end. She went back and told Mr. Pan, who also fell into deep thought. He actually thought differently from Mrs. Pan. After the events of the past few days, he understood that Zhang Taohong was not the same as before. The main reason was that in the past, no one had managed her. This time, with her father and future mother-in-law backing her, she had become much more assertive and willing to oppose the Pan family.
She was now a ticking time bomb, and he felt a sense of impending doom. If his guess was correct, Zhang Taohong's future stepmother was not ordinary. He was more practical; a divorce was acceptable, and if they could get some money out of it, they could buy a bride for their son.
Mrs. Pan continued to complain, "If we had known, we shouldn't have married her in the first place. She's a menace..."
Noticing that Mr. Pan had gone out, she quickly followed. Mr. Pan approached Wu Caiwei and stated directly, "I agree to the divorce, but we have conditions."
Wu Caiwei raised an eyebrow, looking at him with interest. "Tell me what they are."
"You give me twenty taels of silver, and we'll sign the divorce papers," Mr. Pan said confidently.
Wu Caiwei suddenly laughed. "You have quite an appetite. When you married our Taohong, you only spent five taels of silver. She has done a lot of work for you at your house and was often beaten. Now you want four times the amount? You have quite a thick skin. Let me be clear, I'm not short of this little money, but I just don't want to give it to you. The main reason, of course, is that you abused our Taohong."
"But have you considered that recently, you've been damaging our reputation outside? When she leaves, where will I find a bride for my son? With this money, we can buy someone," Mr. Pan felt more and more that this was the right course of action.
"With your family's disposition, any girl who marries into your family is doomed for eight lifetimes. If you buy someone, no one will care if you beat them to death, right? Actually, I'm not lacking the money. I'll send two thugs with Taohong another day and stir up your household until it's turned upside down. Then we'll see if you let her go," Wu Caiwei snorted, her tone laced with a threat.
"You're asking for the impossible. What's the difference between this and the actions of street thugs?" Mr. Pan was astonished.
"When dealing with people like you, extraordinary methods are necessary. You have one day to think about it. We will leave at this time tomorrow. Once the arrow is loosed, there's no turning back. If you regret it then, it will be too late." With that, Wu Caiwei closed her eyes and ignored them.
Mr. Pan dared not disturb them further. He flicked his sleeves and turned to leave.
That night, he couldn't sleep, constantly weighing the pros and cons. Finally, he sighed and made up his mind.