Chapter 31

This Dog, Is It Crazy?!

Song Ran was in a foul mood. When he ran into someone annoying, his face turned even darker. “Get lost! Don’t provoke me!”

Li Chengye grinned insolently at Song Ran. “If I leave just because you told me to, wouldn’t I be losing face?”

Seizing the opportunity while someone blocked Song Ran, Xu Xin tried to sneak away. However, Li Chengye called out to her, “I’m not done talking. Where do you think you’re going?”

Caught mid-step, Xu Xin reluctantly retracted her foot. “Comrade, I don’t know you, and I have nothing to say to you.”

Li Chengye sneered. “You may not know me, but you know Song Ran and Xu Jiajia. When you interfered in someone else’s relationship, was this your attitude then?”

Afraid passersby might overhear, Xu Xin shot a warning look at Li Chengye. “Comrade, please don’t spread rumors!”

Li Chengye grabbed Song Ran by the collar and shoved him toward Xu Xin. “Here’s your witness! Tsk, just look at your looks—no wonder this fool fell for you!

“Not only are you unattractive, but you also look so sickly. Someone who doesn’t know better might think you’ve got some serious illness!”

Li Chengye’s sharp tongue left Xu Xin fuming with rage. “You—you’ve got no manners!”

Li Chengye gave her a cocky look. “Did I say something wrong?”

Seeing the person he loved being bullied, Song Ran coldly shouted at Li Chengye, “That’s enough!”

Li Chengye sneered. “Even when people ignore you, you still stick your nose in. Pathetic. Blind dog—just wait, you’ll regret it!”

After venting his frustration, Li Chengye left, humming a tune.

Song Ran: “…”

This dog, is he crazy?!

Thanks to Li Chengye’s antics, Xu Xin became even more determined to avoid getting involved with Song Ran. She spoke icily, “Comrade Song Ran, your breakup with Xu Jiajia is your own business. It has nothing to do with me. Don’t drag me into it.

“And next time you come looking for me, I’ll report you for harassment.”

This time, Xu Xin showed no mercy.

Song Ran couldn’t figure out where things had gone wrong. Everything had been fine before. “Comrade Xu, did Xu Jiajia say something to you?”

Xu Xin neither confirmed nor denied it. “Stop mentioning that name. I don’t like hearing it.”

Even though she’d never interacted with Xu Jiajia, she found herself instinctively repelled by her.

Song Ran mistakenly thought Xu Jiajia had badmouthed him to Xu Xin. Clenching his fists in anger, he muttered, “I knew that wretch wouldn’t let me go.”

Chen Ji happened to walk by. Although he’d passed them, the mention of a name made him stop and turn back. “Are you talking about Xu Jiajia from Shifeng Village?”

Song Ran stared blankly at Chen Ji. “Yes, do you know her too?”

Chen Ji raised his fist and punched him. “You’re saying my sister is clinging to you? Do you even own a mirror?

“Oh wait. Looking at you, your family probably doesn’t even have a mirror.

“But surely you have water to reflect in, don’t you? Why don’t you take a look at yourself in a puddle?!”

Song Ran, bruised and battered, lunged to fight back, only to be pinned down by Chen Ji in one move. “With your sorry state, you’re not even fit to carry my sister’s shoes. Yet you have the audacity to say she’s clinging to you?

“With such shameless remarks, why didn’t they use your face to make bulletproof vests?”

Chen Ji patted Song Ran’s face mockingly. “Tsk, thick enough for it!”

Terrified by the scene, Xu Xin bolted away.

Song Ran was both furious and humiliated, screaming hysterically at Chen Ji, “Let go of me—”

Chen Ji kicked him. “Shut up! Your voice is annoying!”

Song Ran cried out in pain, pointing at Chen Ji. “I’ll report you! I’ll sue you!”

Chen Ji sneered. “Go ahead. See if I care!”

The area wasn’t particularly secluded, but at this time of day, few people passed by, so Chen Ji had no fear.

Satisfied with the lesson he’d taught, Chen Ji strolled away casually.

Having suffered such humiliation, Song Ran blamed it all on Xu Jiajia. “Xu Jiajia, you wretch, this isn’t over between us!”

Meanwhile, at the police station, Xu Jiajia sneezed. Concerned, Xu Xiaoyao asked, “Do you have a cold?”

Xu Jiajia rubbed her nose. “No, someone must be thinking about me.”

Xu Xiaoyao exclaimed, “That’s not right. If you sneeze once, it means someone’s cursing you.”

In her previous life, Xu Jiajia had heard this saying online. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Who could it be?”

Xu Xiaoyao asked, “Did you offend someone?”

Xu Jiajia thought for a moment but couldn’t recall offending anyone. “I’m so nice—how could I offend anyone?”

Unable to figure it out, she decided to let it go. “Never mind. Folk sayings aren’t always accurate.”

Laughing and chatting, the two arrived at the police station.

Someone recognized Xu Jiajia and shouted, “Officer Liu, your sister-in-law is here!”

Liu Kui stepped out and invited them in. “Come, have a seat.”

Xu Jiajia had something important to discuss. “Sure—”

Once inside the office, she shared her findings with Liu Kui. “The director of the sugar factory, Han Jian, I suspect his mother might be from an island nation.”

Liu Kui was stunned. “Why would you suspect her?”

Xu Jiajia concocted a story with a straight face. “I’ve studied makeup techniques. Her makeup is deliberately done in a certain way, and her features are very characteristic of someone from an island nation.”

Liu Kui took her words seriously and made a note. “Thank you for the tip. I’ll investigate this.”

Leaving the police station—

Xu Xiaoyao stared blankly at Xu Jiajia.
“You said earlier, ‘he’s finished.’ Is this what you meant?”

Xu Jiajia chuckled softly. “Isn’t this serious enough?”

Xu Xiaoyao felt that her sister was becoming more and more impressive, as if everything was under her control. “When did you figure it out?”

Xu Jiajia smirked inwardly. Figure it out? Nonsense. All this information had been fed to her by Guagua, her “gossip system.”

Having a gossip system not only kept things interesting but also provided leads to the police—how delightful!

“Don’t ask too many questions. Knowing too much won’t do you any good.”

The sun dipped below the horizon, and the sky was painted with hues of twilight.

Xu Jiajia sat in the ox cart, swaying gently, utterly relaxed.

Perhaps she was tired.

Not long after getting on the cart, she leaned against Xu Xiaoyao and fell asleep.

The ride up and down hills was bumpy, with occasional sudden stops.

The people on the cart were jostled back and forth, sometimes leaning forward, other times falling backward. Those sitting close together would even bump heads.

Despite the rough ride, Xu Jiajia didn’t wake up.

An older woman envied her ability to sleep. “If only I could sleep like that!”

Someone chimed in, “It’s normal for young people to sleep well. Nothing to envy—you were young once too.”

“I wasn’t this good at sleeping back then!”

Their chatter continued until the cart reached the village entrance, where they finally quieted down.

Xu Jiajia woke up just in time. Opening her eyes, she saw they were at the village entrance. Stretching lazily, she said, “That was refreshing.”

Meanwhile…

Zhao Chunlan, having learned that Xu Jiajia gave her job opportunity to Xu Xiaoyao, was livid.

“Shen Dazhu, you’re such a failure of a man! Your sons don’t respect you, and now even your daughter-in-law doesn’t take you seriously.

“She knows you have two other sons. Instead of giving the job to Zhouzhou, she hands it to someone unrelated by blood.

“She’s deliberately opposing you!”

Shen Dazhu was also furious. Such a significant decision, and she didn’t consult the in-laws? Clearly, she didn’t regard them at all.

“Let’s go to the Xu family! I want to ask Xu Jianguo how he raised his daughter!”

The couple stormed into the Xu family’s home, seething with anger.

“Xu Jianguo, get out here!”

Xu Jiajia, who had just stepped into the kitchen, turned around and saw them. “What do you want with my dad?”

Zhao Chunlan rushed up, pointing at Xu Jiajia as she vented her frustration.

“How dare you ask us that? Why didn’t you give Zhouzhou the job? He’s been so good to you!

“What kind of sister-in-law are you?!”

Xu Jiajia wasn’t one to back down. She retorted sharply, “It’s my job, and I’ll give it to whoever I want. What’s it to you?

“If you’re so fond of meddling, maybe lay off the salt in your diet!”

Zhao Chunlan was so enraged her face turned ashen, and she trembled all over. “You—you treat your in-laws like this? Are you even human?

“Xu Jiajia, heaven is watching! Aren’t you afraid of retribution?”

Xu Jiajia sneered coldly, her frosty gaze burning with icy flames. “You’re the least qualified person to say that.”

The coldness in Xu Jiajia’s demeanor scared Zhao Chunlan, who instinctively took a few steps back. She stumbled over a chair and fell to the ground with it.

Shen Dazhu helped her up, his bloodshot eyes glaring at Xu Jiajia. “Daughter-in-law, are you saying the in-laws mean less to you than an outsider?”

Xu Jiajia, having received no favors from him, didn’t hold back. “The so-called outsider you mentioned comforted me when I was heartbroken and stood up for me without hesitation when I was bullied, even at the cost of injury.

“If an outsider can do so much, surely you so-called in-laws would do even better, wouldn’t you?

“I’m broke now. As in-laws, shouldn’t you support me?”

Shen Dazhu froze, not wanting to steer the conversation toward money. “We’re talking about the job! Don’t change the subject.”

Xu Jiajia brushed aside her bangs and scoffed. “If Ayue acknowledges you, then you’re family. If he doesn’t, you’re nothing.

“Some people don’t see their own flaws but still love to preach.”

Shen Dazhu’s face turned red with shame. “You—you dare talk like that?”

Xu Jiajia raised an eyebrow. “Did I say anything wrong?”

At that moment, Shen Dazhu deeply regretted his past treatment of Shen Yuebai. Had he given the boy even a shred of warmth, their father-son relationship wouldn’t have become so strained.

Zhao Chunlan, seeing that Shen Dazhu had lost his will to argue, pinched him hard and whispered urgently, “The job! Zhouzhou becomes a worker, and in the future, you’ll have something to show our ancestors!”

Shen Dazhu, stirred by her words, asked, “What will it take for you to give Zhouzhou the job?”

Xu Jiajia replied coldly, “Not happening.”

Honestly, Zhouzhou was doing just fine on his own.

Why were they so needlessly worried?

Just then, Grandma Xu returned from the fields. Seeing her granddaughter looking upset, she assumed she had been bullied. Grabbing a wooden stick from the yard, she chased after Shen Dazhu and Zhao Chunlan.

“You wretches! Who gave you the nerve to bully my grandchild?!

“I’ll beat you to death!”

Shen Dazhu couldn’t dodge in time and took two hits from the old lady, grimacing in pain. “We didn’t bully her!”

Grandma Xu spat in his face. “My grandchild’s face looks awful, and you say you didn’t bully her? Do you think this old woman is blind?!”