Chapter 23 I’ve never suffered such a big loss!

“Cousin, you know Auntie has a straightforward nature; sometimes she might speak harshly, but her heart is good. How about you take a step back, apologize to Auntie, and ease the tension? Later, we can find a time to sit down calmly and clear up any misunderstandings.” Zhao Xiulan, seeing someone speak up for her, naturally stepped aside and stared directly at Chang Meili. She remembered this girl was betrothed to her eldest son, but she heard she had been flirting with Zhao Zhiqing at the Youth Placement Office. Now that she’s speaking up for her, what does she want? Zhao Xiulan’s gaze swept over Chang Meili, noting that since she had a city household registration, though she wasn’t happy about it, she would reluctantly tolerate it. If she married her son in the future, she’d teach her a proper lesson. A daughter-in-law who doesn’t listen just needs a few beatings to straighten out.

Chang Suisui glanced at Chang Meili, a cold sneer curling on her lips. Just from what she said, she blamed all the faults on her. The disdain and mockery in her eyes were obvious. Chang Meili felt uncomfortable under Chang Suisui’s stare and continued, “Cousin, no matter what, Auntie is an elder. We have to know the rules and respect her—”

Before she could finish, Chang Suisui suddenly lunged forward like a hunting leopard and slapped Chang Meili hard across the face. The slap was crisp and loud, like a thunderclap in summer, instantly stunning everyone present.

“I, as your elder, am going to teach you a lesson today to show you what rules really mean!” Chang Meili staggered backward from the slap, her face twisting with pain. But because Zhao Xiulan was there, she couldn’t lose her temper or leave a bad impression on her. Covering her face, she looked at Chang Suisui in disbelief. “Cousin, how could you hit me?”

Chang Suisui rolled her eyes. “So what if I hit you? It’s not the first time. What’s there to be shocked about?”

Chang Meili didn’t expect Chang Suisui to admit it so quickly and almost lost control of her expression. She took a few deep breaths, barely holding back the urge to curse, and said with a face full of grievance, “Cousin, you can bully me anytime you want, but Jian Guo is innocent…”

“Enough! Now you’re trying to plead your fiancé’s case? Why didn’t you speak up back then? Were you too busy snuggling with your Zhao Hang to care?” Chang Suisui’s teasing voice was like sharp ice blades cutting through Chang Meili’s mental defenses.

Like a cat with its tail stepped on, Chang Meili screamed denials, sharp and piercing, “What nonsense are you talking about! Zhao Hang and I are innocent! Don’t slander us!”

Chang Suisui smirked. “Innocent? So innocent that you both ended up locked in the cattle shed together? That’s some special kind of innocence!”

Chang Meili’s face turned even grimmer. She angrily pointed at Chang Suisui, wanting to retort but found herself speechless. Nervously glancing at Zhao Xiulan, she noticed a change in her gaze. Immediately, she shouted, “Stop dodging the topic! Now talk about apologizing to Auntie! Apologize right now!”

Seeing this, a more mischievous smile appeared on Chang Suisui’s lips. “Oh, so you’re mad now? Did something really shameful happen between you and Zhao Hang before…”

“Chang Suisui!” Chang Meili almost bit her teeth. “What do you want?! When will you stop bringing up Zhao Hang?” Her voice dropped very low, only audible between them.

Chang Suisui shrugged innocently and also lowered her voice. “I can stop mentioning him if you want, but what about the money you owe me? Shouldn’t you pay me back now?”

Chang Meili froze. She didn’t expect such a sudden demand and furrowed her brows. “I don’t have that much money on me, maybe another day—”

“Oh? Really?” Chang Suisui cut her off, impatience flashing in her eyes, her voice rising again. “That Zhao Zhiqing…”

Chang Meili immediately grabbed Chang Suisui’s arm, teeth clenched, “I’ll pay, alright?!”

Thinking about the money still in her storage, even if she gave it all to Chang Suisui, she’d still have enough to turn things around. Clenching her teeth, she pulled out all the cash from her pocket, trembling as she handed it over.

“Are you two smelly girls whispering and plotting something to fool me again?” Zhao Xiulan’s voice boomed like thunder through the small courtyard of the Youth Placement Office. She stretched out her thick arm to slap their faces.

Chang Suisui was already prepared, and with nimble movement, dodged Zhao Xiulan’s attack. This dodge caused Zhao Xiulan’s slap to land heavily on an unsuspecting Chang Meili instead.

Chang Meili screamed from the pain and staggered backward several steps, her eyes full of resentment. Realizing who hit her, she immediately lowered her head and hid her resentment. Her impression with Zhao Xiulan was already bad, so now she had to drag Chang Suisui down with her to win back favor.

Before she could act, Chang Suisui suddenly screamed, “How dare you hit my cousin! I’m going to fight you today!”

Angrily, Chang Suisui grabbed Zhao Xiulan and slapped her several times. Though not hard enough to seriously hurt, it was enough to make Zhao Xiulan stumble and nearly fall.

Zhao Xiulan, burning with rage and pain, lost all reason. “You little brat, you dare fight back!”

She rushed forward again. “If I don’t teach you all a good lesson today, you wouldn’t know how many eyes the Horse King has!”

Chang Meili was stunned by Chang Suisui’s crazy move, not understanding what she was doing but knowing it was a perfect chance to gain favor.

She immediately stepped forward and grabbed Chang Suisui’s arm, shouting, “Cousin, you can’t hit her, no!”

If she held onto Chang Suisui, Zhao Xiulan would vent her anger on her instead, which would count as a filial act towards her future mother-in-law.

Chang Suisui wasn’t fooled by her little trick. Smirking silently, she shouted loudly, “Meili, get out of the way! Even though Xie Jianguo tried to grope me because of your words, his mother can’t be so unreasonable to just hit you. Is there any law left in this world?!”

As she said this, she used the opportunity to spin around, making Zhao Xiulan’s slap land squarely on Chang Meili again without missing.

Not letting either of them get comfortable, Chang Suisui kicked Zhao Xiulan a few times during the breaks when Chang Meili was being hit.

Zhao Xiulan was furious beyond measure. Since becoming the village chief’s wife, she’d never suffered such humiliation!

Unable to catch the slippery Chang Suisui, she grabbed Chang Meili’s hair—