Chapter 37: Argument

Tan Yanlu didn’t immediately understand what Jiang Pan Yu was saying.

But when she finally processed it, a loud “boom” echoed in her mind, causing her whole body to shudder. It felt as though a layer of fog had been lifted, and she suddenly became crystal clear.

Yes, there was more than one person who had saved her, so why had she only remembered Gao Shaolin?

If Jiang Pan Yu hadn’t reminded her, would she have forgotten about the others?

This sudden realization sent a chill down Tan Yanlu’s spine, and an inexplicable fear began to spread throughout her body.

Her heart pounded violently, the pain turning her face pale, and cold sweat broke out on her palms.

Seeing that Tan Yanlu had come to her senses, Jiang Pan Yu continued to brainwash her: “Yanlu, don’t you think this Gao Shaolin is a bit strange?

Every time you encounter him, it’s like your brain just goes missing. It’s so weird!”

Tan Yanlu licked her dry lips: “Yes, I think it’s really strange too. I don’t know what to do now. Do you think I’ve been cursed?”

Of course, Jiang Pan Yu knew that Tan Yanlu wasn’t cursed; she was just being controlled by subconscious suggestions. But she couldn’t say that!

“People don’t really talk about that kind of thing these days. Maybe you should just stay away from the Gao family and Gao Shaolin from now on.

No matter how strange he is, if you keep your distance, he can’t control you from afar. Besides, we don’t have anything worth his attention, so it shouldn’t be a problem!”

Jiang Pan Yu’s goal was precisely this—to make Tan Yanlu vigilant on her own and actively stay away from Gao Shaolin.

Jiang Pan Yu didn’t believe that if Tan Yanlu kept her distance and avoided emotional entanglements, the subconscious suggestions could still forcefully hypnotize her.

This way, Tan Yanlu’s thoughts would be less affected, and with Jiang Pan Yu occasionally reminding her, it shouldn’t fail, right?

Tan Yanlu couldn’t think of a better solution: “You’re right. From now on, I’ll stay away from the Gao family.

But earlier, I mentioned that I should still show some gratitude to those who saved me.

I think I’ll just avoid doing it myself and ask the Brigade leader to help me with this. What do you think?”

“Sure, I think buying a pack of brown sugar and giving each person a small packet would be a nice gesture.”

And so, the matter was settled. But Tan Yanlu started thinking more deeply about it, mainly because she had a Golden finger with an incredibly powerful function.

She knew how precious her tears were. Tan Yanlu used to be an atheist, but now she wasn’t so sure.

She began to suspect that she had slipped up and that Gao Shaolin had noticed. Did he have some ulterior motive? Was he trying to steal her Golden finger? Was he trying to control her?

The more she thought about it, the more she classified Gao Shaolin and the Gao family as extremely dangerous individuals.

Tan Yanlu’s current mindset was akin to that of an ancient emperor who always suspected someone was trying to steal his throne—a similar kind of paranoia.

So from that day on, while others reflected on their day by asking: “Have I worked harder than yesterday? Have I improved compared to yesterday? Am I better than yesterday?”

Tan Yanlu’s daily reflections were:

Stay away from Gao Shaolin, stay away from the Gao family.

Stay away from Gao Shaolin, stay away from the Gao family.

Stay away from Gao Shaolin, stay away from the Gao family.

Then, Jiang Pan Yu received a notification that the Task Progress Bar had advanced by ten percent.

The Gossip System was utterly baffled, wondering how Jiang Pan Yu’s few words had caused the Task Progress Bar to move so much.

Jiang Pan Yu smiled slightly; she had merely made Tan Yanlu believe that Gao Shaolin was trying to steal her Golden Finger.

To put it in modern terms, it was like saying, “There are always troublemakers trying to harm me!”

Tan Yanlu was far from sparking any romantic feelings for Gao Shaolin. If she had the ruthlessness of Wu Zetian, she might have been contemplating how to eliminate Gao Shaolin!

The morning’s work passed quickly, and by noon, people in the fields were heading home.

However, the Jin household was in an uproar, drawing a crowd of onlookers to their doorstep.

Jiang Pan Yu couldn’t miss such a spectacle. She pulled Tan Yanlu to the front of the crowd, almost ready to grab some sunflower seeds and a small stool to sit and watch the drama unfold.

Inside the Jin household, the loudest and most heated argument came from the third branch of the family.

Jin Lao San’s wife stood with her hands on her hips, shouting inside the house: “When did our Jin family ever split up? All the grandchildren are treated the same, eating and drinking together. Why does that little girl get to eat Dried Sweet Potato while my sons have to watch others eat and rely on her charity? And she even tricked my two sons into harming others. What, are the grandchildren of the eldest branch so precious, while ours are just picked up from the street? Some people are just shameless, taking advantage of the old folks’ favoritism without any sense of decency.”

Jin Lao San tried to pull her back, but she pushed him away: “Don’t you dare stop me! Am I wrong? My two sons were almost executed by firearm because of that little girl. Why didn’t she ask her own brothers or the second branch’s brothers to do the dirty work? Why did she have to pick on my sons? Oh, just because my sons are simple-minded, they deserve to be treated like this? Jin Lao San, think carefully, those are your own sons. No matter how close others are, they didn’t come out of my belly, and they won’t be the ones to take care of you in your old age.”

Accountant Jin sat inside, smoking one cigarette after another, letting Jin Lao San’s wife berate him. He felt guilty. For so many years, the family had lived together without splitting up, and indeed, he, as the eldest, had benefited the most. His daughter had also wronged the third branch’s children, so he couldn’t say much. Neither he nor his wife had any grounds to argue with the third branch.

Accountant Jin couldn’t speak, but his mother, the Jin family matriarch, could: “Third daughter-in-law, shut up! If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll have you divorced!”

“Divorce me? Do you think this is still the old society? This is New China! I’ve worked hard for over a decade since marrying into the Jin family and have given birth to sons. Even if I haven’t contributed much, I’ve certainly put in my share of effort. How dare you not let me speak the truth? I’m telling you, if you dare have Jin Lao San divorce me, I’ll make sure your Jin family never has a moment’s peace!”

This time, the third daughter-in-law was determined. She had had enough of the Jin family’s favoritism, and this incident had nearly cost her two sons their lives. She couldn’t swallow this injustice any longer.

The old lady Jin was so furious that she couldn’t speak for a long time. At this moment, all three sons of the Jin family couldn’t sit still, looking as if they were about to quarrel with Jin Lao San’s wife.

However, Jin Lao Er was firmly held back by his wife in their room, not allowing him to go out: “What are you going out for? It’s none of your business. As the second uncle, how can you have the nerve to quarrel with your sister-in-law? If you don’t care about your face, I still do.”

“Didn’t you see how angry my mother is? I have to make Lao San’s wife shut up,” Jin Lao Er retorted, his neck stiff, ready to argue with his wife.

“Cut it out. You’re not usually that filial, why act filial now? It’s none of our business anyway, and I won’t let you get involved.”

The couple Jin Lao Er and his wife started arguing quietly in their room.

Outside, Jin Kuaiji and his wife Jin Jiefang were still in a heated argument with Lao San’s wife, and for some reason, Jin Bei also ran out of the room to help her parents argue.

Lao San’s wife was in full swing, cursing whoever she caught: “Oh, oh, oh, the whole family is ganging up on us, the third branch! Lao San, do you see this? You treat them as brothers, you treat their niece as your own daughter, look, look, do they treat you as a brother? They brought the whole family to bully your wife.”

Jin Jiefang also fought back without showing weakness: “Lao San’s wife, don’t speak so harshly, look at how you’ve angered the elders in the family.”