Chapter 12: Yu Manman Was Beaten

It really was Yu Manman!

Wu Xiuxiu sized up the thin and pale girl walking towards them from a few meters away. The image of Yu Manman in her mind quickly merged with the girl in front of her.

Why did Yu Manman get off work early today?

In her memory, the factory Yu Manman worked at had a schedule of 8 am to 12 pm, and 2 pm to 6 pm.

It was only a little past 10 am, and Yu Manman should still be at the factory…

Seeing Yu Manman approaching their group, her face showing the same suspicion and curiosity as their own, a cold glint flashed in Wu Xiuxiu’s eyes. She sneered inwardly.

Though she didn’t know why Yu Manman had come back early, it was truly a stroke of luck. She was about to go look for her, and now she had delivered herself to their doorstep.

It was a pity that she had come to them instead of going to the factory. She wouldn’t be able to cause a scene at the factory.

“Yu Manman, why did you come back early today? It’s not even off-work time yet, you should still be at work, right?” An auntie couldn’t help but ask loudly out of curiosity.

“I’m not feeling well, so I took a leave of absence to rest. Where are all of you going? It’s quite lively to see so many people going out together.” Yu Manman replied, her gaze landing on Wu Xiuxiu.

“Xiuxiu, you’re out of the hospital! Why didn’t you stay in the hospital for a couple more days? I was thinking of going to the hospital to see you after I felt better this afternoon.”

Yu Manman seemed to have just noticed Wu Xiuxiu and walked quickly towards her, her face showing a concerned expression as she spoke: “I’m really sorry, I should have gone to the hospital to see you earlier, but I’ve been so busy. You know my job, it’s really busy and hard, it’s killing me.”

She didn’t expect Wu Xiuxiu to recover so quickly and be discharged from the hospital. She thought that since she had such a high fever, even if she miraculously survived, she would be very weak and have to stay in the hospital for a long time.

She didn’t expect her to only stay in the hospital for two days and be able to be discharged. And she looked pretty healthy, even better than her!

Look at her complexion, it was actually quite rosy, and she even looked a bit beautiful, prettier than before…

It must be because her sister-in-law and her mother made a lot of delicious and nutritious food for her, feeding her like crazy.

They were both daughters, but her mother was so good to Wu Xiuxiu, and her sister-in-law was also good to her, always giving her delicious and nutritious food. Unlike her…

Thinking about herself made her feel so miserable. It was rare for her to have a good, nutritious meal.

Even though she worked hard in the steel mill, earning dozens of yuan a month, her mother wouldn’t even let her eat a piece of meat or an egg.

Every time her mother bought meat or eggs, she wouldn’t let her eat them, making her give them all to her brothers. This made her malnourished, and she almost fainted in the workshop, which gave her an opportunity to take a leave of absence to rest for a while.

The more she thought about it, the more she hated it. Why could Wu Xiuxiu live like a young lady, with her family pampering and loving her, while she had to be like a maid, being exploited and bullied by her family? It was really unfair.

It was so infuriating!

“You’re so busy and so hard-working, you could just quit your job, you know? Don’t end up working yourself to death, that wouldn’t be worth it. Your health is the most important thing.”

Wu Xiuxiu didn’t know what Yu Manman was thinking at that moment, but she heard the resentment in her last sentence, “It’s killing me.” She sneered inwardly again, deliberately showing a concerned and heartbroken expression, her tone innocent as she spoke.

Because of Wu Xiuxiu’s sincere and heartbroken appearance, and her previous image in the eyes of everyone as being a bit silly and stupid, no one thought much of her words. No one heard the mockery and sarcasm hidden in her words.

Yu Manman didn’t hear it either. She snorted inwardly: She wished she could quit her job, she thought about it every day. After all, she worked her ass off, and the wages she earned never reached her hands, they all went into her mother’s pocket.

But if she quit, her mother would definitely beat her to death. And if she quit without a job, she wouldn’t be able to get married, and she would have to go to the countryside.

“Sigh… You know my family situation, how can I quit?” Yu Manman sighed heavily.

“By the way, where are all of you going?” She changed the subject. She had asked earlier, but no one answered her.

“We’re going to find you.” Wu Xiuxiu answered, looking at Mrs. Chang.

Yu Manman found it strange that they were all going to find her, and even more strange when she saw Wu Xiuxiu looking at Mrs. Chang.

Could it be that they were going to find her because of Mrs. Chang?

“Yu Manman, tell me, did you tell me that Wu Xiuxiu told you she deliberately got wet in the rain to get sick to avoid going to the countryside, so she ended up in the hospital!” Mrs. Chang immediately glared at Yu Manman, shouting angrily.

Yu Manman wasn’t stupid. Upon hearing Mrs. Chang’s words, she understood what was going on and felt a sense of foreboding.

It turned out they were going to confront her directly. Maybe she would be accused of something.

How did Mrs. Chang tell Wu Xiuxiu? She had clearly told her not to spread it around…

What should she do now?

How should she explain to Wu Xiuxiu?

She absolutely couldn’t admit it was her, otherwise, Wu Xiuxiu would definitely be angry and wouldn’t forgive her.

She wouldn’t be as foolish as before, sharing her food, belongings, and especially her money with Yu Manman.

She wouldn’t listen to Yu Manman’s words anymore, and she wouldn’t even realize she was being tricked.

“Manman, I don’t believe you said that. This is definitely not what you said, right?

We grew up together, we’re like sisters. You would never spread rumors and slander me, telling Mrs. Chang that I told you I deliberately got wet in the rain to get sick to avoid going to the countryside.”

Wu Xiuxiu looked into Yu Manman’s eyes, her face full of disbelief.

Yu Manman didn’t hesitate to nod. “Of course not. How could I spread rumors and slander you, telling Mrs. Chang that you told me you deliberately got wet in the rain to get sick…”

“Slap!” Yu Manman’s words were interrupted by a slap.

Mrs. Chang’s face was filled with anger as she slapped Yu Manman’s right cheek, leaving a clear five-fingered mark.

Everyone was stunned, including Wu Xiuxiu, who had a look of surprise in her eyes.

She didn’t expect Mrs. Chang to act so quickly. She hadn’t even pressured or provoked her, yet she had slapped Yu Manman. Her temper was even more explosive than she thought.

“Mrs. Chang, why did you suddenly hit me? Why did you hit me?”

Yu Manman touched her burning cheek, her anger and grievance rising. She shouted at Mrs. Chang.

“You little vixen, you little slut! You clearly told me that Wu Xiuxiu deliberately got wet in the rain to get sick to avoid going to the countryside, and now you deny it!

Do you want everyone to think I’m deliberately spreading rumors and lying to slander Wu Xiuxiu?!” Mrs. Chang pointed at Yu Manman’s nose and cursed, her expression extremely fierce.

This little vixen dared to deny it in public, trying to shift the blame onto her and make her the target of everyone’s anger. This was simply playing with her, tricking her! It was outrageous and unforgivable!

She would make her know that she was not as foolish as Wu Xiuxiu, not someone she could play with and trick.