Divorce with three kids? I'll build a house and eat meat, driving my in-laws crazy.

Chapter 236 She's not some pampered young lady

Wu Shuihua pouted and said, "What are you going to lecture me about? I didn't do anything."

She didn't necessarily want to embarrass her mother; she was just instinctively defending herself.

Even if she made a mistake, it should be her mother who disciplines her, not the old hag Hai who has the right to lecture her.

What gives her the right to act tough in front of her?
Hai looked at Ren Siniang with suspicion: "So you're lying."

Lying isn't really a big deal.

However, one cannot lie in the konjac tofu workshop, especially in front of Mr. Hai, as it would be easy to be accused of dishonesty.

Workshops will not keep dishonest people.

Although Ren Si Niang said she wanted to leave, she actually wanted to stay and continue searching for the secret recipe.

He then awkwardly laughed and said, "Aunt Hai, what are you talking about? How could I possibly lie?"

As she spoke, she nudged Wu Shuihua, "Quickly apologize to your Granny Hai."

Wu Shuihua pouted and remained silent, while Ren Si Niang continued, "Children don't know any better, please be magnanimous and don't take it to heart."

Hai snorted coldly and said, "She's almost married, why are you still calling her a child? Since you say you're not lying, then your daughter must have done something wrong."

I've been asking you questions for ages, but you haven't shown any interest in answering.

"Then you can all go home. You don't need to come tomorrow."

The way those two looked at me with their shifty eyes, it was clear they weren't up to anything.

Anyway, the workshop doesn't need any more people right now, keeping these two around would only cause trouble.

Upon hearing that she was to be kicked out, Ren Si Niang immediately swore that she had not done anything wrong.

In reality, they wanted to do bad things but hadn't found the opportunity yet.

He then cried and begged for mercy, saying that his family was starving and he desperately needed this job.

Ren Si Niang's tears were all fake, and Hai Shi, being a shrewd old fox, naturally saw through it at a glance.

But she said nothing, just watched Ren Si Niang perform alone, like a poorly performing actor.

Seeing that the old woman didn't believe her and that her solo performance was about to end, Ren Si Niang had no choice but to raise her hand and slap her daughter hard.

Wu Shuihua never expected to be beaten. She covered her reddened face, her eyes flashing with hatred.

"Mother, what are you doing? What did I do wrong?"

She didn't dare fight back, but surely she could ask why.

Ren Si Niang gritted her teeth and said, "I told you not to be lazy, I told you not to complain about how hard the work was, and I told you not to come tomorrow."

I'm telling you, we signed a one-year contract. Even if you work yourself to death, you have to stay here.

She couldn't understand how she could have given birth to such a foolish daughter. She thought that if she just put on a show of being slapped, the matter would be over.

I just had to ask here.

Why? Does she need a reason to hit her own daughter?

She can hit whatever crawls out of her belly if she wants.

Ren Si Niang's words were meant for her daughter, for Hai Shi, and also indirectly for Li Ruru.

Li Ruru cruelly exploits the workers. Working in the workshop is hard and tiring, and even her daughter couldn't keep going.

Li Ruru runs an illegal workshop, making money off the hard-earned money of the people in Chenjia Village and the surrounding villages.

Ren Si Niang's voice was very loud, attracting several working women to watch.

Peipei was about to step forward to explain when she heard the commotion, but Hai stopped her and said, "It's nothing, don't worry about it."

Justice resides in the hearts of the people. No matter how much Ren Si Niang tries to persuade her, working in the konjac tofu workshop is a rare and valuable job in the entire Pingchuan County.

If you can work on time, the work isn't tiring, and the pay is high, only a fool would want to leave.

As expected, the onlookers disagreed with Ren Si Niang's words.

“I think it’s great here. No matter how much work I do at home, I don’t get paid. It’s different here.”

"Yes, the work isn't tiring at all. Your daughter can't stand it because she's too spoiled."

"You're not pampered young ladies. If you can't even do this little bit of work, you'll be cursed to death when you get married." Seeing that the public opinion had fermented enough, Hai said lazily, "Since you don't want to stay here, I won't make things difficult for you."

After saying that, he winked at Peipei, who then took out a thick booklet and said, "You two worked in the workshop for a month, earning 25 coins a day, which is 450 coins each, for a total of 900 coins."

Upon hearing the figure of 900 coins, Ren Si Niang and Wu Shui Hua's eyes widened simultaneously; this was a huge sum of money.

They earned nearly a tael of silver in just one month.

That would have been more than 10 taels that year, and 100 taels in just over 10 years.

Oh my God, oh my God.

After calculating the score in her mind, Ren Si Niang was so shocked that she covered her mouth.

Wu Shuihua didn't think that far ahead; she just wanted to use the money to buy herself a nice piece of fabric and make herself a nice dress.

Even if half of the 450 coins is given to her mother, she will still have more than 200 coins left, which is enough for her.

Peipei suppressed a laugh; she knew without guessing what the mother and daughter were up to.

She continued flipping through the booklet, saying, "But since your contract is less than a year old and you have to leave, according to the agreement, this money cannot be given to you."

Other people's wages can be settled monthly, but these two can't possibly get paid after causing such a scene.

"What? No!"

“You unscrupulous workshop, you withhold wages, I’m going to take this to the authorities.”

Ren Si Niang and Wu Shui Hua shouted excitedly, but Pei Pei didn't even frown.

He continued, "Now you have two choices: either continue to fulfill the contract and work for a full year, or compensate the workshop with 20 taels of silver."

Before the two could make a choice, Hai said calmly, "They are cunning and lazy, and can't endure hardship. The workshop can't tolerate them."

Well, all that's left for Ren Si Niang and her daughter is to pay compensation.

Ren Si Niang naturally didn't want to lose money, but the miserable state of the Zhao family members involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

They were not only beaten in front of everyone by the village head for breaking the contract, but their wounds also inexplicably worsened the next day.

To this day, the three of them are still doing the hardest and most tiring work in the konjac tofu workshop. No one knows why they suddenly stopped making a fuss and became unusually quiet.

Ren Si Niang didn't know what had happened, she only knew that she couldn't pay compensation.

She had no money, and even if she did, she didn't want to compensate Li Ruru.

There was still one path left for her. She hesitated for a long time, then looked up as if she had made a decision: "Could I use my working hours to offset the cost? Like the Zhao family did?"

Peipei smiled faintly as she looked at Hai Shi.

The latter nodded slightly, and Peipei waved her hand and said, "Okay, then we'll use the working hours to offset it. You two will have to work for the workshop for free for three months."

Ren Si Niang pulled her daughter, who was still about to argue, and nodded through gritted teeth.

As long as I can stay in the workshop, what does this sacrifice matter?

Perhaps the secret recipe for konjac tofu is hidden in the hardest and most tiring work.

Ren Si Niang convinced herself, but Wu Shui Hua felt extremely aggrieved. She couldn't convince herself, nor could she accept her mother making the decision for her.

But she had no other choice at the moment. The precedent set by the Zhao family was there, and there would be no good outcome if she broke the contract.

Overwhelmed by anger, she rolled her eyes and fainted.

Nie Tianlei appeared at the right moment and said to Chen Liang, who had been following him around eagerly, "This man is yours."

Chen Liang was overjoyed. His master trusted him so much, and he couldn't let his master down.

If this person cannot be saved, it will definitely affect Li Ruru's workshop.

If Li Ruru is unhappy, her master certainly won't be happy either.

Chen Liang took out his medicine box, preparing to administer acupuncture, when he caught a glimpse of Nie Tianlei watching him leisurely.

That expression...it seems like something's off.

Wait, what did Master just say?

(End of this chapter)