A fierce wife enters the house: She helps up a house full of spineless people.

The two children buried their heads in their food, their little mouths stuffed full and greasy. This was the most filling and best meal they had ever had in their memories.

At the dinner table, Butcher Wang raised his wine bowl and toasted his son-in-law, Chen Tianfang.

"Tianfang," Butcher Wang said loudly, wiping his mouth after finishing his drink, "I, Wang Dali, am not a man of principle. I married my daughter to you without asking for a single penny from your family. I value you because you are honest, reliable, and a man who can manage a household."

Chen Tianfang quickly stood up: "Father-in-law..."

"Sit down and let me finish," Butcher Wang waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down.

"Being honest and dutiful is a good thing, but you can't be spineless. You can't let people bully you and then not dare to speak up!" Butcher Wang's eyes sharpened. "You're a man, the head of the household! You have to act like a man, protecting your wife, your parents, your siblings! You can't always let your wife, a woman, be the one on the front lines, arguing and fighting with people!"

He pointed at Wang Jinzhu: "I know my daughter's temper. If she dares to steal the wedding gifts today, she might dare to tear down the roof of your Chen family tomorrow! But you can't always rely on her. You have to stand up for yourself! Let everyone know that you, Chen Tianfang, are not someone to be trifled with!"

Looking at his father-in-law's rugged yet righteous face, and then at his wife who was serving him meat, Chen Tianfang felt a surge of shame and gratitude.

Yes, he is a man.

But what has he been doing all these years?

He would only hunt silently, hand over his money silently, and watch his family suffer silently. He thought this was filial piety, this was his duty.

It wasn't until Wang Jinzhu married into the family that he slowly began to realize the truth. He suddenly stood up, picked up the wine bowl in front of him, and drank it all in one gulp.

The strong liquor burned his chest as it went down his throat.

He bowed deeply to Butcher Wang, his voice trembling with emotion: "Father-in-law, you are right! I was foolish before! From this day forward, I, Chen Tianfang, swear to God that I will never let Jinzhu and my family suffer the slightest injustice again! Anyone who dares to bully them will have to step over my dead body first!"

Seeing the determination in his eyes, Butcher Wang laughed heartily with satisfaction: "Good! That's more like my son-in-law, Wang Dali!"

The meal was enjoyed by both the host and guests.

After the meal, Wang Guilan pulled Wang Jinzhu into the inner room and handed her a heavy money bag.

"Nannan, here's twenty taels of silver. Take it," Wang Guilan said in a low voice. "This is your mother's secret stash of money. Be sure to keep it safe and don't let the Chen family find out."

She held her daughter's hand, her eyes reddening: "If you ever suffer injustice in the future, don't bear it all alone. You still have your family, your father, and your three brothers. Even if the sky falls, we'll hold it up for you! At worst, we can separate from them and live on our own!"

Wang Jinzhu's nose tingled, and tears almost fell. How long had it been since she had felt this sense of family?

She didn't want it. She still had an older brother who wasn't married yet. Although her sisters-in-law were reasonable, she was already married and couldn't take it.

"Mom, don't worry. Now, it's not their turn to bully me."

"Then you should take it too. Look how thin those two kids are. They must not be eating well at the Chen family's place. You have money in your own hands, so you can treat yourself to something good when you have time."

Unlike the harmonious atmosphere at the Wang family's residence, the atmosphere at the Liu family's study in town had indeed plummeted to freezing point.

Chen Shuyan and Liu Yiyi sat upright at the lower end, not daring to even breathe loudly.

At the head of the table, Liu Yiyi's father, Manager Liu, was leisurely sipping his tea. He had already heard about the theft of his daughter's homecoming gift. Although his daughter was not favored, it was still too embarrassing for her to get out.

With a loud "bang," Father Liu slammed the teacup down on the table, making Chen Shuyan's heart tremble.

"Shuyan, I betrothed Yiyi to you because I valued your talent and believed you had a bright future. Our Liu family is a scholarly family, and we don't ask for you to be rich and powerful, but only for you to have 'respectability'."

He stretched out his finger and tapped the table lightly.

"But look at the mess your Chen family has made today!"

Chen Shuyan's face flushed instantly. He stood up, bowed, and said, "Father-in-law, what happened today was my fault..."

"Sit down," Manager Liu interrupted him, his tone leaving no room for argument.

He picked up his teacup, skimmed off the foam with the lid, as if discussing a trivial matter: "Before the marriage, your Chen family provided the agreed-upon dowry. But you privately promised me that to ensure Yiyi's marriage was grand, you would add an extra five taels of silver as 'private funds' for my Yiyi. I believed you at the time, so this wasn't written down publicly."

Shopkeeper Liu's gaze suddenly sharpened: "But now, the wedding is over, and Yiyi has entered the family. Why haven't I seen that five taels of silver yet?"

coming.

Chen Shuyan's heart skipped a beat; the thing he feared most had happened.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and after hesitating for a long time, he finally managed to speak with difficulty: "Father-in-law, things at home... things are a bit tight lately, please... give me some more time."

"Give me some more time? Where do you get your money? I heard from Yiyi that your older brother isn't helping you as much as he used to?" Manager Liu sneered, his contempt obvious.

Chen Shuyan clenched his fists tightly, inwardly blaming Liu Yiyi for saying whatever came to mind.

"I'll figure something out..."

Seeing his embarrassed state, Manager Liu's contempt deepened.

He stood up, walked to the bookshelf, turned his back to Chen Shuyan, and said in a cold voice, "Shuyan, if you had asked me for a job copying books today, I might have thought more highly of you. There are plenty of people in this world who are all talk and no action."

Chen Shuyan stood frozen in place like a stone statue, his face turning from red to white, and then from white to green.

Humiliation, anger, resentment... a multitude of emotions churned within him, threatening to consume him.

"Go back now. Don't come to my Liu family again until you've thought things through."

Chen Shuyan walked out of the Liu family study in a daze, the sunlight outside stinging his eyes.

He had never craved power and money as intensely as he did at that moment.

I have never hated anyone as much as I do now.

Wang Jinzhu! If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have suffered such humiliation today.

He clenched his fists, his eyes flashing with venomous resentment. "If I ever gain power, I will tear you to pieces!"

Meanwhile, Liu Yiyi listened to her father and husband's conversation in the inner room, and her heart sank little by little.

She silently shed tears, feeling a sense of confusion and regret for the first time regarding her future.

Did she... marry the wrong person?