Xiao Mandong couldn't help bursting into laughter when she heard what Sister Liu said. Only the Lu family would do such a sordid thing as pimping out their own sister-in-law.
Sister Liu was also getting excited, leaning closer to her with a gossiping look on her face.
"That Lu Hong, just three days after she started at the factory, went straight to the factory director to ask for a transfer. She was slow at work, full of complaints, and within a few days, she'd offended almost everyone in the workshop. One day she'd grumble that the team leader was unfair, the next day she'd say her coworkers were picking on her—she was always stirring up trouble somehow."
"The factory director was so annoyed by her that one time, when Lu Hong came to file a complaint, Accountant Zhao happened to be in the director's office too.
"Later, Accountant Zhao offered to help her get a new position. It was still in the fine sand workshop, but she didn't have to stand next to the roaring machines anymore, and there wasn't nearly as much dust."
At this point, Sister Liu curled her lip in disdain. "When Chu Xin found out about this, she had a huge fight with Accountant Zhao. Everyone thought, with Chu Xin's temper, she'd definitely go pick a fight with Lu Hong. But who'd have guessed that Lu Hong was such a smooth operator? She was so sweet-talking that somehow, she ended up getting along extremely well with Chu Xin."
"She calls Chu Xin 'sister' and Accountant Zhao 'uncle', making it obvious to Chu Xin that she sees him as an elder and nothing more. That girl's got a mind full of tricks."
"One day she'd slip Chu Xin a handful of sunflower seeds, the next she'd bring her a piece of candy—total brown-noser."
A smirk tugged at Xiao Mandong's lips as she listened. In her past life, Lu Hong was exactly the same: acting all cute and well-behaved to your face, but stabbing you in the back the second you turned away. "Chu Xin fell for that, didn't she?" Xiao Mandong asked with a smile.
Sister Liu smacked her thigh. "You bet she did! Can you believe how foolish Chu Xin was? She was completely wrapped around Lu Hong's finger. Not only did she not make trouble for her, she even defended her everywhere. When people gossiped behind Lu Hong's back, Chu Xin would yell right back at them. But who'd have thought, Lu Hong got fired before she even made it to permanent staff status."
Xiao Mandong said nothing. She herself had a hand in getting Lu Hong fired back then.
Sister Liu wasn't done with her story, clearly still eager to share more. "Last month, the factory cafeteria was hiring temporary workers, and Chu Xin actually pulled strings to get Lu Hong back in."
"A few days ago, Chu Xin accidentally saw Lu Hong pull Accountant Zhao into the storage shed behind the cafeteria. She snuck after them, and through the crack in the door, she caught the two of them making out. Chu Xin was just about to storm in when she heard Lu Hong say something about how the next day was the day to meet Wang Xiumei, and that she'd drain Accountant Zhao dry so he wouldn't have anything left to give his wife. Chu Xin was so furious she almost blew her top, but she held herself back from bursting in."
"I didn't expect Chu Xin to be that patient," Xiao Mandong said, genuinely surprised. From what she knew, Chu Xin had a fiery temper. If it had been her, she would've charged right in—just like the day she'd just been reborn, when she'd splashed boiling water without a second thought.
"Right? I never thought Chu Xin had that much depth either," Sister Liu said, spittle flying as she got more and more worked up. "The next day, Chu Xin got a few people to tail Accountant Zhao. They saw him meet up with that woman Wang Xiumei, just like Lu Hong said, and head to a remote, isolated cottage. She called the police right then. When the cops got there, the two inside were already half-naked, lost in each other, too wrapped up to notice anything else."
"And then Chu Xin brought five middle-aged women with her," Sister Liu added, holding up five fingers and waggling them for emphasis. "They set on Wang Xiumei right away, beating her, while Accountant Zhao fought like crazy to shield her. Wang Xiumei didn't even have time to get her clothes on before they pushed her to the ground and started hitting her. If the cops hadn't stepped in, Wang Xiumei would've been beaten half to death that day. And guess what happened next?"
Xiao Mandong's heart skipped a beat. "What happened then?"
Seeing how eager Xiao Mandong was to hear the rest, Sister Liu stopped teasing and told her. "Turns out, Wang Xiumei was already pregnant with Accountant Zhao's child."
"Chu Xin had connections in the police station. The officers gave Lu Hong a good scare, coaxing and pressuring her until she finally spilled the whole truth."
"Turns out, when Accountant Zhao offered Lu Hong that transfer, the condition he set was that Lu Hong would help him get with her own sister-in-law. That Lu Hong is a real piece of work. Just to get an easier job, she pimped her own sister-in-law out to another man. If her brother ever found out, he'd never rest in peace even as a ghost."
"Word has it, the very day Lu Hong introduced the two of them, they ended up in bed together. After that, they'd meet up every few days. Back then Lu Hong was still unmarried, so they never went all the way, but Accountant Zhao had already groped every inch of her body. Once she got married and started working at the cafeteria later, she threw all caution to the wind and started sleeping with him properly."
"But I heard she was also doing it to get revenge on her husband. They say her husband never left her alone for a single day. Even when she had her period, he'd go at her even harder, never bothering to talk to her at all. He only cared about his own pleasure, never stopping to think if Lu Hong was okay. Sometimes he'd wear her out so bad she couldn't get out of bed for days. And her mother-in-law would just say, 'Women don't need to do any hard work. All you have to do is lie there and enjoy it, why are you being so dramatic?'"
Xiao Mandong felt no sympathy for Lu Hong at all. She was far more concerned about those two ungrateful brats.
"Sister Liu, was the baby in Wang Xiumei's belly alright?" she asked. She hoped those two little ingrates would be born safe and sound. This life, she wanted nothing more than to see how they'd turn out without the Xiao family backing them up.
Sister Liu waved her hand dismissively. "The baby was fine. Accountant Zhao got out of lockup pretty quick too. Chu Xin didn't press any more charges against him—she was afraid if the kid had a father with a criminal record, it'd ruin his reputation and mess up his chances of getting married later on."
"Accountant Zhao wanted a divorce, but Chu Xin refused. She said as long as she stayed married, that child would be a bastard, and he'd never be able to hold his head high for the rest of his life."
Xiao Mandong actually admired Wang Xiumei, in a way. She always managed to find a suitable father for her kids.
"Mom, my brother's awake." Just then, Sister Liu's daughter Qian Yuxiu came rushing out of the hospital room. Sister Liu got up immediately to head inside, and Xiao Mandong hurried after her to check on Jialiang's condition.
After examining him carefully, Xiao Mandong spoke slowly. "Don't worry, he's going to be fine. Try not to get too emotional. He needs to stay in the hospital for two days for observation. Tomorrow I'll bring some medicine for him. You two get some rest now, I'm heading home." Xiao Mandong glanced at the watch on her wrist and started walking out.
"Let me walk you out," Sister Liu said, hurrying to catch up.
"No need, I live in the family quarters right behind the hospital, it's just a few steps away. Go back inside and give Jialiang some water with canned fruit in it," Xiao Mandong said, pushing Sister Liu back toward the hospital room before heading toward the residential area.
She hadn't even made it home yet when she saw a crowd gathered outside Qi Yuqing's courtyard.
"I can't believe it, that kid Nian Nian that's been coming here every year is actually Director Zhang's own biological son. That's so shameless, he's clearly taking advantage of people!"
"Qi Yuqing is way more patient than I'd ever be. Most people couldn't put up with that for over ten years. She even brings the kid home every year. If that was me, I'd have hacked Zhang Chenghui to pieces."
"But what else could she do? She can't have kids of her own, his family line can't just die out, right?"
"Ugh... but having a daughter is no different than having no heir at all, is it?"
Hearing the murmurs of the crowd, Xiao Mandong pushed her way through the onlookers to get a closer look.
