Free Web NovelChapter 40: Chapter 40: Reversing Black and White
Although there was still some time before work started, just as Zhang Wei Qiang had predicted, Chen Suxiang, Gu Jinhua, the Gu family’s second son Gu Lihuang, and his wife Ye Rong were already waiting at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative. Gu Jinhua was even holding a pair of broken shoes she had fished out of a trash heap, now strung together with a coarse hemp rope.
"Mom, in a bit, we can’t give that bitch a chance to speak. The moment we see her, we’ll charge right over. First, we’ll grab her by the hair and give her a few hard slaps to daze her, then we’ll hang this on her—" Gu Jinhua shook the broken shoes in her hand, her eyes glinting with a crazed excitement as she reminded her mother again, "Mom, your main job is to shout at the top of your lungs. You have to make sure everyone knows that it was Zhang Minzhen who was unfaithful and took a lover, and that’s what ruined my older brother."
"I know, I know! How many times have you told me? I’m not that senile yet; I can remember. Today, I’ll make sure she regrets ever coming. This won’t be over until her reputation is dragged through the gutter," Chen Suxiang said, glancing at the fingernails she had deliberately sharpened the night before and letting out a sinister cackle.
"Second Sister-in-law, don’t you just show up and not pull your weight. When the time comes, just pretend she’s the vixen who seduced my second brother and made him lose his job in the city. This is the perfect chance for you to vent. All you have to do is beat the hell out of that bitch."
"Eldest Sister, do you really have to keep bringing that up?" Gu Jinhua’s second brother, Gu Lihuang, complained. He had just returned from the city the day before, having lost his job over a woman. His wife had finally decided not to hold it against him, yet his sister insisted on mentioning it constantly.
"Alright, alright, I won’t say it again." Gu Jinhua glanced at her second brother, then at her second sister-in-law, whose face was filled with the hatred she had stirred up. She was very pleased. She turned back and offered her brother a perfunctory reassurance, then made sure to repeat her instructions. "You’re a man, so you stand to the side and keep watch. If that bitch happens to break free, you need to stop her immediately."
"You’re so naggy. It’s just one woman, isn’t it? The two of you are more than enough to deal with her, so why drag me and my wife into it? With a formation this big, you’d think we were going up against someone with three heads and six arms," Gu Lihuang muttered, pursing his lips.
"What do you know? I’m just worried she won’t be the only one from her family who shows up. Today, we have to strike first to gain the upper hand. We’ll beat her into submission, then drag her through the streets and utterly destroy her reputation so she’ll never have the gall to show her face in this town again. If we wait until everyone finds out the ’truth,’ it might be our Gu Family that ends up humiliated. Do you think my older brother is the only one who’ll be affected if word of this gets out?"
Gu Jinhua recalled what He Xiulin had told her the day before, which her older brother had since confirmed. Her first thought was of reputation. ’My father-in-law is a man who values his reputation above all else,’ she thought. ’If he finds out about the mess my brother caused, won’t he look down on my side of the family even more?’
Being looked down on wasn’t the worst part; her in-laws had never thought much of her family anyway. What she feared was that they would use this as an excuse to demand she cut off all contact with her own relatives.
’The thought that those two old fossils might actually make such a demand—and that my husband would surely side with them—is infuriating. Even though I have a son and a daughter, and for some reason my father-in-law adores my daughter despite her being a girl, so I don’t have to worry about being left without support... my own family is still important. It’s a precarious position for any woman to be without her family’s backing...’
She then thought about how she had long since lost her youthful looks over the years, how her husband barely paid her any attention anymore, his loyalty shifting more and more to his parents. At this, she secretly clenched her fists, her resolve to destroy Zhang Minzhen’s reputation to preserve her older brother’s hardening.
"Fine, fine, I don’t get it! I’ll just listen to you, okay?" Remembering that the mess he’d made for himself was no better than his brother’s, Gu Lihuang squatted down to the side, looking impatient.
"That’s more like it." Gu Jinhua nodded, satisfied.
"They’re here! Wait, why is her older brother with her? Wasn’t he supposed to be working in the city? What’s he doing here?" Chen Suxiang, who had been staring down the road, was the first to spot Zhang Wei Qiang and Zhang Minzhen. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Zhang Wei Qiang. He was the one person in the Zhang family you didn’t want to cross.
"Maybe he’s on leave and just giving her a ride to work?" Gu Jinhua also saw the two approaching on a bicycle and couldn’t help but frown. This was an unexpected development. Though she hadn’t had much contact with Zhang Wei Qiang, the man radiated an aura even colder and more imposing than her own father-in-law’s. She had a feeling their group was no match for him.
"It’s fine. Let’s just wait for him to leave," she said, clinging to the hope that Zhang Wei Qiang would just drop Zhang Minzhen off and go on his way.
"Maybe we should just call it off," Ye Rong said. She didn’t actually hate Zhang Minzhen that much. When her sister-in-law had first goaded her, she’d been tempted by the idea of venting her own frustrations on someone else, but that was only if a total victory was guaranteed. Now, seeing the expressions on her mother-in-law and sister-in-law’s faces, she knew her other sister-in-law’s family wasn’t as powerless as she’d thought. ’The woman has a brother who’s a soldier; is she really going to be that easy to bully?’ The small flame of her fighting spirit flickered out, and she wanted to retreat.
"What is there to be afraid of? There are more of us! In a minute, I’ll go over and tie up her brother. I refuse to believe he has the gall to lay a hand on me!" When Chen Suxiang heard her second daughter-in-law suggest backing down, she grew indignant. Any hesitation she might have felt was gone.
"That’s right. I heard her brother saved some big shot a few years back, and that person got him a good position in a city work unit. People with good jobs like that have a lot more to lose. If he dares to get in our way, we’ll make sure he faces consequences he can’t handle."
Gu Jinhua’s fighting spirit was instantly reignited by her mother’s words. "If that bitch’s brother doesn’t leave right away, Mom, you go and block his path. Start crying, and make it as pathetic as you can..."
From a distance, Zhang Wei Qiang spotted the Gu family members. He didn’t alter his speed, continuing to pedal at an unhurried pace as he let out a cold sneer. "See that? They’re not here to be friendly. Not only did the whole family show up, your sister-in-law even prepared a pair of broken shoes. Looks like they’re planning to sling some serious mud at you."
’The Gu family is even more shameless than I imagined,’ he thought. ’It’s a good thing I came along. Otherwise, who knows what kind of trouble Little Sis would be in. Their plan is probably simple: send a couple of the women to tie me up so I can’t get away, while the others go after her...’
He rapidly analyzed the situation, formulating a counter-strategy. His expression became even more calm and composed as he turned to reassure Zhang Minzhen. "Don’t be afraid. They may have numbers, but each one of them is weaker than the last. They’re dreaming if they think they can even get close to me. In a moment, all you have to do is stay behind me and do nothing. I’ll protect you."
