Chapter Thirteen: Suddenly Becoming Talkative

“The job has already been returned to you. Now I have no income and rely entirely on my subsidy. You still want me to give you half of that subsidy? Aren’t you trying to starve my daughter and me to death? I beg you, please just do a good deed and leave a way out for us.”

Several neighbors nearby, having heard the commotion, came out to watch. Upon hearing this, they started whispering and pointing at Hua Li. Her face flushed red, and she was too flustered to say a word.

Luo Yan, who had been examining the jade pendant inside the house, heard the noise outside and stepped out, standing at the doorway. Her clear, innocent eyes glanced at Hua Li and then at Liu Jingqiu.

Seeing Luo Yan, who had suffered so much alongside her, and recalling that much of their hardship came from Liu Jingqiu’s relentless pressure, Hua Li’s eyes reddened.

“The leader has investigated the facts and decided that fifteen yuan should be deducted each month from your military martyr’s family subsidy to compensate me. You were present at the time. If you disagreed, you could have spoken directly to the leader.

Why did you not oppose this in front of the leader but then come back to accuse me afterward?”

Usually timid, Hua Li suddenly grew firm, speaking with clear reasoning. Liu Jingqiu was caught off guard.

Hua Li continued, “If you’re dissatisfied, fine, let’s go to the leader right now and renegotiate the compensation.”

There was no way Liu Jingqiu would willingly make a fool of herself. As Hua Li approached, she suddenly stepped back several paces and fell to the ground, clutching her lower back and screaming.

“Ouch! You could have just spoken, why did you have to push me?”

Hua Li was stunned. “I didn’t touch you at all.”

Because of the angle, the onlooking neighbors only saw Hua Li approaching Liu Jingqiu but couldn’t tell if she actually pushed her.

However, Hua Li’s words were clear: the decision came from the leader, not from her bullying Liu Jingqiu on her own…

Besides, Hua Li was usually quiet and polite and never caused trouble; the neighbors’ impression of her was not bad, so no one believed she had really pushed Liu Jingqiu.

Seeing no one defend her, Liu Jingqiu pinched the hand of An Xiaotong, who had rushed over to help her.

An Xiaotong understood immediately and burst into tears.

“Aunt Hua, please don’t bully my mom, boohoo…”

Children are innocent and wouldn’t lie, so the crowd’s sympathy began to shift toward Liu Jingqiu, suspecting Hua Li might have pushed her.

Wu Cuihua, having watched the spectacle for a while, advised Hua Li.

“Don’t say a widow like her is scared stiff when she meets the leader. Even someone as thick-skinned as me trembles in front of the leader. Whatever the leader says goes. Even if the leader told her to give you the whole subsidy, she wouldn’t dare make a sound.

Later, when she remembered she still had kids to raise, she didn’t dare go to the leader again and had to come begging you. This is understandable.”

“You have a husband to support you, but her husband died for the country. Because of that alone, you shouldn’t be so ruthless,” Wu Cuihua said reasonably, resonating with those timid people who, like mice before a cat, trembled when facing authority. They all nodded in agreement.

“Yes, yes, life isn’t easy even for those of us with husbands. How much harder for a woman head of household with children to raise? To bully someone like that, you must have no fear of heaven or lightning.”

Hua Li was flushed with embarrassment but bit her lip firmly for Luo Yan’s sake.

“You say I’m bullying you, that I want to kill you? Fine, if you won’t go, I’ll go myself. If the leader thinks your claims are reasonable, then I won’t ask you to repay anything.”

There was no way Liu Jingqiu would let Hua Li approach Sun Bailing, sobbing dramatically.

“Your child has accepted the leader as their grandfather, but my child is naive and doesn’t know how to win the leader’s favor. If you ask the leader, they’ll definitely side with you. You don’t need to say anything. I’m not begging you anymore. I’ll just take my child and die.”

With that, Liu Jingqiu scrambled up from the ground, picked up An Xiaotong, and rushed toward the river outside the compound.

No one was going to stand by and let Liu Jingqiu really take her child to die. Several concerned older women rushed forward to stop her.

“Let’s talk this through. Comrade Hua Li is reasonable. She wouldn’t really want to kill you. Isn’t that right, Comrade Hua Li?”

They nearly forced Hua Li to promise not to pursue compensation.

Hua Li wanted to refuse, but if Liu Jingqiu really jumped into the river, it wouldn’t just affect her; Luo Shicheng would be involved too.

To agree would be to betray Sun Bailing who had stood up for her, and the suffering child who followed her. If Liu Jingqiu hadn’t snatched her job, the child wouldn’t be starving so thin.

While Hua Li was torn, Luo Yan came out from the gate, reaching out to Hua Li.

Hua Li picked her up, and Luo Yan pointed to An Xiaotong.

“Skirts, shoes, daddy buys. Yan Yan has none…”

Luo Yan lifted her shirt to reveal her rib-cage-thin body, a heartbreaking sight.

An idea struck Hua Li.

“Liu Jingqiu, you say I want to kill you, but I want to say you’re trying to kill the two of us.

It’s true that An Guo saved my child’s father, but aren’t all comrades like that? You help me, I protect you…

But you, you exploited that precious camaraderie to hold my husband hostage, forcing him not only to give you my job but also to hand over most of his allowance each month to you.

You and your daughter eat well and dress in new clothes every season. Look at me and my daughter — our clothes and shoes have been patched and mended for three years.”

As she spoke, Hua Li lifted Luo Yan’s clothes again.

“I can barely afford food. My daughter is starving to skin and bones. Are you blind? Can’t you see?

The leader is worried we’ll starve to death. Besides, you yourself have a job but took mine, which was unreasonable. That’s why the leader decided you must return the salary that was rightfully mine.

Instead of seriously reflecting on your mistakes, you come to my home to cause trouble and turn the tables. Liu Jingqiu, I’ve never seen anyone as shameless as you.”

Luo Yan, clutching Hua Li’s neck weakly and looking faint, was silently cheering her on.

Actions speak louder than words. The tragic reality of Hua Li and her daughter couldn’t be faked. Hearing that Liu Jingqiu used comradeship as leverage to extort money from Luo Shicheng’s couple, who could still feel sympathy?

The women who had stopped Liu Jingqiu now let her go, even casting disdainful looks her way.

Liu Jingqiu hadn’t expected Hua Li to suddenly speak up and almost expose all her dirty secrets. She decided to grab An Xiaotong and head straight for the river.

If she jumped, no matter right or wrong, it would be Hua Li’s fault.

Seeing Liu Jingqiu truly heading for the river, Hua Li panicked. She herself wouldn’t mind, but if Luo Shicheng got involved, she would be utterly condemned.

Liu Jingqiu was truly a difficult woman, Luo Yan frowned.

“Grandpa! Yan Yan wants grandpa!”

Luo Yan, as if frightened, cried out for her grandfather.

Hua Li suddenly snapped to attention and shouted at Liu Jingqiu.

“Liu Jingqiu, you don’t need to seek death. I’ll call the leader right now. Whether you jump or not today, you won’t escape punishment. Think carefully.”

With that, Hua Li cradled Luo Yan and rushed toward the guardhouse at the compound entrance.

There was a phone in the guardhouse; she didn’t believe Liu Jingqiu could escape the signal…