Chapter 15: To Save Your Husband's Legs, You Must Seize the Moral High Ground of Public Opinion

Liu Chuxue could understand her thoughts: "Sister, it's not that we want to split the family; it's that Grandfather and Grandmother are forcing us to. If we don't split, what will happen to Father's leg?"

Seeing her still wavering, she said, "If I'm not mistaken, First Aunt should have started the show at dawn. Do you think we can survive without splitting the family?"

Seeing her own eldest sister's face turn even paler, Liu Chuxue sighed: "We in the second branch never saw a single penny of the bride price when you married; instead, it benefited the first branch, used to marry off First Cousin. I don't want my own marriage to be manipulated and exploited by them."

As the two were talking, their mother hurried over, carrying a small bundle: "Mom, did you bring out all the important things?"

Liu's mother tightened her grip on the bundle in her arms and nodded slightly. In truth, the second branch had nothing valuable; the bundle contained only their best few sets of spare clothes and the twenty-one yuan and thirty cents Liu Shanliang had secretly saved from selling wild animals at the black market.

This was Chuxue's suggestion: they must take out the family's valuables tonight, so that when things exploded tomorrow, they wouldn't be caught off guard.

Liu's mother also saw it clearly: her in-laws were determined to ignore her husband's leg injury, focused solely on buying a job for Dongzi of the first branch. Once the news spread tomorrow morning that she and her children were borrowing money all over the village, the rest of the Liu family would surely refuse to share the debt. Just as her second daughter had analyzed, the matter of splitting the family would require no proposal from them at all.

Liu Xiaqiu glanced toward the Liu family's direction, worried about her younger sister: "Mom, is Chunxiao settled?"

Liu's mother followed her gaze toward the Liu family: "When I left, I had already put her to bed on the kang."

The three women walked briskly toward the village outskirts. Such a late-night, elaborate effort naturally served Liu Chuxue's purpose.

On the way, Liu Chuxue reviewed the plan with them again, breaking down and explaining in detail everything that would happen tomorrow. By the time the two understood, they had arrived at the entrance of the health center.

Seeing the gatekeeper's light still on, Liu Chuxue gave her mother a glance.

This was part of her plan. The gatekeeper was a clansman from Liushu Village, assigned to guard the health center after returning from military service with an injury.

When the three women approached, Liu's mother called out to the room: "Seventh Uncle."

Liu Laoqi saw it was the three of them: "Why have you come again so late?"

Hearing the question, thinking of her in-laws' cruelty, Liu's mother's eyes instantly reddened: "I had planned to return home to discuss going to the city to treat my husband's leg, but I never expected..."

She concealed nothing from the Liu family. Her second daughter had instructed her earlier: if she wanted to save her husband's leg, she must seize the moral high ground of public opinion. Though she didn't fully understand, she knew her daughter would not harm her.

Today's trip back to the village was all to set the stage for tomorrow.

After hearing this, Liu Laoqi sighed: "Don't worry too much. Even if the family won't help, there's still the reservoir construction site. If all else fails, just borrow from the villagers as you said; we'll find a way."

Finishing, he looked at the two sisters standing beside her: "You sisters should persuade her more. Make absolutely sure your mother doesn't get anxious or upset. There's always a way when the cart reaches the mountain."

The two sisters replied: "Understood, Seventh Grandpa."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries to ensure Liu Laoqi remembered them thoroughly, they headed toward the ward.

Near the corridor outside the ward, Liu Chuxue whispered: "Everything that needed doing today is done. Tomorrow morning, Mom, you go back to the village to see Grandfather and Grandmother, then make a big show of borrowing money. My sister and I will go to the reservoir construction site to see if they can pay us a lump sum upfront."