Chapter 5: Schemes from the Eldest Branch

Liu Chuxue looked at the honest man on the bed, perhaps the original owner's emotions at work, and tears welled up: "Dad, don't worry. We will raise the money as soon as possible and take you to the city for treatment."

Father Liu’s eyes dimmed, and he resigned himself: "Xue, let the family decide. Don't get involved; just study."

Her parents had been unhappy about their three daughters studying. Now that he was injured, he feared the family wouldn't wait these few months and would use his injury to force the children to drop out.

Liu Chuxue didn't respond or argue: "Dad, Grandpa and Grandma went back to discuss it. I'm going to the North Suburb Farm to deliver a message to my sister and see if I can borrow some money from my brother-in-law."

Father Liu hurriedly raised his hand to stop her: "Don't mention borrowing money to your brother-in-law. Don't make things difficult for your sister."

Her eldest sister's in-laws hadn't split the family yet. If she asked for money, her sister would have a hard time in her in-laws' house. He couldn't be that selfish.

Liu Chuxue understood his thoughts: "Dad, don't worry. I won't make things difficult for my sister and brother-in-law."

The father and daughter chatted a bit more, and Liu Chuxue, fearing she would slip up, lied that she needed to get to the North Suburb Farm early.

As for what Ge Xiulan and her nephew had done, she didn't tell her parents yet. Being new here, she would use this to test the Liu family's depth.

Anyway, people at the school and clinic could testify for her. If Ge Xiulan dared to stir up trouble, she would only be lifting a rock to drop on her own feet, acting like a clown.

Kong Yizhang would likely take a while to arrive, so she found a secluded spot near the post office to sit and organize the original owner's memories.

Liushu Village

Ge Xiulan, working in the fields, kept glancing at the mountain, trying to suppress her excitement, fearing others would notice her abnormality.

Just as she looked up for the Nth time, her second son, Liu Jiandong, approached: "Mom, how did it go?"

Ge Xiulan looked around, and seeing no one, lowered her voice: "Naturally, it went smoothly. Just wait to go to the city and be a worker."

Liu Jiandong worried: "What if that girl finds out the truth and makes a scene?"

Ge Xiulan rolled her eyes at her son: "Put your heart at ease. After tonight, she'll have no reputation left. Even if she knows the truth, what can she do? Besides, who would talk about this?"

Her suggestion this morning for Chuxue to go to the North Suburb Farm looked like she was thinking of the second branch, so who could say anything?

When the news of Liu Chuxue staying out all night broke, it would just be her own bad luck.

Once it was done, their eldest branch would reap the real benefits: her second son would have a job, her nephew would get a wife for free, and her maiden family could use this to manipulate Liu Chuxue for a lifetime. It was a win-win; just thinking about it made her excited.

As for the girl's ruined reputation affecting her own daughter's future marriage, she wasn't worried at all. Her daughter wouldn't be getting married for four or five years; by then, who would remember?

She had always been bitter that the second branch's daughters were better at studying than her own children, and the villagers often gossiped about it.

Now that the second branch was injured and unable to care for itself, she only needed to whisper in the old couple's ears. She didn't believe those two money-losing goods could continue studying.

This way, the family could save money, and Chuxue and Chunxiao would have to drop out and come home to earn work points. Let's see how the villagers would compare the second branch's children to hers then.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 6 =====