Chapter 463 - 453: No Way Back

And so, the days passed until it was November. During this time, although Sun Jiaming teased Gu’er every night, saying he needed to make up for the time they’d lost during her pregnancy, he didn’t let it interfere with business.

They signed a contract with another manufacturer over in Guang City and also trained two capable people to be solely responsible for the goods from both Guang City and Wen City. These two would handle every inspection, while security was managed by Dingzi’s former comrades. If the goods weren’t up to standard or any other problems arose, the department store would hold these two accountable. They were paid a high salary precisely because they were responsible for the quality of the merchandise.

With these two in place, they never had another problem with the quality of their goods.

Although Gu’er was teased by Sun Jiaming every day, she didn’t neglect holding the baby out to pee. With Sun Jiaming’s help, the baby now peed on cue, rarely soiling a diaper.

Meanwhile, Cao Qiu brought fresh news about the situation every day. Wei Hong had sent messages through intermediaries several times. At first, she was arrogant, demanding that Sun Jiasheng come to her parents’ door with gifts and beg her to return, threatening not to come back otherwise. When she saw Sun Jiasheng made no move, she sent another message saying he just needed to come pick her up. But Sun Jiasheng still ignored her, sending word back that she was welcome to live at her parents’ house for the rest of her life.

Wei Hong started to panic. Why? Because she had no leverage.

Why had Wei Hong married Sun Jiasheng in the first place? It was because she was rather plain and her family wasn’t well-off. Even so, she could have married a city man; she didn’t have to marry someone like Sun Jiasheng.

Back then, Wei Hong had her eye on a certain man, but he didn’t like her. He was in love with another girl from their neighborhood, a very pretty one at that. Wei Hong schemed endlessly to break them up. She eventually succeeded, but they came to hate her and exposed her actions. With her reputation ruined, she found it hard to get married.

In the end, her family, out of options, decided to marry her off to someone who didn’t know her past. Sun Jiasheng had come to the city from a rural village and had nothing to his name. However, he was good-looking, energetic, and seemed like an honest man, so Wei Hong didn’t object. Her other option, if she didn’t marry Sun Jiasheng, was a widower in his thirties someone had suggested. That man was nothing special, had two kids, and even *he* looked down on her. ’No way could I, Wei Hong, marry someone like that. I have to marry someone young.’ And so, she married Sun Jiasheng.

Because Sun Jiasheng had no house and didn’t earn much each month, she discussed it with her family. They agreed to give the couple one room in the family home, and in return, Sun Jiasheng would give her family some money each month for rent. Her family agreed.

In reality, although they were said to be living in her parents’ house, Sun Jiasheng paid money every month. It was basically a rental, not free lodging. She just always loudly claimed otherwise.

Later, when Sun Zhuzi and Cao Qiu came to the city, there wasn’t enough room. Cao Qiu put up some of the money, Sun Jiasheng borrowed a bit more, and after Wei Hong signed an IOU to her own family, they sold the original property and upgraded to a bigger house.

She always claimed the house belonged to her family, but that wasn’t true at all. The Sun Family had paid for more than half of it, the money on the IOU had been fully paid back to her family, and she had even secretly given them a lot extra. That was why Cao Qiu could brazenly live there and refuse to leave.

After so many years of marriage, although Sun Jiasheng wasn’t a high achiever, he was a good husband to her. As soon as he got his monthly salary, he would give it all to her without holding back a single cent. He never said a word, whether she spent it or used it to subsidize her own family.

And although Cao Qiu had a sharp tongue, she did all the grocery shopping and cooking, and she paid for it all herself. Wei Hong didn’t have to contribute. So while Wei Hong complained constantly, she didn’t actually mind Cao Qiu living with them.

Later, when Sun Jiasheng started earning more and Sun Jiaming began giving Cao Qiu plenty of money, she funneled even more of the household funds to her own family. The reason her parents and siblings could eat well, dress well, and always have money to spend was all thanks to her.

But this time when she went back to her parents’ house, her sister-in-law was not happy to see her. She criticized her for coming back empty-handed and even asked her for money. When Wei Hong had stormed out, she hadn’t thought that far ahead, assuming Sun Jiasheng would come begging for her return, so she hadn’t brought any money with her. When her sister-in-law found out she was broke, her expression turned sour.

When Sun Jiasheng still didn’t come to get her, her sister-in-law accused her of being a freeloader and started saying nasty things. Her mother also called her useless, wondering why, with the Sun family having so much money, she didn’t know how to bring any of it home.

Her older brother didn’t give her a pleasant look either, telling her to get a few thousand yuan for him to spend.

’Do they all think money just grows on trees? Except for the little I saved for myself, I gave all the money Sun Jiasheng gave me to my family. Cao Qiu argued with me about it every single day—and who was I doing it all for? My family lives off me, and this is how they treat me?’ Wei Hong felt a bitter taste in her mouth.

When the Sun Family sent word that they no longer wanted her as a daughter-in-law and that she could stay at her parents’ house for the rest of her life, not only did she panic, her family panicked too. They all urged her to go back immediately.

Wei Hong felt it would be too humiliating to go back like this. If she went back now, she would have even less status in the Sun Family. So she refused. Meanwhile, her older brother was getting anxious. He was afraid the Sun Family really meant to abandon his sister. If Wei Hong was cut off from them, she wouldn’t be able to bring money home anymore. He ran off to confront Sun Jiasheng.

But when he saw Sun Jiasheng, he didn’t try to talk things out. Instead, he started cursing out the entire Sun Family, shouting that they were ganging up to bully his sister. He demanded that Sun Jiasheng kneel, kowtow, and admit he was wrong. He also demanded the Sun Family pay his family five thousand yuan in compensation and have Sun Jiaming personally escort Wei Hong back. Sun Jiasheng ignored him. Finally, when the man started cussing out his mother, Sun Jiasheng threw a punch and drove him away.

When Wei Hong’s sister-in-law saw that her husband had been beaten, she gave Wei Hong a vicious tongue-lashing. Wei Hong’s mother also cursed her daughter, saying she had brought disaster upon her son.

Wei Hong was both furious and aggrieved. For so many years, she had done everything for her family, and this is how they repaid her. And Sun Jiasheng... how dare he lay a hand on her older brother! ’He’s gone too far!’ Wei Hong stormed back toward the Sun family home.

When she got there, Cao Qiu happened to be home. She blocked the main gate and refused to let Wei Hong in. She asked Wei Hong if she finally understood that she was wrong, and to explain exactly what she had done wrong.

Wei Hong was already full of rage, so how could she possibly admit to being at fault? She immediately started arguing with Cao Qiu and cursed her again.

But Cao Qiu was no pushover. She pointed at Wei Hong and let loose a torrent of abuse, screaming that the Sun Family didn’t need a daughter-in-law like her and telling her to stay at her parents’ house for good.

In the end, Cao Qiu shut the main gate, locking Wei Hong out.

Wei Hong was dumbfounded. Cao Qiu had changed all the locks. She couldn’t get in. She wanted to grab a few items of clothing and some money, but it was impossible.

She refused to go back to her parents’ like this, so she sat by the door and waited for Sun Jiasheng to come home. But when he arrived, Sun Jiasheng actually pushed her away from the door and wouldn’t let her back in. She called for Tingting, but Tingting—who knows what Cao Qiu had told her—wouldn’t open the door for her either. She couldn’t return to the Sun family home; she couldn’t even get through their front door.

In the end, Wei Hong dejectedly returned to her parents’ house once more.

When her family learned what had happened, they figured the Sun Family was dead set on getting rid of Wei Hong this time. Seeing that she had come back without a single cent, they tried to kick her out as well. Only after she promised her sister-in-law that she would get money from the Sun Family for them in the future did they finally let her stay. That night, Wei Hong lay alone in bed, her eyes wide open in the darkness. She had no idea what to do.