Forced to marry a disabled man in the countryside? I'll repay you tenfold!

The mother-in-law immediately exploded, "I told you, there's no such thing as a free lunch! If I don't call you in a couple of days, you'll be the one signing up for me to pick cotton! What kind of person just stays home all day eating for free?!"

In Xinjiang, cotton picking begins at the end of August every year, which is even more tiring than wheat harvesting! You have to bend over and pick each cotton boll one by one. A sack of cotton only weighs a dozen kilograms, but you can get a few cents for picking ten kilograms. It is one of the few opportunities to earn extra money.

Chen Xiuer was finally able to wait for Su Wanqing to come and ask her to work. She was so excited that she went downstairs and cleaned the house thoroughly!

Su Wanqing smiled and teased the little one, then said to Chen Xiuer, "Xiuer, I have complete confidence in leaving you in my care. This afternoon, go and register with Sister Zhao. You get eight work points a day. There's also a daily allowance of three cents, which will be paid out at the end of the month. I have to go to the county town at noon, so I'll leave things here to you for now."

"Oh! Thank you, Dr. Su!" Chen Xiuer's eyes welled up with tears. Eight work points a day, plus extra subsidies, that income was better than many strong laborers. The key was that she could still take care of her child! She would always remember this kindness.

Dr. Su will always be her greatest benefactor.

Su Wanqing handed the key to Chen Xiuer, gave her a few more instructions, and then went home to change into a clean and neat blue cloth dress.

She packed several packets of mutton brittle, two jars of fermented rice, and a large bag of oyster mushrooms into her basket, filling it to the brim, before riding the old bicycle that Li Aiguo had left her and heading towards the county town.

With her child on her back, Chen Xiuer began recording the initial data for each room in a small notebook, while pondering to herself: "Dr. Su said this batch could yield several thousand kilograms, enough to supply various units, and there might even be a surplus... I need to think about whether I can help her contact some people in advance? Even just pre-ordering would be helpful..."

She is a grateful person and always thinks about what she can do for Su Wanqing.

·

Su Wanqing rode her old-fashioned bicycle with ease, probably because she drank spiritual spring water every day. She easily covered the 15 kilometers to reach the county town.

When she arrived in the county town, it wasn't time to finish work yet. Instead of rushing to find Li Aiguo, she turned the car around and went to the county detention center first.

"Comrade, I'm here to visit a family member." Su Wanqing stopped in front of the registration window.

"Who are you visiting? What's their name? What's your relationship?" The police officer on duty opened the register.

"Su Jianguo, Xie Lanhua. I am their niece, Su Wanqing." She picked up her pen and neatly wrote the word "relatives" in the relationship column.

After completing the formalities, she was led to the labor reform area. From afar, she saw two familiar figures, digging a latrine with great effort, next to them piled rotten vegetable leaves and weeds for composting, the smell of which was pungent.

It was Uncle Su and Xie Lanhua.

In just one month, the two men had changed drastically. Uncle Su's once smooth and shiny face had become sunken, and his beard was unkempt; Xie Lanhua was even more disheveled, her clothes were so dirty that their original color was unrecognizable, and her eye bags were puffy. She was no longer the sharp-tongued and shrewd person she had been in Bincheng.

Su Wanqing raised her hand to cover her nose, and said through the railing, "Oh, Uncle, Aunt, it's been so long! How have you been?"

Xie Lanhua was exhausted and had a sore back, and she was filled with anger with nowhere to vent it. Suddenly, she heard that familiar and annoying voice. She looked up and saw Su Wanqing standing there with a rosy complexion. New and old grudges surged into her heart.

She threw down the iron shovel, rushed to the railing, and pointed at Su Wanqing's nose through the fence, yelling, "You heartless, wicked girl! Did you come here just to laugh at us?! You ungrateful wretch! You've ruined us like this, are you satisfied now?! You'll die a horrible death!"

Uncle Su stopped what he was doing, his face darkening as he looked over. More wary than Xie Lanhua's tirade, he asked, "Su Wanqing, what are you doing here?"

Su Wanqing's smile remained unchanged. "Look at what Auntie is saying, of course I came to see you out of concern. By the way, you'll be leaving soon, right? What are your plans after you leave?"

"What we plan to do is none of your business!"

Xie Lanhua spat, but felt a chill run down her spine.

She and her uncle Su hadn't been to work for a month, and the detention center had already notified their former employers. State-owned factories are known for their strict discipline; after such a long unexcused absence, she'd likely lose her job if she went back. She also hadn't heard from her eldest son, Su Yaozu, or her second son, Su Yaoguang, and was so worried she developed blisters on her lips.

Su Wanqing seemed to see through her thoughts and said slowly, "I'm just trying to be helpful and give you a heads-up. I advise you not to rush back to Bincheng after you leave. My cousin Su Lingshan is quite smart. I sent a telegram back to inquire earlier, and I heard that she didn't go back to her hometown of Bincheng at all."

She paused, admiring Xie Lanhua's suddenly changed expression. "Because, back when you were in there, in order to get your sentences reduced, you threw all sorts of dirty water on Director Hao Jianguo, saying he was the mastermind. Director Hao was indeed investigated for a while and almost fell from power... Unfortunately, he's very powerful and influential, and he managed to pull through. Now, he hates you to the core."

"What?!" Xie Lanhua dropped her tattered straw hat on the ground, her legs went weak, and she almost collapsed. "Hao... Hao Jianguo didn't fall?! He... he found out?" They did indeed make up a lot of baseless accusations to shirk responsibility back then.

"Not only did it not collapse," Su Wanqing calmly dropped an even bigger bombshell, "but your precious daughter, Su Lingshan, probably secretly went back to your house in Bincheng. She likely took all the gold bracelets and watches you hid, and then disappeared without a trace. Oh, and by the way, your eldest son, Su Yaozu, and his wife are getting a divorce because Director Hao took back all the good jobs he 'gave' them. I heard your second son, Su Yaoguang, also lost his job."

"Impossible! You're lying to me! You brat, talking nonsense! My eldest daughter-in-law is pregnant, how could she possibly want a divorce? Su Lingshan doesn't even know where we hid the gold!" Xie Lanhua collapsed to the ground, trembling all over. Gold! That was the life savings they had accumulated over most of their lives, meant to be passed down to their two sons!

How did that brat Su Lingshan know?!

How dare she?!

Uncle Su also became agitated. "She stole the gold? Wanqing, are you telling the truth?! Where did that brat run off to?!"

Su Wanqing sneered inwardly.

Su Wanqing certainly knew, because in the original plot, it was written that Su Lingshan stole all the savings and gold from the Ji family. It was just a pity that at the time, she only knew where the money was hidden, so she only stole 3000 yuan, but didn't know where the gold was hidden. Otherwise, would she have left it for Su Lingshan?

However, Su Lingshan offended Hao Jianguo, had no one to help her, and was being abused. If she didn't run away, wouldn't she be tortured to death? Of course, the most cost-effective thing to do was to run away with the money and go into business.