Every family had their own private investigator, so it was an easy task to check on Qiao Mei's background. In addition, the womenfolk from the various families always gathered together to chat, so the happenings in the capital would never escape the attention of these rich wives.
Everyone knew everything about Qiao Mei and all the things related to her.
Ever since Qiao Mei sent Qiao Yu away, Qiao Yu's life had not been easy. She had thought that if she arrived in a strange city where no one knew anything about her, she could easily find a man to rely on. She believed that if she casually bragged about being from the capital, there would be many men scrambling to woo her.
She did not expect Qiao Mei to send Su Yang and his mother to the area as well. Old Madam Fan had to go out to work to support Su Yang, while Su Yang did not do anything every day and just followed Qiao Yu around.
Su Yang went around telling everyone he met that Qiao Yu was his wife. As time passed, no respectable man was willing to get close to Qiao Yu. Even women did not want to be friends with her.
It was obvious to everyone that Su Yang was not a decent person. If Qiao Yu was involved with such a person, she was definitely not a nice person as well. No one wanted to get caught up in any trouble.
When Qiao Zhuang and the rest of the family knew that Qiao Yu was working in the city and earning a lot of money, they threatened Qiao Yu and asked her to send all the money home. They did not even care if she had any money to eat and only let her keep five dollars every month. The money was not enough even if Qiao Yu ate steamed plain buns every day.
At this moment, someone appeared and asked Qiao Yu if she was willing to carry out a task in exchange for a big reward and the chance to transfer her household register to the city. She agreed readily.
As long as she could hide from Su Yang and Qiao Zhuang, she was willing to do anything!
The Du family brought Qiao Yu into the capital overnight. After briefing Qiao Yu about what to do, they asked her to go and look for Qiao Mei.
Late at night, Qiao Mei washed up and prepared to go to bed. Her face was all pale from throwing up all the time. During this period of time, Li Gui and Xu Kang took turns to take care of her, worried that she might need a drink of water in the middle of the night or that she might get into an accident in the dark.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
"Sister-in-law! Sister-in-law, are you home! Qiao Mei! Open the door for me!" Qiao Yu shouted loudly.
Qiao Mei frowned unhappily. It was not easy for her to get to sleep, but she was woken up so quickly. It looked to be a restless night for her again.
"Just lie down. I'll go and see what's going on outside." Li Gui covered Qiao Mei with the blanket and went to open the door.
The moment Li Gui saw Qiao Yu, she thought that she was seeing things. How could this person be in the capital!
"Didn't we tell you not to come back here for the rest of your life? Why are you here again?" Li Gui said coldly.noVE)lb(In
"Sister-in-law! I really can't live there anymore! My family keeps forcing me to give them money, and that beastly man has... has done those things to me! I really can't live anymore!" Qiao Yu said as she wept.
"This is a path of your own doing. If that guy bullies you, you should go to the police. Why do you come all the way to the capital to look for us?" Li Gui questioned.
Qiao Yu was a little concerned. How did Li Gui become so much smarter after only a few months? Li Gui used to be the most soft-hearted person. As long as Qiao Yu pretended to be pitiful, it did not take long for Li Gui to give in. It seemed that many things had happened since she left.
"Sister-in-law! I'm actually... actually here in the capital to look for a job! I'm here to visit you guys. I'm really at my wits' end, so you have to uphold justice for me! Those people from the Su family are real bullies! You're the one who arranged for those people to go there! You have to take care of me," Qiao Yu said unreasonably.
Li Gui felt a little guilty. They had indeed played a part in Qiao Yu's current bleak life, but she did not expect the Su family to be so much worse than expected. She looked around for a while and then sighed, saying, "Come in with me."
As soon as Qiao Yu entered the courtyard, she exclaimed in surprise. There were many new things bought after she left the capital. It seemed that they had earned a lot of money during this period of time.
"Who is it..." Qiao Mei asked weakly from the room.
"It's Qiao Yu. She wants to talk to you," Li Gui said softly.
Qiao Yu stood at the door and did not dare to go in. She knew that Qiao Mei must be feeling very unhappy now and that Qiao Mei did not like people entering her territory without permission. Furthermore, she was indeed here with ulterior motives. She might be able to hide it from Li Gui, but she might not be able to hide it from Qiao Mei.