The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 267: Fighting for a Way Out for Her Daughter

Chapter 267: Chapter 267: Fighting for a Way Out for Her Daughter

Mrs. Cao remained silent.

Tong Huaqiong turned and asked, "You didn’t come just to borrow medicine from me, did you?"

Mrs. Cao sighed inwardly. Aunt Tong truly deserved to be the first person from Qinghe Bay to do business in town; her perception of matters was remarkably sharp.

But she felt embarrassed to speak.

After entering Tong Huaqiong’s house, she became timid.

Mrs. Cao changed the subject and asked, "Aunt Tong, you are knowledgeable, do you think Fugui will change?"

Tong Huaqiong replied directly, "He has definitely beaten both Chun Ni and you more than once or twice. Domestic violence occurs either zero times or countless times. Expecting him to change is impossible."

Mrs. Cao lowered her head and wiped her tears.

Every time Tian Fugui beat her, she forced herself to carry on as usual, but now it seemed that she had become a laughingstock in the village.

Seeing that Mrs. Cao still wouldn’t speak, Tong Huaqiong persisted and rephrased her question: "You used to endure, why can’t you bear it now?"

Mrs. Cao gritted her teeth and said, "Aunt Tong, I won’t hide it from you. If he were only beating Chun Ni and me, I could endure it. But now, he and my mother-in-law heard something from someone, and they’ve gone mad these days, wanting to send Chun Ni as a child bride."

"Last night, my mother-in-law said Chun Ni stole meat from the house, and the family can’t afford to raise her anymore. She’s spotted a family for Chun Ni and will send her away soon. She said Chun Ni has grown wild and unmanageable, and if she’s beaten into jumping into the well in the future, how would we get a dowry? It’s better to send her as a child bride now to earn some silver for Chun Wang to marry a wife."

Tong Huaqiong’s mind felt like it was being bombarded with firecrackers, echoing continuously.

She advised Lady Luo not to hit Chun Ni to avoid ruining her for a dowry, but she never expected it to backfire.

Lady Luo was now planning to send Chun Ni as a child bride.

Such twisted thinking left Tong Huaqiong unsure how to respond.

It was reminiscent of the past life when Tong Dajiao made Man Er marry into the Zheng Family.

Yet Tong Huaqiong felt somewhat relieved because it was precisely Lady Luo’s actions that gave Mrs. Cao the courage to seek her help with Chun Ni.

As long as Mrs. Cao was willing to defy her husband and mother-in-law for her daughter, there was a chance for change.

"What kind of family is it?" Tong Huaqiong was curious about what kind of family Lady Luo could find for Chun Ni.

Mrs. Cao replied through tears, "It’s a family from Black Dragon Town. Initially, my mother-in-law said it was a prosperous family, and their boy is nine years old, two years older than Chun Ni, so Chun Ni would live comfortably there. But later, Chun Wang let slip that the boy is naturally mentally challenged, still wetting his bed at nine years old."

What a sin!

Lady Luo’s heart was truly cruel.

However, if Chun Ni doesn’t go as a child bride now, staying with the Tian Family would eventually make her expendable for Chun Wang.

In the future, Lady Luo and Tian Fugui might arrange for Chun Ni to marry a wealthy widower or a prosperous family’s defective son. If they had connections to place Chun Ni with a wealthy family as a concubine, they wouldn’t hesitate.

"Has Fugui agreed with that family from Black Dragon Pond Town?" Tong Huaqiong asked.

"He agreed, saying the family was willing to give thirty taels of silver. I can’t watch Chun Ni jump into the fire pit. Chun Wang is my son, and of course, I love him deeply. If Chun Ni were to marry for a dowry to benefit Chun Wang, I would support it, but letting Chun Ni go as a child bride for silver at such a young age is something I’m completely unwilling to agree to."

"I argued with my mother-in-law and Fugui over this yesterday and was beaten twice by Fugui."

"I really had no other option but to seek help from Aunt Tong."

Mrs. Cao cried as she spoke.

Tong Huaqiong asked, "So how do you want me to help you?"

If using County Magistrate Liu’s influence to pressure Tian Fugui to prevent Chun Ni from being a child bride would work, but Chun Ni would still have to live with the Tian Family.

If she can’t leave the Tian Family, Chun Ni would eventually be sold off by Lady Luo and Tian Fugui.

This matter depends on Mrs. Cao’s determination.

Mrs. Cao said, "Aunt Tong, I wonder... could you hire me and Chun Ni to work in your fields? They think Chun Ni is a burden, but if Chun Ni and I can earn money, perhaps Fugui and my mother-in-law, considering the money, won’t send Chun Ni off as a child bride."

Tong Huaqiong: "..."

Initially, she thought Mrs. Cao might propose the idea of divorce, but she hadn’t expected Mrs. Cao had no intention of leaving Tian Fugui.

She couldn’t say Mrs. Cao’s idea was wrong.

After all, even in contemporary times with freedom for divorce, some women still find it difficult to make the decisive move, especially in rural areas.

Not to mention the women of this era.

If Mrs. Cao were to divorce, her family might not take her in. She lacks a house and land in the village, so where could she go?

Tong Huaqiong felt a thread of despair when she tried to empathize with Mrs. Cao.

Seeing Tong Huaqiong remain silent, Chun Ni wiped her tears and said, "Grandma Tong, I’m very capable. I can farm, I can gather pigweed..."

After all, she already had to do these tasks at home.

Mrs. Cao said, "I’ve seen you employ many villagers to work on your land at West Mountain, and harvest season for corn is coming up. Could you hire me and Chun Ni for that, or maybe to feed pigs in the pigsty?"

Mrs. Cao had learned that Liu Qiaoyun and Gu Xiaocao from the village were working at shops in town.

Even young Liu Xiuxiu was working at a shop, and doing quite well.

Mrs. Cao didn’t dare to ask to work in the shop; if Tong Huaqiong was willing to let her work in the fields or with pigs, she would be satisfied.

She’s very capable, even more than many typical male laborers in the village.

If Tong Huaqiong agreed, she would be willing to accept half of the pay that other hired workers get.

Tong Huaqiong hesitated.

Her fifty acres indeed needed workers, and the upcoming harvest needed people to pick corn and plow the land. The pigsty’s scale expansion also required manpower, and she had more business ideas that needed workers too.

Having Mrs. Cao and Chun Ni on the land wouldn’t be much of a problem.

But what worried Tong Huaqiong was if Tian Fugui and Lady Luo would come causing trouble.

Moreover, thinking about Mrs. Cao and Chun Ni’s earned money being handed over to Tian Fugui and Lady Luo to raise Chun Wang was unsettling.

Why should the money earned by two women be handed over?

But since Mrs. Cao came to seek her help, it showed that she was still willing to fight for a way out for her daughter; forcing her to divorce, be self-reliant, break away from her husband’s family was impossible in the short term.

"You working at my place isn’t impossible," Tong Huaqiong said.

Hearing this, a hint of gratitude appeared on Mrs. Cao’s sorrowful face.

"If Tian Fugui and your mother-in-law disagree, what will you do? What if they call you back halfway through working at my place?" Tong Huaqiong pointed out the current practical issue.

"As long as you remain a daughter-in-law and daughter of the Tian family, you will always be controlled by Tian Fugui and Lady Luo."

Mrs. Cao heard this and remained silent.

She only thought of seeking Tong Huaqiong for work opportunities, without considering the issues Tong Huaqiong pointed out.

"Then what should I do?" Mrs. Cao murmured.

"Do you want to leave the Tian family?" Despite knowing Mrs. Cao’s answer, Tong Huaqiong asked without giving up. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"How could I leave? I married into the Tian family. Unless Fugui divorces me, I can’t leave the Tian family. If Tian Fugui really divorced me, I wouldn’t want to live anymore; it would be such a disgrace. My Chun Ni, my family’s sisters and nieces’ prospects would all be affected." Mrs. Cao dismissed the idea without thinking.

As Tong Huaqiong had foreseen, leaving the Tian family wasn’t even an option for her.