It was a bright, sunny day, and the warm sunlight felt wonderful. Yet, Leng Shuyue was so angry her lips trembled.

"Don’t... don’t say it."

No one in the village knew that her job, and her husband’s, were thanks to her older brother.

Leng Yuan pointed at the door.

"Get out."

Ding Jiangchuan and Leng Shuyue finally understood. Leng Yuan felt no connection to them and didn’t care about the past at all.

There was no way the two of them could stay any longer.

’If they’d known it would be this humiliating, they never would have come.’

Liu Xinxin, who was unaware of their history, saw her uncle and aunt were actually about to leave and quickly spoke up for them.

"Cousin Leng Yuan, please don’t be angry. My uncle and aunt didn’t do it on purpose."

Her large, watery eyes shone with sincerity and remorse. Combined with Liu Xinxin’s good looks, this expression usually earned her easy forgiveness, no matter what she had done.

’She assumed this time would be no different.’

Leng Yuan looked at Liu Xinxin.

"Do I know you?"

Liu Xinxin clenched her fists and finally left with her uncle and aunt.

When Liu Xinxin spoke up, Ding Jiangchuan and Leng Shuyue had deliberately slowed their steps.

They had thought Liu Xinxin might be able to sway Leng Yuan, but to their surprise, it was utterly useless.

In the end, the three of them had no choice but to leave in disgrace.

As they left, Chen JianShe picked up the gifts they had brought and tossed them to the group.

"Take your things. I won’t see you out."

Seeing this, Aunt Leng and Third Aunt Leng, who were stoking the fire for the meal, immediately started working even faster without saying a word.

Previously, they had been a little resentful about having to cook and were unhappy with Leng Yuan’s cold, unreasonable behavior.

But now, all that resentment and dissatisfaction vanished into thin air.

’All they could think was that Leng Yuan was treating them far too well.’

After all, their sister-in-law had come only to be humiliated and thrown out.

They were truly lucky that Leng Yuan hadn’t kicked them out too.

It was the same for Leng Qiushou and Leng ManCang; they started gathering firewood even faster.

They only carried one piece at a time, though, just to look busy.

Outside, the moment Ding Jiangchuan stepped out the door, his expression soured.

"What was that all about? Does he think I got my job thanks to your older brother too?"

Leng Shuyue was fuming as well. Hearing Ding Jiangchuan’s words, she couldn’t help but retort, "But your job *is* from my older brother!"

Ding Jiangchuan: ...

’It was true. He used to be a security guard at the textile factory, making ten yuan a month.’

’After he married Leng Shuyue, Leng Junsheng had given him a letter of recommendation. He didn’t know who wrote it since the envelope was sealed shut, so he just handed it directly to his superiors.’

’After they read it, they decided he was qualified and gave him a cadre position.’

’He had earned all of this through his own abilities. He refused to believe his job was thanks to Leng Junsheng.’

’He was a high school graduate, an educated man. Wasn’t it perfectly normal for him to be a junior manager?’

’He had reached his current position step-by-step, relying on his own abilities.’

’How dare a junior look down on him!’

Ding Jiangchuan was furious.

"What do you mean, your older brother found it? It’s because I’m capable."

Leng Shuyue didn’t argue.

’She thought Ding Jiangchuan had a point.’

’It was just like her own job. Her older brother had only given her the position; it was her own hard work and diligence that had gotten her where she was today.’

"So what do we do now? And who knows when Xia Qiuming will be back."

Their superiors had been the ones to tell them about it. Because they knew about his connection to Xia Qiuming, his bosses had overlooked some of Ding Jiangchuan’s minor mistakes at work.

With this in mind, Ding Jiangchuan felt he still needed to make Leng Yuan cave.

He recalled an application that had crossed his desk a few days ago and spoke in a low voice.

"I have an idea."

"Leng Yuan’s school happens to be applying for a round of educational funding. The paperwork was sent to my office. If he wants it approved, he’ll have no choice but to come to me."

And when you ask for a favor, you naturally incur a debt.