After sending his parents off, Zhang Liunian went to find Zhang Liusha. Coincidentally, he encountered his elder brother scolding Su Jie.
Zhang Liunian couldn't stand seeing a man bully a pregnant woman. He stepped forward and grabbed Zhang Liujie's hand. "Don't hit women."
Seeing that it was Zhang Liunian stopping him, Zhang Liujie, though still annoyed with his wife, did not lay hands on her again. He let out a cold snort and left.
"Thank you." Su Jie, seeing Zhang Liunian help her, lowered her face and thanked him softly.
As soon as she finished speaking, Wang Xiao'e came out of the kitchen. "Who are you standing there seducing? Hurry up and come help with the work!"
Hearing her mother-in-law's voice, Su Jie instinctively flinched and, with her head down, went into the kitchen.
Zhang Liunian didn't know what to say seeing this situation. The last time he asked the village chief to help Su Jie, it had only exempted her from being confined, but her status at home remained the same.
"Brother Liunian? Why are you here?" Zhang Liusha ran over enthusiastically when he saw Zhang Liunian standing in the courtyard after returning home.
Seeing the person he was looking for, Zhang Liunian smiled. "I have something to talk to you about. Come out with me."
"Okay." Zhang Liusha trotted along.
Wang Xiao'e, standing at the kitchen entrance, saw this and was momentarily distracted. She planned to ask her younger son about Zhang Liunian's business when he returned.
However, when she asked, her incorrigible younger son refused to say anything, nearly leading to another fight.
Wang Xiao'e was almost angered to death by her younger son, and the matter was eventually dropped.
At the same time, at Zhang Liuhuo's dinner table, Zhang Liunian's affairs were being discussed.
"He acknowledges an uncle and receives a motorcycle worth tens of thousands. Why is he so lucky? Wicked people shouldn't get these things; he doesn't deserve such good things." Zhang Liuhuo angrily smashed his bowl, breaking it into pieces. Zhang Wenjun, Wu Shuicao, and Zhang Liuyu dared not make a sound, as their enraged son (elder brother) was terrifying.
"He got me confined to bed, while he, Zhang Liunian, is living a thriving life. Now, even the nickname 'Liuxing' can't do anything to him. He's truly capable; in such a short time, he's won over everyone's hearts. They're all people blinded by money, flocking to him as soon as he makes money. They're all spineless dogs..."
After a long outburst, Zhang Liuhuo finally calmed down.
Seeing his son calm, Zhang Wenjun cautiously said, "Wu Gudi asked Liushui to send her back to her maiden home."
Zhang Liuhuo's temper flared again. "So, she can't help us with our business anymore?"
"Yes, what should we do now?"
"What exactly did Wu Gudi do to have Liushui send her back to her maiden home? This useless person, why did this happen today? It wouldn't have been too late to go back to her maiden home after poisoning tomorrow!"
"She wants Liunian and Jiang Qingqing to divorce."
"..."
Zhang Liuhuo was speechless after hearing this. "Since she can't do it, you two take the medicine tonight and pour it into Daming Lake tomorrow night when they're not paying attention. Everything in there will be dead by then. I'll see how Zhang Liunian continues to make money and gloat."
That medicine was a poison he had painstakingly obtained from his father. Just pouring it into Daming Lake would kill everything.
Zhang Wenjun was frightened. Daming Lake was directly managed by higher authorities and was the largest lake in their county. If something happened and they were caught, they would face severe consequences. He hadn't been too worried when Wu Gudi was taking the lead, but now, without Wu Gudi, he was panicking.
"Liuhuo, how about we try a different approach? Poisoning is a very serious matter. If we're caught, we'll go to jail!" Zhang Wenjun didn't want to go to jail.
But the irrational Zhang Liuhuo was unmoved. "No, cutting off his source of wealth is the most effective way to strike at Zhang Liunian."
"Then let's have someone else do it."
"His house will be completed tomorrow. I can't stand to see him happy, so action must be taken tomorrow. If you can find someone in such a short time, feel free to do so."
Zhang Liuhuo didn't care if his family members were in trouble; he was solely focused on taking down Zhang Liunian.
Zhang Liuyu looked at his increasingly unfamiliar elder brother, his thoughts racing.
"Shuicao, why don't you do it?" Seeing his eldest son insisting on doing this, Zhang Wenjun shifted his gaze to his wife.
Wu Shuicao quickly backed away. "No, no, I'm scared. I'm timid."
"..." He was scared too, wasn't he? If they were caught, their lives would be ruined forever.
"Liuhuo, maybe we should just give up!"
"No."
"..."
Unbeknownst to them, just outside their window, a young boy stood with his mouth covered. This boy was none other than Zhang Liusha, sent by Zhang Liunian on a secret mission. He hadn't expected to hear such explosive news and immediately turned to report it to Zhang Liunian.
Zhang Liunian was shocked by the news. It was unbelievable that they would think of poisoning Daming Lake. This was truly courting death! Daming Lake was the entire county's supply lake, and everyone relied on it for fish. If they actually went through with it, spending their lives in prison would be a certainty.
"Continue to keep an eye on them."
"Okay." Zhang Liusha was taking this secret mission very seriously now. He was curious to see what else the Zhang Liuhuo family would do.
After he left, Jiang Qingqing came out of the house and placed her small hands on Zhang Liunian's shoulders. "Why would Third Uncle and the others do something like that?" She had overheard their conversation and was instantly stunned by her Third Uncle's family. She truly hadn't expected them to hate their family so much that they would resort to poisoning the lake.
Zhang Liunian clasped her small hand and pulled her into his arms, sitting her on his lap. "I'll go inform Big Brother later. It'll be fine." Now that they knew about this, they would definitely take precautions and prevent them from succeeding.
Jiang Qingqing nodded, leaning her head against her man. "I hope they don't do anything even more insane."
"This is already insane enough. Normal people wouldn't dare to do this."
Jiang Qingqing softly hummed. After a moment of silence, she changed the subject. "Liunian, are Big Brother and Sister-in-law really getting a divorce?"
Zhang Liunian sensed a shift in her mood. He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes, asking with concern, "What's wrong?"
Jiang Qingqing blinked her big, clear eyes and looked at the handsome face so close to hers, asking anxiously, "Do you believe the things Sister-in-law said?" Wu Gudi had accused her of seducing men and being restless. Did her own man have any worries or doubts?
Zhang Liunian's brow furrowed. Was his wife troubled by Wu Gudi's words? Damn Wu Gudi, making his Qingqing so distressed. Next time he saw her, he wouldn't let her have an easy time.
Seeing her man remain silent with a stern expression, Jiang Qingqing became even more flustered. She reached out and hugged his neck, explaining urgently, "Liunian, I really haven't done anything to betray you. I can swear, if I've done anything to betray you, then let me..." Mmmph!