Su Xiaotian and Su Manxiu were both stunned, clearly shocked by what they saw.
Su Manxiu, in particular, couldn't understand how Su Xiaotian, just a little girl and a newcomer, could have someone kneeling before her.
If the old man were kneeling before her, Su Manxiu would have understood it better.
Fearing that Su Xiaotian might be frightened, Su Manxiu was about to speak.
However, before she could say anything, Su Xiaotian stopped her.
Su Xiaotian's senses were very sharp. She didn't know what the old man intended.
But for someone to kneel before her the moment they appeared, it definitely wasn't a good sign.
Su Manxiu's identity in Licheng was too special. If she spoke and was recognized, it would cause trouble.
It might even tarnish her uncle's reputation.
Su Manxiu understood Su Xiaotian's meaning and could only step back for the moment, though she was extremely anxious.
For the first time, she felt that her identity not only couldn't help her but also became a constraint, which made her very depressed.
However, she also knew that Su Xiaotian's idea was reasonable. Sometimes, one had to prioritize the bigger picture and observe first.
"Old lady, what can I do for you?" Su Xiaotian reached out to help up the white-haired person kneeling on the ground.
Fearing she might hurt the elder, Su Xiaotian didn't dare to use much force.
But the result of not using force was that the old woman remained kneeling and did not get up.
By this time, quite a few people around had already turned their attention to them. Su Dan Novel Network.
An old woman with white hair kneeling before a little girl, no matter how you looked at it, felt incredibly incongruous.
Su Xiaotian seemed to be able to hear people around them whispering.
"Elderly sir, it's not good for you to kneel on the ground like this; people will laugh. Besides, we are strangers, why are you kneeling before me?"
Su Xiaotian was getting a little angry.
This old woman was not here with good intentions!
"Little girl, you are so young, you can't go against your conscience. My son worked so hard for your factory for so long, and with just a word from you, you dealt with him?"
The white-haired old woman spoke while kowtowing to Su Xiaotian.
At this moment, Su Xiaotian also understood that this old woman, if she guessed correctly, should be Xiang Ying's mother.
With this realization, the smile on Su Xiaotian's face completely disappeared.
An old woman she had never met before could accurately find her. Su Xiaotian absolutely did not believe it could be without someone guiding her.
Moreover, this old woman, in her words, made it sound as if she had done something wrong, without mentioning anything her son had done.
By now, the people around had started murmuring.
The meaning behind their words was crystal clear.
Everyone looked at Su Xiaotian with disapproval.
That's how things are in this world.
Many people are more willing to sympathize with the weaker party, without even considering whether the weaker party is truly in the right.
Between herself and this old woman, anyone would see the poorly dressed old woman as the weaker party, and herself, dressed in bright and beautiful clothes, as a capitalist!
In fact, that's exactly what the people around them were thinking.
However, many people didn't think Su Xiaotian was a capitalist, but rather that Su Xiaotian was a capitalist's daughter!
"Please, for the sake of my son's hard work for your factory, spare him. I am already this old, and he is my only son. I am counting on him for my old age. Young lady, please!"
The old woman not only did not stand up but also kowtowed to Su Xiaotian.
Her forehead directly touched the hard ground, making anyone listening wince.
Su Manxiu, holding Chen Xiuyuan's small hand, listened to the surrounding discussions and was almost unable to hold back. She wanted to step forward and speak a few fair words for Su Xiaotian.
Su Xiaotian frowned, unable to bear it any longer, and directly pulled the old woman up.
"You only say that I didn't let your son go, why don't you mention how much money your son embezzled from my factory in over a year? Eight thousand yuan, old lady, eight thousand yuan. Have you considered how long it would take an ordinary person to earn such a large sum?"
The wages in Licheng were slightly higher, but not too high. It would take an ordinary person several years to earn eight thousand yuan.
After Su Xiaotian stated the amount, the old woman clearly showed a moment of panic.
The onlookers around also changed their expressions when looking at Su Xiaotian and the old woman.
So it turned out that this old woman's son was a scoundrel. He worked in someone else's factory and definitely received a salary. Embezzling money from the factory was his fault.
"You're talking nonsense, my son, my son is a good person, how could he embezzle money from your factory?"
Although the old woman stammered these words, her lack of conviction was palpable.
Su Xiaotian guessed that this old woman was aware of her son's embezzlement.
She just didn't know how much she knew.
"After your son was discovered, he was stubborn and refused to hand over the money he had. Tell me, how could I go easy on him?"
Su Xiaotian was setting a trap for the old woman, believing that this old lady must know something.
What Su Xiaotian said was also the truth. Xiang Ying had always refused to say where the embezzled money went.
This person remained tight-lipped, making it impossible for anyone to deal with him.
If she could get clues from the old woman, it would be a great gain.
Su Xiaotian never thought that the money would be pocketed by Xiang Ying for nothing.
Just as the old woman was hesitating, a woman suddenly rushed out from the crowd.
If the old woman's clothing could be considered worn, then the clothes of the woman in front of her were even more so.
Just as worn as her clothes were the two little girls she held by the hand.
The older girl looked no more than five or six years old, while the younger one was only two or three.
The woman ran too fast, causing the two children to stumble and nearly fall.
"You're talking nonsense, my husband is not the kind of person you say he is, you're slandering him!"
The woman's gaze towards Su Xiaotian was filled with hatred. This hatred was genuine and unreserved.
It was clear that this was heartfelt hatred.
In fact, Su Xiaotian was somewhat surprised by how worn the clothes of these four people, from the old woman to the children, were.
She carefully observed the four people in front of her. Regardless of age, they all looked like they were struggling.
This didn't add up!
This was Su Xiaotian's only thought.
Logically, even with the higher cost of living in Licheng, Xiang Ying's monthly salary, bonuses, and sales commissions would have made his income quite high in Licheng.
Moreover, with him embezzling eight thousand yuan from the factory in over a year, his family shouldn't be living so frugally!