Quick Transmigration: The Gossip Master Took the Black Lotus Script - Chapter 14

Chen Juhua couldn’t catch up to Luo Ning, so she went home with red and swollen eyes, only to be immediately questioned by the Luo matriarch:

“What happened? You didn’t get the money back? How can you be so useless?”

Without Xu Qing as a foil anymore, this once “model mother-in-law and daughter-in-law” pair quickly turned hostile. Add to that the lost money and lost job, and the matriarch wanted nothing more than to scold her three times a day.

“The money was retrieved.”

“If you got it back, then why are you crying like you’re at a funeral? Isn’t our family already unlucky enough?”

Though she said that, the matriarch still felt a little relieved. Her eldest grandson’s illness would surely need a lot of medicine—that all cost money. If they couldn’t get that money back, wouldn’t it take her life?

“Give me the money.” Luo Shengtai reached out to take it, but of course Chen Juhua didn’t want to hand it over.

“Mom, this money has to be kept for Ping’er’s treatment.”

How could the old lady not understand her meaning? Her nameless fire flared up again:

“Exactly because it’s for Ping’er’s treatment that it must be kept with me. Otherwise, if Ningning puts on her pitiful act again, this money will get wasted on her. Or what—are you saying you don’t even trust me anymore?”

Listening to those words and thinking about her daughter who had just left, Chen Juhua suddenly felt uneasy.

“Mom, Ningning is also our family’s child, we… we…”

The old lady immediately snatched the money from her hands.

“She’s our child, sure. But she’s a girl. Before, when our family had no real troubles, spoiling her more was no big deal. But now, you know our situation. It’s time she learns to be sensible.”

Ever since Luo Ping learned he was impotent, he hadn’t wanted to leave the house, much less go to work. Hearing his mother’s words from his dark little room, he flew into a rage and stormed out:

“If you only care about that stinking girl and not me, don’t blame me when I refuse to support you in your old age!”

One look at his expression and Chen Juhua knew her son wasn’t joking. Her heart instantly turned cold.

She always thought she had treated both children well—especially her son. She practically gave him the stars if he asked for them. Yet the moment trouble came, she became like the pig in the mirror—despised inside and out.

“Ping’er, that’s not what Mom meant.”

She hurriedly explained, but Luo Ping didn’t even glance at her. He just threw out, “It had better not be,” and returned to his room.

Trouble never comes alone. Just as she was silently grieving, the courtyard gate was suddenly pounded on with loud bang bang bang, accompanied by an angry middle-aged woman’s scolding voice:

“Open up! Chen Juhua, hurry and open the door!”

Hearing the voice, Chen Juhua’s heart thudded. Wasn’t this the wife of the steel factory’s workshop director? If she came at this time… could it be—?

The more she thought about it, the more panicked she became. Her legs just wouldn’t move.

Meanwhile, the old lady had just hidden the money when she heard the shouting outside. She turned around, cursing, and went to open the door.

By the time Chen Juhua snapped out of it and wanted to stop her, it was already too late.

The next second, a well-dressed middle-aged woman stormed inside and, without a word, slapped Chen Juhua hard across the face.

As if one slap wasn’t enough, she grabbed her hair and struck her repeatedly until she was seeing stars.

The matriarch was stunned by this sudden scene. After two seconds of shock, she tried to rush over, only to be restrained by the helpers the woman had brought.

“Who are you people? What gives you the right to barge into my house and beat someone?”

The woman restraining her arms replied coldly:

“We’re from the steel factory’s workshop—Director Hu’s family. Of course we came because your daughter-in-law needed a beating.”

The old lady instantly deflated when she realized they were the wife and people of her son’s direct superior.

Still, no matter how bad a daughter-in-law was, she couldn’t just watch her be beaten like this. She tried to mediate:

“Perhaps there’s been some misunderstanding? If my daughter-in-law did something wrong, just tell me. I’ll discipline her!”

Fortunately, Hu’s wife was tired from hitting by then. She sneered and retorted without mercy:

“Misunderstanding? Your daughter-in-law had her niece replace my daughter to go down to the countryside, and then turned around and leaked it. Now my husband is being reported for lacking political awareness, my girl has been added to the educated youth list, and she’ll have to leave in half a month.

If you won’t let my family live well, then why should yours?”

Worked up, she picked up the stone used to press sauerkraut and began smashing anything breakable in the courtyard.

When Chen Juhua heard the woman pin this on her, she quickly explained:

“That’s impossible, I never did such a thing!”

Then, remembering Luo An’s threats, she declared with absolute certainty:

“It must’ve been Luo An. She somehow found out about those things and even threatened me with them for money. Mom, you know all this!”

If it were anyone else, maybe the old lady would defend her. But the moment it involved Luo An, she began wavering. After all—who isn’t afraid of ghosts?

Her hesitation looked like guilt to others. Hu’s wife grew furious and slapped Chen Juhua several more times.

“You still don’t admit it? Fine. I brought witnesses today. Let’s see if they say it was you!”

Several women stared at Chen Juhua for a long time. Eventually, they managed to pick out traces of familiarity on her swollen face.

“It was her. Those triangular eyes, that mean look—I’d recognize her even if she turned to ash.”

Another woman pointed at a floral blouse drying in the courtyard and said shrilly:

“She was wearing that blouse the day she talked to me. Look, the cuffs are worn!”

Hu’s wife yanked the blouse down. Sure enough, the cuffs were frayed. She sneered at Chen Juhua:

“Anything else to say?”

What could Chen Juhua say? She was completely dumbfounded. Who could tell her what was happening? If not for knowing she hadn’t done this, even she would’ve believed it by now.

But whether she believed it or not didn’t matter anymore. The bystanders had all bought the story. They pointed fingers at her, muttering she must be crazy to do something so stupid.

“Enough talk. Back then, I paid four hundred yuan. Give it back to me now, or I’ll make sure your husband loses his job.”

With Luo Song’s job being used as leverage, what else could the Luo family do?

They could only tremble as they handed over the money they had just retrieved.

The tug-of-war between son and grandson was agony only the shaking old matriarch could truly feel as she gave up the cash.

After counting to make sure, Hu’s wife proudly announced:

“I heard your girl’s job fell through too? Truly worth celebrating!”

“Just so happens I know the director of the educated youth office. I mentioned your family’s situation to her, and she’s added your daughter’s name to the list.”

Then she flashed a malicious grin:

“No need to thank me. It was just a little effort on my part.”