"Dad," Though Han Ruochen wanted her father to go and settle the accounts with Meng Yunhan, she still reached out to stop him. She had long noticed the many workers who were eavesdropping on their conversation. If Han Yichen went to look for Meng Yunhan now, then everything she had done would end up hurting her.
Thus, Han Ruochen pulled an aggrieved face and forced herself to smile as if she were in a lot of pain. "I don't want you to quarrel with Mom. After all, she is my mother, even if she hit me. It must be because I did something wrong. But can you just tell her that I don't want to give my job to Ziyan? I like teaching at the school and have no intention of getting married yet. And even if I get married, can't I just continue working?"
She paused and added, "Ziyan failed in her English test the last time she took it. I am afraid that if I give her my job, it will leave a bad impression on Principal Duan. But if I don't agree with mother, she will beat me again. Dad, can you help me?"
When Father Han heard Han Ruochen's request, his heart started to ache. He knew that his daughter was not only filial but also rather kind and sensitive, and yet Meng Yunhan was treating her so cruelly. His precious Han Ruochen was reduced to the point where she had to beg him to keep her job that she had gotten with her own merits.
That, Meng Yunhan—she was truly too much. Even if she felt sorry for her late sister, she couldn't just ruin their children for the sake of Han Ziyan.
He sighed and patted Han Ruochen on the back of her hand before saying to her, "Don't worry. I will talk to your mother, and if she dares to beat you, just run out of the home and come to look for me, alright?"
Han Yichen loved all his children, but he cared for Han Ruochen the most because she was the only one who had grown up by his side. The others —well, they had their own thoughts and stayed clear of him.
Han Ruochen nodded with a gentle smile. She then took her leave after telling her father to eat the dishes. As she stepped out of her father's office, Han Ruochen noticed that there were many people who were staring at her with pity and sympathy. Han Ruochen did not feel bad; if anything, she felt happy.
At least she accomplished her goal by coming here.
"I never knew that Meng Yunhan was such a person," one of the workers couldn't help but say. "Did you see the scar on Ruochen? That poor girl. I am afraid that with a scar that ugly, she would be looked down at by her husband and his family."
"True. What is Meng Yunhan thinking? She is so harsh on her biological children, but she treats that niece of hers as if she were a little princess. Even daring to ask Ruochen to give up on her job. She truly doesn't understand that no matter how close she might be to her niece, in the end, her niece will still be an outsider."
"Hitting her own children for the sake of an outsider? I really wonder if Meng Yunhan's head is flooded with water."
Han Ruochen hadn't gone too far. She heard the gossip of the workers and curled her lips in a satisfied smile. With this, the good deeds of her mother would soon spread all over the village. After all, their village was small to begin with, and people loved to gossip.
Han Ruochen returned to the school, while Han Ziyan returned home. When she came back, she purposely threw the purse that she had bought from the commune and watched it fall from the couch. Naturally, Meng Yunhan heard the noise and stepped out of the kitchen. She was preparing some mung bean soup for Han Ziyan, but upon hearing the heated sounds, she was worried that something had gone wrong.
And sure enough, as she stepped out of the kitchen, she saw Han Ziyan sitting on the couch with a frown on her face. She looked a bit annoyed, and her face had turned red due to the anger that she was stifling.
"Oh, my precious, what is the matter with you?" Meng Yunhan stepped out and asked with a soft voice. At the age of fifty, Meng Yunhan had taken rather good care of herself. From using the rather expensive pearl cream to never working a day in the house and leaving everything to the nanny who came to take care of the house, Meng Yunhan had never treated herself badly.
Even though the current situation was not good, Meng Yunhan didn't think twice before wasting a thousand yuan as long as she could keep her appearance prettier than the rest of the women of the village. Of course, she didn't feel grateful to Han Yichen for this, but instead, she believed that he owed this to her for making her break up with Master Yun.
"What else? Your precious daughter refused to hand over her job to me!" Even though Yang Jianming promised Han Ziyan that he would get the job for her either by hook or by crook, it still didn't ease the anger that she was feeling at the moment. How dare that Han Ruochen? How dare she look down on her? That bitch who had a mother who gave birth to her but was never willing to teach her—who was she to call her unskilled?
Meng Yunhan frowned and questioned, "She refused? Did she not agree yesterday? Why did she suddenly change her mind?"
"How would I know!?" Han Ziyan snapped. She uncrossed her hands and threw a blaming glance at her mother. "Mom, didn't you say that you have talked quite thoroughly with Han Ruochen? Then why did she suddenly change her mind? If she doesn't give up the post of teacher, how will I marry Brother Jianming? His mother will never agree!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she burst into tears.