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Chapter 22 Sowing the Seeds of Disaster
Jiang Wumei followed closely behind and went out. She had just poked her head out and hadn't even stepped over the threshold yet.

From afar, one could see that her mother, whom Xia Liang had described as a refined young lady, was actually chasing after people with a broom in hand.

"Mom!" Jiang Wumei also grabbed a broom and chased after her.

They attacked him relentlessly.

"Oh dear, this is terrible! The mother and daughter are beating me!" Aunt Zhang was stunned by the beating. She covered her face and cried out to the people around her, trying to attract more attention.

Jiang Wumei was initially worried, but when she saw that Aunt Wang, who had been standing and chatting with Aunt Zhang, had actually taken several steps back and was watching with schadenfreude.

What's going on? What a treacherous opportunist.

I thought we had such a good relationship, but we're both hoping the other is having a bad time.

"Oh dear, Miss Shen, what have I done to offend you that you're hitting me? If you don't explain yourself, I'll lie down right here in front of your house today." Aunt Zhang's face was covered in red marks from the beating.

She tried to break free several times, and just as she had dodged Shen Xiangyun, she was hit before she could even take a step.

Even at a young age, Jiang Wumei knew that if she couldn't fight back against adults, she wouldn't have much of a chance, so she would take her broom and specifically use it to hit their feet.

Whichever foot Aunt Zhang lifted, she would hit that foot.

"Shut up! You have the nerve to lie down in front of my house? Be careful, or I'll have my uncle kick you out."

Jiang Wumei said angrily.

After she finished speaking, Shen Xiangyun, who had been silently hitting people, suddenly stopped.

He turned and glared at his daughter.

Jiang Wumei felt guilty after being glared at. She had said that on purpose, even though her mother had already denied her plan to complain to her uncle at home.

But if someone has already slapped you in the face, why should you let them bully you?

Her mother had finally managed to hold on for a while, but who knows when the next time would be.

An old woman like Aunt Zhang who loves to gossip needs to be taught a lesson.

Besides, she didn't actually say she was going to complain to her uncle and kick him out; she was just threatening Aunt Zhang.

A fox pretends to be a tiger!

A stopgap measure!

Thinking this through, Jiang Wumei straightened her back, raised the broom above her head, and looked at Aunt Zhang with disdain, saying, "What's wrong? Are you trying to say that my mother is a capitalist's daughter and I'm a capitalist's little princess again?"

"What's wrong? I didn't say anything wrong. The capitalist's daughter bullied someone. The capitalist's daughter beat someone to death." Aunt Zhang suddenly lost her temper, slapping her thigh and crying incessantly.

“Zhang Qian, I remember that room in your house. It’s been rented from my brother for five years, and the rent hasn’t gone up at all.”

Shen Xiangyun spoke calmly, holding the broom in front of her with both hands. Even with the broom she used for work in her hands, she didn't lose her elegance.

She lowered her eyes slightly, and those eyes, which usually held a hint of a smile, were now cold and indifferent.

"What do you mean by that, Miss Shen? I rented this house from your brother, not from you. What does it have to do with you whether the rent goes up or down?"

Zhang Qian was visibly panicked.

Her shrewd, triangular eyes were filled with panic.

"Oh my, Aunt Zhang, your rent hasn't gone up in years? Really? Why do you always tell me the rent has gone up, that the landlord will pay up as long as there's money?" Aunt Wang, who had been watching the show from a distance, quickly stepped forward.

She smiled politely, but with a hint of fawning, at Shen Xiangyun. "Miss Shen, I'm not lying." "What are you doing here causing trouble!" Zhang Qian was visibly flustered. She got up from the ground and pushed Aunt Wang, trying to get her to leave quickly.

"Why did you push me? If you have nothing to hide, what are you afraid of?" Aunt Wang avoided Zhang Qian and gave Shen Xiangyun a somewhat ingratiating smile.

Jiang Wumei also looked over curiously.

She also wanted to know how her mother knew about the rent.

I usually don't see my mother and uncle around.

How do you even know this?

Shen Xiangyun's cool gaze swept over the anxious Zhang Qian, the eager Aunt Wang who wanted to know the answer, and the neighbors who were slowly gathering together.

She slightly curved her lips into a gentle smile, which spread across her face, making her appear gentle and charming. She said softly, "If the rent hasn't gone up, then it hasn't gone up. Why would I lie to people?"

"It's actually true."

Why shouldn't prices be raised?

"Our family's income has increased by 10% in the last few years!"

"Our price didn't increase much, just a few dollars more."

"But why shouldn't Zhang Qian's family's price increase?"

"I don't know what the boss is thinking."

The whispers of the crowd reached my ears.

"What nonsense are you people spouting? It's completely untrue. Who said prices haven't gone up? Prices go up every year, by several yuan every year!" Zhang Qian hurriedly rushed towards the crowd, trying to shut them up.

Little did they know that the more this happened, the more those who had initially maintained a skeptical and wait-and-see attitude immediately crumbled.

The more someone tries to cover something up, the more suspicious it becomes.

"Do you dare to confront my brother?" Shen Xiangyun said coldly.

Zhang Qian's legs went weak, and she knelt on the ground. "Miss Shen, please, please spare my life. I really didn't mean to."

She was truly terrified at that moment.

If the landlord finds out that she's talking behind her back, taking the house would be the least of her worries; she might even get beaten up.

If this matter implicates her family, even if she is beaten to death, no one will pity her.

She crawled up on her knees and awkwardly grabbed Shen Xiangyun's trouser leg. "Miss Shen, I was wrong. I promise I will never call you a capitalist's daughter or your daughter again. Please have mercy on me."

"Watch your mouth from now on." Shen Xiangyun slung the broom behind her back, reached out to Jiang Wumei, and turned to leave after Jiang Wumei caught up.

The crowd spontaneously dispersed to both sides, leaving a passage in the middle.

Jiang Wumei stared wide-eyed. Was that all?

She didn't understand why the person who had been so aggressive earlier was now begging for mercy in a low voice.

She made up her mind that she would find an opportunity to ask him about it when she got home.

(End of this chapter)