In ancient times, she gave birth to seven daughters and was divorced by her husband's family.

Ru Bao suddenly raised her head, her eyes bloodshot and red.

She was already heartbroken because she had been deceived.

At this moment, being scolded so mercilessly by her mother, she felt extremely wronged.

"Yes! I lost money! I'm stupid! I was cheated! Are you satisfied now?" she screamed, her voice hoarse.

"But why have I become like this? It's all because of you!"

"You forced me!"

"Your insults are useless; they're less than Bai Lu to me!"

"I want to prove you wrong, I want you to regret it. What did I do wrong?"

"What did you do wrong? You were wrong for overestimating yourself! You were arrogant and conceited!" Zhao Bing said, his voice trembling, pointing his finger at her nose.

"Do you think doing business is child's play? You think you can succeed with just resentment and impulsiveness?"

"They only inspect the goods superficially, don't sign contracts, don't keep receipts, and don't personally supervise the process. For such a big deal, they don't even bring a knowledgeable assistant!"

"Did you just listen to everything I taught you all this time?"

Zhao Bingyu continued with exasperation, "Look at Bai Lu. She saved Liangzhou from the rebellion and quelled the plague in Qingzhou. Did she accomplish any of that out of spite?"

"What she sacrificed behind the scenes was blood, sweat, and strategy that you can't see!"

"And you? Besides throwing tantrums and wasting money, what else can you do?"

"You're only acting out of spite... how can you possibly succeed?!"

"I..." Ru Bao was so choked up that she couldn't say a word, and tears rolled down her cheeks like beads from a broken string.

"I just... I just wanted to show you that I'm not a piece of trash..."

"Useless?" Zhao Bingyu sneered.

"To be swindled out of ten thousand taels of silver by such a clumsy scam, and you still think you're not a good-for-nothing? Ru Bao, wake up! You're not cut out for business! You don't even have the basic ability to judge people!"

"That Qian Wanli is obviously a charlatan who talks a lot of nonsense, and you actually believed his lies!"

"I...I thought he seemed very open and honest, and he even let me open the box to check the goods..." she whispered in defense of herself.

"Open and honest?" Zhao Bing chuckled.

"That's a trick of feigning indifference! Every truly great businessman is meticulous and leaves no room for error."

"What do you think a shopping mall is? A charity? It's a hellish battlefield where people are devoured without spitting out the bones!"

"With your cunning, going in would just be handing them money!"

She paused, her tone tinged with weariness and disappointment: "I originally thought you were just a bit spoiled, not a bad person at heart, and that you could learn something from it."

"Now it seems I was wrong. You didn't inherit even a fraction of my shrewdness; you're just a complete, spoiled fool!"

Fool, trash.

Ru Bao stared blankly at her mother's狰狞 (zhengning - ferocious/hideous) face.

The person who once cherished her and couldn't bear to say a harsh word to her.

At this moment, however, they used the most hurtful words to belittle her to nothing.

So, in my mother's heart, that's really who I am...

"Okay...okay...I'm a fool, I'm a piece of trash..." Ru Bao gave a bitter laugh.

She slowly stood up from the ground, her eyes terrifyingly empty.

"You're right, I can't do anything right, I only embarrass you..."

"Don't worry, I'll never touch your business again, and I'll never cause you any more trouble..."

She didn't cry or make a scene. She staggered out of the warehouse, locked herself in her room, and wouldn't open the door no matter who called her.

Zhao Bingyu watched her daughter's retreating figure and sighed.

She scolded her harshly, but after all, she was her daughter whom she had doted on since she was a child. How could she not love her?

The words had already been spoken, and I cherished the advice as invaluable.

Otherwise... if Ru Bao doesn't change her spoiled nature, what will become of her in the future?

He can whip the people in Dawu, and he can fly to the heavens in Dashi!

Zhao Bingyu stood there, wearily rubbing her temples.

She decided to let Ru Bao calm down for a few days and learn a lesson.

Ru Bao locked herself in her room, refusing to eat or drink, and became completely depressed.

On the third day, there was a knock on the door.

"Little sister, it's me, your older brother."

A warm yet anxious voice came from outside the door.

He is her older brother, Ruzhen.

Ru Bao ignored him and remained buried in the blankets, motionless.

Ru Zhen, who was outside the door, became even more anxious when she received no response.

He knew his mother's temper and understood his sister's personality.

This time, Mother has probably really hurt my younger sister badly.

"Little sister, open the door and let your older brother come in to see you. How can your body take this without eating or drinking?"

Ru Zhen stood outside the door, earnestly trying to persuade him, her voice full of heartache.

After a while, the sound of the lock being pulled could finally be heard from inside the door.

The door creaked open a crack, revealing Ru Bao's pale and haggard little face.

Ruzhen's heart tightened, and she quickly pushed the door open and went inside.

The room was dimly lit.

Ru Bao was wearing a thin undergarment, her hair was disheveled, her eyes were dull and lifeless, and she seemed to have lost all her vitality.

"What are you doing!" Ruzhen was both angry and heartbroken, and quickly stepped forward to take her hand.

"Why are your hands so cold! Go back to bed!"

He helped Ru Bao sit down on the edge of the bed and poured her a glass of warm water.

Ru Bao took the water glass blankly, but didn't drink it. She just lowered her head, and tears fell into the glass drop by drop.

"Big brother..." she finally spoke, her voice hoarse.

"My mother said I'm useless... a fool..."

Seeing her younger sister like this, Ruzhen felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if she were being pricked by needles.

He sat down next to Ru Bao and awkwardly patted her back.

"Don't listen to your mother's angry words. She has a sharp tongue but a soft heart; she loves you more than anyone else."

Ru Zhen tried her best to organize her thoughts and words, wanting to comfort her younger sister.

"Your mother just... just wanted you to be better. She was confused because she was anxious, that's why she said those hurtful things."

Ru Bao shook her head, her tears flowing even more fiercely.

"No... she wasn't just saying that out of anger, that's what she really thought."

She compared me to Bai Lu, saying I wasn't even one ten-thousandth as good as Bai Lu...

"She's right, I'm a complete failure, I can't do anything right..."

Seeing her younger sister trapped in a quagmire of self-doubt, Ruzhen felt anxious and confused.

He knew that his mother had become biased towards the children in Dawu after her trip there, and that she spent all her time thinking about Bai Chuyao and the others at home.

But he never expected his mother to say such harsh and hurtful things.

He clenched his fist, and a thought popped into his head.

"Little sister, don't cry."

Ruzhen looked at Rubao.

"You're not useless. You're just... just fooled. That swindler was too cunning!"

Ru Bao raised her teary eyes.

"Brother will help you get your money back!"

This statement left Ru Bao speechless.

She stopped crying and stared blankly at her older brother.

"Want...get it back?"

"Yes! We must come back!" Ruzhen nodded emphatically.

"Ten thousand taels of silver...that's no small sum. We can't let that swindler get away with it so easily!"

A glimmer of light finally appeared in Ru Bao's eyes. She grabbed Ru Zhen's sleeve and asked urgently:

"How can we take it? That Qian Wanli has long since disappeared. Where are we supposed to find him?"

Ru Zhen revealed a confident smile.

"I've inquired... Qian Wanli's ancestral home is Qingzhou... I guess that Qian Wanli probably went back to Qingzhou..."

“That’s Shangguan’s territory. It’s a bustling commercial area with a diverse mix of people, making it the perfect hiding place for someone like him.”

Ru Bao hesitated for a moment.

"But...but Dawu is so big, how are we supposed to find it?"

Ru Zhen patted his chest, appearing very confident.

“Have you forgotten? Although Mother severed ties with the Bai family, she still managed to maintain some connections and relationships with the elders in Dawu after years of operation.”

"I'll go to Dawu right now and use the connections my mother left behind to investigate a merchant's background. It'll be a piece of cake!"

His words rekindled Ru Bao's spirits.

If... if my brother can really get his money back, wouldn't that prove that he's not so useless, and that he wasn't so badly scammed?

Would... that make my mother take back those hurtful words?

"Big brother... will this work?"

"Don't worry, leave it to me!" Ruzhen assured confidently.

"Take good care of yourself at home and wait for my good news!"

Seeing the determination in her older brother's eyes, Ru Bao believed it.

She nodded.

"Okay, brother, then you must be careful."

Ruzhen breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her younger sister had finally cheered up.

He comforted Ru Bao for a few words and then left in a hurry.

He was going to seek justice for his sister.

However, as time went by, Ru Zhen's departure seemed to vanish without a trace.

At first, there were intermittent messages that said he had arrived in Qingzhou and was tracking down Qian Wanli.

But two weeks later, all communication stopped.

If true, he/she has disappeared.

This news struck Zhao Bingyu and Ru Bao like a bolt from the blue.

The moment Zhao Bingyu heard the news, she felt dizzy.

She had just severed ties with the Bai family's sons, and now her eldest son in Dashi has gone missing.

She stormed into Ru Bao's room, her face ashen, her eyes gleaming as if she wanted to devour someone.

"Rubao!"

Zhao Bingyu's voice became mournful due to extreme anger.

"Your older brother is missing! Are you satisfied now?!"

Ru Bao was anxiously awaiting news from her elder brother when she heard the news, and her face turned deathly pale.

"What did you say? My brother...?"

"He died because of you... because he tried to get back the money you were swindled out of!"

"It's all your fault! If you hadn't taken it upon yourself to do that business, if you hadn't been scammed, how could your older brother have gone to Dawu? How could he have disappeared? You're the one who ruined him!"

Ru Bao was stunned by the sudden bad news and accusations, and tears welled up uncontrollably.

She felt wronged, she was afraid, and she subconsciously tried to defend herself.

"It wasn't me... it was my older brother who wanted to go..."

She sobbed, her voice trembling with tears as she retorted.

"Besides... how could my brother, a grown man, disappear? He must be clumsy to have lost himself!"

"Snapped!"

A loud slap landed hard on Ru Bao's face.

Zhao Bingyu's hands were trembling, and her chest was heaving violently.

She had never laid a finger on Ru Bao in her entire life, but today, she was absolutely furious.

"You...you unfilial daughter! How dare you speak of your elder brother like that?!"

Ru Bao covered her burning cheeks, looking at her mother in disbelief.

She was stunned by the blow.

"Did I said wrong thing?"

Overwhelmed with grievances, she spoke without thinking.

"He's so stupid! If it were... if it were Bai Chuyao, he definitely wouldn't have disappeared!"

Yes! You're right!

Zhao Bing laughed, but the laugh was more like a grimace.

"Ru Zhen is really stupid! He's just as stupid as you! He's nothing compared to your shrewd and capable elder brother Bai Chuyao, who's so adept at strategizing in the Great Wu!"

She stared intently at Ru Bao, her eyes filled with disappointment and pain.

"But even if he's stupid, he's still your own brother, born of the same mother!"

"My dear brother risked his life for you!"

How could you say he's stupid? Have you lost your conscience?!

Ru Bao was trembling all over from being scolded. She wanted to retort, but found that she couldn't utter a single word.

Yes, my brother went there because of her.

Overwhelmed by guilt, she could no longer hold back and burst into tears, squatting on the ground.

Seeing her daughter crying, Zhao Bingyu's anger subsided somewhat, leaving only endless exhaustion.

She sent people to Dawu to search for Ruzhen's whereabouts.

He himself was exhausted and fell seriously ill.

To prevent Ru Bao from causing any more trouble, she instructed her second son, Ru Zhu, to keep a close eye on her.

As soon as Zhao Bingyu left, Ru Zhu immediately closed the door.

There was no trace of respect for his mother on his face, only barely suppressed anger.

"Little sister, did you see that?"

Ru Zhu walked to Ru Bao's side, helped her up, and spoke in a gloomy voice.

"What are we in our mother's heart?"

"My brother risked his life for you and went missing, and instead of feeling sorry for him, she blames you! She even said something like... my brother is not as good as Bai Chuyao!"

He wiped away Ru Bao's tears, his eyes burning with jealousy.

"She only cares about those few from the Bai family! As for us, the children of the Western Regions... Ha! She doesn't love us at all!"

Ru Zhu's words struck a chord with Ru Bao.

The grievances she suffered these days caused her love for her mother to waver greatly.

"Second brother..."

"Sister, don't cry!" Ru Zhu grabbed her shoulders and shook her hard.

"What's the use of crying? We can't go on like this!"

"We must make something of ourselves and show our mother what she's made of, so she'll regret it!"

"Let her know that we are a hundred times stronger than those people from the Bai family!"

Zhu's eyes were filled with fervor.

"We must be even more successful than Bailu!"

"We want to earn more money than our mother!"

"By then, let's see if she still dares to look down on us!"

Influenced by his words, Ru Bao was also tempted.