Chapter 43: I Have Conditions

Chapter 43: I Have Conditions

Yao Xiangling knew that Jiang Yu had been rejected and didn’t show much emotion. She had actually prepared herself for this mentally.

She simply said, “He rejected you not because you’re not good enough, but because you don’t have the destiny together.”

Jiang Yu nodded. She could manage it herself and wouldn’t let one rejection make her doubt herself.

Because she still needed to brace herself to deal with her family.

Ye Laotai, who doted on Jiang Hao, had already come over yesterday but left without seeing Jiang Yu, returning dejectedly to the countryside.

Jiang Hao was their precious son, and barring any accidents, they would come again today.

“Aunt, go to work. I’ll stay home and wait for my parents today.”

Yao Xiangling was stunned for a moment. “Can you manage on your own?”

Jiang Yu nodded. “I can. I’m fine.”

She couldn’t always rely on Yao Xiangling to solve her issues; there were some things she needed to face on her own.

Shortly after Yao Xiangling left, Wang Meili and Jiang Yonghua arrived.

They had caught the first bus of the day.

As soon as Jiang Yu opened the door, Ye Laotai’s large palm, like a paddle, swung at her.

Luckily, Jiang Yu was alert and dodged it, though her cheek still got a red scratch from Ye Laotai’s fingernails.

Jiang Yu immediately shouted, “If you dare touch me, Jiang Hao will never get out for the rest of his life!”

This finally deterred Grandma Ye, who dared not strike again.

But her eyes brimmed with hatred, giving Jiang Yu a cold smile.

“I should have drowned you in the chamber pot from the moment you were born!”

Wang Meili turned around, dissatisfied, and said, “Mom, can you please say less!”

Even Jiang Yonghua lightly scolded her. “What kind of talk is that?!” Jiang Hao is my son, but Jiang Yu is my daughter too. Don’t say things like that again!”

Jiang Yu let them in and closed the door to keep out the nosy neighbors.

Wang Meili then pleaded, “Jiang Yu, Jiang Hao is your little brother. He can’t go to jail! Since you’re fine, just go to the police station and get your brother released!”

Despite both Jiang Hao and Jiang Ting being caught, she didn’t seem to care about her daughter at all, her eyes fixed on her son.

Jiang Yu looked at her coldly. “Did you know the Du family kidnapped me?”

Wang Meili immediately denied it. “No! Neither your father nor I knew. If we had known, we would never have agreed!”

She hadn’t anticipated that Jiang Hao and Jiang Ting would keep it from them and collude with the Du family to do such a thing.

Though she and Jiang Yonghua were known for favoring the son, they had indeed abandoned the idea of arranged marriages after Jiang Yu mentioned she had a city boyfriend.

She had been boasting in South River Village every day, showing off that she was about to have two city sons-in-law, and who knows, maybe she could even move Jiang Hao to the city, turning their whole family into city dwellers.

With Jiang Yonghua keeping them in check, how could they dare think about sending Jiang Yu to the Du family?

"Mom knows that Jiang Hao has wronged you this time around."

Jiang Yu did believe Wang Meili and Jiang Yonghua's attitude.

She did feel a bit better, but it didn't mean she could just let this matter slide.

Tears streamed down Jiang Yu's face, her tone filled with coldness.

"A beating? Will a beating make me feel better? Do you realize that if no one had rescued me that day, I would have been gang-raped by the Du family! Mom, you should be thankful that I'm safe. Otherwise, I would have hanged myself at the front door so everyone could see what kind of person Jiang Hao is!"

The coldness and determination on Jiang Yu's face sent a shiver down Wang Meili's spine.

But she didn't dare scold Jiang Yu and could only curse the Du family under her breath.

"Damned Du family, inhuman beasts. Dad and I will gather people to smash the Du family to avenge you! But Jiang Yu, your brother is my lifeline. Your dad and I have only one son. If he goes to prison, we won't even have someone to perform our funeral rituals!"

Jiang Yonghua, usually quiet, couldn't help but speak up. "Jiang Yu, forgive him this once. And Jiang Ting, she's your twin sister. As her older sister, can't you show some forgiveness?"

He did value his other daughters as well, hoping they would marry well and help Jiang Hao.

At this point, Jiang Hao and Jiang Yu had completely severed ties.

Jiang Yu felt a chill in her heart. Since they entered, they only cared about Jiang Hao and never asked if she was hurt.

Even friends wouldn't be this cruel.

"If you want Jiang Hao released, that's fine." Jiang Yu averted her eyes. If she couldn't rely on family, she would rely on money.

Wang Meili was overjoyed and instinctively reached for her hand, but Jiang Yu pulled away.

"Mom, don't get too happy. I have two conditions. I want 300 yuan, and I want to have the final say on my marriage. These conditions must be written down in black and white, with the team leader as a witness, and you both must sign."

"300!" Wang Meili screamed and jumped up.

"Where can our family come up with 300 yuan! If we had the money, we would have used it to find a wife for your brother long ago! Jiang Yu, can you make your own marriage decisions without the money?"

Ye Laotai could no longer hold back and cursed angrily, "I always said raising daughters is useless! They only leech off us and are ungrateful little brats! And you want 300 yuan! Dream on, girl!"

Jiang Yu ignored her and looked at Jiang Yonghua.

"Is 300 yuan too much to ask? This is the condition to release Jiang Ting and Jiang Hao, so it's impossible for our family to cover the full amount. Jiang Ting isn't a Jiang family member; her in-laws are city folks. Jiang Hao did these things because Du Juan instigated him. Can't the Du family pay?"

Jiang Yonghua's expression slightly relaxed, and he found her words somewhat reasonable.

But whether they could get the money was another matter, and even if they did, it wouldn't just be given to Jiang Yu.

After much thought, he couldn't agree to the condition.

"Jiang Yu..."

"Dad, my conditions are here. Two conditions, both non-negotiable. If you're unwilling, let Jiang Hao go to reeducation through labor." Jiang Yu's expression was indifferent, as if Jiang Hao wasn't her brother but a stranger.

Jiang Yonghua narrowed his eyes, his tone becoming firm. "If your brother doesn't come out, you won't have a maternal home to return to! Are you sure you want to break off relations with your parents over 300 yuan?"

Jiang Yu sneered, "I'm a person who almost died. Do you think I still care about having parents? No matter how good you are, can you be more important than my life? Dad, you haven't experienced what I went through. You don't know what it felt like to be held down by the Du family and dragged into the cornfield. You can say these things today because you're speaking from a place of privilege. If something had happened to me, wouldn't you have pleaded for Jiang Hao?"

As she spoke, her eyes were locked on Jiang Yonghua, and a single tear fell.

In that moment, Jiang Yonghua's heart felt as though it had been punched, leaving a sharp pain.

He quickly turned away from her gaze and balled his hands into fists.

"Come on, let’s go home!"

Wang Meili asked anxiously, "What about Jiang Hao?"

Jiang Yonghua declared firmly, "We’ll deal with Jiang Hao at home!"