Phi-Fic Chapter 85 60 The Youngest Daughter of a Farming Family (18)
Chapter 85 60 The Youngest Daughter of a Farming Family (18)
Their plan was ingenious, but Xia Mingwei wasn't stupid either. After using up her first payment, she had no intention of receiving a second payment.
Until the division of the family property, as long as she didn't receive any more royalties, no matter how resourceful or eloquent they were, they couldn't get a single penny from her or gain the slightest advantage.
Of course, not receiving payment for her writing is only the surface. Secretly, she still has to submit articles and earn money discreetly! Otherwise, how could she support her whole family?
And so, thanks to Xia Mingwei's actions, she indeed didn't receive any more royalties. The initial anticipation in Lin Fang and Liu Xueer's eyes turned to disappointment.
Watching this scene, Xia Mingwei secretly laughed to herself, "All she does is try to get something from others instead of managing her own pockets. Now all her hopes have been dashed, she's disappointed! Serves her right!"
Unable to get what they wanted from Xia Mingwei, the two women's tone of voice gradually became unfriendly. They constantly spoke sarcastically or subtly belittled Xia Mingwei.
"No wonder I got noticed by the editor last time! It was just pure luck!"
"Sister-in-law, you can't say that! My sister was able to get published before because she had some talent! Whether she can get published now or not depends entirely on her mood!" As Liu Xue'er said this, she glanced at Xia Mingwei, observing her reaction out of the corner of her eye.
“Sister-in-law! If you ask me, you’re overestimating her! Last time she won a manuscript and received her payment, everyone in the village said she was a literary star descended from heaven, praising her for being able to earn a living with her pen at such a young age! Little did they know that after that unprecedented first time, nothing more would happen!”
Lin Fang spoke at length without taking a breath. Then she sneered, "I knew it! The God of Literature isn't so easy to obtain! No one else wants to be chosen, but they insist on choosing our family!"
"Sister-in-law, don't say that! Look, isn't my younger sister writing an article right now?"
“Write, write, write every day, but not a single article gets published. What’s the point of writing so much? I think it’s just a waste of paper, ink, and postage!” Lin Fang said, putting on an angry expression.
Seeing this, Liu Xueer grabbed Xia Mingwei's hand and quickly said to her, "Little sister, your sister-in-law is angry. You should quickly assure her that your submission will definitely be accepted!"
Xia Mingwei watched their performance quietly from the side. She never expected that these two would abandon all shame for money. They had even learned to cooperate and put on a charade in front of her.
Xia Mingwei sneered inwardly. It seemed these two really treated her like a child, thinking that a few harsh words would make her follow their wishes and obediently hand over her royalties.
Thinking of this, she withdrew her hand from Liu Xue'er's without any emotion.
She said coldly, "Sister-in-law, that's going too far. How could I possibly guarantee that my work will be accepted? The magazine isn't my family's property; I can't just do whatever I want!"
Liu Xue'er wasn't angry at Xia Mingwei's rebuttal. She gave an awkward laugh, "I just found this method for you first, hoping you could appease your sister-in-law!"
Why should I appease my sister-in-law?
“What if your sister-in-law gets angry and goes back to her parents’ home? Then your brother will be without a wife, and Daya, Erya, and Tianbao will be children without a mother. Weiwei, you don’t want to see that happen, do you?”
Looking into Xia Mingwei's eyes, Liu Xue'er finally delivered the final blow, "If sister-in-law leaves, it will be your responsibility, Weiwei! It's all because you disagreed today that you made sister-in-law angry!"
Xia Mingwei inwardly exclaimed in admiration, "Wow, they're even resorting to moral blackmail to get money."
Lin Fang, who had been observing the situation, quickly pretended to be angry when she heard Liu Xue'er's words, and pretended to pack her things to leave.
"Weiwei, aren't you going to try to persuade your sister-in-law?"
"What are you trying to persuade me of?" Xia Mingwei raised her eyelids slightly and said casually.
Liu Xue'er stamped her foot anxiously, "I'll persuade your sister-in-law to stay!"
"Oh! If my sister-in-law wants to leave, then she can leave!"
Liu Xue'er was a little puzzled. "Weiwei, aren't you worried about your older brother and your nephews and nieces?"
"Worry!"
"Then why do you say that?"
“I think it’s better that my sister-in-law is gone! Maybe Da Ya and Er Ya will have an easier time after she leaves. Anyway, they’re used to it. They can live without a mother! As for Tian Bao, I’ve disliked him for a long time. After my sister-in-law leaves, I can at least put up with his temper! As for my older brother, that’s even better! After my sister-in-law leaves, he might even be able to find me a new sister-in-law!”
Xia Mingwei completely ignored Lin Fang's darkened expression and continued, "Maybe my new sister-in-law is a nice person and won't say that I'm just a freeloader at home! It's not enough to just write articles!"
After hearing Xia Mingwei's long string of words, both women's faces darkened. They hadn't expected that, even after all that, Xia Mingwei wouldn't fall for their act!
Seeing Lin Fang pause, Xia Mingwei asked, "Hey, sister-in-law, didn't you say you were leaving? Why aren't you leaving now?"
Lin Fang, carrying her bundle, was in an awkward position, unsure whether to leave or stay.
To ease his embarrassment, he could only vent his anger on others. "I'm not leaving, mind your own business!"
After saying this, she pushed Liu Xueer, who was still performing, away.
Lin Fang cursed, "It's all your fault for coming up with this terrible idea! You said we had to put on a show to get the royalties from my little sister! And what happened? If you want to leave, you leave, I'm not leaving!"
After saying this, Lin Fang slammed the bundle down on the ground. "You and I have never gotten along, and this was your bad idea! Maybe you were just waiting for me to leave so you could persuade Xia Aiguo to find a new wife! So you were just waiting for me here? I'll play along with your act; you won't lose anything anyway!"
Liu Xue'er hadn't expected Lin Fang to blurt out everything about their conspiracy. Seeing that Lin Fang was getting more and more excited, Liu Xue'er had no choice but to pull Xia Mingwei into the room.
After closing the door, Liu Xue'er cursed inwardly, "That idiot! She's hopeless! I must have been out of my mind to think of cooperating with her. Now look what's happened, she's spilled everything!"
However, while she was cursing Lin Fang in her heart, she was also thinking about how to salvage the current situation.