Chapter 514
Su Xiaoxiao looked at her and felt all the hairs on her body stand up.
Without hiding it, she bared her teeth and exaggeratedly rubbed her arms.
All of Peng Huijing’s pretenses were exposed, making her look like a clown in Su Xiaoxiao’s ruthless gesture.
This made Peng Huijing want to put on a cold face immediately, but remembering the purpose of her visit, she ultimately held it in.
“Xiaoxiao, we did have some conflicts before, and I did take advantage of my position and age. But now I realize my mistake. Your relationship with the Zhang family is getting closer, so why don’t we reconcile? This will not only be good for us but also for Grandpa Zhang and Granny Wang. We can’t let the two elderly people be caught in the middle of our conflict, right?”
Peng Huijing sat up straight and spoke in a tone full of sincerity.
This sounded reasonable. If anyone else were in Su Xiaoxiao’s place, they would likely agree. But Su Xiaoxiao, having lived a second life, was not interested in making peace for the sake of it.
Moreover, she knew more than anyone else that because of her brother’s background, her relationship with Peng Huijing was bound to remain hostile.
But Su Xiaoxiao neither agreed nor refused; instead, she locked eyes with Peng Huijing, her gaze deep and unreadable.
She stared at Peng Huijing until she felt a shiver run down her spine, then casually said, “Aunt Peng, why don’t you just say what you want to do instead of all this roundabout talk? It’s a waste of your efforts; I don’t get it anyway.”
Peng Huijing had already been pricked by Su Xiaoxiao before, and now, after all this time, the sting was still fresh. Her face darkened with anger.
But since the conversation had already reached this point, there was no need for further pretense.
Peng Huijing wiped the fake smile off her face and spoke plainly:
“You know that Grandpa Zhang is determined to send Hanyu to the border, and Hanyu’s father is on his side. Now, they are more lenient with you. I hope you can help persuade them.”
“Why should I persuade them?” Su Xiaoxiao tilted her head, looking at her like she was a fool. “You know very well that I don’t get along with you, and I also don’t get along with your son and daughter. Moreover, the Zhang family’s matters don’t concern me.”
“Don’t you already meddle enough in our Zhang family’s affairs? If it weren’t for you, Grandpa Zhang would never have agreed to send Hanyu to the border and then to Yun Province to serve,” Peng Huijing gritted her teeth and said.
“Aunt Peng, that’s a bit strange. Did I suggest this yesterday? I don’t remember saying anything like that. Or did you hear it directly from me?” Su Xiaoxiao blinked innocently.
Since Peng Huijing wasn’t there when she spoke with Grandpa Zhang, and no one else could reveal what had been said, Su Xiaoxiao was just going to deny everything. What could Peng Huijing do?
Clearly, Peng Huijing hadn’t expected Su Xiaoxiao to be so evasive. Her face turned a dark shade, but she knew there was no point in arguing further.
“Regardless of why Grandpa Zhang thought of this, I just want you to help us persuade him. If you can do that, I can arrange formal jobs for you and your husband in Beijing.” Peng Huijing said, particularly earnest.
To make sure Su Xiaoxiao and Jiang Yexun wouldn’t look down on the offer, she emphasized, “At least it’s a level three worker with a monthly salary of 45 yuan.”
How much lower could Peng Huijing go?
Did she think Su Xiaoxiao and Jiang Yexun were so easily placated?
Su Xiaoxiao furrowed her brows and looked at Peng Huijing, who seemed to think she was offering an amazing deal.
Peng Huijing, who had lifted her chin proudly, quickly lowered it again and explained: “I know you don’t need the money, but a formal position in Beijing, especially for a level three worker, is not so easy to get.”
“But Grandpa Zhang already said he’d arrange it for me, and I rejected it so openly. Why do you think I’d accept it now?” Su Xiaoxiao rested her chin on her hand and smiled faintly.
Peng Huijing opened her mouth but found herself unable to think of a convincing reason. She ended up silently closing her mouth.
After a long pause, she said, “So you’re not willing to help, and you want to make things worse between us?”
“Aunt Peng, you’ve got it wrong. It’s not that I’m unwilling to help, it’s that you haven’t shown me any sincerity. When you ask for help, you should offer something of value, not some worthless trinkets. This doesn’t look like you’re asking for help; it looks like you’re trying to get back at me.”
Su Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow, her words pointed.
Was she talking about her brother’s background?
That thought immediately flashed through Peng Huijing’s mind.
Without needing to think it through, her hand subconsciously tightened on her bag on her lap.
This damn Su family, to climb the social ladder, they didn’t even hesitate to abandon their own son.
It was all that foolish man’s fault. He should have gotten rid of Zhang Jingyou that little brat. If he had, the Zhang family would have stopped bothering with him all these years, and it wouldn’t have created such a huge problem for her son.
But that man had been too merciful and secretly sent Zhang Jingyou to Shanghai to his maternal grandparents.
She had worked so hard to keep that secret, not wanting to tear things apart with that foolish man.
But in the end, her kindness had only led to her own downfall.
Su Xiaoxiao watched the fury almost spilling out of Peng Huijing and stood up with a smile.
“Aunt Peng, I’ve said what I needed to say. Now I must go to the Zhang family’s mansion for lunch with Grandpa Zhang and Granny Wang. Don’t be too anxious; there’s still plenty of time before the summer troops arrive. You can think about it some more.”
Su Xiaoxiao spoke casually, but Peng Huijing could hear the implied threat in her words.
However, time was running out, and any further delay would cause them to miss lunch. She didn’t dare to say anything more.
To avoid suspicion from her elderly father-in-law, Peng Huijing made sure to leave separately from Su Xiaoxiao.
During lunch, she was distracted, still thinking about the conversation earlier. Luckily, Grandpa Zhang and Granny Wang didn’t seem to care much about her.
After the meal, the two elderly people immediately pulled Su Xiaoxiao and Jiang Yexun to sit on the sofa in the living room.
After confirming that Peng Huijing had returned to her room, they curiously asked, “Xiaoxiao, is there some kind of conflict between you and our daughter-in-law?”
Had they learned something?