"My mother-in-law cursed me, saying I was a jinx, that I'd cursed her son."
"She also called me a barren hen, unable to even give birth to a son, saying I deserved to be unwanted by any man!"
"Why doesn't she think about how I've taken care of her all these years? When she says these things, doesn't she feel guilty?"
"If I had known earlier... I would never have ended up like this!"
Hu Xiaolian sobbed, while Su Xiaotian sat beside her.
After crying and rambling for a long time, her emotions clearly improved.
Su Xiaotian also felt a little more at ease.
Once her emotions stabilized, Hu Xiaolian belatedly realized that she had said so much to a stranger.
Moreover, some of what she said was really not suitable for a young girl to hear.
"Little boss, thank you for being willing to listen to me, thank you!"
She felt very embarrassed and stood up to bow to Su Xiaotian.
"Big sister, you don't need to do that."
Su Xiaotian quickly helped her up. In truth, she was just a pitiable woman.
She could have chosen to return to her maiden home, but when faced with such a situation, most women would want to bear it themselves rather than burden their families with their suffering.
"When things like this happen, I don't know who to talk to. I'm sorry to have bothered you. You're such a young girl, you shouldn't have had your ears tainted by these trivial matters."
From these words, Su Xiaotian felt that Hu Xiaolian was a reasonable person. If such a person could overcome this current predicament, perhaps she could achieve something in the future.
"It's fine, as long as you feel a little better. I can't help you with anything else!"
Su Xiaotian genuinely wanted to help Hu Xiaolian, but she also knew that she couldn't help with this kind of problem.
Hu Xiaolian shook her head, "You've already helped me. If it weren't for this, I wouldn't have known my marriage was like this. I might still be in town helping him take care of the old and the young, like a servant!"
When she said this, she managed a smile, but it was a smile filled with bitterness and sorrow, devoid of any happiness!
"What do you plan to do now?"
Su Xiaotian didn't even dare to think about how a woman with two children, no money, and an unreliable husband would live her future life.
Furthermore, she might even be considered a third party who destroyed a marriage by another woman.
Such a person might very well be driven to despair.
"I'm going to find that woman at Licheng Elementary School. She stole my life and wants to snatch my husband. I can't swallow this insult!"
Hu Xiaolian spoke with a resolute tone, clearly having made up her mind.
Su Xiaotian wanted to persuade her, but in the end, she said nothing.
There was no way to persuade her.
Truth be told, the woman who stole Hu Xiaolian's life was indeed in the wrong.
It was illegal to buy Hu Xiaolian's admission letter back then, but she couldn't be entirely blamed.
After all, it was Xiang Ying's mother who willingly stole her daughter-in-law's admission letter to exchange for money.
However, knowing that Xiang Ying had a wife and daughter, and still marrying Xiang Ying, was her fault.
If Xiang Ying was rotten meat, then this woman was a fly drawn to rotten meat.
There was no question of who was better between the two.
The victims in this matter were Hu Xiaolian and her two children!
Su Xiaotian had only one thought: these two people were simply bullying the same person.
"Big sister, if you ever face any difficulties, come to the factory and look for Duan Hongda. I'll speak to him about it."
Su Xiaotian was truly afraid that the woman before her would eventually lose hope of living, so she made this promise.
"Thank you, little boss!"
Hu Xiaolian said, then turned and left.
Watching Hu Xiaolian's retreating back, Su Xiaotian said, "Sister Xiaolian, there's a saying called rebirth from ashes!"
Hu Xiaolian's retreating figure visibly stiffened, but she did not turn back, choosing instead to walk away directly.
After watching Hu Xiaolian leave, Su Ciliang immediately entered.
He had been in the adjacent office, listening intently to the sounds from Su Xiaotian's office, ready to rush in and protect his sister at the slightest disturbance.
But perhaps the soundproofing of the office building was too good, as he couldn't hear anything at all.
After entering, Su Ciliang busily examined Su Xiaotian from head to toe, ensuring his little sister was unharmed, before finally relaxing.
"Little sister, why did you talk for so long? Is she Xiang Ying's wife? What's there to talk about with someone like that?"
Su Ciliang regretted it. If he had known earlier that this woman was Xiang Ying's wife, he would never have agreed to let his little sister see her.
Who knew if this woman harbored any ill intentions to get revenge on his family's man.
Su Xiaotian sighed and stood by the window, looking towards the main entrance.
Hu Xiaolian's upright figure walked out of the factory gate and gradually disappeared into the distance.
Su Xiaotian only returned to her desk after she could no longer see Hu Xiaolian's figure.
"Second brother, she's actually also a victim! She wouldn't harm me."
Su Ciliang didn't know Hu Xiaolian's story, nor did he consider that Hu Xiaolian was a person completely exploited by Xiang Ying.
However, Su Xiaotian felt it was too awkward to mention this to Su Ciliang.
Recalling the most important matter of the day, Su Xiaotian asked Duan Hongyuan to come in.
She sought Duan Hongyuan's opinion on whether he wanted to accompany her to the capital.
Duan Hongyuan's abilities were quite good. Although his education was a bit lacking, it wasn't insurmountable.
However, what Su Xiaotian valued most was Duan Hongyuan's character and resilience.
She believed that with time, Duan Hongyuan could become her right-hand man.
Duan Hongyuan had heard about this from Su Ciliang earlier and had already thought about it briefly.
Accompanying Su Xiaotian to the capital would undoubtedly lead to better development for him in the future, but his parents were getting older at home and still needed his care.
"Thank you for your kind offer, little boss. My home is here, so I won't be going to the capital. Please rest assured, little boss, I will study hard at the factory and strive to become a more useful person to the factory in the future!"
Su Xiaotian nodded, "Since you're unwilling to go to the capital, you will be my assistant from now on. You will be responsible for following up on matters that I need to handle!"
This position was actually not easy to hold, and other leaders in the factory might even regard him as a spy.
But Su Xiaotian felt that this could also be considered a form of tempering.
Moreover, she wanted to know if Yu Guanghui was truly a magnanimous leader.
"Yes, little boss, I guarantee to complete the task!"
Su Xiaotian suddenly felt that Duan Hongyuan treated the factory like the army, with obedience as his primary duty.
She wondered if this habit would change in the future.
Although obedience was a good habit, to be a decision-maker, one must have their own ideas. This was something she would let Duan Hongyuan figure out gradually later!
She believed that through his work, he would change little by little, otherwise, he would face difficulties in the factory.