A Matrilocal Husband's Counterattack

Chapter 44: The Fish Intestine Sword

"Answer it, answer it quickly!"
Hearing it was a call from Aurora Group, Margaret's body shook, and she hurriedly urged her daughter to pick up the phone.
Fiona quickly grabbed the phone and answered. Moments later, she hung up, her face full of surprise.
Margaret immediately asked, "Fiona, whose call was it? What did they say?"
Timothy and Linda also gathered around.
"Mom, it was a call from Aurora Group just now."
Fiona spoke excitedly: "Ms. Jackson said she's seen my resume and asked me to prepare the materials. Tomorrow I'm going to Aurora Group for training."
"They'll also pay me a salary of 8,000 dollars a month. If I perform well, I'll start my internship after three months."
"If I don't make any mistakes during the internship, I'll be promoted to full-time, with a 20,000 dollars base salary plus bonuses."
Thinking about becoming part of Aurora Group and earning so much money, Fiona became even more excited, her tone more arrogant.
"Really?"
Margaret looked at her daughter in confusion. "Was it really Aurora Group calling?"
"Yes, I checked, and the phone number is definitely from Aurora Group. Also, I recognize Ms. Jackson's voice."
Fiona nodded seriously. "She came to our school to give a lecture once."
Sophia glanced at Ethan with a complex expression. She was surprised by Ethan's efficiency, but she was also displeased with how Ms. Scarlet was so accommodating to Ethan.
Ethan understood the underlying meaning, but he could only smile bitterly. He couldn't explain that Han Yue had become his disciple.
Once confirmed, Margaret was ecstatic:
"Great! My daughter is going to Aurora Group! The heavens are finally showing mercy."
With that, not only would her daughter's future be bright, but Margaret could also boast about it.
"It's not the heavens showing mercy."
Linda snorted: "It was Ethan who helped a lot."
Sophia and Ethan exchanged a rare smile. It was unusual for Linda to acknowledge Ethan.
"Ethan?"
Margaret snapped back to her senses and sneered: "Are your ears deaf? Didn't Fiona just say it was Aurora Group that looked at her resume?"
"It's clearly because my Fiona is outstanding. Aurora Group saw her potential and picked her out of thousands."
"How is this related to your Ethan?"
"Do you really think I'll believe Fiona got into Aurora Group because of his phone call?"
Her eyes were full of disdain: "It's just a coincidence."
Fiona also mocked: "Aunt, let's not talk about how Ethan has no abilities. Even if he had connections, you can't get into Aurora Group just by relying on them."
"They must have noticed my looks and personality, and they took me in as fresh blood."
She instantly forgot she had come here to ask for a favor to use connections.
Sophia was momentarily stunned: "Fiona..."
"Enough, don't say any more."
Margaret impatiently interrupted Sophia:
"If you want to give your husband face, just say so. Don't try to make Fiona's excellence sound like Ethan's doing."
"A son-in-law who lives off your family and gets pocket money—what ability does he have to get Fiona into Aurora Group?"
"You can't even get Mr. Han to give you face, what makes you think Ethan can?"
She didn't believe for a second that Ethan had any part in it.
Linda couldn't hold back and stood up: "Ethan might not have abilities, but Ms. Scarlet he knows does..."
"Ethan, tell them, did you help?"
She was furious.
She knew very well that with Fiona's capabilities, she couldn't even work as a caregiver at Spring Wind Clinic, let alone get noticed by Aurora Group and earn 8,000 a month.
It had to be Ethan using Ms. Scarlet's connections.
She didn't like Ethan, but she couldn't let Margaret forget the Tang family's role.
"Aunt Margaret..."
Ethan was about to explain properly when he was rudely interrupted by Margaret:
"Aunt what? Am I someone you can call that?"
"Enough, don't keep dragging it on. If you keep talking, we'll end up hearing about Mr. Tiger too."
"Fiona is going to Aurora Group today. I'm happy about it, so I won't argue with you people who only care about status."
"As long as you're happy, you can say Ethan helped, and if that makes you feel better, so be it, alright?"
"Just know that I won't be stepping foot in this house again. I'll leave the gift box for you as a farewell gift."
"You should handle your own affairs."
After saying this, she held her head high and dragged Fiona out of the house.
As Fiona left, she briefly wondered to herself: Did I really send a resume to Aurora Group?
She quickly shook off the thought. Regardless, she was now entering Aurora Group, and soon she would be at the peak of her life.
She quickly posted a status on social media: "One resume, straight to Aurora Group."
Margaret and Fiona's figures quickly disappeared, while Linda and Timothy looked grim, clearly upset.
Ethan, smiling bitterly, thought about how to handle the mess with Han Yue. He was determined to properly treat her.
Sophia spoke to comfort her parents: "Dad, Mom, it's fine, there's no need to argue with Aunt Margaret..."
"Useless people."
Linda slammed the coffee table and scolded Ethan: "Can't even handle a small matter."
Then she stormed upstairs with a dark face.
"Ethan, you helped them, so this gift from Aunt Margaret is for you. Take it."
Timothy tossed the gift box at Ethan before leaving in frustration.
Ethan was stunned and then shook his head: "Dad, you keep it. I don't care for things like this."
"Take it and don't argue. Don't make a fuss about everything."
Timothy waved his hand impatiently, not allowing Ethan to say anything further.
Sophia gently tugged at Ethan's sleeve, knowing her parents were upset and it was better to just go along with it.
"I'll go change. Let's cook together later."
Sophia released Ethan and took her handbag, heading upstairs.
Ethan opened the gift box and found a ceramic piece of a Yue Maiden performing a sword dance. Neither the color nor the workmanship was impressive—it wasn't even a real craft piece, just a cheap souvenir.
Moreover, it looked neither new nor old, an awkward relic from the past few decades, likely a second-rate product from the early years of the reform period.
Ethan believed that if this were sold in an antique market, it wouldn't even fetch 200 yuan.
"Whoosh—"
While Ethan was pondering what to do with it, the Taiji symbol on his left hand subtly moved.
He felt a surge of ominous energy.
However, when Ethan picked up the ceramic, he found nothing suspicious about it.
This Yue Maiden sword dance was clearly a knockoff from a factory, with no historical significance.
But the Life-Death Stone was growing more restless as if something was pulling at it.
"Ding—"
Ethan ran to the kitchen, found a quiet corner, and smashed the ceramic.
Pieces of porcelain scattered, but there was nothing inside and no "layer" as rumored.
Ethan didn't give up and stepped on it a few more times. Just as he was about to lose hope, he heard a crack.
The small sword held by the Yue Maiden cracked open, revealing several long cracks.
Ethan picked it up and gave it a shake. The sword shattered into pieces.
A flash of brilliance shone brightly.
Ethan instinctively squinted.
"Whoosh—"
A soft sword about five inches long appeared before him.
Thin as a cicada's wing, soft as flowing water, shaped like a small intestine, but it looked incredibly sharp.
Ethan was overjoyed: "The Fish Intestine Sword!"