Zhou Xiaojiu looked at Grandma Zhou and said, "Mom, I didn't steal her old hen."

Grandma Zhou shouted at Song Yinhua, "My Xiao Jiu didn't steal your old hen. I said I didn't steal it, and that's it. Don't try to change the subject. You burned my Xiao Jiu's face like this. You should tell me how you're going to compensate my family!"

"Not only do you have to pay for the medicine, but you also have to pay for lost wages. My daughter-in-law is giving birth, so your mother has to come and take care of her. And during the busy farming season, you have to work for my family. Otherwise, I'll never let your family off the hook!"

"I have ten sons, and my eldest grandson is a year older than you. Do you think I'm afraid of your family?"

"Your son steals and still thinks he's right?" Song Yinhua retorted sharply, "You want me to compensate you? Fine, I'll report you to the authorities right now and have them investigate what your son was up to when he broke into my house in the middle of the night, and why several of my hens are missing. Theft and robbery are crimes that will get him locked up!"

Upon hearing the suggestion to report to the authorities, Old Mrs. Zhou hesitated. She quietly asked her son whether he had actually stolen the old hen.

"I didn't steal it, I really didn't..."

"Grandma!" Grandma Zhou's seven-year-old grandson ran over excitedly, "There are several big chickens in our chicken coop now! I want to eat chicken meat and drink chicken soup!"

"What are you saying? What big chicken?" Old Mrs. Zhou scolded her grandson.

The seven-year-old grandson pointed to the family's chicken coop and said, "Aunt Jiu said there are several big chickens in the coop now. I want to eat chicken, but Aunt Jiu said, 'Grandma, you can't kill them.'"

Song Yinhua immediately ran out of the yard, "It must have been Zhou Xiaojiu who stole my old hen last night, I'm going to catch him right now!"

Grandma Zhou panicked and chased after the hen while shouting, "That's my family's old hen, it was just delivered yesterday by my eldest grandson who works at the TV station, it's not yours!"

The villagers followed to see what was going on.

In the Zhou family's chicken coop, there were indeed several old hens that were significantly larger than the other, skinny, bony chickens; it was easy to spot them at a glance.

A neighbor who had previously bought an old hen from Song Yinhua remarked, "Those hens are just like the ones in Er Zhuang's chicken coop—big, fat, and full of oil."

"What nonsense are you talking about? These are just some chickens my eldest grandson brought over yesterday to help me recover." Grandma Zhou was delighted to find that there were indeed several large and fat old hens in the chicken coop, and she felt like she had gotten a great deal.

Song Yinhua jumped into the chicken coop, "This is my family's old hen."

"Who let you into my chicken coop?" Old Mrs. Zhou angrily rushed forward to snatch the old hen from Song Yinhua's hand. "This is my old hen, and no one is allowed to take it!"

Song Yinhua was tall and strong. She raised her hand high, and Old Lady Zhou missed.

"You say it's your family's old hen, what evidence do you have to prove it's yours?" Song Yinhua asked.

Grandma Zhou retorted with displeasure, "Then do you have any evidence to prove that the old hen in my chicken coop belongs to your family?"

"Of course I have evidence!"

What evidence do you have?

"If I can prove that these hens belong to my family, you are not allowed to stop me from taking the hens back, and you must make your son apologize to me and stop coming to my house to cause trouble and demand compensation."

"Hmph, you've gotten addicted to apologizing. I had your aunt apologize to you on the radio, and now you want my son to apologize to you on the radio too?" Old Mrs. Zhou was certain that Song Yinhua had no evidence at all.

The hen can't talk, so what evidence could she possibly have to prove that this is hers?

"Okay, if you have evidence to prove that the old hen belongs to your family, I'll agree to your terms." After saying that, Old Lady Zhou continued, "But if you can't prove it, you have to go to the village office and make an announcement to apologize to my son, and you also have to pay compensation. During the busy farming season, you have to come and work for my family, and when my daughter-in-law gives birth, your mother will come and take care of her!"

“No problem,” Song Yinhua readily agreed.

Fearing that Song Yinhua might change her mind, Old Lady Zhou repeated her words to the villagers who were watching, asking them to be witnesses.

"Let's see how you prove this old hen belongs to you!" Old Mrs. Zhou glared at Song Yinhua arrogantly, her eyes full of disdain and disgust.

After giving birth to her eldest son when she was fifteen or sixteen, Old Mrs. Zhou gave birth to ten sons in a row.

The eldest son was five or six years older than Song Erzhuang, and the youngest son was three years younger than Song Yinhua.

All ten sons are married.

Except for the youngest son, who just got married and doesn't have children yet, all the other sons have children.

It can be said that she had many children, and in addition, her husband used to be the village militia captain, so no one dared to mess with her family.

She usually acts like a tyrant in the village, and no one dares to say a word against her. Even the village chief has to give her some leeway.

She always looked down on her poor neighbor and never gave him a second glance.

The two families usually have almost no contact.

Other villagers would often ask Qiao Guilan for help, but Old Mrs. Zhou almost never asked Qiao Guilan for help. She also forbade other members of her family from having any dealings with the poor neighbors next door, and she wouldn't let Qiao Guilan's family come to visit, because she disliked their poverty.

Every time Song Yinhua and her three siblings passed by her house, Old Mrs. Zhou would only give Qiu Xue, who had excellent grades, a kind look. When the other three passed by, the old lady would give them a hard time and say some very unpleasant things. Sometimes she would even prevent Song Yinhua and her siblings from walking on the road in front of her house.

Whenever anything was missing from her house, Old Mrs. Zhou would stand outside the neighbor's yard and start yelling, subtly suspecting that Song Yinhua or her younger siblings had stolen something from her.

Qiao Guilan didn't dare utter a word when she saw her children being bullied.

Poverty makes people lose their ambition.

One time, Song Erzhuang couldn't take it anymore and picked up a carrying pole to fight with Old Lady Zhou, which made Old Lady Zhou so angry that she called all her children and grandchildren back.

But Song Erzhuang was strong and powerful, and even when all of Zhou's children and grandchildren attacked together, they couldn't gain the upper hand.

Old Mrs. Zhou's husband used his connections and influence to bully Song Erzhuang by tampering with the village's collective farmland.

When it comes to underhanded tactics, Song Erzhuang is completely defenseless.

After that incident, Old Lady Zhou often gave Song Yinhua and her three siblings a hard time, bullied the children, and would stand on the road and curse at their yard when Song Erzhuang was not at home, knowing that Qiao Guilan was cowardly.

Song Erzhuang was also afraid of retaliation, so as long as Old Lady Zhou didn't go too far, he chose to be a coward and let his children take a detour home from other people's houses.

It wasn't until Song Qiuxue entered high school and achieved excellent grades that Old Mrs. Zhou became a little more polite to their family.

However, the materialistic and snobbish Old Lady Zhou still treated the Song sisters, Yinhua and Caixing, with disdain for the poor.

Song Yinhua also disliked Old Lady Zhou very much. She never greeted Old Lady Zhou when she saw her, and Old Lady Zhou cursed her countless times behind her back, calling her a jinx, arrogant, and ill-mannered.

Rumors circulated throughout the village that Song Yinhua was a jinx, with the most widespread tales coming from Old Lady Zhou and Tang Suxiang.

Song Yinhua picked up the old hen, straightened one of its legs, and presented it to the villagers who were watching.

"Look, there's a little strip of cloth tied to the chicken leg. I tied it myself to prevent anyone from stealing my old hen so I can find it again."

Old Mrs. Zhou stubbornly insisted, "I just tied that red ribbon this morning."

Song Yinhua turned the strip of cloth over, and a sharp-eyed villager saw three words on it and read them out: "Song Erzhuang!"

Other villagers who were watching also saw the name written on the cloth strip.

Song Yinhua asked Grandma Zhou, "Grandma Zhou, did you write my dad's name on your hen's leg? Do you have a crush on my dad?"

This remark drew a burst of laughter from the villagers.

Old Mrs. Zhou was so angry that she looked ashamed and embarrassed.