The old woman, her face full of displeasure as she was freed, said, "How can you say we're not familiar? We're relatives, we live in the same village, and Wangcai is your cousin. How can you be so heartless?"

"Hey, what are you saying? We have a lot of relatives in the village, and there are even more people living in the village. What, do you think I can keep an eye on everyone all the time? I'd be exhausted!"

"You brat, how can you talk so rudely? I was just asking if you saw my son. How dare you speak to your elders like that?"

"Elders? What's wrong with elders? Did I grow up eating your rice or drinking your water? I've already answered that I didn't see it when you asked me. It's not like I'm the one who keeps nagging me about not seeing your Qian Wangcai, is it my fault?"

“I go to school to study hard, unlike your Qian Wangcai who goes to play. How can I have time to look after your son?” Qian Xiao has never been one to suffer a loss since she was a child. She is not close to this family, so why should she suffer this grievance?

Qian Xiao rubbed her arm, which was sore from being scratched. The old lady had almost made her bleed. If she had actually bled, she would have definitely tried to extort money from the old lady.

Qian Sanbao never expected that his Erdan would start arguing with someone so soon. The person on the other end was an old lady, one of his elders, and he didn't feel comfortable going up to say anything. So he quickly got on his bicycle and went back to find his mother.

To deal with these old ladies, I had to get my own mother involved.

Both of them had loud voices, and in just a short while, quite a few people gathered around. Because a new stove had been built in the village, there were still quite a few people outside in the cold weather.

"What's wrong? What's wrong? Wangcai's mom, why are you arguing with Erdan? His child is usually not home, why are you looking for him?"

Clearly, Qian Xiao is much more popular than Qian Wangcai's mother.

"Of course, if you need anything, go ask your aunt. Why are you looking for Erdan, a kid?"

The old lady glared at the person who spoke and spat angrily: "What's it to you? I just came to ask that brat if she's seen my son, and she started talking back to me. What's wrong with me saying a few words?"

"Hey, you old lady, you're being unreasonable. What right do you have to talk about my aunt's child? It's not like it's yours. If you want to show off, go home and do it to your own grandson. What's the point of making things difficult for other people's children?"

"I'm an elder, what's wrong with me saying a few words? You little brat, why are you so eager to meddle in other people's business?"

Qian smiled and saw that two unrelated people were arguing. This was not good. She didn't want anyone to suffer a loss because of defending her.

She pinched her waist and spat on the ground: "What are you pretending to be? You call yourself my elder? You don't deserve it."

"You're not even that distant relative, how far apart are you? It all depends on whether I acknowledge your money. Don't stand there like you're so innocent. Come on, let me tell you what happened."

"I came back to visit during the school holiday, and before I even entered the village, this old lady started pulling me hard. Look, my arm is all red from her pinching. It's only because I'm wearing thick clothes. If it were summer, she would have scratched my skin raw. What grudge could she have that she'd hold against me so hard?"

After Qian Xiao went to high school, she didn't have time to go out and play. The areas covered by her clothes became much whiter, and the red marks were clearly visible, indicating that she had pinched them hard.

"It's nothing, but she immediately asked me if I had seen their Qian Wangcai. I said I hadn't, and the old lady got upset. I just don't understand, I already said I didn't see him, so why is she upset?"

"What, is that my son? Do I have to watch over him every day?"

"This old lady insisted that we were all relatives, and that it was my fault for not watching over her son. I told her, everyone in our village is a relative, how can I possibly keep an eye on all these people?"

"What did I say wrong?"

Seeing Qian Xiao with her hands on her hips, everyone in the village burst into laughter. This Erdan has never been one to suffer a loss since she was a child. No matter if you're old or young, if you offend her, she won't be polite. She's also very reasonable and never makes trouble for no reason. She's a bit tough, but she's not annoying at all.

"Exactly, what did Erdan say wrong?"

"That's my son, do I have to watch over him every day?" The old lady was almost speechless with anger. Is that something a junior should say? If her son goes missing, why doesn't she ask him more questions? That brat deserves a beating.

Thinking of this, the old lady raised her hand and slapped Qian Xiao's face. Qian Xiao would never use her hands against an old person if she could just talk to them. What if she touched this old arm and leg and then tried to extort money from her?

She took a step back and dodged the old lady's slap. The old lady must have used a lot of force, because she missed Qian Xiao and fell to the ground. The old lady reacted quickly and immediately slapped her thigh and started crying.

"Oh dear, a junior has hit an elder! This good-for-nothing is going to beat this old woman to death! Everyone, come and judge this! How can someone like this be allowed to go to school? He should be expelled from school."

None of the people around came to help her up; they all burst into laughter: "Oh, Wangcai's mother, aren't you lying through your teeth? So many of us were watching. You were the one who wanted to hit Erdan, and Erdan dodged you, which is why you lost your balance and fell to the ground."

"You're being too fake. If you're going to extort money, at least make it look real."

"Pah, shameless old woman, all you know is how to bully other people's children."

As for Qian Wangcai's mother, she was almost universally disliked in the village. Not only did she constantly boast about her son, Qian Wangcai, but she also belittled other people's children. There wasn't a single child in the village who was about the same age as Qian Wangcai that hadn't been belittled by her.

Everyone thinks their own child is the best. If you brag about your own son, people will just laugh it off. But if you not only brag about your own son, but also try to put down other people's children, people will find it disgusting.

This was only how she treated other people's children; the old lady belittled her own children in the same way, even her own grandson. It seems that all the good things the old lady did in her life were used on Qian Wangcai.

Not only did the villagers look down on her, but her other children also harbored resentment towards her. If it weren't for the villagers' opinions, her sons would have separated from the family and lived independently long ago.

The old woman sat on the ground, slapping her thigh and crying. The people around her laughed and talked about her family affairs, saying that she was unkind, that she was mean, that Qian Wangcai was a bad person and that he was still sucking the blood of his brother and sister-in-law at his age.

The old lady was almost driven away by anger. What a good child Wangcai was! How could the villagers say such things about him? Thinking of this, the old lady was really sad, and tears actually fell down her cheeks.

Just then, Qian Xiao's grandmother and the village chief came over. Everyone quickly made way, revealing Qian Xiao and the old lady sitting on the ground crying.