Upon hearing this, everyone, from the Xie family patriarch to the others, gaped in astonishment.

"How...how can this be?"

"Why not?" Jiang Nuan turned her head. "Does the Xie family patriarch have a better solution?"

There's a better way than that; he's not that despicable.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Chief Xie forced a smile. "In-law, you see, we are related by marriage after all. Shouldn't we avoid making things too ugly?"

He began to resent the Xie brothers' unreliability.

They have houses, fields, and grain, but who came up with this terrible idea that the girls getting married have to pay for it?

They demand money, yet they used this ridiculous excuse. They're a bunch of good-for-nothings.

"My dear in-laws," Xie asked through gritted teeth, "can't we be a little reasonable?"

If someone were to take his own father away, what would the whole village think of Xie Laoda?

So poor that they can't even afford to hold a funeral for their own father?

Or are they still unwilling to spend money to give their own father a proper burial?

Neither of these outcomes was the result he wanted.

"You mean you want to reason with me?" Jiang Nuan looked around in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?"

Would a reasonable family do something so unruly?

Her family didn't lack the five taels of silver, nor did they care, but they disliked being treated so disgustingly.

It's already a favor that they didn't hold them accountable for mistreating their own daughter-in-law; they're practically courting death. If we don't expose their true colors, we'll be letting down all the flattery Jiao Jiao has given us.

"You scoundrel!" The Xie family patriarch blushed with embarrassment and couldn't help but scold, "Hurry up and return the money to your in-laws."

Boss Xie took a step back, clutching the small gold ingot tightly. He dared not say no, yet he didn't want to give it to her.

Just then, Old Lady Xie came out of the house with a bruised and swollen face.

"Why should I return the money my daughter gave me as a sign of filial piety?"

“In-law,” Jiang Nuan stared straight at the person who came in, “Where did you get this injury? Tsk tsk, your whole body is covered in bruises, it’s quite frightening.”

Upon hearing this, Xie Laoda tensed up and looked at Xie Laotai with a warning.

Doing it yourself is one thing, letting outsiders know is another.

How one lives behind closed doors is one's own business, but if people find out that one is mistreating one's elderly mother, one can forget about continuing to live in Xiaoxiezhuang.

"It's nothing," Grandma Xie said, not wanting outsiders to laugh at her. "I'm old and can't see the road clearly. I just tripped and fell."

"Did my mother-in-law accidentally fall and get slapped? The handprint is so big and clear, the slap must have hurt terribly."

puff!

Chief Xie couldn't help but burst out laughing.

He had never heard such a snide remark before.

He cleared his throat and smoothed things over, saying, "Be careful next time, don't fall again."

As he spoke, he gave Boss Xie a warning look.

This family isn't exactly virtuous; you can tell from how they treat girls. But Chief Xie never expected the Xie brothers to be so reckless—they dared to beat their own mother before their father was even buried.

Since the other party didn't want to cause trouble, he didn't want to meddle either. However, he had to issue a warning if necessary, otherwise, if he caused trouble and brought shame to the clan, he wouldn't be able to explain it to his clansmen.

Old Mrs. Xie was so angry that her face turned ashen, but she didn't dare to say anything more.

The beating wasn't for nothing; she's come to her senses and has realized something: after her husband's death, she has no one to rely on, and if she doesn't obey her son, she won't even have anyone to take care of her in her old age.

I originally wanted to give Old Lady Jiang a hard time, but I never expected to be slapped in the face instead. How infuriating!

"Don't worry, clan leader," Xie the eldest promised, "I'll level the yard in a few days and make sure Mother doesn't bump into anything again."

“That would be best,” Chief Xie said meaningfully. “The Xie family is a family of integrity and with an upright reputation. If anyone tarnishes the family’s reputation, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

"Understood," Xie Laoda thought to himself, annoyed that the clan chief was meddling. "I know this principle and will not bring shame to the clan."

“Now that you’ve finished talking,” Jiang Nuan couldn’t help but say as she saw the two of them intentionally or unintentionally veer off-topic, “we should get down to business.”

Upon hearing this, Chief Xie's face stiffened, and he scolded, "Quickly return the silver to them, don't embarrass yourself."

“Clan leader,” Xie Laoda explained, feeling wronged, “this is what my brother-in-law wants to give.”

“If you want to be greedy, then be greedy,” Huang Lao Er said with disdain. “Why are you using me as a pretext? My family doesn’t lack these five taels of silver. Why would I bother with this?”

"You don't need five taels of silver?" Boss Xie's heart burned with excitement. "Could there be even more?"

Chief Xie saw his greedy and foolish behavior and couldn't help but kick him, saying, "You bastard, you're obsessed with money, have you no shame?"

To covet someone else's money in front of so many people, and then claim it was given by his brother-in-law—does he think everyone else is a fool?

If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have come. He has completely disgraced the Xie family.

“Uncle Chief, I didn’t say anything.”

It's just asking.

Elder Xie secretly blamed Clan Chief Xie for siding with outsiders.

He himself is a member of the Xie family, yet he favors that old geezer surnamed Huang, who has a muddle-headed head.

"That's right," Old Mrs. Xie chimed in, "What's wrong with my daughter giving me some money as a sign of filial piety? Her parents raised her all these years, shouldn't they give her some?"

Upon hearing this, even the kind-hearted Clan Chief Xie was stunned by these words.

Doesn't he know his own worth? Doesn't he know what kind of life his own daughter is living? He's tried to kill his own daughter several times, as if no one knows.

They were lucky to survive, and now it's all thanks to their parents.

Looking at Old Lady Xie's matter-of-fact face, Clan Chief Xie couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

This family is corrupt from the very beginning; if the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too. They'll get their comeuppance sooner or later.

“Huh,” Jiang Nuan raised an eyebrow and turned to Clan Chief Xie, “Clan Chief Xie, do the girls of your Xie family still belong to their maternal family after they get married?”

That's a very strong statement!

Since ancient times, a married daughter is considered like water spilled from a cup; no matter how good her relationship with her maternal family is, she is still just a relative.

It's fine for a woman to move her things to her parents' home, and her in-laws won't mind if she's willing. But if they really do mind, it's considered disloyalty, and no family would want a daughter-in-law like that.

It's no exaggeration to say that if this statement comes true, no one will be willing to marry the Xie family's daughter.

When a family marries a wife, it's not about having more children and a helper to do chores, but about emptying the family's coffers.

Immediately, the Xie clan chief's expression turned serious. "Why do you say such things, in-law? The girls of my Xie family are all well-behaved and respectful. In the past hundred years, none of them have ever been divorced. You must not speak nonsense."

“This is no nonsense,” Jiang Nuan pointed at Old Madam Xie. “How can the old lady be so shameless as to take it for granted that she should be filial? The Huang family not only supports the Xie family’s daughter, but also the Xie family members?”

Upon hearing this, Chief Xie was speechless.

Immediately, he glared angrily at Old Lady Xie, "Have you lost your mind? You speak without thinking. You have sons and grandsons, why should your daughter pay filial piety money? The Xie family isn't extinct yet!"