Chapter 326: Did he really leave, or is he hiding and unwilling to see us?

"Brother, what is it?" Fang Erniu asked.

“I want you to come with me to find Su Laosan to discuss the cooperation. This matter concerns whether I can continue to be the village party secretary. The villagers think that you two can't get married and are worried that the cooperation will fall through, which is why they came to our gate and made a scene. I don't want to put you in a difficult position, but you should have heard your uncles and the others being aggressive inside the house, inciting many ignorant old men and women in the village to try to oust me…”

Brother Fang sighed and said, "I don't care whether I step down or not, but so many people in the village are waiting for the rice intercropping cooperation and the subsequent sales at Su Laosan's grocery store. If our family's affairs affect the villagers' ability to earn this hard-earned money, I... I can't get over this. Erniu, can you understand?"

Fang Erniu remained silent in the room for a long time.

He then said in a muffled voice, "Brother, Su Laosan won't see me. He's made it clear that he won't see me."

He will meet with him.

Brother Fang said firmly, "What he said was out of desperation. It was Mom's unreasonable request. Grandpa and Grandma and I are on your side. Don't worry about Mom. Once this matter is resolved, I will find an opportunity to explain things to her."

He leaned closer to the room and whispered through the crack in the door, "...Today, with so many elders in front of me, I couldn't just stop Mom directly, which led to this situation. Erniu, I'm sorry."

"Waaah..."

Erniu covered her mouth and started crying again inside the house, asking Brother Fang, "Brother, how could Mom do that? I'm so heartbroken..."

"I know, don't worry, you and Su Laosan will definitely get married," Brother Fang said.

The room was quiet for a moment. Fang Erniu opened the door, tears still on her face, but her eyes were already smiling. She pouted and asked, "Really?"

"Of course it's true."

Brother Fang smiled and wiped away her tears, "Their family backed out at the last minute because of Mom's demands. As long as Mom doesn't bring it up again, the marriage can proceed smoothly, right?"

“…Oh right.” Fang Erniu suddenly realized something, and stood on tiptoe to look into the main room. “Then…”

Brother Fang pressed her shoulder, spun her around, and pushed her into the house. "Mom, I'll take care of that. You go change your clothes and wash your face. We're going to the city to talk things out with Su Laosan."

Fang Erniu nodded and ran back into the house to change her clothes.

When she came out, Brother Fang had already poured hot water and mixed it with some cold water, gesturing for her to wash her face.

He even teased her, saying, "Your eyes are all swollen from crying, can't you wait for your older brother for a little while?"

Fang Erniu stamped her foot shyly and called out, "Big Brother."

After washing their faces, the two went out together. Passing by the main room, they greeted Grandpa Fang and Grandma Fang. The old couple smiled and asked Fang Erniu to invite Su Laosan to participate in the village's voting activity early the next morning.

Fang Erniu thought for a moment, then nodded and agreed.

Erniu's mother opened her mouth as if to say something, but was stopped by Grandma Fang, who had been watching her closely.

After the siblings left, Grandpa Fang, with a gloomy face, warned Erniu's mother.

“Second son’s wife, if Erniu and Su Laosan can’t get married because of you, you should divorce your second son and go back to your parents’ home!”

Erniu's mother gasped, her eyes widened, and she shouted, "Why? I bore children for your Fang family..."

"Pooh."

Grandma Fang spat and said, "Any woman can give birth, so why would your belly be considered special? Believe me or not, I'll make your second son divorce you right now, and then he can marry another woman who can still have children! You know what will happen to you when you go back to your parents' home after the divorce, don't I need to remind you?"

"You dare?!"

Erniu's mother felt a chill run down her spine, and the hairs on her back stood on end. "My son is the village party secretary..."

Sister-in-law Fang raised her eyes, a fleeting hint of mockery in them.

She said softly, without any emotion, "Mom, if my sister-in-law's marriage with Su Laosan falls through, your son will most likely be removed from his position as village secretary by the eldest son's family. Without your son as village secretary, what will you rely on?"

Erniu's mother stared at her eldest daughter-in-law in disbelief. The anger she had been holding back against the old couple suddenly erupted, and she raised her arms to hit Fang's sister-in-law.

Sister-in-law Fang pursed her lips and dodged to the side just as she was about to reach her.

Remembering the lesson she learned from bumping into the door, Erniu's mother stopped, but because she was rushing too fast, her upper body was still propelled forward by inertia, and she crashed into the wall behind Fang's sister-in-law.

There was another 'thump'.

Erniu's mother screamed in pain and squatted down on the ground, clutching her forehead.

Brother Fang was so disgusted he couldn't bear to look at it.

She said to her, "Mom, stop making a scene. Why did you hit your sister-in-law? She didn't say anything wrong. You can't get angry and hit someone just because your little scheme was exposed..."

"You're taking your sister-in-law's side?"

Erniu's mother looked up at her youngest son, stunned. "She's an outsider. I'm your mother. I gave birth to you and raised you..."

"Alright, Mom, you're making such a fuss, you're acting like a broken record. I know you gave me life and raised me, but is this the time to be saying these things? Right now, the whole family should be working together to help my eldest brother keep his position as village secretary! If you hadn't made such a scene, my second sister and Su Laosan wouldn't have been able to get married so smoothly. How could my uncle's family have incited those villagers?"

Fang Xiaodi frowned, turned his head away speechlessly, his brows and eyes full of impatience, "If I had known you would act like this, I shouldn't have let you get involved..."

He was complaining when he suddenly stopped, thinking about his grandparents' inaction back then, which made him even more agitated. What kind of mess was this?!

What should have been a simple matter, a happy occasion that should have gone smoothly and brought joy to everyone, has been ruined by them. It's really enough.

He went back to his room and slammed the door shut.

Erniu's mother was so angry that her eyes were brimming with tears. She repeated, "I was only trying to do what was best for her. How could I have known that the eldest son's family would suddenly cause trouble at this time? How could I have known that those people in the village would be so crazy? Whether my daughter marries a city man or not, what does it have to do with them? They're all so nosy! Waaah..."

"Second brother!"

Grandma Fang frowned and called to Erniu's father, "Keep an eye on your wife, don't let her go crazy like Xianglin's wife."

After that, he discussed with Grandpa Fang how much to give each of the people who were the most opposed to the proposal, and how to win them over.

Erniu's dad pulled Erniu's mom back into the house.

Sister-in-law Fang went out to look for her child and played with the child at the door.

On the other side, Brother Fang instructed Fang Erniu, "Remember the order of the words, don't get it wrong. Whether you and Su Laosan can get married, and whether I can continue to be the village secretary, all depends on you."

Fang Erniu nodded repeatedly and went forward to knock on the door.

Arno, who was holding a child, opened the door. When he saw her, he smiled and called her "Sister Erniu," but the next second he realized what he had done and his smile disappeared.

Fang Erniu forced a smile and said, "I've come to find Auntie and Su Laosan."

As she spoke, she glanced at the courtyard behind her.

"My aunt went to her health center, and my third brother went to the countryside. They left less than half an hour ago."

Brother Fang's heart skipped a beat, his brows furrowed, and he asked, "Did they really leave, or are they hiding and unwilling to see us?"