Chapter 4

When the aunt saw Song Zhehao's smiling face, the contempt and anger on her face disappeared instantly. She said with a smile: "Hey! My filial nephew-in-law is at home?"

After saying this, Aunt An trotted over, patted Song Zhehao on the shoulder, and looked at Song Zhehao as affectionately as if she were her own son.

She added, "This person is just different! I raised An Cai since she was little, and she always pulls her face long when she sees me. Although we are not related by blood, when I see you, I like you from the bottom of my heart."

Song Zhehao didn't like Aunt An in the first place, and now Aunt An was bullying An Cai in a subtle way, which made Song Zhehao feel even more uncomfortable.

Hearing this, Song Zhehao deliberately showed sadness and replied: "Aunt is right! My mother died early, and when I saw you, it was like seeing my deceased mother!"

This sounds like a good thing, but after thinking about it for a while, it doesn't seem right!

Even if Song Zhehao wanted to get close to him, he couldn't compare himself to a dead person, right?

What's more, Song Zhehao's mother was a miserable woman. She lost her husband early and later died of a serious illness.

Song Zhehao actually compared himself to such a miserable woman. This kind of words are the most taboo in the countryside. Looking at his sad expression, Aunt An felt her scalp tingling. She wanted to get angry but couldn't.

Because Aunt An came today because she wanted to ask Song Zhehao for a favor.

Aunt An smiled awkwardly and quickly changed the subject. She grabbed Song Zhehao's hand and said, "Zhehao! I came all the way here. Is there something I want to ask of you?"

After saying this, Aunt An put the basket hanging on her arm on the kang table, and deliberately lifted the red cloth covering the basket, revealing a basket of fresh eggs.

Looking at the eggs, Song Zhehao understood that the task Aunt An wanted to ask of him should be rather difficult.

Song Zhehao knew that although Aunt An's family was well off and could afford a basket of eggs, Aunt An was always stingy and usually wouldn't even lend a needle. If she didn't have something difficult to ask for, how could she be so generous?

Thinking of this, Song Zhehao was happy again. He thought it was just right. He had no intention of helping her in the first place. Since she wanted to ask him for help, she would definitely swallow her anger. It was a good opportunity for him to vent his anger for An Cai.

Song Zhehao smiled and said, "Aunt, you said that I must help you."

Originally, Aunt An was unsure about asking for help, but when she saw Song Zhehao's attitude, she felt relieved.

Aunt An smiled heartily and said, "Oh! I knew that this was my first time speaking as an aunt, and as the eldest son-in-law, I would definitely not refuse your respect!"

Having said that, Aunt An looked outside again with a mysterious look on her face. When she saw An Cai making tea in the kitchen, she began to speak in Song Zhehao's ear.

"Actually, it's not a big deal! It's about my daughter Xiaoya. You know Xiaoya married into a good family. Her family is rich, and she's well-respected by her in-laws. This girl has always valued friendship, so she's thinking about how to repay her in-laws. After much thought, giving birth to an eldest son is the key, but they gave birth to two girls in a row. If it were in the past, this wouldn't be a big deal. It's not like they don't have the money to raise them. But now that they're cracking down on illegitimate children, who would dare to openly ask for a third child?"

"I have to give birth, but I don't dare to. So I thought, your house is quite quiet, why not let Xiaoya take care of the baby, and Ancai can help take care of it. It's just like repaying my kindness. Once the boy is born and Ancai finishes taking care of him after the confinement period, I will take Xiaoya back. What do you think?"

Hearing this, Song Zhehao was so angry that he started laughing. This aunt was really used to being domineering. She was clearly asking for his help, but from the tone of her voice it sounded as if he was begging her.

Besides, the current policy only allows two children, which is clearly in the spotlight, but her family chooses to go against it.

Knowing that the village committee would impose a heavy fine on her for having a third child, if Xiao Ya stayed at home to take care of the pregnancy and outsiders found out, she would be in trouble. Now her aunt is throwing the blame on her, expecting her to happily take it?

That alone would be fine, but she also said that she wanted An Cai to be a nanny to take care of Xiao Ya, and that she had to take care of her until the baby was one month old. She also said that this was for An Cai to repay her kindness?

How shameless do you have to be to say such things?

Song Zhehao knew that with Aunt An's personality, there was no need to be polite to her, so he sneered and asked, "Aunt, you know that the situation is very serious now, but you still send Xiaoya to my house. Isn't that a bit unkind?"

Aunt An knew that the original owner had always been cheerful towards her, so she would definitely agree easily. She didn't expect Song Zhehao to say such a thing, and she was so blocked that she was speechless.

After a long pause, Aunt An's face turned cold and she said, "Oh! From what you said, it seems like I, as your elder, want to harm you?"

Song Zhehao was not polite and continued with a smile: "Whether you are harming me or not, Aunt knows it in her heart. Since Aunt knows that she is the elder, she should persuade her to do what an elder should do and not act like she is used to ordering others around. Our family does not owe Aunt anything."

Hearing this, Aunt An stood up in anger, her face instantly darkening. She added in that sarcastic tone, "Didn't you see that? Son-in-law Song used to be such a cheerful person, but today he seems to have been stabbed. I didn't expect him to have such a thick face? I guess when he gets an advantage, he smiles, but when he suffers a loss, his face becomes sour."

These words were a bit harsh. If it were anyone else, they would have turned their face black and cursed, but Song Zhehao did not show any anger. He continued to ask calmly, "Oh? From what Aunt said, it seems that I have taken advantage of your family. I don't remember such a thing. Aunt, you must explain it clearly today and let me think carefully. What advantages did I take from your family?"

Song Zhehao dared to say this because although the original owner tried to curry favor with Aunt An, given Aunt An's nature of only taking in and not giving out, he really didn't get any benefits from Aunt An's family.

Aunt An's words are actually just empty talk and nonsense.

As Song Zhehao expected, when Aunt An heard his retort, her face became even uglier with anger, and she was blocked from speaking. She just stared at him and didn't have the courage to say a word in rebuttal.

Just at this moment, An Cai in the kitchen heard the quarrel and hurried into the inner room to mediate.

Aunt An was so angry at Song Zhehao that she was speechless. Seeing An Cai rushing in rashly, she took out all her anger on An Cai and shouted, "Who let you in? Get out!"

An Cai had been afraid of Aunt An since she was a child, and it had left a shadow in her heart. She was frightened by this shout and hurriedly walked out of the house in shame.

Song Zhehao put his arm around An Cai's shoulders, walked up to Aunt An, glared at her, and said word by word, "Open your old eyes and see clearly. This is my home, and it's An Cai's home as well. How can you say that? Who gave you the courage? Listen carefully, take your eggs, and get out of my house immediately!"

Aunt An never dreamed that one was trying hard to curry favor with her niece's husband, and the other was seeing her niece was as well-behaved as a cat. When she went to their homes, not only were they treated to good food and drinks, but now they wanted her to get out?

Aunt An couldn't bear it anymore. She was so angry that her whole body was shaking and her teeth were chattering. She carried the basket of eggs and walked out of Song Zhehao's yard tremblingly.

As soon as she stepped outside, Aunt An burst into heartbreaking sobs, "Oh my God! What kind of world is this? Are people's hearts made of shit? I'm heartbroken that my niece has no mother. I worked so hard to raise her, and now they tell me to get out. All the neighbors, come and listen. Are there still such a heartless couple in the world?"

Outside Song Zhehao's yard, there was an open space with a big banyan tree. People were enjoying the cool air under the tree. When they heard Aunt An's roaring, they all ran to watch the fun.

An Cai listened to her aunt's yelling and scolding outside the door, and hung her head in shame. After all, she was her own relative. Now that she was making such a fuss outside the house, how would the neighbors look at her and how would she live her life in the future?

When Song Zhehao heard the noise outside the yard, he was about to rush out immediately, but An Cai came over to stop him.

Song Zhehao said calmly, "Don't worry, An Cai! There's no such thing as a fight over reason. If we keep quiet, the neighbors might think we're guilty. I won't do anything when I go out. I just want to make things clear to her."

Originally, An Cai was afraid that Song Zhehao would act impulsively, so she tried to stop him from leaving. However, when she saw that Song Zhehao was more rational than herself and what he said made sense, she simply nodded and let him leave.

As soon as Song Zhehao went out, he saw Aunt An jumping up and down in a group of people, crying and wiping her tears, declaring her love for An Cai and denouncing the couple for being ungrateful.

Song Zhehao didn't get angry after hearing this. Instead, he calmed down. He walked up to Aunt An and said, "Aunt, why are you doing this? The whole neighborhood knows about it. They think we did something to you. You always say how much you loved An Cai since you were little. Why are you ruining her reputation?"

Aunt An wasn't as restrained and rational as Song Zhehao. Seeing that Song Zhehao's words had softened, she thought he was scared, and her arrogance flared up even more. She pointed at Song Zhehao and cursed, "Bah! How dare you say that? Think about how you treated me. I'm an old man, and I came all the way to see you, and instead of inviting me in, you kicked me out?"

Song Zhehao listened to this groundless accusation without getting angry or annoyed. He said patiently, word by word, "Aunt, if you came to visit my wife and me, I would have treated you well no matter what. But you made that kind of request as soon as you opened your mouth. If I didn't agree to it, you would be unhappy. What should I do?"

Hearing the words "that kind of request", the people around him all looked at each other with gossipy eyes, as if they were hoping that Song Zhehao would explain himself more clearly.

Song Zhehao was not stupid. Seeing everyone's eyes, he understood what they were thinking, so he just spoke out.

"Aunt, you know that the current policy only allows two children in rural areas, and supernumerary births are strictly prohibited. You said your daughter has already given birth to two, and now she's pregnant and wants a third, and you insist on hiding at my house to give birth. You're violating the policy, and you're afraid of being held accountable by the higher-ups, so you don't dare keep your child at home to raise the baby. Instead, you send her to my house to be raised. How can this be justified?"

Once these words were spoken, it was undoubtedly like dropping a bombshell!

In an instant, the crowd watching the excitement began to whisper, looking at each other, pointing at each other, and then looking at Aunt An.

In fact, in recent years, the phenomenon of wanting a third child has become common. Everyone knows that this is a crime committed in defiance of the law, and once the matter is exposed, the accomplices will definitely be implicated.

Aunt An dared to do this. When the other party didn't agree to it, she ran to the door and yelled at them. Isn't this immoral?

When everyone looked at Aunt An again, there was a hint of contempt in their eyes.

And what about Aunt An?

Originally, this was something that had to be done quietly. It must not be announced before the baby was born. If someone knew about it and leaked the information, it would be a serious matter.

Now that Aunt An had made such a fuss, everyone knew about this matter. Aunt An's arrogance just now disappeared. She was so scared that her face turned pale, her lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a word.

However, Song Zhehao did not hold back and continued to speak rapidly.

"Aunt, I know you treat Ancai well! Just like you said, since Ancai was little, you took Ancai to your home and beat, scolded, and punished her until she could do all the housework. You even neglected your own daughter in order to teach Ancai. Now Ancai can do all the work, but your daughter can't do anything?"

"Tell me, can An Cai and I stop missing you?"

"However, today's request is truly beyond our control. On a larger scale, we ordinary people should comply with national policies. On a smaller scale, isn't it the same whether you have a boy or a girl? Why do you have to dwell on this?"

As soon as Song Zhehao finished speaking, the crowd's discussion became louder!

We are not stupid and we have heard it a long time ago. How can there be such an aunt who does not educate her own daughter but is harsh and strict to her niece? This is not love for her niece, it is clearly abuse and criticism.

Coupled with what happened just now, everyone was even more disdainful of Aunt An.

Among the people around, Mrs. Chen happened to be there too. Upon hearing these words, she was the first to speak up for An Cai. "Aunt, you are so heartless! Your daughter is pregnant, but you give her to someone else to raise. When the child is born, whose name will it be?"

This was said wittily, with a touch of sarcasm in the humor, and everyone immediately understood and laughed.

Just as Chen's wife finished speaking, another neighbor lady continued, "Listen, how good is this aunt to her niece? She didn't even take care of her own daughter since she was little, and now she's counting on taking care of her niece. This An Cai is so heartless! If I had an aunt like this, let alone giving birth to a child, even if she gave birth to ten cows, I would still have to vacate the kang!"

This was said in a more playful and unforgiving way, and everyone immediately burst into laughter.

And how could Aunt An be the kind of person who would suffer a loss with words?

But today is different. Even if I suffered a loss, I dare not say a word in reply.

Now, the fact that my daughter is pregnant has been revealed. If I talk back and provoke one of them, and that person is not related to me, but turns around and reports to the village committee, then my daughter will be in trouble, right?

Hearing everyone's sarcastic remarks, Aunt An not only did not dare to retort, but only responded with an apologetic smile.

That smile is much uglier than crying.

Aunt An laughed it off and ran away without looking back.

Looking at Aunt An's embarrassed back, Song Zhehao felt a little relieved.