Jiang Dalong was stunned by the beating. He covered his swollen face, incredulous. Jiang Yu didn't care about any of that; in her eyes, no one could bully her precious son.

Seeing his precious son being beaten, and by this unfilial daughter no less, Jiang Chun, who was following closely behind, was enraged and grabbed a wooden stick from behind the door, ready to strike. Jiang Meier, seemingly eager to stir up trouble, shouted outside:

"The married daughter came to her parents' home to act arrogantly and even hit someone."

Soon, a crowd of onlookers gathered in front of the door. Several people returning from the fields pointed and whispered among themselves at Jiang Yu and Shen Ying.

"No wonder she hasn't visited her parents' home for so long, and then suddenly came back. If you ask me, she's clearly taking advantage of the New Year to bully Old Jiang's family."

"You're one to talk! This man seems to be doing very well in the army, but he secretly comes to his father-in-law's house to cause trouble. If it weren't for Old Jiang marrying his daughter to him, no one would care about his mother's worries. Now that he's settled down, he doesn't respect his father-in-law at all. He's a typical example of repaying kindness with enmity."

People who love to watch the drama unfold will say a few words to get attention, regardless of the reason behind the incident, and then wait to see how things go.

Jiang Chun's stick ultimately didn't land on either of them. In his view, the wave of public opinion was more effective than the blow itself.

But Jiang Dalong wouldn't think that way. Jiang Yu had been bullied at her parents' home for a long time, and now she actually brought a man to beat him up. He couldn't stand it.

Seeing that he was about to rush over and hit someone, he was so frightened by Shen Ying's sharp gaze that he retreated repeatedly. He then imitated Shen Ying, sitting on the ground and throwing a tantrum.

"Father, my eldest sister brought men to our house and beat us up. I don't want to live anymore."

An elderly woman came over from the crowd and tried to persuade them:

“Jiang Yu, your father raised you with great difficulty. Everyone in the village knows that Dalong is his lifeblood. No matter what the reason, you can’t hit him. Even if there’s something wrong, can’t you talk it out? It’s so hurtful to fight among family members.”

The old woman who tried to mediate was the village matchmaker, with a head of silver-white hair and a silver tongue. Before the New Year, at Jiang Chun's request, she planned to arrange a marriage for Jiang Meier; the groom's family was wealthy and would surely offer many benefits.

In order to successfully bring this matter to fruition, she first needed to gain the favor of this family.

Jiang Yu hates people who know nothing but still try to smooth things over. They seem to be doing it for the good of others, but in reality, they're just making the one who's losing out continue to suffer.

"Ma'am, from what you're saying, is it that your family asked you for a thousand yuan, then started yelling at you, and finally hit your son, and you just swallowed your anger and comforted yourself by saying: 'Suffering a loss is a blessing'?"

Seeing that the matchmaker was even more eloquent than herself, the woman lowered her voice somewhat nervously:

"this..."

Seeing that she couldn't give a coherent answer, Jiang Yu looked at the onlookers, found the direction from which the voice was loudest, and asked:

"According to you, does that mean that after being exploited by family members and then kicked aside, you can be fooled by your father into thinking you broke your leg and not even come to check on it? If that's the case, I really shouldn't care whether his leg is broken or not, I should just keep the door closed and not care about anyone."

As soon as Jiang Yu spoke, the crowd fell silent. They had thought it was a scene of an unfilial daughter causing a scene at her parents' home, but it turned out she had come to visit a sick person in good faith and was misunderstood. Besides, they hadn't heard anything about Jiang Chun breaking her leg. In fact, if she had really broken it, it would have been the talk of the village long ago.

The wind shifted, and those who had been silent began to speak.

"Old Jiang, you really are something else. You treated your eldest daughter badly even before she got married. Back then, in order to agree to this marriage, you squeezed five hundred yuan from her family as a bride price. Even now, let alone seven years ago, no one asks for that much."

"I've heard that back then you didn't even deliver a bed sheet, and now you lied and said you broke your leg so Jiang Yu could come see you. But you're full of life here chasing the young couple away. Of all the people in the village, you're the most ruthless."

There is never a shortage of brave people in the crowd. Some acquaintances who know what Jiang Chun has done point at him and whisper, wishing they could expose all his deeds over the years.

"You're talking nonsense."

Seeing the wind had shifted, Jiang Chun gripped the stick tightly and swore as he walked towards the group. Realizing things were going badly, everyone scattered, leaving behind an enraged Jiang Chun, Jiang Dalong still throwing a tantrum on the ground, and Jiang Meier with a look of disgust.

In Jiang Meier's opinion, the father and son were such idiots that she couldn't possibly help them.

Jiang Yu ignored them, picked up Shen Niannian, and left. He felt an unprecedented sense of peace in his mother's arms.

Along the way, Shen Ying repeatedly tried to take the child, but was dissuaded each time by the two's heartwarming conversation. Until a thin layer of sweat appeared on her nose, the considerate Shen Niannian gently spoke:

"Mommy, I want to go for a walk by myself every year."

"good."

Jiang Yu did not refuse; she bent down and gently placed her son on the ground. A gentle breeze blew the stray hairs from her forehead, creating a warm and inviting effect in the sunlight.

Back home, Shen Suisui also returned from Wang Cuihua's house. Around noon, Jiang Yu rolled up her sleeves and started cooking.

At the dinner table, Shen Niannian said she never wanted to go to her maternal grandfather's house again. Jiang Yu nodded, looking distressed.

"Okay, we'll never go there again."

After lunch, Song E came over again, saying that Jiang Chun had brought her son and daughter to her house to demand an explanation and ask what had happened.

In her opinion, Jiang Yu would never do the things Jiang Chun described. Including the claim that Shen Ying assaulted someone at his house, that was simply impossible.

In Jiang Yu's opinion, it would be good to take this matter to the village chief for a proper resolution. At worst, they could find a middleman to sever ties and end the matter, thus preventing any further trouble later.

Where she couldn't see, Shen Ying counted a bundle of 100-yuan bills and stuffed it into his pocket.

After hearing her younger brother's description, Shen Suisui was even less inclined to interact with her maternal grandparents' family. She took Shen Niannian to find Dongdong to avoid worrying her parents.

On the way, Jiang Yu gave Song E a rough account of what had happened. She was so angry that she yelled:

"It's incomprehensible that a father would do something like this for money."

Jiang Yu, as if it were commonplace, instead comforted her.

Upon entering the village chief's house, one sees Jiang Chun sitting in a chair, looking like he's the most important person in the world, with his legs crossed, and a cup of tea on the table in front of him.

Shen He sat quietly to the side, listening to him recount how difficult it had been to raise his daughter, only to end up like this. Then he went on to say that the Shen family village hadn't been strict with their children, resulting in such a man.

So what if you're in the army? Doesn't that mean you're still not filial to your father-in-law?

Finally, she managed to squeeze out two tears and wiped them on her face with her sleeve. Shen He'an comforted her, implying that there might be some misunderstanding and that everything would be cleared up when the time came.

The old man wouldn't listen, and his aggressive manner made Shen He'an sweat with anxiety. Only when he saw Jiang Yu and Shen Ying did he finally relax.