"Mom, please don't let me go. I miss my grandparents."

It has been a year since I last visited my grandma's house. Ever since every household has run out of food, visiting relatives has become a disrespectful thing to do.

Not eating would embarrass the host, while eating would put the host in a difficult position.

"Go ahead, and be careful on the road."

No mother would be unhappy if her son is close to her parents' family.

Su Hong took out a backpack, put some hay at the bottom, placed a piece of wild boar meat weighing four or five pounds on it, and covered the pork with a layer of wild vegetables that her mother-in-law had dug that morning.

"Xiao Guang, if someone asks you on the way, just say you're going to grandma's house to deliver some wild vegetables. Got it?"

Su Hong warned worriedly.

"I understand, mother."

Zhang Shuguang picked up the backpack and prepared to set off. He turned his head and looked at Zhang Shengli, whose face was full of longing.

"Second brother, do you want to go to grandma's house with me?"

Zhang Shuguang was very considerate of his brother's feelings and took the initiative to ask.

"Can I go?"

Zhang Shengli turned his head and looked at his mother.

"Why not? That's your grandma's house after all! If you want to go, go with your big brother!"

Among the three children, Su Hong is most worried about the second one. When her husband gets into trouble, the eldest child is older and has a certain ability to bear it.

His daughter was still young and had rarely been out of the house, so the rumors outside had little impact on him.

Only the second child is too worried and always looks depressed.

It’s a good thing for him that he took the initiative to go out with his brother today.

"Panpan also wants to go with brother."

The little girl ran over and hugged Zhang Shuguang's thighs.

"Don't make things worse. Mom won't be working today. She's going to cook meat at home. Do you want to eat meat?"

Because of malnutrition, the little girl walks unsteadily. If she goes with them, she will definitely let her brothers hold her.

"I want to eat meat."

This multiple-choice question is very simple for the little girl. Hesitating for even one more second would be disrespectful to the meat.

Zhang Shuguang carried a backpack and went out with his younger brother.

Zhang Shengli has rarely gone out since his friends stopped playing with him. Today he went out with his brother, and they were going to his grandmother's house in Suzhai next door. For the little guy, this was definitely a long journey.

Walking on the winding village road, Zhang Shengli's mouth corners were always slightly raised until he met their aunt.

We have severed ties now, so she must have been my aunt-in-law.

A few women were doing some sewing and mending work under the big locust tree at the entrance of the village, chatting casually.

Seeing the two young men coming from afar, some snorted coldly and turned their heads away, some glared at them, and some looked reluctant.

"Today is such bad luck. I actually ran into two traitorous bastards."

My former aunt-in-law, Bai Yanniang, spat on the ground as if she saw something unclean.

Sometimes, it is the people closest to you who hurt you the most.

The smile on Zhang Shengli's face disappeared instantly. His little hands nervously pulled Zhang Shuguang's sleeves and his little head lowered deeply.

This is why he doesn't want to go out and play. He has heard too much of this kind of cold words in the past three years.

"Brother, raise your head. You don't need to take such ungrateful words to heart.

All the cold words and insults are a test for you, and all those who cannot defeat you will make you stronger."

Zhang Shuguang held his brother's hand and pulled him forward.

My family is still poor peasants. Although poverty is nothing to brag about, it is a talisman of this era.

"Well, with big brother here, I'm not afraid of anything."

Zhang Shuguang's warm big hands seemed to give Zhang Shuguang infinite strength, and the little guy raised his head.

"Traitor lamb, who are you calling an ungrateful wolf?"

What Bai Yanniang hates most is being called an ungrateful person.

Firstly, "ungrateful wolf" is the homonym of her name, and secondly, it is because she feels guilty.

Although their family and the old house separated early, Zhang Xiangnan had always taken good care of the eldest wife.

Every time he comes back from visiting relatives, he will bring gifts for his nephews and nieces. When there is a better meal at home, he will also invite the eldest wife to come and eat together.

The eldest couple really did not treat themselves as outsiders. Whether it was for their children's school tuition or for building a house, they would write to Zhang Xiangnan asking for money.

Why didn’t he borrow directly from Su Hong? It was because the elderly couple at home stopped him.

Mr. and Mrs. Zhang Qingchun are very clear-headed. They have already divided the family business. The second son has to raise children and take care of the elderly. He can't just give all the money to the eldest son's family!

Zhang Xiangnan is a stubborn person. He feels that his elder brother took care of him when he was a child, and now that he can earn money, it is his responsibility to support his elder brother.

Money is something outside of one's body. Nothing is better than a harmonious family.

So every time he received a letter, Zhang Xiangnan would help more or less.

But when Zhang Xiangnan's reputation became ruined, the ones who jumped the loudest and shouted the loudest were the eldest family. They were also the first family to clearly express their intention to draw a clear line between themselves and Zhang Xiangnan's family.

The villagers hated the traitor and also looked down on Zhang Xiangdong's family for their ungrateful behavior. They often said behind their backs that they were ungrateful.

Therefore, Bai Yanniang is very sensitive to the word "ungrateful".

"I've seen people picking up money, I've seen people picking up things, but this is the first time I've seen someone picking up insults. What's wrong? Are you feeling guilty?"

Zhang Shuguang's face was full of sarcasm.

"I...what do I have to feel guilty about? What's wrong with drawing a clear line between yourself and a traitor? Who made your father do such a shameful thing?"

This is Bai Yanniang's confidence and their excuse for blatantly not repaying the money and not supporting the elderly.

"We'd love to draw a clear line between ourselves and villains like you. If we want to draw a line, we have to do it cleanly. Return the money we lent us, and we'll have no relationship anymore."

Zhang Shuguang had seen many people like this who never wanted to take advantage of others in his previous life.

"And you have to return the food you eat from our house. In the past, whenever my father came back to buy meat, your family would come to our house for dinner."

Zhang Shengli also plucked up the courage and angrily demanded the debt from Bai Yanniang.

"Yeah! I think there's nothing wrong with what those two guys said. We should draw a clear line between us. It wouldn't be nice to still owe them money and not pay it back."

"I heard from the old people that if you owe someone money in your previous life, you will be reborn as an animal like an ox or horse in your next life to pay back the debt."

"If someone owes money and you don't have to pay it back just by saying you've drawn a line in the sand, who would dare to lend money to them in the future?"

Several women began to speak up for the two young men and mocked Bai Yanniang.

Many people in the village had received help from Zhang Xiangnan and distanced themselves from his family. That was forced by the situation, as they were afraid that their own families would also be implicated.

But there are almost no ones who can do something as ruthless as Zhang Xiangdong's family.

We were once a family, so it is barely acceptable to draw a clear line between ourselves and the traitors.

But you shouldn't be the vanguard and take the lead in making things difficult for my second brother's family. Doing so is really a bad behavior.