Although Fang Yan is someone who is stubborn and unyielding in certain matters, if forced to choose between "soft" and "hard," she might consider other people's attempts to soften their stance.
Now that her aunt's son is directly using force against her, she won't even consider it anymore.
He immediately sneered, "So you're saying that without your family's help, my child and I can't survive?"
"Then you can give it a try!" the aunt's son thought. Fang Yan had been trapped in the Zhang family for three years. Although she had suddenly become smarter, she was still a timid person with little experience. If he could trick her and bluff her, he might be able to get the money.
However, before Fang Yan could say anything more, they heard a series of chaotic footsteps approaching from outside.
Fang Yan looked up and saw Zhang Zongde and Aunt De entering with the man from her aunt's family.
"I had no idea that the Zhang family members have to rely on your Zhang family's protection to survive!" Zhang Zongde said in a deep voice, his face dark.
He usually looks like a kind old man, but when he puts on a stern face, he can be quite imposing, especially when his face turns so serious, he can be quite intimidating.
In addition, Zhang Zongde's prestige in the village made people feel awe towards him. When he questioned the old aunt's son, he immediately cowered and stammered, not daring to speak.
The old woman and her daughter-in-law also hurriedly and timidly moved aside, no longer displaying the arrogance they had when they entered the house.
The old woman's husband came over, pointed at his wife and son, and started yelling at his daughter-in-law, "You! Who gave you permission to come to the third son's family to borrow money? She's just a woman raising a child, life is already hard enough, and you still dare to try to take advantage of her!"
Old Zhang seemed genuinely unaware that his wife, son, and daughter-in-law had come to Fang Yan to borrow money.
The aunt felt wronged by the scolding and defended herself, "She's not having a hard time at all. It's only been less than half a month since the separation. Look at her and Xiaoyuzai, their complexions are so much better than when they first separated. And the clothes they wear every day are all new, not a single one has been patched. Today they even came back by tricycle. You can tell from all this that her business is doing very well. Her business is doing so well, what's wrong with letting her take care of our two children?"
"It's fine if she doesn't want to take care of us, we can lend her some money and start our own business. But look at her, we shouldn't have rescued her from Zhang Laowu and Huang Hongmei in the first place!"
Fang Yan was so angry she laughed. "So, if Xiaoyu and I starve to death after we separate from the family, we deserve it, but if we work hard and make a good living, we have to share the money we earn with you?"
"Don't put it so harshly. We're just borrowing. We'll pay it back once our business is up and running," Zhang's daughter-in-law said, dissatisfied.
Fang Yan immediately retorted, "What if your business doesn't take off?"
Zhang's daughter-in-law gritted her teeth, "Are you cursing us!"
"Heh..." Fang Yan was genuinely amused and laughed. "Fine, I won't curse you then. Do you have any solid evidence to prove that you can definitely make money in your business?"
"How can you prove that?" the old woman frowned.
Old Yan glared at her and said, "That's right. You can't prove that you'll definitely make money this time. What if the business fails?"
Two hundred yuan is no small sum. Even if we sold ourselves and Xiaoyuzai, we still couldn't raise that amount. And even if we did, what if your business fails and you can't pay the debt? Are you thinking, "Since Lao San is always in the army, and it's just Xiaoyuzai and me, a widow and orphan, I can't do anything to you. So you just let the debt drag on and never have to pay it back?"
Seeing the surprise flash across the eyes of her aunt, her son, and her daughter-in-law, Fang Yan knew she had guessed correctly.
She suddenly changed her previous cold and hard attitude, and looked at the Zhang family with slightly red eyes, "On the day of the family division, my uncle and the village chief helped me a lot, and Aunt Wang and the others helped me more than your Zhang family."
According to your logic, do I have to sell myself and my son to give you the money for me to be considered a person with a conscience? Are you trying to force me to my death? Trying to make it impossible for me to live in the village anymore?
The accusation of "driving someone to death" is too serious. If this is pinned on them, and something happens to Fang Yan and the child, they will have no way to explain themselves.
Old Zhang's family dared not stay there any longer. Terrified, they tried to flee, but Zhang Zongde stopped them and gave them a severe scolding. "You only shouted a couple of times at the scene that day, and today you dare to come and ask Lao San's family for two hundred yuan. I didn't know that your Zhang family's voices were worth so much!"
"Third brother's wife, you and your child can stay here in peace. I want to see who has the ability to force you and your child to leave!"
After finishing speaking, Zhang Zongde shifted his gaze from Fang Yan to the faces of the Zhang family again, and continued very seriously, "If you dare to come to the third son's house secretly again and force her to leave, then I will return the words you just used to threaten the third son to you!"
He looked specifically at Old Zhang's son before saying this last sentence, his voice calm and authoritative.
Fang Yan understood; it seemed that Zhang Zongde had heard Zhang's son say to her, "Are you sure you'll never need our help again?"
Now, he's returning those words to the Zhang family.
Old Zhang came with Zhang Zongde. Zhang Zongde heard it, and he must have heard it too. He was so scared that he quickly assured Zhang Zongde, "Clan Chief Zhang, no, no, they will never dare to come to the Third Brother's family again. I will definitely keep an eye on them from now on. I promise you!"
Zhang Zongde has such high prestige in the village that if he gives an order, more than half of the villagers will definitely stop associating with the Zhang family.
Furthermore, the village chief is Zhang Zongde's nephew. If he deliberately makes things difficult for them, how will the Zhang family survive?
Old Zhang repeatedly assured his wife, son, and daughter-in-law that the matter was finally resolved.
"Today it's the Zhang family, tomorrow I wonder if it will be the Lin family, coming to see the third son's family. You have to find a way to handle this properly." Aunt De whispered to Zhang Zongde as she watched the Zhang family leave.
Zhang Zongde was also thinking to himself that this matter really needed to be handled properly, so that things like tonight's would not happen every now and then.
However, before Zhang Zongde could come up with a solution that would solve the problem once and for all, new troubles arose...
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