Lin Wanqiu had just poured the sweet potatoes she'd gotten back from Zhang Lan's house into the rice bin when a series of loud thumping sounds came from outside the courtyard gate, so forceful it seemed like the door was about to be torn off. Immediately afterward, Old Lady Shen's raspy voice boomed in: "Lin Wanqiu! You heartless, worthless wretch! Get out here!"
Shen Nian'an was squatting by the stove peeling garlic when he heard the shout. His hand trembled, and the garlic cloves fell to the ground. His face turned pale instantly, and he instinctively shrank behind Lin Wanqiu. Lin Wanqiu patted her son's back, a cold glint flashing in her eyes—it seemed Zhang Lan had been stirring up trouble since she got back, and this old lady Shen had come to support her daughter.
She pushed Nian'an into the inner room and whispered, "Nian'an, be good. Lock the door and don't come out no matter how noisy it is outside." Only after hearing the soft click of the lock coming off inside did she turn around and walk to the courtyard gate, slowly pulling back the curtain.
As soon as the door opened, Old Mrs. Shen, like a lioness who had been provoked, pounced on Lin Wanqiu, grabbing at her head and face: "You little whore! You dare to ask Zhang Lan for grain? You've got some nerve! Our Shen family has raised you for so long for nothing, and you're already siding with outsiders like this?"
Lin Wanqiu was prepared and dodged to the side, causing Old Madam Shen to miss her target and nearly stumble. She steadied herself, pointed at Lin Wanqiu's nose, and spat as she spoke: "Tell me! Were you deliberately making things difficult for Zhang Lan? It's just three pounds of sweet potatoes, is it really necessary for you to come all the way here to cause a scene? If word gets out, you'll have completely disgraced the Shen family!"
"Making a scene?" Lin Wanqiu sneered, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorframe. "Mother, that's not right. Zhang Lan came to borrow grain herself, agreeing to return it after the grain was distributed, and even giving back half a jin more. Now she's refusing to pay, and I'm going to ask for it back. How does that make a scene? Does Mother think that borrowing things and not returning them is perfectly normal?"
"You dare talk back!" Old Mrs. Shen was so angry that she jumped up and down, reaching out to grab Lin Wanqiu's hair. "I'm going to teach you a lesson today and let you know who's in charge of the Shen family!"
Lin Wanqiu stepped back, and Old Lady Shen missed again, this time completely enraged. She simply sat down on the ground, slapping her thigh and wailing, "Oh dear! Why is my life so miserable! My son just died, and now I've met such a heartless daughter-in-law! Not only is she unfilial, but she also bullies my eldest daughter-in-law! I can't live like this anymore! I might as well be dead!"
She cried and rolled on the ground, getting her gray cloth jacket covered in mud and her hair disheveled, looking like a madwoman. Villagers passing by heard the commotion and gathered around, pointing and whispering among themselves.
"What's wrong? Why is Grandma Shen crying like this?"
"Judging from this, you've had another fight with Lin Wanqiu, haven't you?"
"Sigh, it's not easy for Lin Wanqiu, a widow raising a child alone. Old Mrs. Shen is being too harsh."
Hearing the villagers' comments, Old Lady Shen cried out even louder: "Look! Look at me! This poor old woman! I'm being bullied like this by my daughter-in-law, is there any justice left? Lin Wanqiu not only doesn't support me in my old age, but she also steals my eldest daughter-in-law's food! You must stand up for me!"
Her words distorted the truth, and many villagers who were unaware of the facts immediately changed their gaze towards Lin Wanqiu. Lin Wanqiu knew that reasoning with Old Lady Shen was useless; her ability to throw tantrums was well-known in the village. She had to produce some solid evidence to shut her up.
Lin Wanqiu cleared her throat and raised her voice, "Mother, don't play the victim here. When Zhang Lan borrowed grain, she said in front of me that she would pay it back next time the grain was distributed, and even give me an extra half jin. Aunt Wang, the neighbor who was there, heard her say that."
Aunt Wang in the crowd paused for a moment, then nodded: "That's right, I did hear it at the door that day. That's what Zhang Lan said."
Grandma Shen was surprised to hear witnesses. Her crying paused for a moment, then she continued, "Even if she said that, it's because she meant well! Lin Wanqiu, can't you be more understanding? She has many children and is struggling financially. Can't you be more considerate of her?"
"Give way?" Lin Wanqiu sneered. "How could I not give way? When she borrowed grain, I gave her three jin without hesitation. But what did she do? After the grain was distributed, not only did she not return it, but she also deliberately avoided me. When I came to ask for the grain back, she lied and said she didn't have any sweet potatoes at home, but there were still freshly peeled sweet potato skins on the stove. Is that me bullying her?"
As she spoke, she pulled something wrapped in cloth from her bosom. Inside were several sweet potato peels. "Look everyone," she said, "these are the sweet potato peels I found on Zhang Lan's stove. They're still fresh; they were obviously just peeled. If she really didn't have any sweet potatoes, where did these peels come from?"
Upon seeing this, the villagers immediately understood and began to criticize Old Lady Shen and Zhang Lan.
"So that's how it is! Zhang Lan borrowed grain and didn't repay it, and she even lied about it!"
"Old Mrs. Shen is really unreasonable. She comes to make trouble without even knowing what happened!"
"Lin Wanqiu did the right thing. Borrowed items should be returned. Why should she get something for nothing?"
Old Mrs. Shen's face flushed red and then turned pale as the villagers talked to her, and she could no longer cry. She got up from the ground, patted the dirt off her clothes, and tried to argue, "Even if... even if Zhang Lan lied, that's her business, it has nothing to do with me! Why are you dragging me into this?"
"It has nothing to do with you?" Lin Wanqiu raised an eyebrow. "Mother, that's not fair of you. When Zhang Lan borrowed grain, she told me that you knew about it and still asked her to borrow from me. What, now that something's happened, you want to wash your hands of it?"
Old Mrs. Shen's heart skipped a beat—she did know about Zhang Lan borrowing grain, and had even told Zhang Lan that getting the money was a bonus, and she didn't need to pay it back. But she hadn't expected Lin Wanqiu to reveal this, and she panicked immediately: "I...I didn't! Don't talk nonsense!"
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