Chapter 29 Grandma: You only take advantage of me.
"Who said he's ever been married? Those two kids don't even count!" Grandma Jiang gasped for breath, her face contorted with pain. "He was the one who was betrothed to the neighbor's family when they were children, because he took his brother's place in the army..."
Jiang Anchao interrupted sharply, "Mom! Stop talking!"
"Old woman! Shut up!"
Both father and son reacted strongly to this matter.
Jiang Anchao's eyes were red as he stared intently at his mother. "Don't bring up the past now. I've already contributed enough to this family. What are you trying to express by bringing it up now? Guilt? Or are you trying to continue pressuring me?"
My elder brother disappeared without a trace before joining the army, and his fate remains unknown.
He gave up his engagement and his dream of studying to join the army in place of his brother. He has survived many years of life-or-death struggles to achieve his current success.
To conceal the matter, the parents only told others that their youngest son had died. In addition, the neighbor's capitalist identity was exposed, and the family was in turmoil, so the marriage was called off.
So many years have passed. He is Jiang Anchao, the eldest son of the Jiang family, but he can no longer appear in front of the public in his true identity.
Why do my parents have to come at this time?
She had finally married the person she loved, so why did they have to bring these things up in front of Deng Qiu?
Jiang Anchao closed his eyes and said, word by word, "Unless you want me to be fired and sent back to my hometown to farm, don't bring this up again! I'm not getting a divorce from her!"
With trembling hands, Grandpa Jiang added tobacco to his cigarette and lit it with a match.
He took a deep drag and exhaled the acrid smoke. "You can't talk to your mother like that. We're doing this for your own good!"
"You hit my son as soon as you walked in the door because you think he's doing this for my own good? You think he's sensible and protects his younger siblings, but you never raised them for a single day. You have no right to stand here and lecture them like elders!"
Jiang Anchao's rebuttal was resounding, making the old couple's faces turn pale and then red.
This conflict was initially directed at Deng Qiu, who was fully prepared to be harassed.
But she didn't expect that in the end, the entire Jiang'an court would stand up to resist.
Listening to their conversation, Deng Qiu's brows furrowed with a hint of doubt. She felt that her future mother-in-law was about to reveal some very important information, but An Chao and the others did not want to discuss it further.
Why aren't Gan Su and Zhen Wei counted? Aren't they their biological children?
Why did he take his brother's place in the army?
There's also the so-called arranged marriage... ...It sounds very familiar, but what else is there that I don't know?
"In the end, you still resent me and your father, but I'm not letting you be with her for your own good. The person you've always wanted to marry is about to return to the city. I don't believe you won't regret it."
Grandma Jiang put the vegetables she was holding on the ground, her indifferent gaze sweeping over Deng Qiu, her eyes revealing no trace of disdain.
“She’s a widow from the countryside with a little child in tow. What normal person would get a divorce? Anyone who does get a divorce must have something wrong with her. This is your first marriage, and marrying a divorced woman is already a disadvantage. You’ve married such a poor woman. The neighbors will just laugh at you. Your father and I can’t afford to lose face.”
She stood up, winked at her husband, and prepared to leave.
Sang Zhizhi, who had been eavesdropping in the bedroom, pushed open the door.
Her clear eyes looked straight at Grandma Jiang, and she stretched out her little hand, "If you don't like my mom, then I won't sell you the vegetable tickets. Here's your money back, but take the vegetable tickets back!"
When the food coupons were mentioned, Grandma Jiang's expression turned awkward for a moment.
The little girl had just helped her out of a predicament, saving her from embarrassment, and then she came over to chase her away. It's neither kind nor reasonable.
Moreover, she simply couldn't produce the food tickets now.
Grandma Jiang's momentum immediately deflated, but she stubbornly retorted, "You've already sold it to me, there's no reason for me to take it back. I just dislike your mother, not you. You can't go back on your word!"
"You said it yourself, you called me a little burden!"
This was the kind of thing Sang Zhizhi hated to hear the most. Now, hearing her step-grandmother say it with her own ears, she instantly recalled how harsh her own grandmother had been to her before she left Sangjiapo.
The little cub's eyes were clearly red and wet, but it stubbornly tilted its head back, trying to hold back its tears.
“Grandma used to call me a money-losing burden and a burden... My biological father got pregnant with another woman's child, and my mother wanted to take me away after the divorce, but Grandma wouldn't let me. She wanted me to stay and take care of my unborn brother, and she even said she would sell me later to get a dowry for my brother.”
As she spoke, tears streamed down her face. "My mother is the best person ever. Her divorce wasn't because she had a problem; she was a victim of persecution. I won't allow you to slander her like this!"
Sang Zhizhi had been crying, and her voice still sounded nasal. "Grandma Jiang, I was very grateful to you for helping me carry the groceries, so even if you said you disliked me, I wouldn't blame you. But since you dislike Mom, then we shouldn't play together anymore, and I won't like you, Grandma Jiang, anymore."
Grandma Jiang felt a little uneasy listening to this.
She couldn't bear to see such a little one crying like that, so she quickly pulled out the remaining food tickets from her pocket. "Alright, alright, stop crying. I was wrong, okay? I don't want the money back, here are the remaining food tickets. Oh, stop crying, okay?"
A lot of money was spent, but in the end, no food coupons were obtained.
Grandma Jiang felt a sharp pain in her heart just thinking about it, but there was nothing she could do.
What can I do? This little kid has already said he doesn't like me anymore. If I don't give it to him, he might get sick from anger.
It's better to give the money than to be disliked later.
When Grandpa Jiang heard her coaxing a little girl with such a gentle attitude, he was so frightened that he could barely hold his pipe.
no?
She must have been chased by a ghost while grocery shopping, right?
Why isn't this possession cured yet? We've lived together for over thirty years, and I've never seen this old woman so gentle.
Sang Zhizhi took the food ticket, walked sullenly to Deng Qiu's side, and took her hand.
Her little face still had glistening tear tracks on it.
Grandma Jiang wanted to forcefully drive them away again, but this time she really couldn't bring herself to say it.
"Fine, fine, I don't care anymore, okay? You can live your lives however you want, I can't control you anymore!"
She simply waved her hand, as if giving up, "If you don't want to fulfill the arranged marriage, you still have to bring gifts and go to their door to apologize. I ran into my old friend yesterday and she said that their daughter is going back tomorrow. Why don't you go over with her tomorrow and clear things up? Then I won't bother with you anymore."
“I’m not going.” Jiang Anchao pulled Deng Qiu to sit down, looking calm and collected. “I’m going to accompany my wife back to her parents’ home tomorrow, so I don’t have time to go.”
"You! You're going to drive me crazy! I'd rather have given birth to a piece of barbecued pork than you!"
Grandma Jiang was furious and raised her hand to hit him.
But when she caught sight of Xiao Zhizhi standing beside her, her little face filled with wariness and fear, she suddenly couldn't bring herself to do it.
Just by saying "burden" to her, the little girl burst into tears and said she wouldn't play with me anymore.
If I were to hit someone in front of her, I'd probably be seen as a cruel and shrewish grandmother in front of my children later on.
Grandma Jiang had never felt so humiliated before, and she left with a stern face.
Grandpa Jiang was furious and pointed at Jiang Anchao, his hand trembling so much that he couldn't utter a single word for a long time.
In the end, they also slunk away.
The elderly couple brought meat and vegetables to visit their son, but left before they could even have lunch.
Jiang Anchao wanted to explain something to Deng Qiu, but Deng Qiu was too lazy to listen and simply stood up, saying, "I'm going to check on Gan Su's injuries."
"Deng Qiu... we need to have a serious talk."
He tried to explain in a humble tone.
Deng Qiu directly called out, "Zhizhi, put the vegetables in the refrigerator, and then get your brother a new popsicle. He hasn't had enough time to apply ice, or his face will swell up even more!"
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