“But she is sensitive, so we didn’t say anything. She had been crying for more than an hour.”
"She's taking care of Hao'er, and we were worried that talking too much would affect the child, so we didn't insist that she come. We hope you all don't mind."
"After Chunying left, my husband sounded a little angry. He said that people should have a grateful heart, not only to my second brother and sister-in-law, but also to ourselves."
"Fortunately, my second brother is a sensible person. He immediately admitted that it was his and Duan's fault. He said he hadn't noticed Duan's feelings; otherwise, he would have tried to comfort her beforehand..."
Fan Zizhong continued, "We are truly ashamed to have come here today; we never expected something like this to happen..."
"To be honest, if it weren't for my little sister, we'd be struggling to even put food on the table right now. Brother Ruan and my little sister even helped us harvest oysters and taught us how to grow wild millet peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and prickly ash..."
"Not to mention the care they usually give us. To be honest, if we were in their shoes, we might not be able to take good care of our own family, let alone others."
"Let's use today's events as an opportunity to reflect on our actions. Brother Ruan, sister-in-law, and little sister, I want to state my position in advance..."
"From now on, whatever your plans are, feel free to discuss them with us. We will do our best to help, without expecting anything in return."
"As for the future, if any arrangements arise that cause you concern, whether to give the money to Zizhong's family, the village chief's family, or someone else..."
"None of us will have any objections. At least for now, in our family, I can still make this decision."
Sister-in-law Fan and Fan Zili nodded immediately.
Fan Zizhong added, "It is precisely because I understand your difficulties that I do not want you to suffer for things that are of no use."
"Zili also said that if the Duan family still can't understand, they can go their separate ways and won't drag everyone down. If it really comes to that, we brothers will not hesitate."
Ruan Qian nodded gently and said, "It's not that bad. It's normal to feel disappointed..."
The second and third brothers, sitting by the door, thought the conversation was over, but then the eldest brother changed the subject:
"However, by all accounts, my younger sister is a few years younger than Duan Shi."
"Not only does she take care of me, her older brother, and go up the mountain to gather medicinal herbs, but she also worries about the seafood business. She not only hopes her own family can live well, but she also wants to help everyone in our family to live well..."
“My sister told me that we’ve even helped the villagers and those who helped the siblings on the road. How could the Song family and the Fan family, brother and sister-in-law, stand idly by?”
Fan Zili and the other two felt even more ashamed and embarrassed upon hearing this.
Ruan Meng had always known that her elder brother was eloquent, but she never expected that his reprimand would be so subtle and barbed. After just a few words, he made people wish they could disappear into the ground.
Fan Zili wished he could kneel down and apologize to Ruan Meng.
After seeing the three off, Song Shiwen and his younger brother were already waiting outside.
Fan Zizhong and his group came face to face with the other party.
When Song Shiwen entered, Song Shiyuan, being obedient, handed the two buckets of seafood he was carrying to the third brother.
Song Shiwen explained, "Madam and her younger siblings are shucking oysters. I brought them along if I hadn't been worried about taking up too much time."
Ruan Qian assumed they had something to say and asked them directly what their purpose was.
"Have you been wronged?"
Song Shiwen looked at Ruan Meng, who shook her head. Only then did he turn to look at Ruan Qian.
"You have things to do, so I won't beat around the bush."
Song Shiwen bowed and sat down. "Today, after hearing what the village chief and his wife said, I guessed that the Duan family has something on their minds?"
Seeing that Ruan Qian was about to let the matter drop, Song Shiwen first exposed his own shortcomings.
"To be honest, even if my family had some ulterior motives first, I never imagined it would happen to the Fan family first."
“His family came from a military background, so he’s straightforward. We, on the other hand, are civil officials, as you know, and we have a certain aloofness.”
Ruan Meng chuckled, her tone of self-exposing her shortcomings seemingly tinged with pride.
Song Shiwen frankly said, "I suffered a lot of frustration on the way, and the contrast was so great that I had to grit my teeth and bear it!"
The third brother couldn't help but laugh out loud, and received a warning glare from his eldest brother.
Song Shiwen smiled, "When I came to the island, I originally thought that even if I couldn't compare to the Fan family, at least my practical skills would be better than yours! Cough cough..."
Ruan Qian is in poor health, and Ruan Meng was previously incoherent; this point does not need to be made clear.
"Who would have thought that my little sister would outshine us with just one move!"
"I feel ashamed if the old man doesn't praise you even once!"
He was the eldest son, utterly useless, with virtually no life skills.
With elderly parents to care for and young children to raise, one can only imagine the sense of frustration they feel.
"So back then, when my family didn't praise you or say a word of thanks, I became extremely sensitive, as if they were criticizing me for being incompetent..."
Song Shiwen looked up, his face completely at ease. "To put it bluntly, it's just a lack of self-confidence! That's why I'm so sensitive..."
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