Hearing his mother's clear-headed accusations, Jinwang could hardly believe his eyes. He rubbed his eyes and said, "No way, Mother, you weren't like this before. You always gave us whatever you had. Why are you being so heartless today?"
The old lady had always favored their family, always siding with his daughter-in-law. Why had she suddenly changed her tune? Jin Wang felt a mix of panic and disbelief.
The old woman raised her cane and struck Jin Wang: "You beast! I am your mother, and you actually listen to your wife and want to kick me out of this house! If I still can't see through this, then who will truly be filial to me? I've lived most of my life in vain! And you, stop crying! This time I'm determined. You two, hurry up and pack up what you owe me!"
"Mother, that's the family property Father left me!" Jinwang immediately protested, shouting angrily. Zhao also yelled angrily, pointing at Li and cursing her without any respect for her mother-in-law.
Standing to the side, Liang Shuyan felt even more confident seeing that the old lady Li was clear-headed. This old lady was definitely not the biased mother-in-law in the original owner's memories.
Liang Shuyan stepped forward and helped Li Shi up: "Mother, don't be angry. Even if we didn't have all this family property today, I would still take you away. Your daughter-in-law doesn't want you to suffer like this at your age."
Li stomped her cane angrily: "No way! Since this beast wants to drive me away, why should they get my things!"
Liu was quick enough to summon the village head in the blink of an eye, followed by a group of respected elders from the village.
When the village head arrived, he saw Zhao with her hands on her hips cursing, showing no filial piety. His face darkened. He had heard about the affairs between the eldest and second branches of the Jin family before. As an outsider, he couldn't say much about whether the old lady Li was biased.
But this time it was different. According to the eldest son's wife, the old lady had finally cleared her mind and saw through the cunning of the second son's family. She was determined to divide the family property. The upright village head, Yu Jiande, immediately stepped forward and said, "Zhao, are you really not going to keep your mother-in-law?"
"Yes, that old hag, he eats my food and drinks my water, and he's still loyal to the eldest son's family!" Zhao was furious, and when she thought of the old lady saying she wanted the land to live in the eldest son's family, she blurted out.
Upon hearing this, the village head immediately turned grim and said, "How dare you! In front of me, you dare to insult your mother-in-law like this! In Guoshantun, who doesn't know that your mother-in-law is on your side? How can you speak like this?"
The village head had a certain prestige in the village, so Zhao was too frightened to say anything more.
“Jinwang, I know you can’t make decisions for your wife. Since you don’t want your mother anymore, then take out the family property your father left to her. It was agreed beforehand that this property would belong to whoever your mother went to! Now that your mother is going to your eldest brother’s house, you should quickly pack your things and send them to the old lady!”
Upon hearing this, Jin Wang stammered, "Village head, but my mother, she eats and drinks at my house, and my wife takes care of her. Over the years, how do you explain these expenses?"
Before the village head could speak, the villagers following behind him began to murmur among themselves.
"Oh my, I really didn't expect Jin Wang to be so shameless. If it weren't for your mother raising you, would you still be alive today?"
"Pah! I've seen beasts, but I've never seen a beast like this. It doesn't want the old man and even wants to embezzle his property. It's truly shameless."
Liang Shuyan nodded silently to herself. This couple really wanted to have it all. But people are discerning. This village may look backward, but the people are honest and kind. At least most of the villagers are sensible.
Zhao was naturally reluctant to part with these things. In fact, all the things Li left behind had been taken by Jin Wang's wife to her parents' home, so there was no money left. Now that she wanted to take them back, where was she going to get so much money?
"No matter what, my mother-in-law was sick a while ago, and we've spent all our money. Where are we supposed to get this money now?"
Zhao really went to any lengths. She started crying and making a scene, saying that life was hard and that she and her husband had spent so much money to take care of their mother-in-law over the years.
However, such a flawed excuse was nothing but a waste of paper in front of Liang Shuyan, and dealing with her was a piece of cake for her.
"Fellow villagers, you've all seen it clearly. The second son's family not only squandered my mother's fortune, but now they're trying to renege on their debt. It's not that our family absolutely needs this money, but my mother-in-law has probably been hurt by the second son's family, and she insists on having it. As her daughter-in-law, I naturally won't let my mother-in-law live such a miserable life again. If the second son's family refuses to give it to us, then I'll have no choice but to go to the government office to file a complaint. I don't believe the county magistrate will side with such a rebellious son. Over the years, my mother has treated the second son's family so well; all the uncles and elders in the village have seen it. I ask you uncles and elders to be our witnesses."
For Liang Shuyan, people in ancient times were afraid of seeing government offices, but it was not a problem at all. If there was a problem, you had to go to the government office. This is a natural concept for modern people, just like going to the police when there is a problem. However, at this time, Liang Shuyan did not understand the intricacies of the government offices in ancient times, and she accidentally scared Jin Wang and his wife.
Upon hearing this, Jin Wang immediately became nervous and approached the village head, saying, "Uncle Village Head, please help me with this matter. My mother is old and her mind is confused. Today, she was tricked by the eldest son's wife with a bowl of porridge. Actually, my mother still loves me. Uncle, please help me put this matter aside. I also have some tobacco planted behind my house. I'll send you some."
"What? What do you take me for? Jinwang, you brat, you should have a conscience. Your mother has really treated you well." Upon hearing this, the village head, seeing that everyone around had heard it, was also angry at Jinwang's stupidity and immediately shouted at him.
Seeing this, the old lady Li, who was standing to the side, stamped her cane and said, "Eldest son Jin, if you listen to your unfilial son, I will immediately take my eldest daughter-in-law to the county government to file a complaint!"
Village head Yu Jiande's expression immediately changed, and he hurriedly comforted her, "Sister-in-law, Jinwang and his wife are in the wrong. I'll take charge for you. If they don't give you the things they want, I'll expel their whole family from the clan. Filial piety is paramount in our village. These two are doing something inhumane, and they can't possibly ruin the village's reputation."
Hearing this, the villagers all nodded in agreement. It made sense. If a mother sued her son and the matter went to the county government, the whole surrounding area would know. Outsiders would only say that the villagers were unfilial, and that no one's son or daughter would be able to find a good wife or a good family. This matter couldn't be taken to the county government. Once they understood the situation, they immediately began to persuade the old lady, Li, while also criticizing Jin Wang and his wife.
Jin Wang was anxious. Usually, no matter what he did, the old lady would protect them and go against the eldest son's family. What was wrong with her today? She actually wanted to take the matter to court over such a small thing. How could this be allowed?
"Mother, how could you do this? I'm your son! Please, please don't take this to the authorities!"
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