Xu Changming's words immediately drew a barrage of curses from Chunfengniang: "We're no longer in-laws! I want my daughter back! You shameless Xu family members have hidden my daughter away! Give her back now!"
Liu said apologetically, "Chunfeng's mother, Chunfeng and Dazhu are doing well. Don't be in a hurry, sit down and let me tell you slowly."
Chunfeng pointed at Xu Changming and said angrily, "Sister-in-law, I know you are the most amiable person, but do you listen to whether you are speaking human language?"
"I'm an old man with a short temper, so don't get angry with him. The village chief will stand up for you!"
With the help of the kind-hearted Liu, the people who had been arguing finally agreed to sit down. Tan brewed a bowl of tea for everyone, which was the good tea that He Fangshi had not finished.
The scene appeared calm, but it was anything but peaceful.
Apart from the Xu family and Xia Xiucai, the only people sitting in the hall drinking tea were Chunfeng's parents, the drunkard and his mother, and an elder whose identity was unknown.
Li Laoshi leaned close to Jiang Zhi and whispered, "I've already sent someone to call Ma Guan over."
Jiang Zhi nodded, knowing it was her turn to step in! She took a deep breath to calm herself and said to Chun Fengniang, who was a few years older than her and dressed as an old woman with a cloth wrapped around her head, "Mother-in-law, what should we do about this? We should discuss it between our two families."
Chunfengniang had just yelled at Xiaomanye and was still angry. When she heard Jiangzhi say that they should discuss it properly, she immediately snorted: "No matter what, the Xu family is hiding my daughter. This matter should be taken to the authorities!"
Upon hearing that they were going to see the officials, Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "You're here to discuss matters and find solutions, not to argue. If this arguing goes on until dawn without any results, we can afford to wait. Let's see if you can."
She meant it sincerely; though she was smiling, there was a hidden threat in her words.
There's nothing we can do; the only reason these two families are still sitting and talking peacefully at this time is because Xiaoman is away on business, otherwise they would have been fighting on the ground by now.
Wait two days for Xiaoman to return, then I'll have a spear pointed at my throat and beat him senseless.
It would be best if Chunfeng's parents could be more rational, otherwise they might still be able to maintain this relationship.
Chunfeng's father, his neck stiff, roared, "If your Xu family doesn't hand over Chunfeng, we're not leaving!"
Xu Changming said sarcastically, "You can stay as long as you want, our Xu family will always have food. Unlike you, your sick daughter can't even be cared for for one more day, she's immediately sold for money. And now you have the nerve to come and ask for it back, to take it back and sell it again?"
"You, you're talking nonsense!" Chunfeng's father was so angry that he wanted to pounce on him and hit him.
The old man who hadn't uttered a sound since Jiang Zhi entered suddenly said, "Shut up! Have you all forgotten what we said before? Do you still want Chunfeng? Sit down properly!"
Chunfeng's father seemed to remember something, glanced at the drunk mother and son next to him, and then sat back down.
Accompanying Chunfeng's parents was Chunfeng's great-uncle. He stopped Chunfeng's father, looked at Jiang Zhi, and said in a drawn-out voice, "Village Chief Jiang, it seems you are the village chief, right? I am Chunfeng's third great-uncle, and also the head of the Yu family."
Jiang Zhi nodded, knowing that this clan elder was the real leader, and that his deliberate silence earlier was an observation.
Since there was someone who could make the decision, Jiang Zhi didn't want to get into a fight without resolving anything: "Grandpa, please speak frankly. I am Dazhu and Chunfeng's aunt."
She also made her position clear: she was someone who could take charge.
Old Master Yu coughed and said, "Then let's be frank. It's a fact that when your Dazhu became paralyzed, you thought Chunfeng couldn't do anything right, so you took the divorce papers and sent her back to her parents' home. Do you admit that?"
He spoke slowly and deliberately, giving the impression that he had the situation under control.
Jiang Zhi nodded again: "You're right, that's true, and you know the real reason."
The Yu family patriarch was very satisfied with Jiang Zhi's attitude and continued, "Since Chunfeng is no longer a member of the Xu family, how could she appear in your Xu family and hide it from her family? This is where your Xu family is wrong, and you must explain it clearly today."
These words are aggressive and suggest that the Xu family is entirely wrong.
Jiang Zhi was about to explain when Xu Changming interrupted, "You think you came here? Of course you ran here. Once you're here, we'll treat you as our daughter-in-law."
Chunfeng's parents immediately shouted, "You think you can just pick up a daughter-in-law with your scornful looks? No way!"
With both sides getting involved, the negotiation advantage that Old Master Yu had just managed to gain was gone.
Seeing that another argument was about to break out, Jiang Zhi calmly said, "Grandpa Yu, let's get to the point and not talk about the past."
Chunfeng is currently with the Xu family and will remain there in the future. What exactly do you intend to do? Just say it directly. Don't talk about taking her away; that's impossible.
The Xu family had naturally been prepared for Chunfeng's public appearance, having chosen the right moment and waiting for these people to come knocking on their door.
Let's try to be polite first and avoid trouble if possible. If Chunfeng's family can help her get back the divorce papers, it would be best if the two families could avoid a complete falling out and could still interact as ordinary relatives in the future.
If the Yu family and the drunkard are unwilling to cooperate, then Xiaoman will have to handle it.
Jiang Zhi's attitude was neither too soft nor too hard, leaving Old Master Yu at a loss for words.
If Chunfeng's family knew about Chunfeng's situation in the Xu family, then they must have known other things as well.
So many people came to offer their congratulations that day that word had already spread. Any one of them was a big shot that a farming family like the Yu family couldn't even dream of.
Saying that Chunfeng should go back was just an excuse. Of course, such a good in-law should be acknowledged, but... Old Master Yu looked at the mother and son of Erlaizi who had come with him. These two were not easy to deal with.
Since the two families were from the same village, the Yu family knew that Chunfeng had returned, and so did Erlaizi and his mother.
Just as Old Master Yu hesitated, the drunkard stood up and said, "No matter how powerful your Xu family is, I'm taking my wife with me. If she doesn't come with us, my mother and I will die in your house."
Jiang Zhi raised an eyebrow, while Xiao Manye's face darkened: "My Xu family has nothing to do with you, and this is none of your business."
Previously, it was always Chunfeng's parents who were causing trouble.
Out of consideration for their in-law relationship and the fact that the two sides hadn't fallen out when Chunfeng was sent back to her parents' home, Master Xiaoman tolerated the Yu family's venting of their anger.
These two scoundrels and their mother don't receive the same treatment. They're a thorn in the Xu family's side even without saying a word. Now they keep saying they want to take his wife away, which is like tearing the Xu family's heart out.
Jiang Zhi had long disliked this drunkard, so she simply stopped pretending and immediately confronted the Yu family elders: "Old Master Yu, you should go back. My Xu family does not keep guests."
Think it over before you come again. I'll say it again: Chunfeng is my family, now and always.
If you don't understand what this means, then go to the county government and report it to the magistrate.
There's no point in arguing. Let the county magistrate decide the case between these two families fighting over a daughter-in-law. The Xu family can just pay a few taels of silver, and they won't have to leave as relatives.
Seeing the Xu family kick them out, Old Man Yu, who had been so confident and arrogant just moments before, was stunned: "The Xu family forcibly took someone else's wife, aren't you afraid of getting a bad reputation!"
Wealthy people don't dare to ruin their reputation, which is why the Yu family had the confidence to cause trouble.
But Jiang Zhi has little in the way of things, except for a lot of fame. He just builds up a new reputation after ruining one.
Look at those truly powerful and influential people, who cares about the shady dealings behind them? Besides, Chunfeng's household registration is already with the Xu family, that's just how the Xu family is.
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