Jiang Nuan felt ashamed.
She's not as great as her daughter-in-law thinks.
To be honest, I didn't have any trouble with anything; most things had already been done for me in advance.
Upon hearing this, Xie gave a knowing look.
Jiang Nuan: ...
Is such an obvious perfunctory response really okay?
She was telling the truth!
Life may not have been so smooth before, but now, she's absolutely a bug in the system.
Jiang Nuan had a vague feeling that if she didn't exist, this world would definitely not be in the way it is now.
"Don't overthink it, I'm really not as stressed as you think."
That's strange. It's just that I missed a few meals. How could this happen?
Is there any need to get so worked up?
"Uh-huh."
Although Xie did not refute, she seemed very dismissive.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Nuan couldn't help but tease, "Am I now a delicate flower? I've never seen you all so nervous before."
Madam Xie lowered her eyes and remained silent for a while before explaining, "Our family is now entirely dependent on you, Mother. Anyone else could get into trouble, but you can't."
They used to be just ordinary farmers, and even if one person was missing, they could still manage to hold on by gritting their teeth. But now, they are dealing with government officials and dignitaries.
These people, once they get involved, are more cunning than monkeys, and they only care about their own interests. She really has no confidence in protecting this huge family business, let alone others.
Jiang Nuan understood what she meant, and after thinking for a while, she said, "Since you're afraid, work hard to grow. You'll know later that those people are nothing special."
"Yes, I will try my best."
I'm naturally smart, and with my mother's teachings, I'm sure I can do it.
At this moment, Xie was full of fighting spirit.
Seeing this, Jiang Nuan shook her head, stopped talking, and focused on eating her meal.
Feeling sorry for her daughter, Grandma Jiang sent her old friend home and immediately went to find her husband.
Grandpa Jiang was a carefree man by nature. He used to work in the fields when he lived in Jiangjiazhuang, but now that he doesn't have to lift a finger, he spends his days playing with birds and drinking tea to pass the time.
When Grandma Jiang arrived, he was directing his servant to make a birdcage.
Grandma Jiang was already upset, and seeing her old man behaving so irresponsibly, her anger flared up even more. "You old fool, you sure know how to amuse yourself."
"What's wrong?" The old man looked bewildered. "Why are you getting so angry all of a sudden?"
He didn't offend anyone today!
"You only care about yourself," the old lady sneered. "You're heartless. What will happen when your daughter dies from overwork? Who will take care of you in your old age?"
Upon hearing this, the old man felt very innocent.
"Can't you be reasonable? How could our daughter die from overwork? There are so many servants in the house; apart from the vegetable garden in the backyard, what do we need her to do?"
"Can't you think about it more deeply?" Old Mrs. Jiang's face darkened. "Your daughter supports such a big family, has to worry about everything inside and outside, and still..." She told a huge lie.
As she finished speaking, Grandma Jiang realized what she had said and quickly swallowed the rest of her sentence.
Then, she felt even more sorry for her daughter.
With such a heavy burden on your mind, anyone would struggle to eat and sleep.
"Don't worry about it," the old man said dismissively. "My daughter is very capable and will be fine."
"She's successful because she's capable. Shouldn't you, as her father, be more mindful and try to protect your daughter?"
These words stumped Grandpa Jiang.
He wanted to protect his daughter, but he didn't have the ability!
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
"How about," the old lady looked her husband up and down, and then hesitantly began, "you become an official?"
Upon hearing this, the old man was stunned. "What nonsense are you talking about? Do you think being an official is so easy? Don't treat the imperial court like your own home!"
"Why not? You can read now."
“It’s not that simple,” the old man firmly disagreed. “Those officials, which one of them didn’t go through layers of selection? Who hasn’t thoroughly studied the Four Books and Five Classics? I only know a few common characters from my daughter, and I can’t even write my own name if it’s a little obscure. If you let me be an official, wouldn’t that be a disaster for people?”
"Then what else can you do?"
"Farming," the old man said, perking up as he spoke of his expertise. "I'm not bragging, but even if I plant a blade of grass, I'll grow it healthier than anyone else."
"Stop talking," the old lady said, feeling a pain in her chest. "Apart from the wealthy, how many people in the entire Great Zhou don't know how to farm? It's no good for officials."
"But I don't know how to do anything else!"
"Never mind," the old lady said, feeling very upset. "I knew I couldn't count on you."
"How can you blame me?" The old man felt wronged. "Who am I? After all these decades, don't you know?"
These words are even more infuriating!
They have absolutely no ambition.
With a cold snort, the old woman turned and left, saying, "You can sleep on the floor tonight!"
Old man: What is it now?
Grandma Jiang was really angry this time. She originally thought her husband was somewhat useful, but who knew he had no ambition at all.
He stormed over to Old Lady Huang and voiced his grievances.
Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Huang was so shocked that she couldn't close her mouth. "You're being way too fanciful!"
"How can you be so delusional?" Old Mrs. Jiang curled her lip. "Only by becoming a high-ranking official can you protect your family. Don't you understand?"
"I understand it," Old Mrs. Huang said helplessly, "but it's impossible."
“I know the chances are slim,” Grandma Jiang said through gritted teeth, “but it’s too cowardly for him not to even think about it.”
Grandma Huang had no answer to that.
She thought this was the proper way; it would be worrying if someone recklessly went to become an official.
Grandma Jiang didn't want her old friend to speak, and continued to chatter on, "You know, Ya Ya is just a girl, and she can shoulder the burden of two families. What about her father and son? One of them just loafs around all day, and the other stays at home serving his wife. They're both heartless and carefree. They live their own lives so comfortably, without ever thinking about how hard it is for Ya Ya all by herself."
"That seems to make some sense."
"Logically speaking, brothers should support and protect their daughters, but those two are really doing this, practically skinning their daughters dry, and they don't even know how to be ashamed!"
“It’s not that serious,” Old Mrs. Huang said candidly, “My in-laws are good people, not as bad as you say.”
“You don’t need to speak up for them,” Old Mrs. Jiang frowned. “They really can’t continue like this.”
Now we can rely on our daughter, but what if she collapses from exhaustion?
Ultimately, they are surnamed Jiang, not Huang, and the Jiang family's reputation will ultimately depend on themselves.
"Alright then." Old Mrs. Huang remained silent.
She felt that her old friend was making a mountain out of a molehill, but she couldn't say it out loud.
Ya Ya is her own daughter-in-law and also someone else's daughter. It's normal for a mother to love her daughter.
Even though she felt that her daughter-in-law wouldn't see her family as a burden, the old lady felt she had no right to say that on her behalf.
"No, I have to think of a way. Even if I can't shelter Yaya from the wind and rain, I can't let them lie around and do nothing!"
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