Upon hearing this, Jiang Nuan froze, cautiously probing, "Mother, do you know something?"
"You mean your father is plotting to manipulate Da Chuan and the others?"
“Mother knew all along,” Jiang Nuan took a breath, then asked curiously, “Did Mother already know all along?”
"Yes," Grandma Huang nodded. "Just a year after the second son left, I figured out your father's plan. I thought that Da Chuan and the others would have to adapt to this kind of life sooner or later without their father."
The old saying goes that mountains crumble and people run away, and your father and older brother are indeed unreliable.
It's good to be used to relying on yourself, which prevents you from having unrealistic expectations.
“Mother,” Jiang Nuan couldn’t help but give a thumbs up, “You’re so wise!”
“Of course,” Old Mrs. Huang said with a smug smirk, “a bunch of idiots thought they could fool me, but they don’t even know their own worth.”
"Yes, you are the smartest."
Jiang Nuan diligently served tea and water, and massaged her shoulders and back.
"Alright, alright," the old lady said, pleased, trying to suppress the smile on her face. "No need to coax me, I'm fine now."
It's no big deal; she'd already figured it out.
Let the old man be biased if he wants; he loves his eldest son, and he loves his youngest son.
He could go to great lengths to plan for his eldest son, and he couldn't fall behind himself.
“Mother,” Jiang Nuan stopped and asked in confusion, “What exactly has angered you so much?”
“I have seen through them. The second branch of the family was almost wiped out because of the mountain, but they are still protecting it. They haven’t even offered tea to apologize yet. Their hearts are completely biased.”
"Xiao Chuan and the others' lives combined aren't as important as Da Shan's. Why should they? They don't care about me, but I treat them like treasures."
“I guess that’s why,” Jiang Nuan’s eyes lit up. “Your daughter-in-law has always known that you are different from them.”
Actually, that was just to comfort people.
She had no memory of her past, and the old lady was very discreet; if it weren't for this incident, no one would have been able to tell.
However, this doesn't stop me from showering people with compliments.
Not to brag, but when Jiang Nuan wants to shower people with compliments, she can make them feel like they're basking in a spring breeze, and they'll be happy without even realizing it.
“I know it’s not easy for you. So many eyes in the village are watching. Even if you’re just pretending, you have to maintain appearances,” Old Mrs. Huang said with a smile. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll secretly return anything you give me in the future. I won’t leave a single penny for those heartless people.”
The old lady is so cute!
Jiang Nuan suddenly felt a little guilty.
After thinking it over with her head down, she decided to be honest about her decision, "Mother, your daughter-in-law is not going to put up with it any longer."
"If you can't bear it, then so be it. What do you plan to do?"
"I want to split my clan!"
"Dividing into different clans?" Old Mrs. Huang was taken aback.
Seeing this, Jiang Nuan complained without hesitation, "Mother, Father came to our house today and not only tested us repeatedly, but he also wanted Da Niu to inherit both branches of the family."
"He dares!" Old Mrs. Huang jumped up. "That old bastard is already scheming to take over the second wife's property so early. I'm not finished with him."
At worst, we can tear off this fig leaf and see who is more shameful.
"Mom, please don't," Jiang Nuan quickly handed the old lady a cup of tea. "Have some water to calm down. We can't be so impulsive."
She took the teacup and drank a sip; her anger did indeed subside considerably. The old lady sighed, "You really can't be impulsive; the old man is shrewd."
He dares to speak out, so no one will be able to find fault with him.
After sharing a bed with him for so many years, she had long seen through him.
“That’s why my daughter-in-law wants to separate the family,” Jiang Nuan said, taking the opportunity to persuade her. “Father has always been on the side of my eldest brother and his family, and he has been secretly plotting to take over the second branch’s property. He is an elder, so even if my daughter-in-law knows about this plan, she will be in a very passive position. It would be better to separate the family directly and become two separate families. That way, she won’t have to worry about so much.”
“Alright, let’s split the clan then,” the old lady said decisively. “The old man feels sorry for Dashan, but I feel even more sorry for Xiaochuan and the others. After the second son passed away, they have no father to protect them. They are already having a harder time than others, and now they have to deal with such a heartless elder. It would be better if they had no one at all.”
Anyway, their grandson has already stood up for himself, so even without anyone to back him up, no one dares to bully him.
The old lady who kicked Old Man Huang didn't feel like she was betraying him at all.
"If we do that, it might upset Mother."
"It's alright," the old lady said, taking it all in stride. "As long as you're good to me, that's all that matters. I'm just an old woman, one foot in the grave, and I don't even know how many more days I have left. It doesn't matter what happens to me."
The old lady didn't care, but Jiang Nuan couldn't stand it.
She didn't know what the old lady was feeling when she said those words, but she was definitely moved.
"Mom, you're so good to me!"
This is truly an exceptionally good mother-in-law; compared to her, I am far inferior.
"You are good too, intelligent, sensible, and filial, and you know how to make me happy."
The old lady was satisfied with her youngest daughter-in-law in every way; there was nothing she didn't like about her.
After saying that, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law smiled at each other.
After a moment, Jiang Nuan became serious. "Mother, I want you to come to the second house. Before that, let me ask you a question: do you still want to live with Father?"
This is an important question.
Jiang Nuan has come up with several plans for dividing the clans, and is considering which one is the most suitable.
The old lady was focused on the second wife's future, so she had to consider the old lady's situation.
Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Huang fell silent, her earlier ease gone.
After a long silence, he sighed softly, "I don't want to!"
After decades of ups and downs, there must still be feelings left, but she is completely exhausted.
"The bond between me and your father has long since worn away."
“Back then, when the second son was seriously ill, if we had spent all our money, we might have been able to prolong his life a little longer. But your father refused, thinking that no amount of money would be of any use. He was right, and that made sense,” the old lady cried out hoarsely, her eyes red. “But I was not willing to accept it. He was my son. Even if it meant going bankrupt, I would have done anything to help him live for even half an hour longer.”
“I know I can’t drag this out,” Old Mrs. Huang said with tears in her eyes. “No matter how unwilling I am, I have to accept it. This is fate, there’s nothing I can do. But he shouldn’t have schemed against Xiao Chuan and his brothers.”
"The eldest is precious, but the second is just grass? Xiao Chuan and the others are just stepping stones for the eldest and Da Shan? Why should they?"
"I thought this was the end, but what happened? The combined lives of the Xiaochuan brothers are not even worth as much as the face of the Dashan. They've gone too far! They've gone too far!"
Grandma Huang couldn't help but burst into heart-wrenching sobs.
She knew she was a useless old woman, too old to work, and a burden wherever she went, so she always endured and yielded.
As a result, his grandson almost died.
How could she not hate him!
Jiang Nuan empathized and started crying too; the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law hugged each other for warmth.
She didn't tell anyone; when she learned that her son had been ambushed, she was so frightened that her hands and feet went limp.
If it weren't for the anomaly of Xiao Liu, would my son have been able to come back safely?
"Mother," Jiang Nuan said after a long while, stopping her tears, "I know what to do now."
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