“Your mother has eaten more salt than you have eaten rice, how could she not understand this?” The old lady proudly raised her chin. “Don’t worry, it’s just some rumors. As long as we don’t move the grave, those people can only talk.”
However, even these rumors are enough to make people suffer.
As the saying goes, rumors and gossip are the most hurtful. Even though they are just baseless rumors, those gossipy women won't think that way. They can make up seven or eight stories about them every day.
One person's words of criticism are enough to make this family feel bad.
Just thinking about it made Grandma Jiang's eyes crinkle with laughter.
"It's good that you know what's going on." Jiang Nuan couldn't help but shake her head.
I felt a tiny bit of sympathy for the people in the old house.
My own mother is not one to let things go easily, and she's also quick-witted and not exactly upright.
While a soft knife may not skin someone or break their bones, it will certainly have some impact.
"Mother," Jiang Nuan asked seriously, her face turned serious, "Are you really not going to move in with us?"
“Your dad won’t allow it, but I’ve thought about it and there’s nothing wrong with the village, so let’s just leave it at that.”
"Is this the result my father and the clan chief came to?"
Ginger warms the body and causes stagnation.
When Jiang Chaoxing excitedly mentioned it, she thought that half the village would be relocated together.
"Girl," the old woman said, her feelings complicated, "how wonderful it would be if you were a boy!"
"What does this have to do with gender?" Jiang Nuan was speechless. "Being a girl doesn't affect your ability to be filial to your parents."
“It’s different,” the old lady waved her hand. “If you were a boy, there would be no need for hesitation; I could make the decision.”
The clan wouldn't object either.
But now, if the Jiang family moves here, who will be in charge and who will be secondary? Although the Jiang family has many members, they ultimately rely on the Huang family's influence.
This... is a deeply ingrained prejudice!
Jiang Nuan felt helpless.
However, she also understood that what her mother said was true; if the entire village moved here, there would be far too many things to consider.
"Grandma, you should move in here," Jiang Chao dropped a bombshell, "I don't plan on getting married and having children!"
Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Huang immediately shuddered. "You brat, what nonsense are you spouting?"
“Really,” Jiang Chao said seriously, “I don’t want either a wife or a child.”
He can't even take care of himself, let alone have more burdens.
"You scoundrel!" Old Mrs. Huang was truly angry. "How can you do this to your parents? How can you face your ancestors?"
"Grandma," Jiang Chao explained carefully, "I feel that besides getting married and having children, there are many other things I want to do. I want to travel all over the world, I want to taste all the delicious food in the world, I want to experience the beauty of life..."
There are so many things I want to do, there's no room left for my wife and children.
"This conflicts with getting married and having children? Are you so busy that you don't even have time to plant a seed?"
"Not interested!"
Hearing this lazy reply, the old lady got angry, slammed her hand on the table, and picked up a rattan cane to hit him.
"You bastard, your parents shouldn't have given birth to you."
“Mother, don’t be angry,” Jiang Nuan snatched the rattan cane away. “The child is still young and doesn’t understand. He’ll understand in the future.”
As she spoke, she gave Jiang Chao a look, signaling him to comfort the old lady.
Jiang Chao ignored her and continued to persuade her, "Grandma, think about it, after I die, how many people in the village will level your grave and offer incense? It's different here. Da Niu and the others are so filial, they definitely won't forget."
"Jiang Chao, shut up," Jiang Nuan said, patting the old lady's back to help her catch her breath as she nearly fainted. "You go out first, I'll take care of things here."
"Oh," Jiang Chao awkwardly touched his nose, "Auntie, you should try to persuade Grandma. I'm going out now."
"I'm so angry, I'm so angry!" The old lady slammed her hand on the table and clutched her chest with the other. "You brat, how could you possibly have such a thought? He's the only son in the Jiang family, how can he just die like that?"
If he couldn't have children, he could only accept his fate, but because his unruly child was so rebellious, she really wanted to beat him so badly he had to be reborn!
"Mother, have some water to calm down," Jiang Nuan quickly handed over a cup of tea. "We can pressure him into marriage, but we can't force him to consummate the marriage. This can't be rushed. Don't worry, persuade him slowly."
She suddenly felt fortunate that she was already married and had children when she arrived; otherwise, her fate might have been even more pitiful than Jiang Chao's.
“No, we can’t let him have his way,” Old Mrs. Huang made up her mind. “I’ll go find a matchmaker right now and arrange a girl for him as soon as possible.”
"Wouldn't this ruin that girl's life?"
"We can't worry about that. The Jiang family line can't be broken."
“But if Jiang Chao is unwilling to consummate the marriage, even if he marries a wife, the Jiang family will still have no descendants.”
Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Huang was stunned and couldn't help but slap Jiang Nuan, "You brat, can't you say something nice? You just have to hit a nerve!"
"It's all your fault for spoiling him. Without your backing, he wouldn't dare act like such a bastard. I'll beat him to a pulp."
Jiang Nuan: I...
She felt very innocent.
Heaven can bear witness that although she shared the same thought as Jiang Chao, she never spoke of it aloud, nor did she tell anyone else.
"No way!" The old lady jumped up. "I'll go talk to your father. We can't let him do this. That brat deserves a beating!"
He gritted his teeth, said a few words, and left with an air of indifference, as if he didn't recognize anyone.
In the courtyard, after Jiang Chao finished telling the story, the Huang brothers were so shocked that their mouths were agape.
“Jiang Chao, are you running a fever?” Huang Lao Er leaned over and touched his forehead. “You don’t have a fever, so why are you talking nonsense?”
“I’m not talking nonsense,” Jiang Chao said impatiently, pulling Huang Lao Er’s hand away. “I’m very serious.”
"No way," Huang Xiaosan said anxiously, "If you really do that, do you believe that your grandpa and uncle will beat you to death?"
“Exactly,” Boss Huang’s brows furrowed almost into knots, “Why would you have such an unbelievable idea out of the blue?”
My wife is so soft and fragrant, and we can even have sex together. Why can't I understand this?
The children are fair-skinned and tender, sensible and obedient, as soft as dough balls. Seeing them makes me feel that no matter how hard or tiring life is, it's all worth it.
"I used to wonder why people live. We come into this world naked and leave naked. No matter how much we struggle, in the end we are just a handful of dust."
Although Huang Laoda found these words strange, he still patted Jiang Chao on the shoulder and comforted him, "That's why you should have sons and grandsons, so that they can live better than us. That would make your life worthwhile."
“So,” Jiang Chao looked at Huang Laoda strangely, “we live our whole lives just to be like old oxen, working ourselves to the bone for our children and grandchildren without ever taking a breath?”
“You can’t say that,” Huang Xiaosan chimed in. “We build up our family fortune for our children and grandchildren, and they also support us. It’s a two-way street.”
"How do you know they will definitely be filial?" Jiang Chao began to list, "In Jiangjia Village, some people starved their parents to death to save food. In Jijia Village, some people took away their parents' cotton-padded coats in the dead of winter and froze the elderly to death. In your village, there are also people who drive away the elderly."
Upon hearing this, Huang Xiaosan's face darkened. "How can this be the same? Only a very small number of ungrateful people would do such a thing."
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