"You—you all—"
Zhang's mother's face changed repeatedly in anger at Ji Xia and Chen Jing's words. Suddenly, she saw Zhang Qing wink at her and point to the child in Ji Zhijun's arms.
She suddenly realized what was going on and pushed Zhang Hong hard: "Go, take both of your children with you. They are your children, and no one can take them away from you."
"mother--"
Zhang Hong looked up in disbelief, her eyes red as she stared intently at her mother: "How could you do this? Do you really want to see me get a divorce?"
"Their family doesn't care about you at all."
Zhang's mother roared at her, pulled her aside tightly, and whispered, "Listen to your mother, I'm doing this for your own good. If we don't teach them a lesson, they won't know how important you are."
Zhang Hong bit her lower lip hard, looking at her mother in disbelief.
I forgot all about playing the good cop, the bad cop, and the bad cop; my mind went completely blank, and my chest ached so much I could barely breathe.
The mother and daughter were arguing at the door when Ji Zhijun shouted angrily, "Let's see who dares!"
Ji Xia scoffed, "Big brother, don't be angry. It's not like you can't have children anymore, what's there to be angry about?"
As she spoke, she subtly gave Ji Zhijun a look, then turned and waved to Zhang Lan, who was hiding in the corner: "Xiao Lan, where's the notebook I asked you to keep accounts every day? Bring it to me."
Zhang Lan stared blankly at her mother and sister, nodded blankly upon hearing this, and quickly took the account book.
Zhang Qing chuckled and tried to comfort her, saying, "Brother-in-law, Sister Ji, my mother was just saying that in anger. Who would want to see my sister and brother-in-law separate? Besides, they have two children now. Things can be discussed."
"What's there to discuss? If you truly care about your sister, there's no need to discuss it. Just take your mother and get back to the village, and never show your face in front of my brother again," Chen Jing sneered.
Zhang Qing's smile froze slightly. Zhang's mother angrily pushed Zhang Hong into the room: "Go, bring the child out."
"You can take the child away, but let's do some calculations first."
Ji Xia sneered as she opened the ledger and began calculating the accounts using an abacus.
"You accepted a large dowry but didn't provide any, you've already sold your daughter. You all know very well what your daughter's life will be like after marrying into the Ji family. If the Ji family hadn't fed and cared for her and slowly nurtured her body, would she have been able to give birth to twins?"
"If you want to take the child away now, you can, but you must settle all the dowry and postpartum hospital expenses before I allow you to take the child and get a divorce. If you don't settle the expenses, this is marriage fraud, and I will call the police."
Ten slender fingers left afterimages as they tapped on the abacus, the crisp sound striking the hearts of the crowd. Some felt as if they were hearing celestial music, while others felt as if they were hearing funeral dirge.
A few minutes later, Ji Xia waved the ledger in her hand: "The postpartum care, from the time I started at the hospital until yesterday, cost a total of 287.43 yuan. And the bride price—"
"You're talking nonsense. Two or three hundred yuan for postpartum care? Why don't you just rob someone?"
Before Ji Xia could finish speaking, she was interrupted harshly by Zhang's mother. Ji Xia, however, merely curled her lips into a playful smile.
After Zhang's mother finished complaining, Ji Xia said calmly, "Are you done? If you're done, then let me tell you why it's so tall."
"Let me first talk about the nutritional supplements and daily necessities I bought for my sister-in-law on her first day in the hospital. Since you took them all the first time, I bought them a second time. The two purchases cost a total of 43.82 yuan."
Zhang's mother's face darkened as she heard the story, but Zhang Hong recalled that humiliating scene and involuntarily closed her eyes, two lines of tears sliding down her cheeks.
"Furthermore, in the hospital, the babies were only 2.9 jin and 3.1 jin at birth, which was seriously small and their constitution was poor. The mother and her two children stayed in the hospital for seven days, receiving nutritional injections every day, undergoing all kinds of tests, and the hospitalization and medical expenses totaled 58.29 yuan."
"During postpartum confinement, you need a pig's trotter every five days, five catties of sweet vinegar, ten catties of old ginger, a hen every three days, and at least six eggs every day. In addition to chicken and pig's trotters, there are also ribs, big bones, pig's stomach, and pork..."
Zhang's mother and Zhang Qing were stunned. They turned around abruptly and glared at Ji Xia: "A pig's trotter every five days, a hen every three days? Who are you kidding? Who eats that much during postpartum confinement?"
Zhang Lan spoke up weakly from a short distance away: "Mom, it's true. I bought these pig's feet, pig's stomach, ribs, big bones, and meat myself. I go to the slaughterhouse every day, and everyone there recognizes me."
Chen Jing couldn't help but sneer: "If they don't eat well, how come your two daughters are fed so well in the city? Judging from their complexions, they must eat very well."
Zhang's mother stared intently with jealous eyes. She ate a pig's trotter every five days and a hen every three days. She had given birth to seven children in total, and four of them survived. She had never eaten so many good things in all of them.
No, you should say that she had seven postpartum periods and ate less than a tenth of the good food her daughter received. How could she be so lucky?
Zhang Qing looked closely at Zhang Lan's fair and pretty face and hands, her eyes filled with envy.
Finally, Ji Xia asked, "Brother, how much was your wife's dowry back then?"
Ji Zhijun coldly replied, "The bride price was 188, and the three turns and one ring were all included. It cost a total of more than 560 yuan. Let's just say 560. As for the small things like wedding cakes and candies, forget about them."
"My sister-in-law was very thin when she first got married. She must have eaten so many good things at the Ji family's house over the years to get her health back."
"Forget it, let's not dwell on this. Just return the 560 yuan for the wedding and the money for this postpartum care. If you want to take the child, then take her. Once you've returned the money, we'll get a divorce certificate."
"Ah Jun—"
Zhang Hong turned around in disbelief to look at Ji Zhijun's gloomy face, and shook her head desperately in anguish: "No, I won't get a divorce, I don't want a divorce."
"You dare to make my sister give up her job to your sister? Even if I don't get a divorce, my parents will definitely make us get a divorce and won't want you anymore. What's more, you also want to take Kang Kang and Le Le away. This is a marriage of deception."
As Ji Zhijun spoke, he strode forward, shoved the child into Zhang Hong's hands, and turned to Chen Jing, saying, "Chen Jing, go to the police station. Captain Liu is your second brother's comrade-in-arms. Have him bring two people with him and tell them I'm calling the police."
He turned around and glared at Zhang's mother, saying, "If you dare to take the child out of this yard and the child suffers even the slightest injury, I will sue you."
Both Zhang's mother and Zhang Qing were stunned. Ji Zhijun had always been honest and kind, and not good with words. They never expected him to be so decisive and resolute.
The mother and daughter only wanted to scare people into giving them benefits; they had no intention of actually forcing their daughter and son-in-law to divorce.
Ji Xia and Chen Jing, who were watching closely, exchanged a knowing glance.
"If you don't have the money now, take Zhang Hong back with you. Once you've raised the money, return the 847 yuan for the bride price and postpartum care, then come back and take the child away!"
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