Yan Xiaonan hadn't thought of this either. Hearing her grandmother's words, she nodded heavily. "That's right, it's too dangerous!" she exclaimed. Suddenly, an idea struck her: "Grandma, dig a cellar!"
Grandma Yan's eyes lit up. "That's right! We can dig a cellar in the corner of the house. It will be convenient to hide things in the future."
"My sweet baby, how are you so smart? When your uncle goes back, I'll have your dad dig a cellar."
The grandfather and grandson were chatting enthusiastically when there was a loud banging on the courtyard gate. Judging from the sound, it seemed quite urgent.
Yan Xiaoqiang hurriedly went to open the door, wondering if something had gone wrong with the newly erected greenhouse. As soon as the door opened, there were six or seven people standing outside, men and women, and two children dressed in tattered clothes.
Yan Xiaoqiang didn't recognize these people. Just as he was about to ask who they were looking for, the leader of the group spoke up: "Father-in-law, my daughter didn't come home on the second day of the Lunar New Year. I was worried about her, so I came to see her today."
Yan Xiaoqiang found out that Xuemei's parents had come. According to custom, when in-laws come, they should be invited in, but he still managed to get the truth out of what happened last year.
That damned woman dared to curse her own mother to death! We haven't even settled accounts with them yet, and she's already come looking for a fight. Just as I was about to tell them to get lost, Xuemei came out.
Xuemei, who was preparing to knead dough in the kitchen, heard a familiar voice and her heart skipped a beat. Her awful parents had arrived, so she quickly came out with Cuihua and Dongnan.
Not only were her parents outside, but her older brother, sister-in-law, and children had also come. What were they planning to do?
Seeing Xuemei come out, Xuemei's father pushed Yan Xiaoqiang aside and prepared to break into the Yan family. Yan Xiaoqiang reacted immediately and pushed Xuemei's father out.
When Xue Mei's mother saw this, she knew that her hopes of forcibly breaking in had failed, so she simply acted like a rogue, sat down on the snow, and started wailing and making a scene.
While crying, she recounted how Grandma Yan had made her sell Xuemei for a pittance and how she had tricked Xuemei into returning home as a child bride with twenty catties of cornmeal.
Later, they even specifically mentioned that buying and selling children is not allowed in today's society, and asked them to return Xuemei to them.
The cold winter is lonely, but now there's a big show to watch, so almost everyone in Mushroom Village has come out. However, when they see troublemakers at the Yan family's door, their expressions turn sour.
Ma Da Sao, who was doing needlework at home, quickly tugged at her husband, suggesting they go see what was going on. The village chief's eldest son had already put on a thick cotton-padded coat and run out.
Within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the eldest son ran back: "Dad, Mom, something terrible has happened! Xuemei's parents say that Grandma Yan abducted their daughter, and they're going to sue her and send her to jail."
The village chief and Mrs. Ma immediately stood up. Mrs. Ma made a quick decision and said to the eldest son, "You stay home and look after your younger siblings. Keep the door closed. Your father and I will go check on them."
The eldest son was very sensible. He quickly followed Ma Da Sao out of the house, and after seeing them leave, he carefully closed the door and bolted it.
The Yan family was surrounded again, and Wang Gou Dan, seeing an opportunity, was about to do something naughty when he was stopped by his son, Wang Er Niu.
"There's an officer in their family. If you want to die, go die alone. Don't drag us down with you. If you walk out this door today, don't blame me for disowning you."
Wang Erniu's cold tone and cold gaze were like ice water in the dead of winter, chilling Wang Gou Dan to the bone. Watching his son turn and leave, Wang Gou Dan suddenly felt a pang of sorrow. What terrible sins had he committed to raise such a wicked son?
Xue Mei's mother's wailing continued. Enraged, Xue Mei picked up a rolling pin and started hitting her mother, but Dong Nan held her back tightly. Even though she had been sold, she was still her mother, and she couldn't lay a hand on her.
The village chief and his wife, Ma Dasao, have arrived. Ma Dasao now has absolute respect for the Yan family and hates anyone who tries to smear them.
He rushed forward and pointed at Xuemei's mother, cursing, "You shameless ingrate! When there was a famine, your family had no food for days, and you sold your six-year-old daughter for a pittance!"
You only asked for ten catties of coarse grains back then, but even with ten catties of coarse grains, no one bought them. Who has the extra capacity to raise someone else's child? This child has been on the market for several days without being sold. You've probably started eating clay by now.
Sister-in-law Yan was passing by and saw how pitiful your little girl was, so thin she was practically skin and bones. She gave you twenty catties of cornmeal, saving your whole family's lives. Now that you've survived, where's all that gratitude you showed her?
Xuemei's elder brother and sister-in-law took a few steps back in unison. The two elder brothers remembered what happened back then, but no one had talked about it for a long time, and they had gradually forgotten about it.
Now that Ma Dasao has scolded me like this, I feel like I'm a complete ingrate. But my family is already running out of food, so I have no choice but to shamelessly come to the Yan family's house to freeload.
Xuemei's father pointed at her and cursed, "You ungrateful wretch! Your family killed a wild boar yesterday and didn't even offer a bite to your own father, instead letting the village chief sell it for money. Are you still my daughter?"
The villagers watching the show couldn't stay calm when they heard about the wild boar. They started whispering and making a ruckus. They said the Yan family was dishonest; they hunted a wild boar but didn't share it with the villagers, instead letting their daughter-in-law's family benefit from it.
The villagers who were originally grateful to the Yan family suddenly became the condemners, pointing fingers at the Yan family. The timid ones whispered nonsense, while the bold ones directly cursed.
Grandma Yan and Yan Xiaonan heard everything clearly in the main room. Yan Xiaonan, in particular, couldn't help but regret her momentary soft-heartedness. Yan Daqiang, also in the main room, frowned deeply. How could these villagers be so unreasonable?
Seeing the commotion outside, Yan Xiaonan's evil intentions grew. "You can't bear to see me suffer, so I'll be ruthless. You all want to eat wild boar meat, don't you? Fine, I'll send the wild boars down the mountain so you can eat your fill."
Yan Xiaonan climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), lay down on it, closed her eyes, and her consciousness was about to wander into the mountains when Yan Daqiang, who had been carefully observing Yan Xiaonan, grabbed her hand.
Yan Xiaonan was startled, opened her eyes, and looked at her uncle's obviously disapproving gaze, feeling somewhat bewildered.
"Nan Nan, one mistake cannot be covered up by another. Otherwise, not only will the mistake not have a chance to be corrected, but it will also put you in danger," Yan Daqiang said meaningfully.
Yan Xiaonan's soul suddenly became clear as if it had been cleansed, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back. What kind of consequences would it cause if the wild boar really came down the mountain?
Yan Daqiang had been observing Yan Xiaonan's expression. Seeing the obvious fear on her face, he finally relaxed. The girl was sensible.
He glanced at the anxious Grandma Yan and reassured her, "Mom, don't worry, I'll take care of it. You don't need to go out."
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