Once the hospital's injury assessment was complete, Chang's mother, along with Chang Jing and Chang Ling, went straight to Grandma Chang's house.
"Chang Decheng, come out here! You stole money from my house and pushed my brother down, causing him to need twelve stitches. Come out and apologize, stop hiding and pretending to be dead."
From the very beginning, Chang Ling displayed her fiery temper to the fullest, directly addressing Chang Decheng.
"Eldest daughter-in-law, what do you mean by this? Bringing Chang Ling here to cause trouble, do you not want to stay in the Chang family anymore? Chang Jing, did you fall down by yourself? Don't you want to tell your mother that you fell down by yourself? Otherwise, when your father comes back and sees you causing trouble here, he will be very disappointed in you."
Grandma Chang was used to manipulating Chang's mother and Chang Jing. If it were before, Chang Jing would probably have been frightened by these words and tried to persuade Chang's mother and Chang Ling not to cause trouble.
However, Chang Jing was destined to disappoint the old lady of the Chang family today, as Chang Jing's hands, hanging down, were clenched into fists.
“Grandma, Chang Decheng did steal money from my house and pushed me. The wound on my forehead is evidence. If Chang Decheng doesn’t come out to pay compensation and apologize, we will have no choice but to call the police.”
Chang Jing's uncharacteristic words drew the attention of the entire Chang family. Grandma Chang scrutinized Chang Jing with a cold gaze, as if trying to confirm whether he had been corrupted by Chang Ling.
"Chang Jing, how can you be so inconsiderate? Is this how I taught you in the past?"
Undeterred, Grandma Chang continued to brainwash Chang Jing, but her eldest grandson was no longer the pitiful little thing she could manipulate.
"Grandma, are you really my grandma? Chang Decheng hit me on the head, and you didn't say a word of concern the whole time. Now you want me to cover up his theft and assault?"
The cold question surprised everyone in the room, but Uncle Chang quickly recovered.
"Chang Jing, how dare you speak to your grandmother like that? Where is your upbringing? I never thought you would be so unfilial, daring to slander your younger brother so boldly. It must be you, sister-in-law, who taught you this. You've corrupted our eldest grandson, who not only doesn't love his younger brother but also disobeys his elders."
"Pah! What kind of filial piety is this if the elders are not kind? Uncle, don't drag my mother into this for no reason. Your son made a mistake and you turn around and blame my brother for being unfilial?"
Chang Ling is a fiery person by nature, how could she possibly hold back and not fight back? She wouldn't be so foolish as to treat these people as elders or relatives.
"Don't try to pressure me with filial piety. Changling is right. If elders aren't kind, why should the younger generation be filial? Uncle, your son stole the elders' hard-earned money and even injured his cousin. Did you teach him to do that?"
Having traveled through so many time periods, Chang Jing's introverted and socially awkward personality has been transformed into a surprisingly eloquent and outspoken individual. His quick wit and sharp tongue have impressed Chang Ling.
Her brother had finally matured and was no longer frighteningly honest like a mute. Chang Ling felt a sense of comfort, as if her child had grown up.
"That's right, my uncle has really good family education. He raised Chang Decheng to be a thief who steals from other people's homes and hurts them."
Chang Ling added insult to injury, showing no respect to the Chang family members whatsoever. Her mouth rattled off a string of words, leaving the Chang family's uncle's face gloomy.
"That's enough, what do you want?"
Seeing that she couldn't control Chang Jing, and not wanting to listen to Chang Ling's sarcastic remarks, Old Mrs. Chang just wanted to get rid of her eldest daughter-in-law and her son as soon as possible.
"Apologize and pay compensation! My brother injured his head. Medical expenses are 500 yuan, nutrition expenses are 200 yuan, and compensation for mental distress is 100 yuan, totaling 800 yuan."
Chang Ling spread her hands and looked coldly at Old Madam Chang, meaning: they'll leave as soon as the money is in place.
"Chang Ling, are you robbing me? Where did you get five hundred for medical expenses, plus any compensation for nutrition and emotional distress!"
When Uncle Chang heard that he was to be compensated 800 yuan, he was furious. He worked at the power supply bureau and earned only 500 yuan a month working in the sun and wind. Chang Ling was asking for more than a month's salary. How could he not be angry?
Chang Jing glanced at Chang Ling with a complicated expression. His younger sister was more like a mission taker than he was, and she knew about compensation for emotional distress and nutritional expenses.
"Uncle, don't make a fuss. I'm just stating the facts. If you don't believe me, you can call the police. The police will only make you pay more. I learned all of this from the Civil Code."
Chang Ling was precocious despite her young age. In elementary school, she had a deskmate who was the child of a lawyer. She often listened to her deskmate talk about the lawyer's deeds and deeply felt the lawyer's prowess. So she spent her spare time reading law books and went to the library whenever she had time.
"You... I won't tell you, where's your dad? Does he know you're causing trouble at your grandma's house?"
Since Uncle Chang couldn't control Chang Jing and Chang Ling, he brought up his brother in an attempt to suppress the two of them.
"Uncle, you don't need to use your brother to pressure us. Chang Jing was injured by Chang Decheng, and I must pursue this to the end. If you pay compensation quickly, we can still get along. Otherwise, I will call the police immediately."
Mother Chang also spoke up. She was thinking that even if Old Chang came back and argued with her later, she would still have to get justice for her child first.
“Sister-in-law, don’t be impulsive. Xiao Cheng really did something wrong this time. I will definitely punish him properly later. At the same time, I apologize to Xiao Jing on his behalf. We will pay the money. Here is eight hundred yuan. Take it and buy Xiao Jing a few more chickens to help her recover.”
Aunt Chang, who had been keeping an eye on things from inside the bedroom, came out with the money and humbled herself to comfort Mrs. Chang.
Anyone who didn't know better would praise her for being sensible, but Chang Jing knew that this aunt was the most scheming person in the Chang family.
In the Chang family, Old Mrs. Chang is a domineering shrew, brave but reckless; Uncle Chang is a cowardly bully who is afraid of the strong and selfish; and Aunt Chang is a venomous snake who is very good at hiding her true nature and is also very patient.
Back then, when Old Mrs. Chang opposed her husband marrying her, she endured Old Mrs. Chang's harsh words and patiently coaxed her until she gave birth to a son and gained a foothold in the family. Unbeknownst to her, Old Mrs. Chang changed her attitude and now even uses her as a strategist.
With Aunt Chang's aunt stepping forward to apologize and readily paying compensation, Chang's mother and Chang Ling couldn't continue making trouble. They took the money and returned to their home across the street.
"Wife, how could you give our family's money to your sister-in-law?"
Uncle Chang was heartbroken. He had always asked his older brother and sister for money and things; he had never given money away before.
“Mom, in that situation just now, we really should pay compensation, otherwise if things get out of hand, our Decheng family’s reputation will be ruined.”
Aunt Chang glanced at Uncle Chang, then went over and helped Old Madam Chang sit down before continuing her explanation.
“It’s alright that we gave the money to our sister-in-law. When our brother comes home from get off work, you can talk to him properly, and he will definitely not want you to spend money.”
“That’s right! There’s really no need for us to argue with my sister-in-law and the others. When my brother comes back, I don’t believe we can’t get the money back.”
Aunt Chang's words made Uncle Chang's eyes light up, and he gave her a subtle look of admiration. Years of habit had prevented him from ever praising his wife in front of his mother.
"Well, when your older brother gets off work, I'll make him return the money. I'll also make him teach his wife and kids a lesson. They're just too outrageous; they've all learned to talk back to their elders."
With Aunt Chang's reminder, Old Mrs. Chang stopped worrying about the 800 yuan she had just given away. In her heart, the eldest son's money was her money, and it was just a matter of a word for her to come back.
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