"What did you say? Have you got the nerve to say it again?"
Ling Huan stood up abruptly, still disgusted by the actions of her biological parents.
Ling's father slammed his fist on the table and stood up, furious. "We raised you all these years, what's wrong with asking for a little dowry? Besides, you took all of your grandfather's property and even took the house. Do you know what kind of life your mother and I are living?"
Ling's mother, who had always regarded money as dirt, now held a long bill and meticulously counted the money she had spent on Ling Huanwu over the years. She even recorded the smallest details, such as when she bought a pound of White Rabbit milk candy and shared one with Ling Huanwu.
Over the past twenty years, all the miscellaneous expenses have amounted to about three hundred yuan. With interest added, they actually demanded that their mother-in-law come up with five hundred yuan as a bride price.
When Wang Guihua, the mother-in-law, heard this astronomical figure, she was stunned and immediately lost the momentum she had shown in protecting her daughter-in-law.
Ling's father said with a look of contempt, "If you don't have money, don't even think about marrying my daughter!"
He then turned to look at Ling Huanwu, "Don't even think about using your money as a bride price to fool us!"
"Let me tell you, Ling Huanwu, if you don't return everything you took from the Ling family today, plus this dowry money, don't blame us for going out and doing bad things that will implicate your husband!"
This blatant threat infuriated Ling Huanwu!
Knowing that the storm was about to break in two years, marrying Zhou Jiuzhen and staying on the island would be the best option for her.
Now, these two actually want to ruin Zhou Jiuzhen and block her way out. How can she tolerate this?
Ling Huanwu pulled out the letter severing ties from her suitcase. "We have nothing to do with each other anymore. I don't know how you got to this island, but I want you to get off this island immediately!"
To everyone's surprise, Ling's father sneered, "Do you think that letter severing ties will acknowledge it? If your father-in-law does something carelessly, your husband's future will probably be completely ruined."
Ling Huanwu paused, her hand holding the broken marriage letter trembling, a wave of helplessness washing over her.
He's right. If Ling's father really does something, Zhou Jiuzhen's future will be ruined.
In his previous life, Zhou Jiuzhen sacrificed his life on this island to save people.
At first, she just wanted to use the title of a martyr's widow so that she, as a capitalist's daughter, could live a good life in China.
But now, she not only wants to save Zhou Jiuzhen, but also the villagers who have died on this island.
But now this man in front of her is going to ruin all of this, how can she tolerate it?
Ling Huanwu struggled to lift the two people's luggage from the ground and threw it outside. Pointing to the door, she coldly warned them, "Get out! If you dare to do anything bad outside, I will donate all my property to the country and to the people on the island. I won't leave it to you two blind couple!"
"You...you..."
Ling's father was so angry that he wanted to say something, but Ling Huanwu didn't give him a chance to speak and pushed the two of them out the door.
Song Yaoyao ran over to stop her, but she was also grabbed by the hair and thrown outside.
She knew that the reason Ling's father would say those things to threaten her into handing over her assets was because Song Yaoyao, who had experienced the storm of criticism in her previous life, must have taught him that.
Song Yaoyao screamed and cried as she was pulled, which distressed the two people outside. The two elders didn't have time to pick up the luggage on the ground. They opened their arms and held their adopted daughter, who had been thrown out, as if protecting their precious treasure.
Ling Huanwu ignored the angry shouts that followed from outside and slammed the door shut.
Turning around, I saw my mother-in-law, Wang Guihua, sitting upright in the house.
"Mother, actually... I'm not usually like this..."
Ling Huanwu was a little uneasy. Her mother-in-law had just seen her act like a shrew, and she wondered what her mother-in-law would think.
Just as she was about to explain, her mother-in-law stood up and hugged her tightly, gently stroking her hair. Hot tears fell onto her neck. "Good child, thank you for standing up for Jiu Zhen. Don't be sad. Song Yaoyao has them protecting her, and you have us behind you, understand?"
"Um……"
Ling Huanwu's voice choked with emotion. The motherly embrace she hadn't had in so long made her feel incredibly safe. She silently vowed that she would never let anything happen to such a good mother-in-law.
＊
On the drying ground.
The sweet potato slices were neatly arranged and laid out to dry in the center of the drying yard.
In the corner, several women were diligently stir-frying food in a large iron wok.
Ling Huanwu took out some cured pork and cabbage and helped out as well.
She watched as the triplets from Aunt Liu's family sat obediently by the stove, each holding a small bowl, waiting to eat meat.
After spending a month in the city, the three children not only gained some weight on their faces, but also became much fairer.
The way he licked his lips and swallowed was absolutely hilarious.
When the stir-fried cured pork and cabbage, glistening with oil, was finished and placed in an enamel basin, Ling Huanwu first scooped a spoonful for the three sisters. Then, she took out two stewed sweet potatoes, soft and reddish-brown, from behind the stove, blew on them, and peeled off the skins one by one to reveal the golden sweet potato flesh inside. She told the children to be careful not to burn themselves.
Through the smoke from the stove, she watched the three little ones wolfing down their food, and a feeling of immense satisfaction welled up inside her.
She has never gone hungry since she was a child.
The only time he went hungry was during the two weeks he was imprisoned by Qin Jinshen.
Qin Jinshen ordered that she be given only a bowl of water a day to keep her alive.
The memory of that bone-deep hunger cramps still sends shivers down her spine.
The feeling of being able to eat again after escaping was the happiest moment for her.
At this moment, watching the children eat with their mouths full of oil, she felt as if she were seeing herself after being starved for half a month, and she was so satisfied that she wanted to cry.
It would be even better if there were rice with meat and vegetables.
Ling Huanwu was secretly planning to plant rice, hoping that the whole village could eat fragrant rice as soon as possible, completely unaware of the two burning gazes behind her.
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