The villagers eating nearby immediately lost face. Everyone knew that Jiang Yuwei cooked well and was willing to give the villagers good food, but Li Cuihua's words were really too harsh. It wasn't that they couldn't afford to eat, so some of them stood up and made a move to leave with stern faces.
"Eldest daughter-in-law, I'm not eating anymore, I'm going home first!"
"I'm not eating it, save it for your mother!"
Seeing this, Ning Huaizhi quickly pushed his wheelchair to block the courtyard gate and said with a smile:
"Fellow villagers, don't take it to heart with a woman. She can't run our household or make our decisions. Why get upset over someone who's not even a friend? Give me some face, go back home, eat your fill before you leave. This is my home, and she doesn't have the final say!"
Seeing that Ning Huaizhi had tried so hard to persuade them to stay, everyone couldn't refuse him, so they could only nod and return to their seats to continue eating.
Seeing that the group had been persuaded to return, Li Cuihua spoke again:
"What a shameless spineless coward! He was persuaded to come back with just a few words from others. Isn't he just after my daughter's family's food and drink?"
A hot-tempered man stood up, pointed at Li Cuihua, and cursed:
"You old hag, I give you any face because you're Yuwei's mother, but if I didn't, you'd just be a gossipy old radish!"
Seeing that this man dared to insult her like that, Li Cuihua's face flushed red with anger, and she grabbed Old Man Jiang, saying:
"Old man, he dared to call me an old radish! Don't let our daughter hire him for work! We're not paying him! Let him curse us!"
Jiang Yuwei could no longer tolerate it. She had thought that since the two had come from so far away, she wouldn't just kick them out without even letting them have a meal. But now she realized she couldn't keep this troublemaker around any longer. She strode forward, picked up the bundles the two had left on the ground, and threw them into the trap she had dug earlier.
Jiang Yuwei went back into the courtyard, picked up the large broom, and started sweeping it at Li Cuihua and Old Man Jiang, who were still sitting at the stone table. Everyone was surprised to see this, but after they came to their senses, they began to whisper and chuckle.
If Li Cuihua hadn't said those words, perhaps someone would have stepped in to stop her. But since Li Cuihua said those words, everyone just wanted to see her make a fool of herself, and no one thought Jiang Yuwei's actions were inappropriate.
Li Cuihua's face was covered in dirt from the broom, making her cough as soon as she opened her mouth.
"Cough cough cough, you're trying to kill your father and mother!"
Old Man Jiang was also busy dodging Jiang Yuwei's swung broom, covering his head with his hands while muttering:
"Hey, what are you doing? Are you trying to kill your own father?!"
Jiang Yuwei remained silent, only continuing to wave the broom in her hand until she had driven the two people out of the courtyard. Then she slammed the gate shut and smiled at the crowd:
"Please excuse the poor appearance, everyone. Let's eat quickly!"
Jiang Yuwei smiled and pushed Ning Huaizhi to the stone table, then poured all the food the two of them had just eaten into a bamboo bucket and handed it to Ning Wan, saying:
"Wan'er, take it to the backyard to feed Xiao Jiu. We won't eat what they leave behind."
Ning Wan nodded heavily and carried the bamboo bucket to the backyard, while Jiang Yuwei ladled some more food into the pot, sat down, and began to eat.
At this moment, Li Cuihua, still unwilling to give up, pounded on the door and shouted:
"Open the door! If you can't tolerate two old people like us, give us money to redeem your sister. That way, we'll have a daughter to rely on in our old age. Oh dear, how could I have raised such an ungrateful wretch like you!"
Jiang Yuwei ignored Li Cuihua's cursing and finished her meal calmly. Seeing Jiang Yuwei's calm demeanor, the villagers silently thought that although Jiang Yuwei seemed gentle and honest on the surface, she was not someone to be trifled with at heart, and their respect for her deepened.
When the villagers finished their meal and opened the door to go home, they saw Li Cuihua and Old Man Jiang still squatting at the entrance of the courtyard, refusing to leave. After the villagers left, they pitifully got up and tried to run into the courtyard.
Seeing this, Jiang Yuwei immediately blocked their way and said coldly:
"I've already done more than enough by letting you have a meal tonight. Don't even think about setting foot in my house again. And don't say you ever raised me. Everyone in Jiang Village knows what kind of people you two are. I was thinking that even after I got married, I wouldn't want to cause you any more trouble. But you've come to provoke me time and time again. There's no third time. If there's a next time, I'll definitely come to Jiang Village and make you unable to stay here!"
Old Man Jiang wanted to say something more, but when he looked up, he caught sight of Ning Huaizhi behind Jiang Yuwei. Ning Huaizhi's murderous eyes were fixed on Old Man Jiang, forcibly swallowing back the words Old Man Jiang wanted to say.
Jiang Yuwei glanced at the already pitch-black sky, then looked at Li Cuihua and Old Man Jiang, and said:
"There are many wild animals around here at night. If you don't leave soon, you'll probably be left in Ningjia Village to be eaten by wolves!"
After saying that, Jiang Yuwei turned around and went into the courtyard, slamming the gate shut behind her.
Although it was spring, the night air was still a bit chilly. The two stood outside the door, staring at each other for a while, before sighing helplessly.
"Let's go back. This miser seems to be a real penny-pincher. What a thankless child we've raised!"
Li Cuihua spat directly at the courtyard gate and cursed:
"Pah! You think you're so great just because you live in a dilapidated brick house in the village? You don't even recognize your own parents! Humph, I don't care about your stinking money. Once my Yao Yao has established herself in the brothel and become the top courtesan, and then she can marry into some noble family or a big shot in some mansion, then you can beg me to become her relative and I won't even acknowledge you!"
Old Man Jiang had come today hoping to get money to redeem his youngest daughter, but upon hearing Li Cuihua's words, his eyes lit up. How could he not have thought that if his youngest daughter made a name for herself in the brothel, wouldn't she bring back all that gold and silver jewelry to support him? He would never have to worry about gambling funds again.
Thinking this way, he felt a sense of satisfaction, and even regretted not sending his youngest daughter to a brothel sooner, having raised her at home for so many years in vain.
Each harboring their own thoughts, the two supported each other and walked towards Jiang Village by the moonlight.
Jiang Yuwei was not disturbed at all by Old Man Jiang and Li Cuihua's sudden visit. On the contrary, she was secretly pleased to learn that Jiang Yaoyao had been sold to a brothel. She hoped that Old Man Jiang would lose a few more gambles and sell Li Cuihua to someone else to pay off his debts.
With that thought in mind, Jiang Yuwei divided the boiled goat milk into three bowls, one for each of the three of them. They drank it very comfortably. She also noted that the bark in the pond had been soaked for about the right amount of time, and tomorrow they should officially start making paper.
Jiang Yuwei thought she should go to Aunt Zhou's house early the next morning to call Tiezhu and Ningwu over to help, so they wouldn't have to work in the fields anymore. So she went to bed early.
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