As the old saying goes, "He who eats another's food is bound to do so." Since the villagers had eaten the food from Tao Wan's family, they couldn't really say anything bad about Tao Wan's mother!
Since it was already dark and the others had nowhere to go, they simply lit another fire, and a group of people sat around it.
“Dapeng, I was the one who arranged your marriage with Xiaoyun. Your mother used to scold me a lot back then!” The woman who spoke was surnamed Wang, and Ling Dapeng had called her Aunt Wang since he was a child.
"Aunt Wang, I remember you. It's all thanks to you that Xiaoyun and I are where we are today." Ling Dapeng chuckled, glancing at his wife as he spoke.
"Tell Aunt Wang what happened along the way. Aunt Wang remembers that your mother absolutely refused to flee the famine with the villagers!"
“Sister Tao, why don’t you go over there? I see your son and daughter-in-law are quite familiar with them.”
Around another bonfire, Tao Wanniang, Bai Yumei, and Xiao Qiao'er sat together.
"I have a sharp tongue, I've argued with them all, there's nothing more to say."
Tao Wanniang bluntly said, "These two are such fools, they're completely stupid!" She glanced at her son and daughter-in-law and said with a disdainful tone.
"Sister Tao, give me a hint: this group of people isn't going to come to Beijing with us, is they?" Bai Yumei reminded her. "One more person means one more meal, Sister Tao, you know what you're doing."
"Of course I know what I'm doing. We'll just make do with this tonight. With so many people around, I can sleep more peacefully at night."
Seeing Tao Wanniang's appearance, Bai Yumei knew that her worries were unnecessary.
"Grandma Tao, I'm so sleepy, I want to go to sleep!" Little Qiao'er said, rubbing her eyes.
"Okay, you can sleep on the truck first. Remember to cover yourself with something so you don't catch a cold."
Tao Wanniang said that the ground was cold after all, so she arranged for the children to sleep on the truck. There were two large boxes, and only a few children could still lie down.
After Xiao Qiao'er lay down, Wang Hongyu also brought the two children over.
“Mother, the child’s father and uncle were happy to see the villagers, so they chatted for a while.” Wang Hongyu was also happy. Although Tao Wan’s mother did not get along with the villagers, they had received a lot of help from them in their daily lives.
"Let's chat, I didn't say anything," Tao Wanniang said coolly. "It's just that you guys aren't tired at all. You've been traveling all day and you still have so much energy. I feel like sleeping!" Tao Wanniang said, yawning.
"That's true, it's not tiring to ride in a carriage!"
Hearing Tao Wanniang's somewhat sarcastic tone, Wang Hongyu knew that she was unhappy!
"It's time to sleep. I'll go call the baby's father. Gouwa and Huani, go lie down first."
Gouwa, being sensible, held his sister's hand and, with the help of his Taowan mother, climbed onto the carriage and lay down obediently.
"Not bad, you two are more obedient than your father." Tao Wan's mother couldn't bring herself to be angry at the two little children. The skinny little monkey had become plump, all thanks to her.
"Grandma, sleep~" Gouwa said to Tao Wan's mother in his childish voice.
"Grandma..." Granddaughter Huani didn't know many words, but she imitated her brother and spoke.
"Sleep, go to sleep right away. Come on, cover your stomach with this, go to sleep."
Zhou Xiaoyun and Ling Dapeng came together. The child was already asleep in her arms. Compared to Wang Hongyu's initiative, Zhou Xiaoyun still had some reservations about Tao Wanniang.
"Mother, Er Gou is already asleep," she said softly.
"Just put it up there when you're asleep," Tao Wanniang said casually.
“Tao, do you remember me?” A tall, thin, scruffy man walked over. “My wife is on the road to escape famine.”
Tao Wanniang was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Please accept my condolences!"
"Let's talk over there, so as not to disturb the children."
Tao Wanniang subconsciously sized up the man. Judging from his appearance, he was quite old and probably had suffered a lot on the way to escape famine, which made him look particularly old.
In the original owner's memories, they actually found out who this person was, and Tao Wanniang's expression turned ugly.
"What are you talking about? What do you think you're doing, you old geezer?"
"Mother, Uncle Gu said he wants to ask you for advice on doing business. Please don't misunderstand."
The Ling brothers were also disturbed by Tao Wan's rude words, and Ling Dahu even spoke up to defend the villagers.
"Misunderstanding? Am I misunderstanding? I've known what you're up to for seventeen years. You haven't stopped scheming all these years! Your wife is gone, but your son and daughter-in-law are still here. Don't you have any shame? Believe me, I'll scratch your face until it's bruised and battered!"
Tao Wanniang said bluntly, "Ling Gu, is it? Don't you even look at yourself now? You're a complete old geezer! You dare to talk to me like that? Bah!"
Ling Gu was so embarrassed by Tao Wanniang's words that he immediately slunk away.
Tao Wanniang's eyes turned cold, and she glared at the Ling family members without any politeness.
"Go to sleep!" In the years before the original owner's husband disappeared, the villagers, whether out of genuine pity for her raising a child alone or because they thought she was fertile, tried to arrange a marriage for her with Ling Gu, but the original owner immediately threw him away.
The original owner firmly believed that her man would return one day, and this Ling Gu later went to the original owner and said some flirtatious things.
When the original owner was young, she was indeed considered the most beautiful girl in the village. The single men in the village who couldn't find wives were clearly attracted to her looks, but they acted like saviors, saying that she was a pitiful orphan and widow and wanted to help them.
The original owner naturally acted ruthlessly, cursing all the men in the village.
So, what is Ling Gu saying to her now? Is he trying to rekindle their old friendship?
"Mother, we didn't know about this." The Ling brothers were somewhat shocked. Weren't the villagers always taking good care of them?
"Hmph, when I was young, I was very pretty. Even after having you two as burdens, the villagers still took me in first. But I'm not that kind of woman. In this life, I will never find another man besides your dead father!"
Tao Wanniang said sternly, "You two be careful tonight. I suspect some people are up to no good!"
Upon hearing this, the Ling brothers' hearts also jumped.
"Mother, then...we'll take turns guarding her."
Tao Wanniang's words resonated deeply with the people of Lingjia Village, but what they thought was unknown to her.
"Although Mother is quite old, she still retains her charm. Look at her, after eating our food, she's still eyeing me. The older she gets, the more shameless she becomes!"
Tao Wanniang made a veiled attack, and when Ling Gu came out, she refused to believe that it wasn't an older person who had instigated it!
"Mother, we will definitely protect you!" The Ling brothers immediately perked up. Someone actually had designs on their mother; this was absolutely unacceptable!
Tao Wanniang hummed in agreement and found a suitable spot to lie down. She didn't care if her possessions were stolen; all her money was in the system. But she would never forgive anyone who coveted her property!
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