Old Mrs. Chen glared at Old Mr. Chen, then immediately put on a smiling face and asked, "Zhancai, are you leaving soon or staying at home for a few days?"
"Mother, I'll stay for a few more days before I leave."
"Okay, what do you want to eat for dinner? Mom will prepare it for you."
"We only have two pounds of rice bran left, what's the point of preparing anything else?" Old Chen rolled his eyes and couldn't help but interject.
These words stirred up a hornet's nest. Old Mrs. Chen flew into a rage, grabbed a broom handle, and threw it at Old Mr. Chen.
"You old codger, will you die of silence if you don't talk?!"
Old Chen quickly got up and dodged, realizing he had said the wrong thing. He hurriedly explained, "Alright, old woman, don't hit me. I didn't mean anything by it. I was just reminding you that we don't have any other food right now."
"Do you need to remind me? You're such a busybody, why don't you just go to town and buy some food!"
"Okay, okay, give me the money, I'll go buy it." Old Chen knew his wife's temperament; when she got angry, she would never stop cursing. It was better to go out and find some peace and quiet.
Seeing that the elderly couple was about to start arguing, Chen Zhancai quickly persuaded them, "You two calm down for a while. Just eat whatever you have. I'm not picky about food."
Old Mrs. Chen glared fiercely at Old Mr. Chen, "It's only because Zhancai came back today, otherwise I would have torn your mouth apart!"
After saying that, she let out a long sigh and turned to Chen Zhancai.
“Son, don’t pay him any mind. He’s getting more and more annoying as he gets older. I’ll go dig up some wild vegetables in a bit, and I’ll also borrow two pounds of flour from your Aunt Wang’s house. I’ll steam some wild vegetable buns for you.”
"No need, Mom. We'll eat whatever we have at home. There's no need for all that trouble."
"Look how sensible my son is, not at all like those ungrateful wretches. They deserve what happened to their family." Old Mrs. Chen said with a look of satisfaction.
Chen Zhancai, having just run out of topics to discuss his wicked plan, asked the question knowingly when Old Madam Chen brought it up.
"Mother, what do you mean? What happened to Eldest Brother's wife?"
Old Mrs. Chen snorted, "That brat's clinic seems to have poisoned someone, and she was arrested and thrown into jail. I heard she has to pay with her life."
"Yes, I heard about it too. Poor Qing!"
"What's there to pity? That damned girl didn't know any distinction between relatives and friends. She made a little money and then didn't even acknowledge her grandparents. It's good that she's dead."
“Mother, you’re right. This is truly a joyous occasion for us.”
"Yes, yes, yes, it's a great joy." Old Mrs. Chen nodded repeatedly, her face full of pride. "Good son, you take after your mother in this respect. That's exactly what I was thinking. When I heard that that brat had suffered a misfortune, I was so happy. I was so excited that I couldn't sleep all night. I kept laughing out loud. I just don't have any money. If I did, I would buy a few strings of firecrackers to celebrate properly."
Chen Zhancai chuckled softly, "Mother, don't worry, our family will be rich soon. You can celebrate however you like then."
Grandma Chen was taken aback. "Son, what do you mean by that? Did you find a gold ingot?"
"My goodness, why pick up gold ingots? How could someone as smart as you not even think of that?" Chen Zhancai didn't say it directly, but deliberately kept her in suspense. "Qing'er is in such a predicament now, I'm sure the eldest son's family is already frantic with worry."
Old Mrs. Chen shook her head. "No, the whole village is keeping it a secret from that brat's parents, afraid they'll get upset if they find out. The couple is still completely in the dark!"
Chen Zhancai frowned. He hadn't expected that Chen Zhanshan's family was so well-liked. They had managed to keep such a big matter a secret. It seemed that their family's prestige was even higher than his, a mere scholar.
He scoffed dismissively, "It's better that they don't know. If they get so angry that they can't catch their breath, it'll save us a lot of trouble."
"Son, explain yourself clearly. What do you mean?"
"Oh dear mother, I've already said all this, how can you still not understand? Qing'er has committed a capital offense. If the eldest branch of the family knew, they would definitely try every means to help Qing'er reduce her punishment."
Hearing Chen Zhancai say this, Old Lady Chen curled her lips in disdain, "Zhancai, you're giving them too much credit. Poisoning someone is a capital offense. What ability do those spineless cowards have to lessen that girl's punishment? They might not even be able to get into the county government office; they'll be kicked out by the officials."
Chen Zhancai patted his chest, looking smug. "Mother, you're right, they're no good, but don't forget, I'm a scholar. Meeting the county magistrate is a piece of cake for me. If I step in, I might be able to put in a good word for them."
"No, no, Zhancai, don't meddle in this. Heaven's sins can be forgiven, but self-inflicted sins cannot be forgiven. That damned girl deserved it. Let her go. If she's dead, she's dead. That's how we can feel relieved!"
Old Mrs. Chen was the kind of person who would blame the toilet if she couldn't defecate, and blame her ancestors if she couldn't find food. She would never look for faults in herself, but would blame all her unhappiness and dissatisfaction on others, thinking that everyone owed her something.
Chen Zhancai realized that she hadn't quite grasped the point yet, so he shook his head and smiled, "Mother, you're completely wrong. Don't forget, the eldest son's family has plenty of money now. Why don't we take this opportunity to reason with them and negotiate some terms? As long as we get our hands on their assets, we won't have to worry about food and clothing anymore."
Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Chen suddenly understood. Nodding, she chimed in, "Zhancai, you're absolutely right. I don't know what I was thinking. I've been so happy these past few days that I completely forgot about something so important."
She paused for a moment after speaking, then said, "Son, that brat has committed a capital offense. With your status as a scholar, if you can save her life, she will be eternally grateful. From now on, your words will be law, and she will do whatever you ask."
"My silly mother, who said they were going to save her? I was just putting on an act."
As Chen Zhancai spoke, he curled his lip and snorted.
"Qing'er is in charge of the entire eldest son's family. No matter what methods we used before, that brat just wouldn't reconcile or forgive us."
Now that she's in trouble, our goal is to get the severance of ties and the division of family property.
As for Qingyatou, we can't control her. Once she's dead, you can't control my brother and sister-in-law's tempers, can you?
"From now on, who decides the fate of the sugar mill and the vast family fortune? It will all be up to you, Mother."
Grandma Chen's eyes lit up with anticipation. "Good son, all those years of studying haven't been in vain. Your mind works much faster than others. So, what should we do now?"
"Let's go to the sugar factory now and find Chen Zhanshan. Let's find a way to make them tear up the letter of severance of kinship and the letter of division of family property," Chen Zhancai said with a wicked grin.
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