Chen Zhancai struggled to break free and glared at Chen Zhanliang with annoyance. "Go away, I can't be bothered with you!"
Having said that, he shouted to the constables, "Don't just stand there! Arrest all the criminals' family members! If anyone dares to be so disrespectful, take them all with them!"
"Yes, sir." The constables stepped forward without any politeness and tied up Chen Zhanshan, his wife, and Wu Cuihua.
The men were taken to a prison cart, and the constables sealed off the sugar shop and the Chen family's courtyard.
Chen Ruolan and Chen Zhancai boarded the carriage, and the group was about to leave.
Old Mrs. Chen in the crowd was pounding with excitement. Her granddaughter had become the county magistrate's wife, which meant she was the county magistrate's ancestor.
Her hard times were finally over; she would never have to worry about going hungry or cold again...
Seeing that the carriage was about to leave, she hurriedly ran to stop it, "Ruolan, my dear granddaughter, please take your grandparents with you!"
Upon hearing Old Lady Chen's voice, a flash of disdain crossed Chen Ruolan's eyes.
That old hag is the culprit who harmed her. If it weren't for that old woman's greed, she wouldn't have suffered so much in the Fan family.
Chen Qingqing is certainly despicable, but that old woman is no better; they both deserve to die!
She lifted the sedan curtain and stared coldly at Old Lady Chen. "Who do you think you are, pushing me into this fire pit? I haven't even settled accounts with you yet, and now you want to enjoy life with me? If you don't want to die, get out of my way!"
"Ruolan, I'm your grandma. Have you forgotten how we used to give you all the good milk first, and no one else got any of the chicken eggs? We'd even secretly cook milk for you in the middle of the night. And you still say you want your grandma to enjoy a life of luxury with you in the future..."
"Shut up, you old hag! What nonsense are you spouting? When have I ever eaten an egg you cooked? I've been disgusted by that thing since I was a kid." Chen Ruolan glared at her unhappily and threatened, "Get out of here right now, or I'll let you experience what it's like to be in jail."
Old Mrs. Chen was stunned and speechless for a moment.
Is this really her most beloved granddaughter? How could she say such vicious things and even throw her in jail?
She trembled with fear and looked at Chen Zhancai, "My son, you are the one I love the most. You can't abandon your parents!"
Chen Zhancai rolled his eyes in annoyance. "You don't only have me as your son, so stop sticking to me like a leech."
"Zhancai, what kind of talk is that? Don't you know how our family is in this state?"
"Alright, are you ever going to stop? Not only can you not live a good life, but you also blame everything on me. What kind of parents are you?" Chen Zhancai knew that his daughter hated the couple from the bottom of her heart. As their father, he had to set an example and draw a clear line between himself and the old couple. If he dragged things out, his daughter would get angry, and he wouldn't be able to benefit from it.
Old Mrs. Chen's breath hitched. A chill ran down her spine from the thought that flashed through her mind. She took a deep breath to keep from fainting.
But she still clung to a sliver of hope, her voice trembling, her eyes full of pleading, "Zhancai, my good son, I've raised you all these years, I've done my part, you can't just abandon me. If you don't want to take me with you to enjoy a life of luxury, then think about sending me some money back, okay?"
"You, you're really taking advantage of your age, all you care about is money! I'm telling you again, don't bother me again, I don't have parents like you!" Chen Zhancai finished speaking and shouted, "Get out of here! If anyone dares to block the carriage again, beat them to death with sticks!"
Watching the carriage disappear into the distance, Old Mrs. Chen's heart broke. She felt as if the sky had fallen and the earth had collapsed. Her vision went black, and she was about to fall to the ground.
Old Chen, who was behind her, quickly stepped forward to support her, saying, "Old woman, you must hold on. It's not worth getting angry with such a heartless and ungrateful wretch!"
Old Mrs. Chen is now filled with deep regret. If she had known this would happen, she should have treated everyone equally from the beginning, and she wouldn't have ended up like this.
Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. She pounded her hips with her fists, crying out, "God, what did I do to deserve this?!..."
The villagers who had gathered around looked at the wailing and crying old woman with disdain.
"Serves them right, they deserve it! This is what happens when you're biased!"
"That's right, someone like her deserves to suffer."
“You’re all right, but Chen Zhancai is really heartless. He just says he’ll ignore it and that’s really despicable.”
"Who can we blame? It's all because Old Mrs. Chen spoiled her like this."
"Yes, not only is Chen Zhancai a scoundrel, but Chen Ruolan is even worse. She actually locked up her own uncle in jail."
"That's right! The Zhan family didn't break any laws, this is clearly bullying them!"
"Alright, all of you, shut up. The county magistrate is the local tyrant of Anyang County. He can do whatever he wants. Now that Chen Zhancai's daughter has become the county magistrate's wife, it's like a chicken turning into a golden phoenix. Chen Zhancai is even more of a petty person who has become powerful. We ordinary folks should just keep our mouths shut and not cause any trouble."
"Yes, yes, you're right. We can't control things like this at all, so it's best not to say anything reckless."
Old Mrs. Chen wiped away her tears, heartbroken. There was no hope left, and her reputation was ruined.
She felt utterly hopeless. It was all over. Her most favored son didn't care about her. How was she supposed to live now?
No, we can't just sit here and wait to die; we have to find someone to rely on.
Thinking of this, Old Mrs. Chen looked at Chen Zhanliang not far away, mustered her strength, and staggered over to him.
"Zhanliang, my good son, I know I was wrong now. Zhancai is a bloodsucker and a spendthrift in our family. He is the heartless and ungrateful wretch. It's all my fault for misjudging you. You are my good son. You can't abandon me now!"
Hearing this, Chen Zhanliang felt a surge of anger, his eyes blazing with fury. "What's the point of saying all this now? Get out of here and don't bother listening to your pointless words."
Without even glancing at Old Lady Chen, Madam Sun anxiously asked Chen Zhanliang, "Zhanliang, my elder brother's family has been arrested and taken to jail. What are we going to do?"
"Cuiqin, don't worry. My brother and sister-in-law haven't done anything illegal or disorderly. I'll go find Dabao right now and we'll figure out a way to get them out."
"Then what are you waiting for? Go on!"
"Alright, I'll go right away." Chen Zhanliang didn't dare delay and headed towards Qingshui Town...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com