On the other side, Yin Lan finished arguing with Widow Ye.
The other women felt awkward. Why was Chen's eldest daughter-in-law acting so differently today? In the past, people would avoid her and never say a word no matter what they said to her. They thought she was someone who couldn't speak properly, but who knew she was so sharp-tongued.
Even the most sharp-tongued widow was scolded by her, and when she met Yin Lan's sharp gaze, the woman awkwardly changed the subject and quickly left.
Zhao Dashan was utterly dumbfounded!
He always thought his wife was polite and kind, but it turns out she has a sharp tongue!
However, Widow Ye didn't have a very good reputation among the men, so he not only didn't feel anything was wrong, but was actually quite comfortable and admiring. He wished he had such a sharp tongue.
Yin Lan turned her head and looked at him with a warm smile, "Brother Dashan, could you please help me carry these things to the door?"
She was completely exhausted.
Even without her saying it, Zhao Dashan was already planning to help.
Chen Da Wa and Chen Er Wa carried their baskets, which were already dragging on the ground, home. They had a good haul for the day, but the thought of the Yin family members still at home kept them from getting excited.
After turning a corner, I arrived at my own doorstep.
"mother..."
Yin Lan beckoned the two children over, but seeing the pile of things at the door, the two children were not happy at all.
So much stuff means Mom received Dad's allowance—so much white rice, and meat... What a pity...
"What's wrong?" Yin Lan asked, noticing that the two children were upset.
Chen Da Wa just looked up and opened his mouth.
"Why did you take so long to get back?" An old woman's voice sounded from behind.
Yin Lan's heart sank, but she immediately curled her lips into a smile. She didn't go to their door to look for them, but the Yin family delivered themselves to her door.
She turned her head and smiled, "Mother, what brings you here?" She looked at the eggs in Old Madam Yin's hand, "Is this because my eldest brother beat me before, and I brought these eggs to apologize?"
Old Mrs. Chen's face stiffened.
I only hit her once, why do you remember it so clearly? Why bring this up? She only hit you once and she apologized? Who do you think you are? She saw these eggs being sold cheaply on her way here and bought them to take back to nourish her grandson. How could she possibly give them to you! How can you be so shameless! A worthless woman raised you all these years and you don't even know how to be grateful, and you dare to ask her for things?!
Old Mrs. Yin cursed Yin Lan in her heart, when she suddenly noticed a pile of things on the ground out of the corner of her eye.
"Honestly, you should just give me the money as before. Why buy so much stuff? I didn't catch the bus here. How am I supposed to carry it all back?" Besides, if the villagers see this, they'll gossip.
Even the naive and innocent Chen Erwa knew what kind of person Old Madam Yin was, and his face turned red with anger.
Chen Da-wa clenched his fists. There was nothing left in the house. If they were really going to be taken away, he would fight to the death to keep a single grain of millet!
He stepped forward to protect his belongings.
But just as he feared, his mother stopped him!
The eldest son's eyes instantly reddened, and tears streamed down his face. His mother was still the same mother she always had! Regardless of whether he and his brothers would starve to death, he hated his mother! He hated her! He would never forgive her!
The thought of the agony of hunger, and the way Erwa and Sanwa cried out in hunger, made him determined to never let anything be taken away, even if it meant being beaten to death!
He glared fiercely at Yin Lan.
To his surprise, while Yin Lan stopped Chen Da Wa, she also pushed away the hand that Old Madam Yin reached out, but she herself took a step forward and stood in front of the pile of things.
Grandma Yin was surprised. What? You still hold a grudge about being beaten? Do you want an explanation?
She never imagined that she wouldn't be able to take these things back with her.
"Alright," said the old lady, "my brother said he's sorry about what happened that day. Get out of the way, and find another oxcart so I can take the things back." Let others say what they want; she couldn't hear them anyway. It was her daughter who was being scolded, so she didn't care. What mattered was her grandson. "You know Jun'er passed the preliminary exam at Baima Academy, right? In two years, Jun'er will be a student, and if he passes the county-level exam, he might even become a provincial-level scholar, and that... a county-level scholar. I've taken the things. As for the letter you wanted, Mother will give it to you." Finally, the old lady leaned closer to Yin Lan and whispered.
Chen Da Wa's expression changed.
Erwa didn't know what had happened, but he was worried that his things would be stolen again. He was like a small cannonball that had already been lit.
Yin Lan remained unmoved.
"Get out of the way!" Old Mrs. Yin shoved people directly.
Yin Lan shoved her back, and before the old lady could even stand up straight, she sneered, "Passed the preliminary exam? He started learning at the age of three. Such a simple preliminary exam, other people's children pass on their first try at the age of four, but he's five and it took him four tries to pass. And you're already proud of that? You want to become a scholar or a provincial graduate? How many times do you plan to take the exam this time? Do you plan to take it until you're in your coffin?"
The two children suddenly looked up and stared at their mother in disbelief.
Did Mother say those words just now?
Grandma Yin was also incredulous, her old face twitching and contorting, "You...what did you say?"
“I said he’s a good-for-nothing! Even if Erwa studied for half a year, he could be better than him. And you have a letter? What letter? I don’t know anything about it, Mother. I’m already married. I plan to spend my life with Dawa’s father. You took Dawa’s father’s thirty taels of silver as a bride price. What? Now you’ve set your sights on another family’s money and want to marry me off again, even though I’m already married?” Yin Lan retorted emphatically.
Yin Lan and her child lived in a house at the east end of the village, while the other houses were concentrated in the south of the village. The east side was a large field with few people, but there were still some people doing farm work and looking for wild vegetables. Hearing the noise, they all straightened up and looked over from a distance.
Although it was unclear what they were arguing about, Yin Lan's voice was loud, and a few key words could still be heard from afar: "In the past, Mother, you forced me to give money to support my family. Now my three children can't even afford bran to eat and are about to starve to death. Are you going to take away even the last bit of food from them?"
"To marry off an already married daughter a second time?"
Yin Lan also listed in detail the things that Old Lady Yin had taken from the house in the past, such as pots, kitchen knives, a thick quilt, countless bags of rice, monthly allowances, etc.
The villagers who heard this looked at each other in disbelief. They had thought that Chen's wife had given herself to her family willingly. But it seemed that her family had come to take her away.
Old Mrs. Yin was a formidable figure in the original village. Right? No one would mistreat their own child; it turns out they were all robbed!
Although Yin Lan had a bad reputation and nobody wanted to talk to her, she was a villager and Chen Yourun's wife. There was no reason for villagers to stand idly by when they were being bullied.
The group exchanged glances. "Let's go! Let's help!"
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