"You! You little slut, you've gone too far! How dare you talk back to your mother! I'll beat you today!" With that, Old Mrs. Jiang swung her hand and struck Jiang Ling.
Before Jiang Ling could dodge, Jiang Zhishan rushed in front of her and said to the old lady, "Mother! Hit me if you want! You're not allowed to hit my sister while I'm here!"
Jiang Zhishan was the apple of Old Madam Jiang's eye. Jiang Zhishan was studious from a young age and passed the preliminary examination at a young age. Even the teacher at the academy said that Jiang Zhishan would definitely pass the county-level examination this time.
Upon hearing this, Grandma Jiang cherished it even more. Now, seeing Jiang Zhishan glaring at her angrily, Grandma Jiang almost choked.
She looked at Jiang Zhishan, unsure whether to hit him or scold him, and could only glare angrily at Jiang Ling, pointing her finger at her and cursing, "You little whore, hand over the money right now, or else..."
"What else?" Jiang Ling rolled her eyes at the old lady in front of her.
Yesterday, that old woman Lu came to cause me trouble, and today, before things have even calmed down, my own mother has started causing me trouble again. Just thinking about Jiang Ling makes me furious.
"Grandma...Grandma..." Jiang Yaojie called out tentatively from behind Jiang Ling.
"Get out! Who's your grandmother! Don't try to get on my good side!" Old Mrs. Jiang glared at Jiang Yaojie and scolded him.
"Yaojie, let's go home!" Jiang Ling didn't want these messy things between adults to taint a child, so she quickly pushed Jiang Yaojie's shoulder and said.
Jiang Yaojie hesitated for a moment, but seeing Jiang Ling's serious expression, he had no choice but to push open his front door and go inside.
"Mother, this is Lu Family Village, not your village. If you keep making a scene like this, you'll only embarrass yourself!" Jiang Ling's tone was cold, so cold that no emotion could be heard in it.
"Make a scene? Why would I make a scene if you just give me the money right now?" Old Mrs. Jiang glared at him, looking like a shrew from the streets.
"How much do you want?" Jiang Ling sighed and asked tentatively. After all, the other party was the original owner's mother. Even if she was unwilling, the blood relationship would make her hesitate.
"Fifty taels, not a penny less!" said Old Mrs. Jiang, extending her hand.
"Mother!" Jiang Zhishan and Jiang Zhitang said in unison, their brows furrowed.
"What are you yelling about! Isn't your mother doing this for you? Son, what will you do if you don't have any money when you're about to take the imperial examination?" Old Mrs. Jiang glared and scolded.
“I already said, if it doesn’t work out, I can go take the exam again next year! Besides, I’ve already found a job copying books in town, so I can earn some money myself,” Jiang Zhishan quickly explained.
"That won't do, son! How can your time be wasted!" When she heard that Jiang Zhishan had found a job, Grandma Jiang's face turned pale with fright, as if she was afraid that Jiang Zhishan would be overworked.
“Mother, stop making a scene. You and my second brother should go home! This isn’t our village. If you keep making a scene like this, don’t you…don’t you feel ashamed?” Jiang Zhishan said with a frown and a tense face.
"Shameful? What's shameful about it? I'm just an old woman, I'm not afraid! You little whore, if you don't give me the money, I'm not leaving!" Old Mrs. Jiang said with a cold snort.
"Fine, I won't leave then!" Jiang Ling glared at Old Madam Jiang, then turned and went back into her own courtyard.
Grandma Jiang's curses soon echoed throughout every corner of Lujia Village, and many people gathered around Jiang Ling's house, whispering and discussing among themselves.
Jiang Ling, however, didn't take it seriously and continued with her work.
"Jiang, are you home?" The village chief's voice reached Jiang Ling's ears, followed by a soft knock on the door.
Jiang Ling knew perfectly well what was going on. Although she didn't want to open the door, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and open it because the other party was the village chief of Lujia Village.
"Village Chief, is there something you need?" Jiang Ling asked, opening the door a crack.
"Jiang, open the gate first. How can I talk to you like this!" the village chief said, frowning and looking displeased.
As soon as the door opened, Old Mrs. Jiang rushed in, followed closely by Jiang Zhitang and Jiang Zhishan. The village chief, who had originally wanted to come in, stood there dumbfounded.
"Get out! This is my home!" Jiang Ling snapped at Old Mrs. Jiang, clearly displeased.
"Jiang Ling, she's still my mother, how can you talk to her like that!" The village chief, regaining his senses, quickly tried to smooth things over.
"Heh..." Jiang Ling sneered, slammed the door shut, and turned to look at the four timid children, saying, "Yaojie, take your younger siblings inside! No one is allowed to come out without your mother's permission!"
“Village chief, she is my mother, but she doesn’t deserve to be my mother!” Jiang Ling’s cold words stunned everyone present.
“After my divorce from Lu Youren, I went to my parents’ house just to borrow a few bowls. But when my mother saw that it was me, she simply closed the door, afraid that I would ask her for money!” Jiang Ling said, glaring at the old lady in front of her.
"I...I didn't have any money on me to begin with. I was just afraid you'd ask me for money," Grandma Jiang continued, trying to find excuses to explain.
“Now that you’re asking me for money, I don’t have any!” Jiang Ling retorted.
"You!! Fine! This money isn't for me! It's for your younger brother, Jiang Zhishan! He's going to take the imperial examination in six months! Are you really so heartless as to ruin your brother's life?" Old Mrs. Jiang said, her gaze fixed on Jiang Zhishan.
"Mother, I already said it wasn't necessary..."
"Shut up! I'm only doing this for your own good!" Old Mrs. Jiang turned her head and glared at her, scolding her.
As the saying goes, even an upright official finds it hard to settle family disputes. Even with the village chief present, seeing the stalemate between Jiang Ling and Old Mrs. Jiang, he couldn't say a word and instead stood awkwardly in place, somewhat at a loss.
"Mother! Let's go back quickly! Eldest...eldest sister, I'm so sorry!" Jiang Zhishan suddenly exchanged a glance with Jiang Zhitang.
The two suddenly ran to Grandma Jiang's side and carried her out of Jiang Ling's house, one above the other. However, Grandma Jiang's vicious curses did not stop for a long time.
Seeing that the farce had been explained, the village chief wiped the sweat from his brow, exchanged a glance with Jiang Ling, and sighed, "You've really had a hard time!"
Jiang Ling shook her head helplessly and said nothing more, then turned and went back into the house.
Apart from Nianci, the other three children looked at Jiang Ling with some fear. Jiang Ling gently comforted them, "Don't be afraid, your mother is here and won't let you be bullied!"
After being disturbed all morning, Jiang Ling had just caught her breath when there was another knock on the door.
When Jiang Ling opened the door, she saw Jiang Zhishan standing outside with a guilty look on his face, holding a few eggs in his hand.
"Big sister, I apologize to you on behalf of Mother. Please don't make Mother angry. She did it for me." Jiang Zhishan handed the eggs to Jiang Ling.
"Come in and eat! You haven't had lunch yet, have you? We'll eat together in a bit!" Jiang Ling accepted the eggs and gestured for Jiang Zhishan to come in.
"Zhishan, did you lie to your mother?" Jiang Ling put down the eggs and led Jiang Zhishan to a secluded corner to ask.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhishan was shocked. He touched his nose, hesitated for a long time, and bit his lip before asking, "Big sister, how did you know?"
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