"How dare you, an elder, utter such vile words to curse a junior? Aren't you afraid of having no descendants?"
Recalling that day at the Jiang family home, even though Jiang Chun was incredibly unreasonable, she never said anything malicious to the child. These people constantly used the child's illness to wound their hearts; it was utterly inhumane.
"What, are we wrong? Ever since you, our so-called elder brother, came to our family, we haven't had a single peaceful day. Not only did you bring death to your mother-in-law and father-in-law, but now even your children are tainted by the bad luck of your Shen family."
No wonder you insisted on making him a live-in son-in-law; only you yourselves probably know the real reasons behind it.
Shi Dajin, clutching his aching back, cursed loudly, which was overheard by Zhao Meiyun, who was about to enter the house. She took Shen Niannian's small hand, handed it to Shen Wan, and went straight into the courtyard to join the fight.
"You old bastard, you donate your mouth if you don't want it anymore, but your heart is so black that even if you put it on the stove and roast it, no one will eat it. You're so old, and you still can't do anything right. Didn't your mother teach you how to be a decent human being when she was alive? You bastard, if you don't like it, put it back in and have another one, so you don't pollute this beautiful air."
And you, your father had no mother to teach you, and now you have no mother either? A family of bachelors, and you can't even keep your mouth shut. You spend your days bragging and bossing people around, showing off at home. One day you'll go out and get beaten to death by some random person, your corpse will be rejected even by stray dogs.
After berating Shi Dajin, Zhao Meiyun turned and berated Shi Tian, using the most offensive and hurtful words imaginable. After her outburst, seemingly still unsatisfied, she took a couple of deep breaths, put her hands on her hips, and began again:
"I've never seen anything like it before. A bunch of parasites, gnawing on other people's flesh and blood, baring their teeth and claws. Their brains are bound and their bodies are underdeveloped, yet they still want to show off. They just repeat the same few sentences over and over, stammering and unable to explain themselves clearly."
These days, even dogs know to obey their owners and repay kindness. This guy is worse than a dog; his ancestors must have been incredibly lucky to have produced such a bunch of bastards. He even tried to dig up someone else's elderly person's coffin. If he's so capable, why doesn't he open a shop and do some business himself?
"Useless things only offend the eye."
Over the years, Zhao Meiyun has remained kind-hearted, but she's never lost an argument. She's already learned how to handle situations like today's when her husband passed away, so she has plenty of experience.
She would scold the younger generation if they were too shy to say it. After all, they were all quite old, and living in another village, so they weren't afraid of being laughed at.
"Where did you come from, you old lady? What business is it of yours?"
Shi Erjin was so angry he could barely speak. He could curse his brother and nephew, but why drag himself into it? And their ancestors, who had been dead for hundreds of years, were also suffering because of him. It was outrageous.
"What business is it of mine? Open your dog eyes and see clearly, I am Shen Ci's mother and Shu Mei's mother-in-law. Don't you know to ask around before coming here to cause trouble? After all these years, is your brain still as stupid as ever?"
Zhao Meiyun pointed at them with her index finger, feeling utterly helpless, like talking to a brick wall. She glared at the four people of varying ages, utterly disapproving of their behavior.
"Alright, alright, old lady, just you wait. I'll go back and study Sun Tzu's Art of War to figure out how to deal with you."
Shi Dajin was thoroughly scolded and nearly choked with anger. Worried about having a fit and being laughed at, he calmed himself down and backed away towards the gate.
"Get lost, still trying to read a book? Your eyes are all crooked and distorted. Focus first."
Zhao Meiyun looked at his distinctive eyes and spat.
The three siblings were already used to their mother's actions and went about their business as if nothing had happened. However, because they hadn't seen each other for many years, Shen Ci was so excited that he ran a few steps to help Zhao Meiyun into the house.
Jiang Yu, standing to the side, felt a jolt and patted her chest. Thank goodness her mother-in-law was reasonable; she only argued with outsiders and didn't make things difficult for family members. Otherwise, it would have been the original owner of this body who was kicked out back then.
"Sister Shu, I didn't know you and the eldest brother had suffered so much. If I had known, I would have come to see you no matter what. I'm so sorry!"
When Zhao Meiyun saw Shi Shumei, she didn't know what to say. They had only met twice in total, once for the blind date and once for the wedding, and hadn't even had time to get to know each other.
If her eldest son hadn't contacted the family to warn her, she probably would have had to rely on her memory to recognize her eldest daughter-in-law.
"No, that's not true. We had a notarized document done before the marriage, and that's why we went down this path. Nobody's to blame, nobody's at fault."
She had witnessed firsthand how her sister-in-law and mother-in-law had genuinely helped her. If they had any other intentions, they could have easily smoothed things over when the Shi family was there.
Moreover, the care shown by her in-laws was genuine, so she had no reason to be constantly on guard, and those actions brought her a long-lost sense of warmth.
"Mommy, Grandma was really fierce just now, but she was also very good at chasing away the bad guys."
Shen Niannian quickly ran to Jiang Yu's side and whispered something. Although he was still young, he already had the ability to distinguish right from wrong.
"Aren't you scared every year?"
The woman smiled at her son's exaggerated expression, patted his head, and asked.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, everyone here is Nian Nian's family."
Shen Niannian solemnly told Jiang Yu that his aunt and grandmother had told him on the way that they were going to his uncle's house today. His uncle was his father's older brother, and they were all family.
Once inside, Jiang Yu taught her son to greet people. Shen Niannian called out in a soft, sweet little voice:
"Uncle, Auntie."
Looking at the well-behaved child, Shen Ci was overjoyed. Perhaps it was because of blood ties, but when he reached out to pull Shen Niannian into his lap, Shen Niannian wasn't shy at all. Not only that, she was also like a little chatterbox, asking all sorts of questions.
Shen Wan, who hadn't been able to get a word in edgewise, took the opportunity to take out a small handkerchief and carefully unfold it. Inside was her second sister-in-law's paycheck, a full twenty ten-yuan bills.
"Sister-in-law, this is my salary. It's not much, but it can help in an emergency."
He presented it to Shi Shumei with folded hands.
"This...this is unacceptable."
Shi Shumei looked at her graceful and elegant sister-in-law with a sense of unfamiliarity. It was all because they had married too young; when she first met Shen Wan, she was just a child.
She hurriedly waved her hand, tears welling in her eyes.
Since the incident at home, everyone has either come to pretend to care, kick someone when they're down, or come to watch the spectacle.
Only her in-laws came to support her and brought her money. She forced back her tears, turned away, afraid of being seen.
"Take it, child. It's not much, but it's a token of our appreciation."
Zhao Meiyun noticed the woman's sadness, took her hand, and comforted her.
"Auntie, these are White Rabbit milk candies I brought from home for Yangyang."
Shen Niannian slid off Shen Ci, holding a bag full of candy, and gave it to Shi Shumei. Her aunt said that her uncle's son, Yangyang, was seriously ill.
If I give him some sweet candy, it probably won't hurt anymore.
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