The cause of her mother's death has always been a taboo topic in the family. Seeing that Jiang Yu was about to expose it today, Jiang Chun deliberately used anger to cover up the matter and scolded her.
"How dare you mention your mother? Everyone knows she doted on Dalong the most when she was alive. If you really have a conscience, hurry up and give us the money, so your mother won't worry about it down there."
His voice was powerful and imposing, but the fear in his heart was impossible to hide.
Shen Niannian hugged her father's leg in fear and whispered:
"Dad, let's go home. I'm scared every year."
From what her mother said, the little old man was her father, her maternal grandfather. And the one who had been staring at him with a fierce look from the moment he entered was her uncle, Jiang Dalong.
He had seen Jiang Meier in the house more than once. After learning that everyone in the house was bullying them, Shen Niannian never wanted to come to her maternal grandmother's house again.
His little hands gripped Shen Ying's fingers tightly, as if he could only feel safe by his father's side. But his mother had also been bullied, and Shen Niannian thought to himself: They bullied Mom, I will definitely take revenge when I grow up.
A little while later, I felt an upset stomach, and taking advantage of the tense atmosphere in the room, I slipped out to go to the toilet.
Shen Ying's attention was entirely focused on Jiang Chun, and he didn't notice his son leaving. He was afraid that if he wasn't careful, the old man would attack the woman. Although his family was poor and his father died early, the three siblings had always gotten along very well and had never really fought over anything.
In his memory, his mother had always been gentle and kind. He thought all parents loved their children, but he never imagined that Jiang Yu was living such a life.
If he hadn't gone along with them this time, he really wouldn't have understood what parents who exploit their children were thinking. Now he knows, they're simply using them as tools to achieve upward social mobility.
In his view, the woman at this moment would probably be submissive or go along with the old man's wishes and take out some money.
He had even planned that if things really came to a head, he would go home and get some money for an emergency. He couldn't possibly let his two children go motherless just for a thousand yuan, could he?
However, he still needed to respect Jiang Yu's wishes first. With that in mind, he shifted his gaze to the woman.
At this moment, Jiang Yu showed an unusual stubbornness on her face, completely unmoved by Jiang Chun's rude demands.
"I'm afraid that if my mother knew the reason for her death, she would haunt you even as a ghost."
"Stop talking nonsense. That woman clearly cheated on her husband and disgraced her family, so she got her just desserts. She deserved to die. If you don't hand over the money, I'll strangle you too."
Jiang Dalong's menacing appearance made him look exactly like a murderer.
Years ago, their mother suffered long-term oppression from the old man. When she fell ill, she was not allowed to see a doctor and was forced to work in the fields, eventually becoming paralyzed and bedridden. Seeing that she was no longer of any use and still wanted to eat, Jiang Chun found rat poison and added it to the rice porridge, poisoning her to death.
Fearing exposure, they used this excuse of tarnishing his reputation to let the matter drop. At that time, Jiang Dalong was young and believed his father's words without question. In addition, the old man never mistreated him, so even if he knew the truth, he remained unmoved.
Shen Ying grabbed the woman's arm and held it behind her back. Standing in front of this group of greedy family members, his dark eyes scrutinized Jiang Dalong, his gaze pressing closer with each step.
Seeing this, Jiang Chun's voice softened, and she couldn't help but kick her son, telling him to go play in the yard. Before leaving, Jiang Dalong didn't forget to glare fiercely at Jiang Yu.
Slowly, Jiang Chun spoke:
"You don't need to worry about your mother. We only have one request now: make the boy from Shenjiazhuang pay an extra thousand yuan in betrothal gifts. If he does, we can still maintain normal relations. If he doesn't, I guarantee you won't be able to stay in Shenjiazhuang."
The villagers are most averse to filial impiety. If Jiang Chun were to describe the story of his eldest daughter refusing to give money in a different way, the situation would be quite different.
Compared to the last time Shen Ying's aunt caused trouble, his status as the woman's only maternal father seems more convincing.
"Okay, then I'll wait and see."
In Jiang Yu's view, if she wanted a good life, she first had to sever ties with her so-called family. Since they were going to spread rumors about her, she might as well reveal the old man's poisoning of his wife as well. The main point was to hurt each other and see whose story was the most credible.
"Fine, fine, you unfilial daughter, don't come to our house again. From now on, this family has nothing to do with you."
Jiang Chun never expected his eldest daughter to dare to stand up to him, and an unrealistic thought popped into his mind.
"I couldn't have gotten it."
After saying this, Jiang Yu was about to leave, but before she went out, she didn't forget to pick up the eggs from the ground and put them in her pocket. Since things had come to this point, leaving the things here would be a waste.
Jiang Chun was furious and tried to snatch it back, but seeing that she couldn't, the insults came again. At first, she complained that she hadn't taken enough, but now, she didn't even have two pounds of eggs left.
Before leaving, Jiang Yu looked around for Chen Niannian, but couldn't find her anywhere. She muttered to herself, "This shouldn't be happening. Niannian is usually obedient and wouldn't run off like that."
Just then, a loud cry came from outside the door. The two rushed outside and saw Jiang Dalong shove Shen Niannian to the ground and rummage through his pockets for candy. Jiang Yu was furious.
Jiang Dalong, still harboring resentment after being intimidated by Shen Ying, ran into Shen Niannian as she came out of the restroom. Without a word, he walked towards her, glancing at her every now and then with eyes full of hatred.
Shen Niannian was still fiddling with her clothes, her mind filled with thoughts of getting back to her father as soon as possible. She looked up and met Jiang Dalong's gaze. Already feeling a strange sense of dread towards him, she could only slowly walk along the wall, trying her best to avoid him.
But Jiang Dalong was clearly after him, standing in the only way to enter the house and waiting. He originally wanted to scare him to vent his anger, but by sheer coincidence, he saw the White Rabbit milk candy sticking out of his pocket and reached out to rummage through it.
It was bought by her mother, and Shen Niannian usually cherished it so much that she wouldn't even eat it herself. Seeing the candy being snatched away, she reached out to grab it back, but was pushed down by the incredibly strong Jiang Dalong.
Under his watchful eye, he unwrapped the candy and popped it into his mouth.
Shen Niannian cried his heart out. Jiang Yu practically rushed over and hugged him tightly, checking him over for any injuries. Only after hearing Shen Niannian's tearful explanation of what had happened did she breathe a sigh of relief.
Immediately afterwards, Jiang Dalong said unhurriedly:
"So what if I take one piece of candy from you? You still have the nerve to cry. If you don't give me any next time, I'll beat you to death."
The little brat had at most been bullied by Shen Bo, who was four years older than him, and Shen Bo looked much gentler than Jiang Dalong. After being threatened, Shen Niannian looked at him with a terrified expression, as if she were looking at something scary.
*Snap.*
In full view of everyone, Jiang Yu slapped Jiang Dalong across the face, leaving a handprint.
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