noffsinger Chapter 141: Deadly Bite
Chapter 141: Deadly Bite
Li Taohua was happily enjoying hotpot, but a shrew came to cause trouble next door.
"If you hadn't stolen my vegetables, would they have gotten away?" Grandma Zhang cursed shrilly. "Zhou Zhaodi, our eldest brother wouldn't dare do such a thing. You did it, didn't you?"
"Grandma, even if my mother had ten arms, she couldn't have pulled out all the vegetables overnight, right?" Zhang Dazhu said. "Your vegetables are gone, so we can only say they were stolen, but we can't be blamed for the thief. If we don't want to give them to you, you can always ask the village chief to make the decision for us. Everyone in the village knows that we were kicked out without asking for anything. According to village rules, no one can divide the property like this. If we ask the village chief, not only will we have the vegetable patch, but we will also have the silver and house that originally belonged to us."
"You wish. You learned my old man's craft and got a great deal, and now you still want money and a house?" Grandma Zhang spat, never thinking that she was spatting at her own descendants.
"My father was willing to teach my uncle the craft, but he couldn't stand the hardship and didn't want to learn. How can we be considered to be taking advantage? We've paid back all these years."
Carpenter Zhang was always submissive, and Grandma Zhang scolded him for a long time, but only Zhang Dazhu could stand her scolding. Suddenly, Zhou burst into tears and rushed out.
"If you insist on forcing me to death, then I will die in front of you..." Zhou ran out crying.
"Mother, what are you doing?" Carpenter Zhang hurriedly chased after her.
Zhou shouted loudly, "Everyone, listen! My mother-in-law really won't leave us any chance of survival. We don't want anything anymore and have left it all to my uncle, and yet she's trying to force us to death. Life is so painful anyway, we might as well die. I want to see which good girl would be willing to marry her precious little son after she forces her own daughter-in-law to death?"
"Stop trying to scare me. It was obviously you who stole my food. If you're not feeling guilty, why don't you tell me what you were doing last night?" Grandma Zhang cursed, putting her hands on her hips.
"Hey, Zhang Lei's mother, please don't ask. What old woman would ask about what goes on in her son and daughter-in-law's room? If she doesn't sleep at night, what else can she do?"
It was dinner time and everyone in the village was eating. When they heard the noise, they all held their bowls and watched the show.
When Widow Wang said this, everyone burst into laughter.
"Today is really interesting. Grandma Tang made a fuss, and then Grandma Zhang made a fuss. You are so old, can't you just calm down and stop causing trouble for us young people?"
"Old ladies nowadays are not easy to deal with. If they are not satisfied, they will use filial piety to pressure their sons and daughters-in-law. If they are still not satisfied, they will try to commit suicide. Push them to death and make them beg for food."
"What's going on with the old woman from the Tang family?" Several neighbors were discussing outside with their bowls in hand.
"What else can I do? A few little kids didn't want to play with Tang Baoyu, so Tang Baoyu went back to complain to his grandmother, and then he started to make trouble for those little kids!"
"How shameless! She's meddling in the affairs of little kids. Does she really think everyone in the village should give her face? From now on, let my monkey stay away from Tang Baoyu."
Grandma Zhang was very angry when she saw that Zhou was not as easy to discipline as before, and her son and grandson were not as obedient as before. In addition, the villagers were watching the fun and making sarcastic remarks.
"One hundred coins." Grandma Zhang stated her ultimate goal. "Give me one hundred coins, and I won't care about the vegetables."
Zhou looked at Grandma Zhang and said, "Mom, did you give us any money?"
"You must have hidden some money. I saw you buy new carpentry tools. If you didn't have money, where did you get all that stuff?"
“We borrowed money to buy it.”
“Who will lend you money?”
"Me!" Li Taohua stood at the door, holding a bowl. "They have nothing, not even a pot. If they don't lend me money to buy things, are they just going to starve to death at home? I made the decision to lend them the money. When the time comes, they just have to pay me back according to the rules of lending money in the city."
"In short, you have to give me a hundred coins." Grandma Zhang insisted.
"Grandma, if you continue to be so unreasonable, we will split the family property again." Zhang Dazhu said with a cold face, "You must give us at least half of the money we have earned over the years."
"impossible."
"Then don't bother us anymore." Zhang Dazhu looked at Grandma Zhang coldly. "If you think my father is your son and must listen to you, and if he's willing to be a filial son, then I'll give him to you."
Carpenter Zhang: "...I have a wife and a son. Dividing the family property means separating me. There's no way I can go back to the old house. Mother, please stop making trouble, or I won't give you the five hundred coins you promised me."
Grandma Zhang burst into tears.
Carpenter Zhang held Zhou's hand and said, "Mother, you're tired today. I'll go cook. Let's go home!"
Zhang Dazhu waited until his parents entered the house before following them in. When he reached the door, he said to Grandma Zhang, who was sitting in the yard crying loudly, "Grandma, if you bang on the door again, I'll report you to the police. We've separated and are living our own lives. If you break into my house again and we lose something, it will be treated as a thief. Grandma, please save your face!"
Grandma Zhang's crying and cursing lasted for a while and then disappeared.
Zhou leaned over the door and looked outside. Seeing that no one was there, she trotted into the kitchen and said to Zhang, the carpenter who was making tortillas, "Dad, she's gone."
"Dad, Mom, it's not that hard to resist her, right? From today on, we're going to start a new life. From now on, our whole family will work hard to make money and save the betrothal money as soon as possible."
"Dazhu, your uncle has fallen in love with Chunni, and your grandmother has money and can afford a higher betrothal gift. If the Xiao family agrees to your grandmother, what will happen to your brother?" Zhou said.
"Let's not worry about that for now, let's just do what we have at hand. If it really comes to that, we must do our best to protect Miss Xiao. I'll go to the Xiao family tomorrow to inquire about the situation."
"It's not convenient for a grown man like you, so you'd better let your mother go," said Carpenter Zhang.
Zhang Dazhu looked at Zhou: "Mom, are you going?"
"I'm alone... I'm afraid..." Zhou said hesitantly.
"We failed to protect our second brother before. What happened cannot be changed, so we should compensate him as much as possible. If we can save Miss Xiao, our second brother will definitely be very happy."
"I'll ask Sister Taohua for advice tomorrow," Zhou said. "It would be great if she could accompany me. She's so powerful. If she helps, the Xiao family will definitely agree to our request."
"Did Huiyin's mother teach you to suddenly rush out and threaten your life today?" asked Carpenter Zhang.
Zhou said awkwardly, "Sister Taohua said she would never admit it. If she keeps pestering me, I'll cry, make a scene, and even hang myself. Let's see if she dares to force us."