As the Zhang family members got nearer, the villagers realized that there were five people. There was a middle-aged man who should be Li Gui’s husband and also an old lady who should be her mother-in-law. The one limping was Zhang Cong, and those two children were…?
“It’s our older brothers! Our older brothers! They’re here too!” Zhang Qin pointed into the distance and said to Qiao Mei.
“What! Zhang Wei and Zhang Chao are here too! They! What are they doing here!” Li Gui was greatly shocked and did not know what to do. She worried that the two children would get hurt.
“They either want to use the two children to threaten you into giving them the money or they intend to send the children back to you,” Qiao Mei said as she looked at the group of people walking over.
When she was a lawyer in her other life, she had seen too many people make use of children to threaten their mothers into making compromises. She had thought about how the situation would turn out today, but she did not expect Zhang Qian and Old Madam Zhang to be so heartless.
“Sister, don’t worry. It’s still a good thing to have the children sent back to you. It’s better than the children being bullied by them all the time!” Auntie Wang said.
“That’s right, sister. We have Qiao Mei with us. Don’t worry, the children will definitely be fine,” Auntie Dong also comforted Li Gui.
The women had become even angrier when they saw the two children. They felt uncomfortable seeing people using children to threaten their mothers. As mothers themselves, they also could not bear to see other people’s children being bullied.
“Don’t be afraid, mom. You’ve got me. Zhang Qin and Zhang Miao, go back to the house,” Qiao Mei said to the two children. It would not be good if a fight broke out again later and caused them to get hurt.
Qiao Mei held the hands of the two children and said, “Remember, no one will bully you in the future. If anyone bullies you, hit them back. Don’t be soft-hearted and don’t let yourself be manipulated by others. You have me, so don’t be afraid. But we won’t take the initiative to bully others, understand?”
Zhang Qin and Zhang Miao looked at Qiao Mei and nodded. “We get it, elder sister.”
In the past, they could only be in a position to be bullied and they neither thought of fighting back nor imagined that they could fight back at all. Now that they had an elder sister, they were no longer afraid and they would not allow anyone to bully them.
“Yes, yes! Children, come with me. Come in quickly.” Auntie Zhou brought the two children into the house before she came back out.
Not long after, the Zhang family members reached the villagers. Old Madam Zhang first looked around and sized up the courtyard, and was very satisfied with what she saw. The vegetables planted in such a large courtyard would be enough for their whole family to eat. If they could not finish it all, they could sell the remaining vegetables on the black market to supplement the family’s income. This could be worth a lot of money.
The more Old Madam Zhang looked around, the more satisfied she was. In her mental calculations, she even removed the expenses for Li Gui and the four children as if they were not human and not part of the family.
Everyone in the courtyard was staring at these people from the Zhang family. Old Madam Zhang had swaggered in once she arrived. Was it wrong of her to come to see her daughter-in-law? There was no reason to chase her out.
As soon as she entered, she pointed at Li Gui and said, “Don’t you know to get me a glass of water! Do you want me to die of thirst!” The way that Old Madam Zhang scolded Li Gui made everyone present feel very unhappy. When Old Madam Zhang saw that these women were gathered here, eating watermelons and snacking on melon seeds, she had the preconceived notion that the food were all planted by Li Gui and that what belonged to Li Gui also belonged to her.
“Don’t you know how to give up a seat for an old lady like me. This is my daughter-in-law’s house and you’re all here to sponge off her so shouldn’t you have some decency to give up a seat for me. I’m exhausted from walking all day!” Old Madam Zhang looked at all the people in the courtyard and said reproachfully.
Auntie Dong was not to be outdone. “Aiyo, I was wondering who’s this old woman who looks like she’s from some remote village. So you’re Li Gui’s vicious mother-in-law. Anyway, although this place belongs to your daughter-in-law, this stool belongs to my family, the watermelons belong to Sister Wang’s family, and the melon seeds in her hand are brought by Qiao Mei. Which of these is yours?”
“Hahahahahaha!”
What Auntie Dong said made everyone laugh out loud. The color of Old Madam Zhang’s face alternated between green and purple, and she was so angry that she could not speak. In the end, everything belonged to others, so Old Madam Zhang naturally could not ask them to get up and give up a seat for her. She could only swallow her anger.