Chapter 11: The Children Are Being Bullied

The next day, with the help of the whole family, Yang Erdan managed to build a door. Although it was very rough, it served its purpose. Once he installed the door panels, Jiang Ning tested the copper lock she had acquired. After confirming it could keep thieves out, the whole family breathed a sigh of relief. Next was repairing the roof, a task Yang Datou took upon himself.

Although the room Jiang Ning slept in was relatively sturdy, that was only by comparison. When Yang Datou climbed onto the roof, he didn't dare put any weight on it, not even daring to step on the rafters for fear of snapping them. He repaired the roof with such trepidation that it ended up taking even longer.

Fortunately, the roof was eventually fixed. While the room wasn't suitable for living, it was fine for storing things, so the whole family moved their few meager belongings inside.

Jiang Ning stared at the packed dirt floor, her brows knitted tightly. "We don't have much grain left; it'll be gone in a few days, so it's fine for now. But after the autumn harvest, we can't store it like this!"

If a mouse got in or it rained for several days, the room would definitely get damp. Most people in the village used large vats to store grain, and those who were poorer used wooden chests, lining the bottom with several layers of straw and wood ash, and sprinkling a layer of lime powder on top. No matter the method, it all required money, so she had to hurry up and earn some.

As the saying goes, what you fear most is what happens. Just as Jiang Ning was thinking about how to prevent dampness, the weather, which had been clear for several days, suddenly changed. A clap of thunder echoed in the afternoon, and an unexpected heavy rain began to fall.

The family stayed in the grass shed, trembling with fear, everyone looking up at the roof without blinking.

Jiang Ning walked around a few times and observed for a while. Once she was certain it wouldn't leak, she finally let out a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on her face.

She didn't know if the crops in the fields had suffered in this weather. Without rain gear, they couldn't go out, let alone work the fields, so they could only huddle at home and worry. Liu Ye took the opportunity to work on some clothes.

With nothing to do, Jiang Ning helped her out on the side.

Xiaoya said enviously, "Sister-in-law, your needlework is so good!"

Liu Ye blushed slightly at the compliment and lowered her head. "There was an embroiderer in our village who was very skilled. Rich people from miles around would come to her for clothes. She couldn't keep up, so she took on a few apprentices in the village to help her. My parents sent me to try, and I was actually chosen. But I only followed her for two years and didn't even learn the basics; I can only make simple clothes."

Liu Ye sighed, looking a bit melancholy.

Jiang Ning asked casually, "Why didn't you keep learning?"

Liu Ye shook her head. "I was five when my parents sent me; I couldn't do heavy work, so I could earn a few coins there. By the time I was seven, I could do a lot of work at home, and since I knew how to make clothes, my parents thought that was enough and wouldn't let me continue."

As Liu Ye spoke, she was on the verge of tears.

Everyone fell silent as they listened.

Xiaoya asked timidly, "Sister-in-law, can you teach me? I can help you."

"Of course! Come here." Liu Ye pulled herself together and beamed again.

Jiang Ning didn't say anything more. She stood up and walked to the doorway, staring at the rain pouring in. She frowned and said, "When the rain stops, we need to put a wooden board against the door. I remember we had one piece of rain gear we didn't bring over, right?"

Rain gear was considered a valuable item. It was large and heavy, and very cumbersome to wear. Since it hadn't rained, no one had thought of it for a while.

Yang Datou nodded. "Yes, there is one. When the rain stops, I'll take Erdan to the old house."

Jiang Ning didn't want to have too much contact with the people at the old house, so after giving the instruction, she left it at that. She didn't expect that the children would be gone for half the day, and when they returned, they all had injuries on their faces.

Jiang Ning’s face darkened immediately. "What happened? Who did this?"

Hearing this, Yang Xiaoya’s mouth drooped, and she burst into loud sobs. "Mother! It was Second Aunt, Fugui, Daya, and Er'ya! The four of them ganged up on us!"

Jiang Ning couldn't believe it. "Why would Qian, an elder, hit you?"

Although Yang Xiaoya was young, she was very articulate. "Big Brother took us to get the rain gear. Second Aunt said we had already separated, and there was nothing of ours at the old house. Big Brother said that piece of rain gear was ours, and Second Aunt pointed at Big Brother and cursed him. When Big Brother tried to go in to get it, Second Aunt blocked him, grabbed his hand, and sat on the ground, claiming Big Brother pushed her. Fugui and the others just rushed over and hit us without saying a word, wuu wuu wuu..."

Seeing the injury on Er'ya's face, which looked very similar to the previous one, Jiang Ning’s expression grew even uglier. "Was it them who bullied you when I sent you to cut bamboo last time?"

Yang Xiaoya’s eyes welled up with tears, and she nodded aggrievedly. That time, she hadn't dared to say anything because she didn't know her mother had changed, fearing she would be scolded for being useless. This time, she dared to speak up because she sensed her mother was different.

Jiang Ning stood up abruptly and looked at Yang Datou. "Where are your grandfather and grandmother? Didn't they say anything?"

Yang Datou’s voice was muffled. "As soon as the rain stopped, Grandfather and Second Uncle went to the fields. Grandmother was probably in the vegetable patch; we didn't see them."

"What about your Third Uncle and Third Aunt?"

Yang Erdan shook his head. "Didn't see them."

Jiang Ning laughed in anger. "Didn't see them! Or were they deliberately avoiding you?"

Fearing that Jiang Ning would lose her temper, Liu Ye quickly persuaded her, "Mother, don't be angry yet. Maybe Third Uncle and Third Aunt were away for a reason?"

Jiang Ning recalled the personalities of the third branch couple. Although they were timid and avoided trouble, they wouldn't just stand by and watch. She said, "I know. You all go back to your work. Eldest, go to the fields and see if the crops are okay. Second, go work on the door panels. Third and Fourth, help out. Xiaoya, go help your sister-in-law. None of you are to go out."

After arranging the children, Jiang Ning looked at the sky, took a deep breath, and stepped out of the courtyard.

Yang Sizhuang couldn't help at all. Seeing Jiang Ning leave, his eyes rolled, and he secretly followed her.

Jiang Ning stepped through the muddy village path and marched aggressively toward the old house. Upon entering the courtyard and seeing everyone there, she immediately said sarcastically, "Oh! Everyone is here now! If any one of you had been around earlier, my children wouldn't have been bullied. Now that you've finished bullying them, you all appear?"

Li held a wooden basin and looked Jiang Ning up and down. "Looks like you've really recovered! You just got over a serious illness, and instead of resting at home, you come here to make veiled accusations—what are you trying to do? Want to cause trouble again?"

Zhou whispered an explanation, "Sister-in-law, my mother was ill, so we left before dawn today to go to my maiden home. We just got back."

Jiang Ning glanced at Zhou, her expression finally softening a little. She crossed her arms and looked toward the room where the second branch lived. "Tell Qian to come out and see me."

Zhou and Li exchanged a look, as if they had expected this.

Li frowned. "Eldest daughter-in-law, we've already separated the family. Can you stop making trouble?"

"I said, tell Qian to come out and see me!" Jiang Ning’s voice rose several decibels.

Li was startled. Seeing Jiang Ning’s stance, her heart sank. Seeing that Qian was slow to come out, she sensed something was wrong, so she shouted toward the second branch's room, "Second daughter-in-law, get out here!"