Chapter 14: Satisfied

“Exactly, exactly! There’s no such thing as being able to guard against thieves for a thousand days! If we don't go along with Jiang's wishes, and she finds a loophole one of these days, you won't even have a place to cry!”

One person after another spoke up, successfully intimidating everyone in the Yang family. Even the most unreasonable Qian-shi was dragged into the house by Yang the Second, for fear that she would cause another scene and provoke Jiang Ning.

In the end, Yang the Second took the wasteland in the west of the village and eight acres of dry land; the third branch was given two acres of paddy field and four acres of dry land in the south of the village. Old Man Yang and Li-shi kept two acres of paddy field and would live with the third branch, supported by Yang the Third; after a hundred years, those two acres of paddy field would belong to the third branch.

Yang the Second’s face was as dark as water. “We have no money to divide right now, and we still have to work the fields. We’ll build a house and move out after the autumn harvest.”

Although Jiang Ning was unhappy about letting them continue to linger in the old house, she knew she couldn't push them too hard—otherwise, even a cornered rabbit will bite. She could only reluctantly agree. “The matter of the family division is settled, but there is still the account of Qian-shi leading the charge in hitting my children that hasn't been settled!”

Speaking of this, even Li-shi felt embarrassed. With so many people watching from the outside, she roared in an unkind tone, “Eldest daughter-in-law! We’ll talk about that later!”

“I won't! Since the Village Chief is still here, I must have an explanation for this!” Jiang Ning shouted loudly.

The Village Chief felt a massive headache coming on. “Why did Qian-shi lead the charge in hitting Datou and the others?”

As he spoke, the Village Chief looked toward Yang Datou and the others.

Yang Erdan stepped forward and said, “Last time Mother sent us to the bamboo grove to cut bamboo, we happened to run into Second Aunt there. Second Aunt kept following us. Once we had cut seven or eight stalks, she came up and snatched them without saying a word. When Xiaoya wouldn't give them up, she pushed Xiaoya down and even scratched Xiaoya's face with her nails, cursing us as unwanted wild children.”

Li-shi and Yang Datou’s faces darkened simultaneously as they glared fiercely toward Qian-shi's room.

Even Yang the Second frowned upon hearing this.

Not to mention the Village Chief; his old face stretched long with fury. “A-Jiang, what is wrong with your second daughter-in-law?”

Jiang Ning pushed the children to the front. “Village Chief, look for yourself. These were hits from Qian-shi today; the wounds are still on them! The reason was that they wouldn't let the children take away the straw raincoats that belong to our First Branch! She has a cheap skin herself and still has the nerve to curse others!”

The Village Chief looked at the wounds on each child one by one, his face turning as black as the bottom of a pot. After a moment of silence, he asked slowly, “What do you intend to do?”

Jiang Ning shouted loudly, “Whoever did it, come out and apologize! I am still a very reasonable person!”

Village Chief: “...” If you were reasonable, there wouldn't be any shrewish women in our village!

Although Jiang Ning's request wasn't excessive, Qian-shi was, after all, an elder. If Qian-shi were truly forced to come out and apologize to the children, she really wouldn't be able to hold her head up in Rongshu Village anymore; she would be mocked every time she went out.

“Is there no other choice?” the Village Chief asked.

Jiang Ning looked at the children. “What do you all say?”

Yang Santie clenched his fists through gritted teeth. “I want to hit them back! Let Daya, Erya, and Fugui come out—all three of them joined in! I'll let Second Aunt go since Mother already hit her!”

The villagers watching the commotion all laughed upon hearing this. “Oh! Santie is quite principled! He doesn't take after his parents in that regard.”

Jiang Ning also couldn't help but chuckle, instinctively reaching out to pat his head.

The crowd wore expressions as if they had seen a ghost. Since when had Jiang-shi smiled at children like this? And truth be told, seeing her like this, she actually looked quite like a loving mother.

Li-shi froze for a moment. Jiang-shi, a loving mother? She got goosebumps from the very thought.

The Village Chief was both angry and amused, saying helplessly, “Santie! As the old saying goes, 'When will the cycle of vengeance end?' You can't handle things this way!”

Yang Santie said indignantly, “But I am very angry! They haven't bullied us for just one or two days. If I don't vent this anger, I'll feel miserable!”

The Village Chief choked on his words and looked at Old Man Yang with a headache. “You deal with this!”

Old Man Yang glared at Yang the Second. “You didn't teach your own children well, and you expect me to discipline them for you?”

Understanding the implication, Yang the Second grabbed a stick and went into the room, dragging Daya, Erya, and Fugui out. He gave them a few hits in public. Daya and Erya held back, not daring to cry out, though tears were already streaming down their faces.

Yang Fugui was a boy and was naturally pampered; he wailed as if he were half-dead after only one hit. Yang the Second felt bad for him, but with so many people watching, if he didn't discipline them, this matter would never be settled.

Jiang Ning watched coldly as Yang Fugui was hit three times before she looked at the children. “Are you satisfied now?”

Everyone nodded.

Only then did Jiang Ning speak to stop them. “Enough! This matter ends here. I hope you remember today's lesson. If anyone dares to bully my children again, next time I will definitely come to your door with a kitchen knife to reason with you! I mean what I say!”

The crowd was intimidated by Jiang Ning's momentum and did not doubt the truth of her words at all. They all proceeded to remind the children beside them not to provoke this family.

The eyes of Yang Datou and the others turned red. Being defended by his mother for the first time, Datou's chest swelled with a warm, aching sensation. Who could understand this feeling?

This farce ended with the Second Branch losing all their face and their house, while the quiet Third Branch of the Yang family became the biggest beneficiaries. Qian-shi grew to hate the Third Branch as well, harboring indiscriminate hostility toward Zhou-shi and Jiang Ning.

Once the Village Chief had drafted the family division documents and everyone had pressed their thumbprints, Jiang Ning finally settled down. Leading a string of children like a victorious rooster, she held her chin high, shouldered her straw raincoat, and turned to head back to the east of the village.

After all this tossing and turning, Li-shi felt completely drained. She shot a glance at Jiang Ning and said weakly, “Since the Second Branch is moving out after the autumn harvest, you all move back in first, and then move out after the harvest.”

Previously, she hadn't known the situation over there, but having seen it now, Li-shi truly couldn't stand by and watch them live in a thatched shack. If word got out, she would be branded a harsh mother-in-law; moreover, she couldn't bear to see Yang Datou and his brothers suffer.

Jiang Ning blinked. Thinking of the room they had lived in before—the original owner had never cleaned it at all, and the cobwebs on the ceiling were almost thick enough to be a mosquito net—she wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Forget it! We've already divided the family; what would it mean to move back? We have some backbone, after all. Besides, I don't want to see certain people's unappetizing faces!”

“Heh!” Li-shi laughed in anger. “Suit yourself!”

Jiang-shi actually spoke to her about backbone? Was she hallucinating, or had Jiang-shi gone mad? Regardless, she had said what needed to be said, and with so many people listening, no blame could be pinned on them.

“But... Mother, we have a deal. Since the family is divided, the Second Branch can't eat with you guys anymore! Otherwise, I won't agree! Also, the cabbage in the vegetable garden should be ready to eat by now, right? Give me two heads!” Jiang Ning asked with a grin.

Li-shi was so angry she laughed. “Heh! You certainly know how to be sensible now! Even asking for my opinion!”

She knew that while mountains and rivers might change, human nature was hard to alter.

“Of course! After all, we haven't put in much effort, right?”

Having eaten nothing but wild vegetables for several days, Jiang Ning truly couldn't take it anymore.

“Of course! After all, it's not our property, right?”

Li-shi was speechless. She waved her hand, signaling her to go to the vegetable garden herself, wanting to avoid the sight of her to save her own peace of mind.

Hearing this, Qian-shi, who was hiding in the room, immediately started making a series of loud crashing and banging noises.

(End of Chapter)