All that could be seen was Jiang Xiangnan, who had just crashed into her son, wearing a smug expression, with no trace of fear or regret on his face.

Instead, he wore a victorious grin.

Behind him, a group of burly men stood in the yard, and people continued to pour in through the gate.

Each man was strong and had a fierce expression, holding iron shovels and hoes, as though they wanted to level her house.

Her mouth trembled, and she shakily shouted, “Old man, come out! People from the neighboring village are bullying us! Hurry up and call for help!”

Old Liu, lying on his bed smoking, could clearly hear what was going on outside, but he had no intention of intervening in the women’s affairs.

Besides, his wife was tough, and once she dealt with Jiang Yu, she would surely be more obedient.

At that point, he could…

Hearing his wife’s shout, he stopped smoking immediately, rolled out of bed, and rushed out. “What’s going on?”

When he saw the group of men in the yard, his face changed drastically. He sternly shouted, “What are you doing? Who gave you permission to enter my yard?!”

“You think it matters whether you allowed it or not?” Jiang Xiangnan snorted, showing no respect in his eyes or on his face.

Old Liu recognized him as Jiang Yu’s nephew, a generation below him.

In the past, whenever they met, he would smile widely and bow politely, but now he was so rude!

He was furious. “I’m your aunt’s father-in-law! How dare you speak to an elder like this? How were you raised?”

“She raised him like this! As for his father, you can ask him when you’re underground,” a woman’s voice said from the back.

Her words were not only rude but ominous.

Elderly people especially dislike talking about death, and Old Liu was no exception.

After hearing those words, his face turned from red to blue with anger.

The crowd parted, and Shen Qing quickly walked forward, breathing steadily as she faced the Liu family.

Jiang Yu, who had been supported, saw the person and held back her tears as she choked out, “Sister-in-law.”

Shen Qing looked at Jiang Yu, who was around 21 or 22, her hair disheveled, face pale, and one of her legs clearly unable to bear weight.

Yet, she tightly held a wooden hairpin in her hand.

Shen Qing immediately understood.

Her eyes welled up, and she spoke gently, “It’s okay now, sister-in-law. I’m taking you home today. From now on, everything will be better.”

Jiang Yu could no longer hold back the tears she had been suppressing, and they fell in large drops.

“What a big mouth you have! Who do you think you are to take her back? Don’t forget, you took ten taels of silver from my Liu family!” Liu Pozi, standing behind Old Liu, pointed and shouted.

Liu Sheng added, “Right! Who do you think you are to take her away? Not only do you need to return the ten taels of silver, but you must also reimburse us for everything Jiang Yu ate, drank, used, and lived on during her three years in our family!”

The men of Qili Village, hearing this, were enraged.

Their chests heaved violently, and their grip on the iron shovels and hoes tightened. “Does Liu family have no shame?!”

“Don’t worry, your grandfather will knock your teeth out. Let’s see if you still want to talk!”

“You’re really asking for a beating! If you don’t get one, you’ll never know your place!”

The women squeezed in from behind and supported Jiang Yu, comforting her. “Don’t be afraid, we’re not pushovers either.”

“If Liu family wants to play the bully, we can show them what’s what! We’re just as strong and can handle them!”

Jiang Yu’s gaze turned to the familiar figure at the front, and she felt a slight sense of relief.

Once relaxed, she felt all her strength drain away.

She leaned on Zhao Mingyue and Xu Hongmei, whispering, “Aunt, let me rest for a while.”

Zhao Mingyue almost burst into tears at the sight.

She quickly said, “Rest on me, it’s okay, don’t worry.”

Xu Hongmei wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

The other women who had come with Jiang Yu surrounded her in the middle, all anxiously looking at the Liu family and then at Shen Qing, afraid she might be at a disadvantage.

Shen Qing sneered, “If you want to cancel it, fine. But let’s calculate the wages of the workers.”

Liu Pozi was stunned. “Workers? What do you mean? What wages?”

“Since you want to return the betrothal gift, then this is no longer about marrying a wife. Why would our daughter work tirelessly for three or four years in your family? Who would work for nothing in someone else’s house?”

“In big families in the capital, maids earn a monthly salary of one tael of silver. Let’s halve it for Xingcheng, about five qian per month. That’s six taels a year, and for three or four years, let’s settle on three full years. That’s a total of eighteen taels!”

As for what Liu Sheng said about food, drink, and lodging, Shen Qing dismissed it. “It’s obvious that when working for the family, room and board are included by default!”

“Now, you owe us eight taels of silver. Once you pay, we’ll take her home.”

The Liu family was left dumbfounded.

Something didn’t seem right, but they couldn’t put their finger on it.

Liu Sheng was the first to react.

He corrected himself, “Fine! The ten taels of silver is the betrothal gift, and Jiang Yu is my wife.”

Shen Qing sneered, “Oh? Now you remember she’s your wife? I thought she was your enemy.”

Liu Sheng pretended he didn’t hear and insisted, “I finally married her, and I’m not giving her a divorce letter. What are you going to do about it?”

Shen Qing acted as if she didn’t hear, stepping back a few steps as she looked at the brick and tile house behind Liu Sheng.

She clicked her tongue and said, “Not bad, not bad, still a brick-and-tile house. I suppose the furniture and decorations inside are also quite nice?”

Upon hearing Shen Qing praise her house, Liu Pozi puffed out her chest proudly. “Of course! It cost a full twenty taels to build! Even the roof tiles are made of the best. It’s the only one in the entire village!”

“I remember your house is still a thatched cottage, right? Jiang Yu doesn’t have a good fate. She could’ve lived in this nice house, but instead, she wants to go back to that dilapidated shack?”

“Why would she want to go back to eating only once a day and living on wild vegetables?”

Shen Qing thought to herself that in three months, this brick-and-tile house would be wasted, and whether their lives would be spared was still uncertain.

She looked at her three sons and said leisurely, “Did you hear? Your aunt hasn’t been divorced yet. This is your aunt’s house. You’ve finally come to visit your relatives, don’t you want to go in and take a good look around? Don’t accidentally slip and break any dishes or vases.”

“You’ve been eating wild vegetables at home, but at your aunt’s house, you shouldn’t have to eat that. No pork? No problem! But there are eggs, duck eggs, and old hens in the chicken coop—just right to serve guests.”

“Oh, by the way, we’ve run out of rice and flour at home. Since your uncle has some, it wouldn’t hurt to take a little supplement.”

Jiang Xiangdong, Jiang Xiangnan, and Jiang Xiangbei immediately understood and shouted, “Yes, mom is right!”

The three of them rushed into the house.

The Liu family members were panicked.