“Mother, you probably don’t know, do you? That wretched woman took half a pig’s worth of meat back to Jianjia Village today.”

“What did you say?”

“That’s not even all. She even rented the village chief’s ox cart. You have no idea how grand they looked going back to Jianjia Village this time. I bet the silver from selling that wild boar was all spent on the Jian family. Mother, you know how poor that family of beggars is, drowning in debt. Now that Jian Xiu has some money, how could she not give it to her maternal family?”

When it came to adding fuel to the fire, Chen Sixi was never one to fall behind.

“Second Sister-in-law, Jian Xiu is not that kind of person. She knows her limits. If you say this, Mother will get angry again. She just recovered…”

“Smack!”

Before the words were finished, Old Man Zhang slammed his chopsticks down on the table.

For a moment, no one dared to make a sound.

Even Old Madam Liu was stuck in an awkward moment, unsure whether to swallow or spit out the porridge in her mouth.

After a long silence, the eldest son, Zhang Zirong, finally spoke up:

“Father, we can’t just let this go. Why is it that the Jian family can have it, but we at the old house can’t? Over the years, if we hadn’t taken pity on the Fourth Household, would they even be where they are today?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Fang Miaojun, who was sitting beside him, tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to stop talking.

Seeing this, Zhang Zirong quickly shut his mouth.

He felt that, as the eldest son, it was only natural for him to bring up such matters.

But his wife always whispered in his ear, telling him to speak less at home.

After hearing it so often, he had taken some of it to heart.

However, the Fourth Household really went too far today, and he couldn’t hold back anymore. That’s why he said something.

But he had no idea what he had said wrong again.

Seeing that Zhang Zirong had fallen silent, Zhang Zihua took over:

“Father, Mother, you are their elders. That pork should at least have a share for you, right?”

Originally, he could have kept quiet this time, but his eldest brother seemed to have gotten smarter lately.

At the most crucial moments, he would stop talking, leaving Zhang Zihua with no choice but to speak.

His wife also often reminded him to talk less and let the eldest household handle things. After all, Zhang Zirong was the eldest son. If he didn’t speak up, then Zhang Zihua could step in and add some pressure.

But lately, Zhang Zirong had been staying quiet at all the key moments.

Chen Shi also noticed this.

Lately, her eldest brother-in-law and his wife seemed to have grown smarter, no longer eager to be the first to speak out.

For now, she couldn’t do much about the eldest household.

Mainly because their son, Zhang Tianyi, was studying at Huaheng Academy.

According to the teachers there, the child had talent and had a real chance of passing the imperial exams as a scholar.

That was a big deal.

Zhangjia Village hadn’t produced a scholar in years.

If Zhang Tianyi really passed, even the Second Household would benefit from the honor.

Thinking about this, Chen Shi turned her gaze to Wang Xiuying from the Third Household and spoke sarcastically:

“Third Sister-in-law, I noticed your household has been unusually quiet lately. Just a few days ago, I heard people in the village saying that you’ve been getting quite close to the Fourth Household.”

“Second Sister-in-law, what do you mean by that? So what if we are closer to the Fourth Household?” Before Wang Xiuying could respond, Zhang Zifu had already spoken up.

“Oh, I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just saying that you have a good relationship with the Fourth Household. Honestly, it would be best if your household spoke up about this matter.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiuying could no longer hold back and said coldly:

“Second Sister-in-law, listen to yourself. Our Third Household spends all day working in the fields, and at night we have to take care of the pig at home. When do we have time to visit the end of the village? Besides, do you really believe everything people in the village say? If you put it that way, the other day when I was working in the fields, I heard people say you had been to the end of the village too. I wonder, Second Sister-in-law, what exactly were you doing there?”

Compared to Zhang Zifu, Wang Xiuying’s words were far sharper.

Not only were they sharp, but as soon as she finished speaking, the entire Second Household was left speechless.

“Third Sister-in-law, you… you’re being too harsh. When have I ever gone to the end of the village? But you and your household have gone more than once or twice.”

“Oh, so when I say it, it’s ‘too harsh,’ but when you say it, it’s not? Besides, you know exactly why I go there. If you dislike it so much, then from now on, the pig fodder will be your household’s responsibility again!”

As soon as these words came out, Chen Sixi immediately shut her mouth.

It was only then that she realized Wang Xiuying was no easy opponent.

Compared to Jian Xiu, Wang Xiuying was much harder to deal with.

Most importantly, Jian Xiu had no one to rely on from her maternal family, but Wang Xiuying did.

Thinking of this, Chen Sixi held back from saying anything more.

If she kept talking, she might end up having to gather pig fodder for the household again.

Seeing that the Second Household had gone silent, Wang Xiuying didn’t push further.

Instead, she started thinking of a way to inform the Fourth Household.

From what she knew about her in-laws, they would never let this matter rest.

After all, if they made a fuss, they could end up getting half of that wild boar’s meat.

Such a great opportunity—how could they possibly let it slip?

“Tomorrow, we’ll all go to the end of the village to demand justice. I refuse to believe that after raising him for decades, I can’t even get a bit of pork from him!”

Sure enough, just as Wang Xiuying had expected, Old Man Zhang, who had been silent all evening, finally spoke.

Wang Xiuying had no respect for Old Man Zhang.

He rarely spoke, but one glance from him was enough for Old Madam Liu to understand his intentions.

The two of them worked in perfect harmony—one played the bad guy, the other played the good guy.

With this in mind, Wang Xiuying knew she needed to find a way to split from the family as soon as possible.

Right now, it was the Third Household doing all the work in the fields and taking care of the house.

Yet when it came to food, they were the ones eating the least.

How could she accept that?

---

At the end of the village.

Wang Xiuying didn’t know what was happening at the old house.

Right now, her only focus was on teaching Liu Tou and Qi Tou how to read.

“Mother, you’re amazing! I didn’t know you could read!”

Liu Tou looked down at the words Jian Xiu had written, his face beaming with excitement.