Chapter 7: Why Should I Have to Repay It?

“You unfilial son! Now you’re pushing me off onto your second brother? I’m going to beat you to death today!”

Wang Lanxiu took off her cloth-soled shoe and began smacking Shen Jianmin with it—once… twice…

Shen Jianmin’s expression slowly became numb.

“You old woman are being completely unreasonable!” Zhang Qin stepped forward and yanked the old lady aside. Second aunt Zhu Xiaojing and third aunt Liu Cuiping didn’t stay idle either—they immediately stood in front of their brother-in-law to block her.

“I don’t care about seniority or respect anymore. If you dare lay another hand on him, I can’t promise I won’t break your old bones!”

Zhang Qin shot a fierce glare at Wang Lanxiu.

Wang Lanxiu had never been treated this way before. She turned to look at Shen Jianmin, wanting to say something.

But she saw that her usually submissive eldest son was now staring at her with an unusually calm gaze. Yet even in his calm face, she could clearly see the disappointment—that deep, unfamiliar kind of disappointment.

The words stuck in her throat.

“Big brother, aren’t you going too far? Mom just asked for a bit of meat! She gave birth to you and raised you, and you won’t even give her a bowl? Now you’re letting outsiders bully her like this? You’re completely unfilial!”

Shen Jianguo came out of the house just then, righteously criticizing his older brother.

Shen Jianmin, never good with words, wanted to say something but couldn’t get a word out. He was the type who understood everything clearly in his heart, but just couldn’t argue even a single sentence out loud.

Shen Jintao couldn’t stand it any longer. “Second uncle, if you’re so filial, why don’t you go buy some meat for Grandma?”

“You damn girl! When the elders are talking, what right do you have to butt in? How dare you speak to me like that? Whoever marries you is cursed with bad luck for eight generations!”

Shen Jianguo was deeply offended and immediately furious.

The Huo family was still here. For a second uncle to say something like that was clearly to insult them—implying the Huo family was blind for choosing such a daughter-in-law.

Huo Nanxi was spoiled at home and didn’t take such things lying down.

Although she wasn’t very fond of Shen Jintao as a future sister-in-law, she disliked even more that an outsider would speak ill of her own family.

“Our family’s luck is pretty good. At least we didn’t marry someone without a conscience. After the engagement, they ate so much from us, but when it came to breaking it off, they didn’t mention a thing. Speaking of which, when we first got engaged, I think my family gave a watch as a token. When the engagement is broken off, shouldn’t the gifts be returned?”

Shen Jintao looked at Huo Nanxi in surprise—she didn’t expect her to speak up for her. Although the two families had a good relationship, ever since she liked Lu Qingshan, Huo Nanxi had been quite disdainful of her.

But she had to admit, Huo Nanxi’s words were very well said, making her feel completely relieved.

“Why should I return it? It was Huo Beichuan who wronged me first!”

Before Shen Jianguo could respond, Shen Chunmiao exploded.

After she said this, Shen Jianguo and Xie Lanzhi didn’t respond, clearly tacitly agreeing with her.

A watch like that cost quite a bit of money, and anyway, they couldn’t afford it now.

Shen Jintao hadn’t thought about that watch before, but now that Huo Nanxi brought it up, she couldn’t let her fight alone.

“Shen Chunmiao, you’re mistaken! First of all, I was pushed into the water by you. Secondly, Huo Beichuan didn’t wrong you at all. Whoever falls into the water, he would save—because he is a proud soldier of the People’s Liberation Army. If you want to take away the engagement gift because of this, then I really think we should report this to the police!”

She already had a watch—one that Huo Beichuan bought for her, much more expensive than the one the Huo family gave Shen Chunmiao.

But she just didn’t want to let Shen Chunmiao feel comfortable, from the moment she pushed her into the water, they were no longer sisters.

“That’s right, you pushed Shen Jintao, how can you blame my brother?” Huo Nanxi was always unreasonable and wanted to get her way, so don’t expect her to be fair.

Shen Chunmiao was so blocked by this that she didn’t know what to say, her face turning red. “Anyway, that was given to me at the engagement, so it’s mine. No one said we have to return gifts after breaking the engagement!”

That was shameless.

“Fine then, keep it. Tomorrow I’ll go to the police and report you for misappropriating a soldier’s property. I wonder if your Brother Qingshan will still want you once he finds out you have a record!”

Shen Jintao looked at Shen Chunmiao with a smile in her eyes. As expected, she saw a flicker of panic in Shen Chunmiao’s eyes.

She didn’t rush but just kept watching until Shen Chunmiao couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“It’s just a watch! Only a scavenger like you would think it’s valuable. I’m telling you, in the future, I’ll have as many things like this as I want. But you? You’ll never have a good life!”

To those unaware, her words sounded like a curse. The Huo family didn’t have many virtues, but one thing was certain—they were very protective of their own.

“Don’t worry about whether Taozi will have a good life after marrying my son. You should worry about yourself instead. At this time, rushing to marry that weak, frail educated youth who can’t lift with his hands or shoulders—let me see what kind of life you’ll have!”

Liu Guifen said angrily, but after saying this, she realized something was off. After all, Shen Jintao had been chasing after that educated youth before. Would her future daughter-in-law think she was criticizing her?

She quickly added, “It’s still that Taozi has good taste, knowing that kind of man is no good.”

“Pfft!” Shen Jintao laughed out loud. She wasn’t angry at all. Now that she was clear-headed and compared carefully, even if everything that happened afterward in the dream was fake, Lu Qingshan didn’t compare to Huo Beichuan by even a toe.

“That’s right. Even if I was blind before, I see clearly now. If you think you and your Brother Qingshan can live well together, then go ahead. But don’t take what’s not meant for you!”

Shen Chunmiao immediately took off the watch. “Whoosh!”

The watch flew straight toward Shen Jintao’s face. Shen Jintao instinctively dodged. After dodging, she didn’t hear it hit the ground. Turning her head, she saw that Huo Beichuan had already caught it.

Huo Beichuan’s expression wasn’t good—not because of the watch that Shen Chunmiao had worn, but because Shen Chunmiao’s sudden action almost hurt Shen Jintao.

“Apologize!”

Huo Beichuan’s eyes were icy cold, without a trace of warmth. Having been through the battlefield, when he suddenly raised his presence, Shen Chunmiao couldn’t hold her ground.

“I… why should I apologize to her? If… if you want me to return it, I will. She’s the one who stood there herself!”