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Sun Shi was pregnant, hungry all the time, eating more than a man could. Her belly never seemed to fill up. In the Shen family, they typically ate only to seventy percent full, even rationing for the children. Pregnant women were given extra food. Sun Shi, even when eating twice her usual amount, was never satisfied. She would either complain at home or to others outside, claiming she was still hungry. If provoked, she would even fake a pregnancy-related illness. Shen Youfu scolded her for being a glutton, but there was no solution. Eventually, Sun Shi ate whatever she wanted and finally felt full.
Today, the Fourth grandson returned home with hawthorn berries. Sun Shi, upon seeing them, felt her mouth water. She ate the hawthorn berries Fourth Son brought. He had only brought around five or six, just for fun, not nearly enough for Sun Shi. Immediately dissatisfied, she asked Fourth grandson to go pick more for her, convinced that since no one else wanted them, they must be a lot!
However, the fourth grandson was too young to pick them alone, so he sought help from his older brother, the third grandson. The third grandson was hesitant, fearing that if things went wrong, both he and his brother would suffer. Reluctantly, he took his brother to gather hawthorn berries, and on the way, they encountered Su Zhi and her group.
The Third grandson was initially too lazy to gather hawthorn berries, but upon seeing them in abundance, he desired a basketful to save himself the trouble. However, the Eldest and second grandson clearly did not want to give him any and he resorted to threats.
Upon hearing his threats, the Second grandson immediately got angry, clenching his fists and ready to confront him, only to be stopped by his Eldest brother.
The Eldest grandson was about to ask Su Zhi to share some hawthorn berries with the Third grandson, believing that causing a commotion over a few berries was not worth it. However, before he could speak, they heard a scream from Chunyue. It turned out that when the Second grandson was about to hit his Third brother, the latter, initially frightened but seeing his Eldest brother intervene, grew bolder, thinking, “Second brother, just a few days older than me, always trying to dominate me. Today, I won’t let you have your way!” Seizing the moment while the Eldest grandson was blocking his Second brother, the Third grandson snatched Chunyue’s basket and ran off.
“You brat, stop right there!”
Enraged, the Second grandson chased after the Third grandson, and they disappeared in a flash.
Chunyue was pushed to the ground by the Third grandson. Chunxiang and Chunlan helped her up, and she winced in pain. Upon examination, they found that her hand was cut by a sharp stone, causing it to bleed.
Chunxiang and Chunlan scolded the Third grandson even though he wasn’t there, expressing their dissatisfaction, while Su Zhi offered her own handkerchief to bandage Chunyue’s wound. She suggested going down the mountain to find a doctor. Chunyue hurriedly insisted she was fine and just needed to clean and bandage the wound. Chunxiang proposed going to find the Third grandson to ask for money for medicine from their uncle and aunt.
The Eldest grandson frowned, thinking The third grandson had gone too far. To resort to physical aggression for a few wild berries and even push his own cousin to the ground was unacceptable. If left unchecked, this behavior would lead to trouble in the future!
The Fourth grandson tried to sneak away but was caught by Chuncao, who clenched her fists and started hitting him. She scolded, “You naughty boy! Your brother is naughty too! Hitting my sister! I’ll hit you!”
The Fourth grandson held his head, shouting, “It wasn’t me who hit her! It wasn’t me! Please don’t hit me, I’m not a bad boy!”
Chunlan stopped Chuncao, grabbed the Fourth grandson, and said, “Let’s go home. We’ll tell Grandpa and Grandma about this. If we don’t handle the third grandson now, he’ll become a bandit in the future!”
Su Zhi also joined them, not for the hawthorn berries – she could afford to lose a basketful – but for another reason. She had to go; there was no other choice.
Chunxiang helped the limping and sore Chunyue, while Chunlan held onto the Fourth grandson. The Eldest grandson picked up a bag of hawthorn berries left by the second grandson, Su Zhi led Chuncao, and they all walked back towards the village.
Upon reaching Su Zhi’s home, they set down the hawthorn berries and were about to head back to the old house. When Li Shi saw Chunyue’s injured hand and learned it was caused by the third grandson, she frowned. Normally gentle and averse to conflict, she endured a lot at home, but when it came to her daughters, she would not tolerate it. Seeing her daughter hurt, she felt pained and, without a word, walked towards the west side of the river.
“Auntie, she’s going to settle things with the third grandson. I’ll inform Dad and Second Uncle!”
The Eldest grandson rushed out; he knew Auntie wasn’t one to mess with, unlike Sun Shi. He had to inform Shen Zifu and Shen Zigui.
Chunyue, despite the pain, hurried outside, limping. Chunxiang and Chunlan quickly went to support her, while Chuncao ran along. Chunyun, anxious, trailed behind and tripped, trying not to cry. Su Zhi lifted her up and walked with her.
The three Shen brothers had heard Eldest grandson’s account of the situation. Shen Zifu and Shen Zigui followed Eldest grandson back, Shen Zifu worried about a physical altercation between the Second grandson and Third grandson, while Shen Zigui was concerned about Li Shi.
“Zi’an, I need to go. I must inform Third Sister-in-law that she shouldn’t eat too many hawthorn berries. Consuming an excessive amount during the early months of pregnancy is harmful. I’ve heard she’s been eating a lot since becoming pregnant, but we must ensure she doesn’t overindulge.”
Su Zhi wanted to express her concern about eating too many hawthorn berries but hesitated. The hawthorn berries she ate were taken from her, and if something went wrong, she could be blamed.
Upon realizing the severity of the situation, Shen Zi’an acted swiftly. He understood that once his elder brother and sister-in-law were involved in something, it was hard to shake off. If ever something happened, they wouldn’t stop and would pursue it for a lifetime. He was certain they would act this way. Realizing the consequences, he had Su Zhi put Chunyun on his back, then carried he while walking along Chuncao and Su Zhi, quickly heading towards the west side of the river.
After snatching the basket of hawthorn berries, the Third grandson ran for his life. Regret set in not because he realized stealing was wrong but because the Second grandson was relentlessly chasing him. He feared the Second grandson; he couldn’t match him in a fight, knowing it would hurt if he caught up. He ran frantically, causing a commotion with chickens and dogs fleeing by the roadside, drawing the attention of passersby who understood trouble was brewing in the Shen family again and followed to see what was happening.
“Mom! Help! Second brother wants to kill me!”
The Third grandson finally ran into the house and found Sun Shi in the courtyard. He immediately rushed over and hid behind her, feeling safe, watching the Second grandson confidently stride in.
Sun Shi, hands on hips, eyes glaring, scolded, “Nephew! Have you gone mad? Why are you chasing my Son? Do you intend to harm him? Try me! Go away!”
“Who do you think you’re telling to go away!”
Wang shi emerged from the kitchen, threw the cloth in her hand to the ground, and approached with a stern look. Her son wasn’t one to be scolded so easily!
“Sun Shi, my son conducts himself properly. Why did he chase the Third grandson? Why not someone else? If your Son didn’t do anything wrong, why run? Don’t accuse my Son of being crazy without understanding the situation. Maybe you should be the one to go away!”
“Why can’t we talk about this calmly? He was definitely going to use force, which is why my Son ran! Is this how an older brother should act? Just because you’re an older brother doesn’t mean you can freely hit your younger brother!”
Sun Shi faced Wang shi’s glare, unfazed. Though her sister-in-law was formidable, she wasn’t weak either! Besides, she was pregnant and couldn’t risk a physical confrontation.
The Second grandson pointed at Third Son, scolding, “He deserved it! We went to pick hawthorn berries on the mountain. When we met him on the way down, he demanded some from us. Before we could respond, he pushed Chunyue, snatched a basketful, and ran! Isn’t that robbery? Is this how an older brother should behave? He not only pushed his sister but also dared to snatch from his elders!”
Wang shi looked at the basket of hawthorn berries in the Third grandson’s hands with disdain. She knew the children had gone to pick hawthorn berries with Su Zhi, and she had heard Sun Shi ask his Son to gather some. She hadn’t expected this confrontation. Now, there was more drama to witness.
Shen Youfu, Shen Zhang shi, Shen Ziju, and Shen Zhu also emerged upon hearing the commotion. After hearing what had happened, they felt it was blown out of proportion – all this fuss over a basket of hawthorn berries?
“Everyone, get back to what you were doing! Making a scene over something so trivial, aren’t you afraid of being ridiculed? Everyone, back inside! Second grandson and Third grandson, no dinner for you tonight!”
“Grandpa! This can’t be the end of it!” the Second grandson protested, “He committed robbery! If this continues, he’ll turn into a bandit or thief! Do you want our Shen family to produce such a black sheep?! Even if we lose face in the future, do you want Fifth Uncle to lose face?!”
“You! How dare you curse your brother like that? My son is destined to become a wealthy man! The fortune teller confirmed it! Don’t spout nonsense! Keep it up, and I’ll shut your mouth for you!”
Listening to Sun Shi’s retort, Wang shi also scolded, “Whose mouth are you threatening to tear apart? My son is your nephew! You ignorant troublemaker! Dare to speak of tearing my son’s mouth, I’ll tear yours!”
“Enough!”
Shen Zhang shi, seeing more and more people gathering outside the door to watch, became visibly worried. It seemed misfortune was at their doorstep, with everyone causing her distress!
At that moment, Shen Zifu, Shen Zigui, Li Shi, and their group hurriedly rushed in. Seeing everyone standing calmly, they breathed a sigh of relief.
Shen Zi’an and Su Zhi, accompanied by the injured Chunyue and others, entered the house swiftly. Their arrival heightened the excitement of the onlookers, while the elderly couple of the Shen family wore even grimmer expressions.
Su Zhi approached the elderly couple, greeted them respectfully, then turned to Sun Shi and said, “Sister-in-law, when we were coming down the mountain, The third grandson snatched this basket of hawthorn berries without my consent. Ordinarily, as an aunt, I shouldn’t make a fuss over such a small matter with my nephew. If it were something else, I wouldn’t mind, but these hawthorn berries, I can’t let you have them.”