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As Shen Zi’an and Su Zhi entered, the Shen family members in the hall were all stunned. They hadn’t expected them to arrive amidst the ongoing argument.
Upon entering, Li Shi shielded her daughters behind her. She confronted Sun Shi, who was pointing her finger at Chuncao, and shouted, “Who gave you the right to call my daughter a worthless brat? These are my daughters, and you have no authority to insult them! My daughters are all outstanding in their own right, even without a son! From now on, you’re not allowed to insult them. Also, your son is your own, so don’t bring up the topic of adoption again. Even if have me divorcd me today, I won’t agree to it!”
Li Shi was usually a gentle person, speaking softly and avoiding confrontation. Because she hadn’t borne a son and had three daughters instead, she always tried not to offend anyone. No one had ever heard her raise her voice like this before, so her sudden outburst silenced everyone.
Su Zhi watched Li Shi and couldn’t help but feel sorry for women in ancient times. Without bearing sons, they lacked confidence and would run away at the slightest provocation. However, Li Shi was also a loving mother. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have returned promptly upon seeing Chuncao being scolded, and she wouldn’t have shouted so loudly. Compared to Sun Shi, who sat beside Chunhua looking weak and feeble, Li Shi’s actions were much stronger. It was evident that Chunhua was being treated as a burden by her mother!
As Li Shi tightly embraced Chuncao and declared that they were not burdens, Chuncao was initially relieved. But upon hearing the last sentence, she panicked. Despite being young, she understood what divorce meant and her eyes immediately welled up with tears.
“Mother, mother, if you’re leaving, I’ll go with you! I won’t stay here to be bullied by others!”
Chunyue knew that father wouldn’t divorce mother; it was just an angry outburst. However, her eyes also teared up. She looked at Shen Zigui and said, “Father, mother wants to leave. I’ll leave too, and Yun’er will leave as well.”
Shen Zigui glared at them and exclaimed, “What nonsense are you talking about? Your mother is upset, and you’re just adding to the chaos! Even if I, Shen Zigui, never have a son in my entire life, I still want you girls and yourr mother.”
Li Shi, hearing these words, cried even harder on the side, and Chuncao and Chunyue also burst into tears. Holding little Chunyun, Chunyue couldn’t help but cry too.
Su Zhi felt a pang in her heart as she watched. Although Second Sister-in-law didn’t have sons, having three daughters for Second Brother was also a blessing. She believed they would eventually have a son.
Shen Youfu’s face remained stern as he said, “What’s all this fuss about? Aren’t you afraid of being laughed at by others? Third Son, take your wife and child back to your room. Third Grandson is not allowed to eat today!”
Third Grandson panicked upon hearing this. “Grandfather, it’s so cold, and you won’t let me eat? Do you want me to starve? Our family only eats two meals a day. If I don’t eat, how will I grow tall in the future? How will I make money and get married? Grandfather, you can’t do this!”
“Idiot! What I say goes! And you won’t get tomorrow’s meal either!”
Shen Youfu erupted in anger, feeling annoyed with this disobedient grandson. He had never disliked Third Grandson so much before. Ever since he caused Shen Zi’an to separate, he had found his Third Grandson more and more intolerable. If they hadn’t separated, all the money Shen Zi’an earned would have been theirs. They could have lived in a better house and provided Shen Ziju with better education. But now, they couldn’t get anything. He attributed all this resentment to the third branch, especially to Third Grandson, who had invited the Taoist back, making him hate them even more.
Shen Zhang shi furrowed her brows slightly and said to Shen Ziping and Sun shi, “Take Third Grandson downstairs quickly. This whole incident was caused by him and he should be punished.”
Seeing their parents angry, Shen Ziping and Sun shi hurriedly moved to usher Third Grandson out.
However, Third Grandson was defiant. He had the occasional moment of intelligence but once he set his mind on something, he would stubbornly stick to it, even if it meant causing trouble. Now, he believed he had done nothing wrong and was starting to play dumb to avoid punishment.
“Grandfather, grandmother, where did I go wrong? I was just speaking the truth! Third Uncle indeed has no sons. They will have to rely on us in the future. It’s not like we’re asking them for money or food. We just took an egg from them. Is that such a big deal? What did I do wrong?”
Third Grandson’s words were spoken confidently, as if he believed he was in the right and everyone else owed him something.
Shen Zi’an and Su Zhi gleaned the gist of the situation from these words. It seemed like a trivial matter – just the children from the third branch snatching eggs from those of the second branch. Initially, it wasn’t a big deal, but the Third Grandson’s attitude turned it into one. By insinuating that the second branch lacked sons, he deliberately touched a sore spot, hoping to provoke a reaction. But it wasn’t that simple. Not to mention that the children of the second branch, Chunyue and Chunchao, were no pushovers, Shen Zi’an and Su Zhi were also present. How could they allow a junior to make such provocative remarks so brazenly? This was a matter of pride and couldn’t be easily let go.
Su Zhi was speechless about the third grandson’s behavior. How could he not understand that such remarks were unacceptable? Shen Zi’an and Li shi were still alive and well. Even if such comments were made in the past, now that Shen Zigui and Li shi were visibly angry, indicating they were offended, why would he still act so arrogantly?
As expected, Third Grandson’s words infuriated the members of the second branch the most. Shen Zigui glared at Sanlang and cursed, “You reckless fool! If you ever say such things again and dare to bully Chunyue and the others, I’ll break your legs!”
Shen Ziping said, “Second brother, don’t say such words, alright? Don’t regret it in the future.”
Shen Zifu had been standing by, restraining the furious Shen Zigui. Finally, he spoke upon hearing Shen Ziping’s words, saying, “Third brother, what are you saying? You need to discipline Third Grandson properly. This kid is too unruly.”
Sun shi, on the sidelines, sharply retorted, “Oh, now big brother is trying to play the good guy? Could it be you want to adopt your son to second brother? Your sons are all grown up. Are you thinking of directly letting second brother marry them off?”
“What nonsense are you spouting?!”
Shen Zifu’s face darkened with anger. He was a kind-hearted person, intending to mediate the argument among his brothers, but Sun shi’s words were too much. No wonder his wife didn’t want him to come over. He regretted not listening to her, feeling extremely frustrated.
Wang shi had been standing aside with her children, watching the scene unfold. Upon hearing Sun shi’s words implicating her family, she also became displeased. She doesn’t want her son to be adopted out, and she didn’t want to take advantage of others.
“Third Sister-in-law, I don’t like what you’re saying. It’s your family that’s been wanting to give your son to Second Brother, not us. We’ve never mentioned it. Second Brother and his wife are still young and healthy, and it’s not like they can’t have more children. Let’s not forget, some women can still conceive at forty. Just look at you, only a couple of years apart from Second Sister-in-law, and you’ve already had children. Why are you so fixated on Second Brother not having sons? I remember you’ve been thinking about adoption since last year. It’s quite amusing. You, barely in your thirties, are already assuming others can’t have children. Are you a miracle doctor or a fortune-teller? You’re really something!”
Wang shi didn’t usually talk much, but when she did, she was sharp and to the point. This string of words directly pointed at the Third Branch, making the Second Branch resent them even more.
Shen Zigui and Li Shi looked at Shen Ziping and Sun shi with even worse expressions, while Chunyue and the others glared at them.
Chunyue said, “Dad, Mom, Uncle and Aunt have been saying since fifth brother was born that we’ll have to rely on them in the future. They’ve been saying this for years. They’re hoping we don’t have a younger brother!”
Chuncao was even more clever, saying, “Fifth brother is always sick. They want us to raise fifth brother!”
Shen Ziping and Sun shi were exposed by this remark, feeling embarrassed. It was true that they had this idea. Their son was weak, and they wanted Second Brother’s family to help raise him. Even if he got better in the future, they could still make trouble and perhaps gain some benefits.
Shen Zigui was furious. Over the years, he had endured not having a son, and while few people made jokes about it because of his good reputation, the ones who did were mainly from the Third Branch. He had had enough. Though he was usually quiet and restrained, it didn’t mean he had no temper. He had tolerated it before, but now he couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Father, Mother, you have to decide for me. Even if I don’t have a son in the future, I won’t adopt one! Let some people give up on this idea!”
Shen Youfu valued his youngest son, but he treated the others equally as long as they didn’t cause trouble. Whether it was the hardworking eldest and second eldest, the crafty third son, or the distant Shen Zi’an, as long as they didn’t give him trouble, he treated them the same. Shen Zi’an caused him trouble, so he sent him away. Now, with the third son causing trouble, he wouldn’t let himself lose heart over Second Son, who had always been trouble-free. But if he really didn’t have a son to adopt, he couldn’t help feeling bad about it.
“Zigui, if you really end up without a son in the future, you’ll still need to adopt one, but not from Ziping’s family. Adopt one from another brother’s family. The eldest and second sons are grown up, so forget about them. Just adopt from Zi’an’s family!”
Su Zhi originally stood aside as a spectator and didn’t want to get involved in the affairs of the Shen family. After all, it wasn’t easy to separate from them. Getting involved again would just invite trouble, wouldn’t it? But when she suddenly heard Shen Youfu’s words, she was stunned, then became unhappy. How could he decide to give someone else her son? The family had already split up, so why did they still want to dictate to her? It was as if the split had never happened!
“These Shen family old folks are up to no good again! They’re living too comfortably! They’re underestimating me, Su Zhi!” Su Zhi thought then looked at Shen Youfu and Shen Zhang shi, pondering how to make things uncomfortable for this old couple, so they wouldn’t take her for granted in the future!