Chapter 51

“Dear, I asked a few boys from the Li family yesterday to come by when they’re free and feed the chickens.” Fan Jin frowned slightly, not wanting to make a big fuss, and explained first.

Xinghui followed up, “Yes, grandma, didn’t you see the chicken feed mixed next to the chicken coop? Someone is feeding them and watching over them, so how can you say they aren’t being taken care of?”

Fan’s mother looked embarrassed. She had heard in the morning that her second son’s entire family had gone out, so she rushed over to check. She found the thatched house’s wooden door tightly locked and no one home, so there was no need to check on the chickens.

As a grandmother, she couldn’t let the younger generation get the upper hand, so she criticized, “You are really clueless. How can you trust outsiders to do a job that should be done by family? Going out and leaving the household to outsiders is really a sign of incompetence.”

Shuiqing, hearing the reprimand, quickly pulled her two daughters away. Previously, they all lived together before the family split, and arguments were for personal benefit. Now that the family was divided, and her mother-in-law didn’t live with her, there was no point in arguing, and she thought it was a waste of breath.

Fan Jin understood his mother’s underlying message, ostensibly criticizing the boys from the Li family, but actually referring to the issue of the chicken feed. He pretended not to understand the deeper meaning and earnestly said, “Mother is right. Next time we go out, I’ll inform you, so you can help feed the chickens.”

Fan’s mother’s face changed. Expect her to feed their chickens? She wasn’t their servant, so why should she feed their chickens!

Seeing his mother’s displeasure, Fan Jin quickly added, “Mother came over specifically to remind me to pay attention to these things, which shows her care for us. Mother, rest assured, if we need your help in the future, I won’t hesitate to ask.”

Fan’s mother was stifled, caught between wanting to lash out and not knowing how to respond. She spotted the fruit tree saplings on the ox cart and reproached, “Why buy trees from the market when there are plenty on the mountain? You don’t know how to spend your money wisely!”

No one responded; everyone continued with their tasks, and the scene fell into a brief silence. Fan’s mother, even more irritated, decided she had to vent her frustration somehow.

She looked over at her daughter-in-law and granddaughters standing far away and suddenly noticed the girls holding sugar paintings. “Oh my, you’re really wasteful! Just feed the girls and raise them until they’re old enough to marry off. Why buy sugar paintings for each of them? Besides, their brothers haven’t had any yet, and the girls get them first. Isn’t that a waste of money?”

Fan Jin could tolerate criticism of himself because it came from the mother who raised him. But when it came to his daughters, he couldn’t endure it. His mother had raised him but not his daughters, and the sugar paintings were bought by his brother-in-law.

He coldly stated, “These were bought by Yanqiuxing’s uncle for them. Each of the five children has one.”

Fan’s mother, hearing that the Hu family bought them, sneered. “It’s just a sugar painting, and you’re making a big deal out of it? After all the good food and drink they had at our house for so many years, they seem to have forgotten it all. How about this? Let the three grandsons have theirs, but the two girls don’t need theirs. Give them to their brothers to make them happy.”

Fan’s mother had already envisioned the scene of taking the sugar paintings back home. Her four precious grandsons would circle around her, singing praises, saying their grandma was the best and treated them the best.

Upon hearing their grandma wanted to take their sugar paintings, Yanqiu and Xinghui quickly hid them behind their backs. Jiang, He, and Hu didn’t expect their grandma to snatch their sisters’ treats and immediately stood in front of their two sisters to protect them.

Shuiqing squinted her eyes, surprised at what she was witnessing.

Fan Jin firmly refused, “No. Since we split the family, we are now two separate households. Big Brother’s family is his own, and my family is mine. If the nephews haven’t had any, they can buy their own or have their maternal family buy them, but they cannot take my daughters’ treats.”

Fan’s mother had never expected her usually gentle second son to say something that would embarrass her. Her face turned as red as liver, and her fingers trembled as she pointed at Fan Jin, “You, you…”

Fan Jin’s eyes were sharp as he spoke slowly and clearly, “Last time when Sister-in-law pushed Xinghui down the hill, I didn’t object to the village elder’s decision, but Mother should understand that I was deeply resentful. If Mother continues to harm my children for the sake of Big Brother’s family, I will have no choice but to write a letter of severance.”

The two daughters in Shuiqing’s arms trembled slightly. They had thought their father didn’t care since he never mentioned the incident, and the village elder’s punishment was fair and just. They hadn’t realized their father was simply enduring in silence.

Fan’s mother’s eyes widened in shock, unable to speak for a long moment. She then lashed out, “Your mother is still alive, and you’re thinking of cutting ties? Aren’t you afraid I’ll report you to the authorities for being unfilial?”

“I’m not afraid. I thought after dividing the land and moving out, we could live peacefully. First, Sister-in-law pushed Xinghui down the hill, and today, Mother came to take my children’s food. If this continues, even if Mother reports me, I will still sever ties,” Fan Jin said plainly. His refined, gentle face now carried a chilling resolve.

Fan’s mother took a step back, as if realizing for the first time that her second son had grown up and was no longer the child she could control. She felt angry and more than a little panicked. Crying out, she said, “How could you take your mother’s words seriously? I raised you with so much care, how could I bear to report you? You heartless child, you’ve forgotten your mother after getting a wife. Your words are like knives cutting into my heart.”

Fan Jin sighed helplessly.

Shuiqing thought to herself that she was lucky Fan Jin’s mother wasn’t her own. Otherwise, dealing with such a difficult person would be exhausting. But then she realized that having such a mother-in-law wasn’t much better than having such a mother.

After wailing for a while and seeing that her son remained unmoved, Fan’s mother knew her tactics weren’t working. She wiped her tears and tried a different approach, “I’ll feed the chickens. When they’re well-fed, my son and grandchildren can eat more eggs to nourish themselves.”

Shuiqing: …What is she implying, that the eggs from our chickens are only thanks to her feeding them once?

Seeing that Fan’s mother had quieted down, Fan Jin walked over and apologized to Shuiqing and their daughters, “My mother won’t change, don’t take it to heart. Let’s just focus on living our lives well.”

Shuiqing didn’t take it to heart. Most women who were upset by their mothers-in-law usually had husbands who didn’t stand up for them and only sided with their mothers, pressuring their wives to endure. But with a husband like Fan Jin, who handled things so fairly, what was there to be upset about? He was doing his best to protect them.

Yanqiu and Xinghui were just about to say they hadn’t taken it to heart when they heard Fan’s mother scream from the chicken coop. The seven of them were startled and exchanged glances.

Fan Jiang was the first to ask, “Did something happen to Grandma?”