Chapter 11: Reclaiming the Land

Madam Jiang’s face darkened as she stared at Madam Zhou in disbelief. “Are you seriously here to ask me for the land?”

When Madam Zhou had first returned from the capital, her personality wasn’t exactly weak, but compared to the aggressive and sharp-tongued Madam Jiang, she had always seemed more reserved.

To avoid trouble, Madam Zhou usually chose to endure things when possible, rarely confronting Madam Jiang directly like she was doing now.

With a cold expression, Madam Zhou raised her voice and said, “That land was bought with my money. I should have come to claim it long ago.”

“Pah!” Madam Jiang squinted her narrow eyes, puffed out her cheeks, and spat in Madam Zhou’s direction. She furiously retorted, “That land was left to us by my in-laws! Who says it’s yours?!”

Madam Zhou had expected this argument. Without hesitation, she pulled a land deed from her pocket and held it up high. “The deed is right here with me! Do you want to go to the county office and let the magistrate decide whose land it really is?”

Madam Jiang was stunned at the sight of the land deed. She clearly remembered stealing it and burning it—so how could it still exist?!

Madam Zhou unfolded the deed and waved it in front of her. “Take a good look. Is this real or not?”

Back when the original land deed had indeed been burned, Zhou Ruiyuan had recreated it from memory. His handwriting was excellent, and his skill in mimicking writing styles and stamping seals was so precise that it looked nearly identical to the original—real enough to fool anyone.

Madam Jiang was illiterate. The moment she saw the red seal on the document, she assumed it was authentic. Her face turned pale. “How… how is this possible? Was the previous deed fake?”

Madam Zhou didn’t give her time to recover and pressed on, “Jiang Qiujü, we’re still relatives. Taking this to the magistrate won’t do anyone any good. Your family already has more land than we do—you won’t miss this one piece. Why not just return it to us?”

Madam Jiang’s mind was in complete turmoil. First, her chickens had been killed, then the piglet had run away, and now someone was here demanding land back. The frustration sat like a stone in her chest, making it impossible to breathe properly. She shouted, “You wretched widow! If you want to take this land from me, you’ll have to step over my dead body!”

With that, she stormed into the house and came back wielding a pair of iron pliers, swinging them wildly at Madam Zhou. “Get out! All of you, get out! Or I won’t be so polite!”

The land Madam Zhou had purchased was next to a pond—a plot of rich, fertile black soil. Madam Jiang had been growing rice on one half and vegetables on the other. Although she had managed before, having this extra piece of land had greatly improved her family’s food supply. Naturally, she had no intention of returning it.

As the iron pliers came swinging down, Zhou Zhao, who stood behind Madam Zhou, moved swiftly. He grabbed the tool mid-air and barked, “Do you even respect the law? Attacking people in broad daylight—are you trying to commit murder?”

Though only thirteen or fourteen, Zhou Zhao was already taller than Madam Zhou. Standing in front of her, he was like an imposing wall, making Madam Jiang momentarily freeze in place.

She hesitated, intimidated by his sudden aggression. In a hushed voice, she muttered, “Since when did that deaf brat become so fierce?”

“First Aunt, have you already forgotten?” Zhou Zhao sneered. “I’m not deaf anymore!” He forcefully shoved her away, flinging the iron pliers aside.

“Ow!” Madam Jiang lost her balance and fell straight onto the ground, yelping in pain. Clutching her bruised backside, she looked at Zhou Zhao with shock and anger. “You little brat! You’ve grown more and more insolent! How dare you hit your own aunt?!”

When Zhou Zhao had first arrived in Changliu Village, his hearing impairment had made him insecure. He had spent a long time feeling self-conscious and often stayed at home with Zhou Feng. But now that his hearing had recovered, he was no longer the same timid boy.

“Aunt?” Zhou Zhao scoffed. “You think you deserve that title?”

“You… you—!” Madam Jiang was trembling with fury, her teeth grinding in frustration.

Ignoring her, Madam Zhou turned toward the house and called out, “Brother-in-law, you should at least say something fair. Are you giving the land back or not?”

Chen Tieniu peeked at Madam Jiang nervously, then shrank back, not daring to utter a word.

Just then, Chen Laoda came running toward them from the fields, shouting breathlessly, “Father! Mother! Something bad has happened!”

Madam Jiang’s heart skipped a beat. So many misfortunes had befallen them recently that she immediately panicked at his words.

Madam Zhou, curious, took a step back with Du Wanchun.

Chen Laoda was in such a hurry that he had no time to worry about them. He rushed past them and stopped in front of Madam Jiang. “Father! Mother! There’s a disaster in the fields!”

Madam Jiang, still rubbing her sore hip, snapped, “What could possibly happen? The fields only have rice and vegetables!”

Chen Laoda’s face was filled with fear. He was so flustered that he could barely form words. In the end, he stomped his foot in frustration and grabbed his mother’s arm, pulling her toward the fields. “Just come and see for yourself!”

Madam Jiang, confused and alarmed, let herself be dragged along. Inside the house, Chen Tieniu hesitated before scurrying after them.

Watching the Chen family leave in a frantic hurry, Madam Zhou frowned in confusion. “What on earth is going on?”

Du Wanchun smiled and looped her arm through Madam Zhou’s. “Mother, why don’t we go take a look too?”

Madam Zhou thought for a moment, then nodded. “That makes sense.” She turned to Zhou Zhao and called out, “Zhao’er, let’s go see what’s happened.”

“Alright, Mother. Let’s catch up,” Zhou Zhao replied, stepping forward to lead the way.