Chapter 7

Jiang Yao found Jiang Zhu’s words more and more ridiculous. Was Jiang Second Uncle’s behavior not just bringing trouble upon their grandparents?

His so-called filial piety existed only in words. When it came to his own family’s responsibilities, he had never shown any real action.

In Jiang Yao’s opinion, the only time Second Uncle ever showed “filial piety” was when he used a cane to beat his children for speaking ill of their grandparents.

After all, he had never fulfilled what was written in the family separation agreement—to give 100 jin of grain and ten yuan a year to support the elders. He rarely even showed his face to Li Guihua and her husband.

“Filial? More like ‘performative filial piety’ in front of outsiders. Wasn’t it Second Uncle who, while Grandpa was gravely ill, still had the gall to invite his drinking buddies over for a party at home?”

Jiang Zhu’s heart skipped a beat. She remembered that day clearly—her father had indeed made a big scene, pretending to be distraught over his father’s illness in front of others, then called a few uncles from the village over to drink.

They had laughed and played dice loudly in the main hall, and their rowdiness had disturbed Jiang Zhu, who was trying to sleep.

She wasn’t sure if the memory was just too old or if she had imagined it, but she vaguely recalled her father cursing her grandfather out loud while drinking with his buddies—saying he hoped the old man would become paralyzed so he couldn’t take care of himself anymore, and that their mother and elder brother would finally experience how hard it was to care for a bedridden elder.

As Jiang Zhu and the others continued shouting, more and more villagers gathered around to watch. What had started as a few neighbors rubbernecking turned into a full-blown crowd encircling the Jiang family.

Before Jiang Zhu could retort, the onlookers began talking among themselves:

“There’s such a thing? I thought Jiang Second Son had turned over a new leaf these past years.”

“I kind of remember this… that day, the team leader came to my place early in the morning, hitched up the donkey cart, and rushed the old man to the commune clinic.”

“Hey! That lines up! That evening, my husband took a plate of peanuts from home and left. He came back drunk in the middle of the night, and I was waiting at the door with a broom!”

“The direction he came from was right by the Jiang family house.”

Her husband had always been close with Jiang Second Son, so it wasn’t surprising. At the time, they didn’t suspect anything because the old man was so sick he couldn’t even talk. Everyone had assumed Jiang Second Son had gone with the team leader to the clinic.

“Second Son of the Jiangs, tsk… a dog can’t stop itself from eating shit. His filial piety’s just for show!”

“All these years, the team leader’s family never said a bad word about him, yet he always played the pitiful victim, making us think the team leader was coldhearted and couldn’t stand his own brother.”

Jiang Zhu’s face turned anxious as she heard the surrounding chatter grow louder, all blaming her family. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go!

Her father’s reputation in the brigade had improved significantly. Even in her darkest years, he had earned a good name for being the talented great-nephew of some revered elder.

“You—!”

“My dad didn’t know Grandpa was sick at the time! And he’s the one who always beat us siblings for being disrespectful—how is that not filial?”

“Jiang Yao, you’re just arrogant because Grandpa and Grandma spoil you.”

You’re just a motherless wild child. No wonder you die giving birth in the future.

“Everyone in the brigade knows Grandpa and Grandma love you the most. Meanwhile, we—the granddaughters of the second branch—are treated like weeds. All they do when they see us is scold us with a stern face.”

Jiang Zhu didn’t want to keep digging into the past with Jiang Yao—everything about it put her family in the wrong.

“If the elders were unkind, how could we juniors be expected to be dutiful?”

“If Grandma hadn’t been so biased in the first place—treated both daughters-in-law equally—would we have ended up with such a mess? Now we’ve become the laughingstock of the village!”

Unable to out-debate Jiang Yao, Jiang Zhu redirected her anger toward Li Guihua. Of all the Jiang family, she hated the old woman the most.

As for Jiang Yao? She still needed her to give birth to those three genius sons, so she could ride their coattails and bask in their glory.

Let Jiang Yao have her moment of triumph—for now. The final victory would still be hers.

Jiang Yao was amused by Jiang Zhu’s twisted logic. She only saw the grandparents as biased, but didn’t realize that relationships had to be nurtured.

After marrying into the family, Big Sister-in-law treated Li Guihua not quite as if she were her own grandmother, but still as a respected elder. Unlike the second branch, who acted like they saw the old couple as enemies—every encounter was like walking into a battlefield.

Li Guihua, hearing Jiang Zhu’s outrageous words—like she was venting all the grievances she’d ever held against her and the old man—felt her heart turn cold.

“Enough, Zhu girl! You keep saying this old woman is biased—so what if I am?” Li Guihua barked.

This girl was so shallow—a single piece of smoked pork was enough to cause a scene in front of the whole village.

“Whoever treats me well, I’ll treat them well.”

“And besides, that smoked pork came from Qisheng’s hunting trip when he came home on leave. What’s wrong with giving it to Qisheng’s wife to take back to her family?”

She felt that even if she hadn’t been as kind to Jiang Zhu and her sister as she was to Jiang Yao, she had still treated them better than most grandmothers in the brigade. She had paid for their school fees, after all.

It wasn’t her fault they didn’t have the talent Jiang Yao had—they couldn’t get into high school and dropped out after middle school.

“If you hold so much resentment toward me, then from now on, don’t bother getting close. Just treat me like a neighbor.”

She would treat Jiang Zhu like a granddaughter married off to some faraway place—no need for her to worry anymore.

“That’s enough! Go on, all of you—what’s there to crowd around for over such a petty thing?”

The villagers gave Li Guihua face and dispersed in groups, but their impression of the Jiang family’s second branch had soured.

They had once believed that after Jiang Second Son had tried to sell his niece and nephew years ago, he had repented and turned over a new leaf—becoming a filial son and respectful younger brother, swallowing his pride for the sake of family harmony.

Some had even quietly criticized the elder branch and Li Guihua for not being more forgiving—why couldn’t they accept that Jiang Second Son had changed?

But now it seemed his “reformation” and “filial piety” were far from genuine.

After shouting at the onlookers to disperse, Li Guihua turned to Jiang Yao and spoke softly:

“Yao Yao, didn’t you say you needed to go into the county? Get your father to write you that letter of introduction and go quickly, or you’ll be late coming back.”

“And Qisheng’s wife, you too. If you’re heading back to your maiden home, then just go. What are you lingering around here for?”

Li Guihua was rather unimpressed by Xu Lihong. It was just a piece of smoked pork, and she had to flaunt it in front of the second branch?

Xu Lihong hesitated, shuffling her feet, reluctant to move. Seeing Grandma waiting beside Jiang Yao, she ignored Li Guihua and said:

“Little Sister, about what you said earlier—about taking me back to my family by bike. Does that still count?”