Chapter 39: Aunt, Don’t Go In

Ding’s mother trembled all over with anger. After all, the old Qiu Yinuo never dared to be so rude. She used to greet her with flattery, always cautious not to offend. But now, not only was her attitude insolent, she even had the audacity to accuse her of meddling.

Cheng Hongying, who was chopping vegetables, had already noticed the commotion. At first, she worried that the girl might still be yielding to Ding Zixu’s mother and had been planning to step in.

But just as she was about to put down the knife, she saw that Ding’s mother was so furious she was literally shaking. Clearly, this girl’s ability to infuriate others had leveled up dramatically.

Back when she still liked Ding Zixu, Qiu Yinuo had been willing to tolerate Ding’s mother. But now that she had long since forgotten about that boy, there was no way she’d put up with the old woman anymore.

Realizing this, Cheng Hongying instantly decided to stay put.

Good—let her vent all that anger on Ding Zixu’s mother. It was satisfying to see her get a taste of her own medicine.

Someone waved at Cheng Hongying, but she pretended not to notice.

Meanwhile, not getting the upper hand, Ding’s mother suddenly reached out to strike Qiu Yinuo. But before her hand landed, Qiu Yinuo stepped forward and pressed in close, forcing Ding’s mother to retreat slightly.

Due to the height difference, Ding’s mother had to tilt her head back to look at Qiu Yinuo. The timid girl she once knew had been replaced by someone brimming with arrogance. Her brows lifted in provocation as she caught Ding’s mother’s hand midair and held it there.

“Auntie, before you hit me, let me give you a little reminder. You’ve always liked to bring up your identity as a military family member, right? Saying the villagers were bullying you and that the army would come investigate and arrest people for questioning?”

At the mention of this, the bystanders immediately grew tense. Ding’s mother had indeed pulled that stunt before—claiming that since her son was protecting the country, the villagers were taking advantage of his absence to pick on a poor old army wife. She even said she would report them to the army, and that the military would send someone to lock them up.

Whether that threat was real or not, Ding Zixu was the only soldier from their village. And word had it he was about to be promoted to platoon leader. Who would dare to mess with that?

Even the village chief would always greet him with a smile.

The villagers weren’t very worldly. As long as they heard someone held a military rank, they assumed that person was far above them. Most people were so intimidated they wouldn’t even talk back after being scolded—much less fight back.

“Well, I’ll tell you this now,” Qiu Yinuo continued. “My man is a deputy battalion commander. I heard your son, after all these years, is still just a squad leader—not even a platoon leader. That’s at least two or three ranks below my husband. If the army really comes down to investigate, you can all testify that she raised her hand first. If I fight back, it’s just self-defense.”

Ding’s mother had always carried herself with a lofty air and had offended many in the village over the years.

Someone who’d once suffered from her arrogance immediately called out, “I’ll testify for you! It was that old Ding woman who struck first!”

With one person stirring things up, others joined in. Two, three—soon a handful of villagers who disliked Ding’s mother were yelling, “That’s right, Yinuo! Don’t worry. With so many of us watching, we won’t let her bully you!”

Ding’s mother was about to explode. It had only been two years, but that damned girl had become even more sharp-tongued and slick.

“How do we even know your man is a deputy battalion commander?” she snapped. Though Ding’s mother didn’t know exactly how high that rank was, her son had mentioned the military hierarchy before. She vaguely remembered that a deputy battalion commander outranked a platoon leader by more than just one or two steps, so the claim wasn’t entirely baseless.

She began to worry that Qiu Yinuo might really be telling the truth. If so, her attempt to stir trouble might just backfire.

But she hadn’t expected that Qiu Yinuo still had more in store to enrage her.

“If you really want to find out, try hitting me. After all, you’re the elder. If you strike me, I certainly won’t hit back. But in that case, you’ll have to compensate me for a little bit. We’re building a house, and the costs are high, so Auntie could contribute a little. We’ll take less from others. Once the house is finished, you can come visit—after all, you contributed some money.”

The crowd immediately laughed and chimed in, “Of course she should pay up! You can’t just hit someone without consequences. And as a military family member, she should be setting an example.”

“Exactly. Worst case, Yinuo, you should report Ding Zixu’s mother to the army for abusing her power. Let’s see if anyone from the military comes down to take care of it.”

Ding’s mother started to waver. These days, those with something to lose were more afraid of those with nothing. And in this case, she was clearly in the wrong. Her son’s future couldn’t be ruined by her recklessness.

Even though Qiu Yinuo hadn’t actually taken a penny yet, Ding’s mother was already fuming with rage. “Keep dreaming! I’m not falling for your tricks!”

Thankfully, she hadn’t agreed to the marriage back then. Otherwise, wouldn’t she now be trampled on by a daughter-in-law?

Someone in the crowd heckled, “Aw, don’t be like that, Zixu’s mom! You’re taking this real seriously!”

Today had been a complete failure for Ding’s mother. Faced with ridicule from all sides, she could only shoot Qiu Yinuo a vicious glare before slinking away in defeat.

Cheng Hongying felt completely satisfied—indeed, letting this girl put others in their place was the most cathartic thing ever.

Noticing how long Qiu Yinuo had been outside, she quickly sent her back to check on the children. “When I’m too busy to handle everything later, I’ll call for you.”

With the troublemaker gone, the remaining onlookers lost interest and eventually dispersed.

Though the Qiu family didn’t prepare any lavish meals, they made sure there was plenty of food—enough to fill everyone’s stomach.

It was the first time anyone had been so generous, and as a result, the workers gave it their all. They arrived at dawn and stayed until after dark every day.

During this time, Aunt Qiu brought the old couple of the Qiu family over once.

Grandpa Qiu was furious. Such a major matter as rebuilding the house, and he’d only found out from someone else? It made him feel utterly humiliated.

Aunt Qiu wore a smug expression, “Second sister-in-law, this isn’t right. You’re renovating and expanding the house, but why didn’t you tell us? The old man treats Jinzi so well, and you’re treating them like strangers, not even informing them!”

Grandpa and Grandma Qiu’s faces darkened. Looking at the house that had been built brick by brick by their second son, now with its roof removed, they couldn’t help but feel sentimental. Their second son was truly gone.

At this point, two new rooms had already been built, and they were preparing to renovate the original living quarters.

The old house’s beams had rotted away. During the rainy season, the roof leaked so badly that it rained both inside and out.

That day, right after moving their belongings out, the villagers helping with construction tore off the roof, exposing the shabby interior and a nearly collapsed heated brick bed.

Grandpa Qiu was so angry he thudded his cane against the ground. “This was the house your husband built with his own hands! And you just tear it down like that? How is that showing respect for him?”

No matter how much of a troublemaker their second son had been, in Grandpa Qiu’s heart, he was a hero of the family. After all, he was the one who left a legacy for the Qiu family.

Cheng Hongying wanted to say something but was pulled back by her daughter.

“Mom, it’s getting late. You go ahead and finish preparing the food. I’ll take Grandpa and Grandma to the new house.”

Aunt Qiu looked at the two newly built tile-roof houses and nearly went mad with jealousy.

“Wow, we can’t just go into the new house and step on it. What if we break something?” she said, but she didn’t stop walking. Supporting the old lady, she was about to enter, but Qiu Yinuo stopped her at the door.

“Aunt, you’re right, it wouldn’t be good if you step on something and break it. So, you better not go in. I’ll take Grandpa and Grandma inside to have a look.”