Chapter 116: Different Reactions

Wang Xuan stood in the courtyard holding the fire hook, tears streaming down her face. She was scared just now. “Mom, Auntie and the others came here today to cause trouble. I’m afraid it will be like last time…” She couldn’t finish her sentence and burst into tears.

The last time Zhang Lan had an accident, it had terrified the children. It left a shadow in each of their hearts. They regretted not being strong enough to protect their mother.

“Silly child, isn’t Mom fine now? Don’t cry, dear. If your eyes get swollen, it won’t look good. Our Xuan’er has the most beautiful eyes in our family.”

Zhang Lan comforted her softly as her daughter cried quietly. At eleven years old, her little daughter was already learning to protect herself.

“Our Xuan’er is the bravest child. Don’t cry, or Grandpa and Grandma will tease you.”

After exerting all her strength to hit Wang Zhenguo just now, Wang Xuan felt weak and exhausted after crying.

“Mom, hold me.” Wang Xuan rarely asked for this. Usually, the children in the Wang family knew that their mother’s health was not good and seldom bothered Zhang Lan.

“Okay, Mom will hold our eldest daughter today. Xuan’er, don’t be afraid.”

“Qian Qian, come to Grandpa.” Old Wu stepped forward and embraced Wang Qian. The children’s actions just now had surprised him. He was truly afraid that the two sisters would get into trouble. Those scoundrels weren’t worth the two girls sacrificing their lives for.

“Qian Qian, don’t be afraid. Grandpa is here.” Old Wu saw Wang Xuan’s condition and knew that the child was just startled and scared. He was afraid that the younger one was even more affected.

“Grandpa, I’m not afraid. I’m regretting. Why didn’t my strike hit her? It would have been good to give her a little pain and teach her a lesson.”

Wang Qian fell into contemplation. She couldn’t understand why the knife had missed Wang Mei. She had aimed directly at her, and with her large build, how could she have dodged it? She just couldn’t understand.

However, in the eyes of the elderly gentleman, it was not the case. The child was probably scared stiff. How could she be in a trance at a time like this?

The elderly lady also noticed that something was amiss and several people inside the house, upon hearing the commotion, rushed out wearing their clothes.

Just as everyone was about to speak, Hao Lianchun stopped them. “Qian Qian, come here.”

“Ah,” the elderly lady’s call brought Wang Qian back to her senses. “Grandma, what happened? Is everything okay?”

Seeing the little girl regain her composure, they didn’t say much. “Qian Qian, let Grandpa carry you home. Grandma will bathe with you later.”

“Old lady, what happened just now? I heard fighting, and I was afraid the children would come out and catch a cold, so I was delayed for a moment.” Old Zuo came out and said.

Hao Lianchun’s expression wasn’t great. “It was Wang Mei, their elder aunt, who led two children here to cause trouble. But we managed to drive them out. Old Wu threw that boy out of the courtyard, and then they left. The world is full of all sorts of people. They are nothing but bullies, preying on the weak. They are despicable.”

The elderly lady usually refrained from judging people, but today she had seen it with her own eyes. That woman had a face full of arrogance and malice. Zhang Lan had truly been through a lot over the years.

“These brats really need to be taught a lesson by Old Wu. Zhenhe isn’t at home, and the children are so young. They were really heartless. We mustn’t let this happen again. Otherwise, Old Wu and I will teach them a lesson together.”

Mingcheng and the others rushed into the house and saw that their elder sister’s eyes were swollen from crying. The boys began to feel sorry for her. “Sister, don’t be afraid. Big brother is here. No one dares to bully us.”

Mingyuan held his elder sister’s hand and said loudly, “Sister, we’re here too. Zuohe and I will beat up the bad guys.” The two little boys puffed out their chests to show that they were also brave young men.

“Mingyuan, sister is fine. I didn’t let them bully me just now. I just felt uncomfortable. After crying, I’ll be fine.”

The children were indeed children. After crying and venting, Wang Xuan immediately regained her vitality. Nestling in Zhang Lan’s arms, she coquettishly said, “Mom, let’s go take a bath. Can you hold me?”

Her daughter’s behavior made Zhang Lan’s heart ache. With so many children at home, it was difficult to give each one the attention they deserved, especially the older ones.

Kissing her daughter’s little cheek, Zhang Lan said, “Okay, Mom will carry our Xuan’er to take a bath. Auntie, you and Qian Qian should join us. It’ll be warmer if we all bathe together.”

After bathing, the two girls clearly felt more energetic. They were finally able to take the children out for their studies with peace of mind.

Their neighbor, Liu Hui, also heard the commotion in the courtyard and hurried over after dinner. “Sister-in-law, what happened at your place? I heard quite a commotion just now. Did they come to cause trouble again?”

Zhang Lan could only nod helplessly. “Yes, it was them. They scared the children into crying. What have they done to deserve this?”

Realizing that it was the Wang family causing trouble again, Liu Hui was also indignant. She had been present when they had attacked Zhang Lan.

“Sister-in-law, don’t be afraid. Isn’t Grandpa Zuo and the others at home? They probably wouldn’t dare to do anything. It would be great if your third uncle were home. He would have chased them out with a big stick.”

Zhang Lan remembered that she hadn’t given this neighbor the seaweed. She had been too busy these days, but fortunately, it was winter and there wasn’t much going on.

“Liu Hui, I’ve prepared some seaweed for you. Take it home and make some soup for the children later.”

Ever since Zhang Lan moved in next door, whenever her relatives from the mountains brought seafood, Liu Hui’s family would also join in the feast.

“Auntie, I really have to thank you. Since you moved here, we’ve been enjoying a lot of seafood. By the way, I heard from Shi bao that the yield from our collective fishing this year is quite high. Maybe we’ll get some extra money at the end of the year.”

This revelation was good news for Zhang Lan. After all, Liu Hui was the accountant’s wife, so her words were likely accurate.

“Liu Hui, if what you say is true, we might each earn over a hundred yuan. That would help alleviate the shortage of food. I can also repay your share first. Otherwise, it’s been weighing on my mind.”

Liu Hui quickly responded, “Auntie, we’re family. There’s no rush for repayment, and I don’t need the money urgently. You should prioritize repaying outsiders first. We’re neighbors, so there’s no need to rush. We’re all family here.”

Initially, Zhang Lan and her family had almost nothing. Their financial situation was known to everyone, and even Wang Zhenhe had to go to the city to pick up manure at the time. It was a dirty and tiring job that most people wouldn’t do, except for those in dire financial straits or those in urgent need of money for the New Year.

Seeing that everything was fine at Zhang Lan’s place, Liu Hui chatted for a while and then took the seaweed home.

After the children finished their studies, Old Wu personally escorted them home, while Zuo Zhanshan stayed behind, fearing that Wang Zhenhe might not be at home and something unexpected might happen with the family.

In the evening, Old Wu personally locked the main door and carefully checked it again, fearing that something might have been overlooked.

Now that they had electric lights, the family sat on the warm kang and chatted, not going to bed as early as they used to. Zhang Lan took out the rabbit fur that Wang Zhenhe had arranged to be tanned. She pulled out about twenty rabbit furs, all caught by the little girl from the mountains. Zhang Lan had been reluctant to throw them away and had been saving them.

“Auntie, I’m not very good at handling this stuff. What do you think we should make with it?”

Hao Lianchun examined the rabbit fur for a while. “Niece, I don’t think we need to make anything for the children. They grow every year, and by next year, they might not even fit into them. I suggest making fur vests for the adults to wear inside their padded jackets. It will keep them warm. The leftover scraps can be used to make gloves and fur collars for a few children. This way, both the adults and the children will benefit.”

Zhang Lan was very interested in the elderly lady’s suggestion. The two of them discussed for a while and ended up making fur vests for the adults in the family, including the elderly gentlemen. They were left with some surplus, which they planned to use for themselves and possibly for the children as well.

After the siblings returned to their room and studied for a while, they each washed up and went to rest, without needing any adult supervision. As the weather turned colder, Zhang Lan was worried about the children getting cold, so she lit a fire in the kang of each room. When Mingcheng and the others went to study, she made sure their bedding was prepared in advance. When the siblings returned to sleep, they found the warmth waiting for them under the covers.

After being driven out, Wang Mei and the others didn’t dare to speak in front of Wang Deshan, as she had received a warning from her father not to provoke Zhenhe’s family.

Once Wang Deshan left, Wang Mei recounted the incident to Zhu Qiyu.

Zhu Qiyu couldn’t help but scold her daughter. “What should I say to you? You’re old enough, but you’ve been causing trouble for years. You’ve been eating for free all these years, and yet you keep getting into trouble. You even got your younger brother beaten up. You know very well what kind of people they are. Why did you provoke them? If something happens to you, how can I face it? Use your brain in the future. It’s not just for holding waste.”

The elderly lady was both distressed and angry. “Mom, please stop. I didn’t expect this. It’s been so long. Who could have known those two brats would remember so clearly? I’ll remember from now on.”

Wang Mei didn’t want to hear her mother’s scolding. She was an adult, but her mother scolded her as if she were a child, showing no mercy. This made it difficult for her to assert her authority in front of the two younger ones.