“Is that true?”

“Of course! That day, I saw how pitiful they were. I couldn’t help it and gave them half a steamed bun.”

“Now that you mention it, I remember seeing Jianxiu sneaking out late at night with a basket to gather pigweed at the foot of the mountain.”

“Exactly! So when Zixuan mentioned whether he was truly her biological son, it’s not necessarily certain, is it?”

“…….”

Hearing the villagers’ gossip, Old Man Zhang began to feel uneasy.

Old Madam Liu was the same. She turned to the villagers at the door and lashed out angrily.

“Do I not know if he’s my own son? Do you all have nothing better to do than gossip? Get lost! All of you, get out!”

With that, she picked up a stick and stormed toward the villagers.

Seeing this, the villagers quickly dispersed.

“You two, what are you waiting for? Move those things out now!” Old Man Zhang barked at his eldest and second sons.

Meanwhile, Fang Miaojun and Chen Sixi had already started rummaging through the kitchenware.

“Stop! Those things aren’t yours to take!” Zhang Zhiyong rushed forward to block them.

But they were two women—he didn’t dare to lay a hand on them.

“Mother, there’s at least fifty pounds of rice here!” Inside the house, Zhang Zirong shouted toward Old Madam Liu.

“What are you waiting for? Those are all ours! Take them out!”

“Got it!”

“Mother, there’s also some fine flour, at least ten pounds!” Zhang Zifu’s excited voice echoed from inside.

“Oh wow, there are several new sets of clothes here too!”

“……”

Outside, Zhang Zixuan watched the scene like a band of bandits ransacking the place.

If one looked closely, they would notice the veins bulging on his forehead.

Clearly, Zhang Zixuan was holding back his anger.

“Mother, what about these pots and pans? Should we take them too? There’s even two steamed buns in this pot!”

“Not just that! There’s also a meat dish here. Look at how well they’re living…”

“You can’t take our things! My mother made them—these belong to us!”

“You can’t take them…”

Liu Tou and Qi Tou stood in front of Fang Miaojun and Chen Sixi, trying to block them.

But to the two women, the kids were nothing more than an annoyance.

They easily pushed the children aside and continued taking everything they could.

Hearing her daughters-in-law’s words, Old Madam Liu didn’t hesitate to reply:

“Of course, take everything! These things originally belonged to our old house. Even that hatchet—take it all, leave them nothing!”

Her shameless attitude made the villagers shake their heads in disappointment.

At first, they had thought Zhang Zixuan was being unreasonable.

But now, seeing Old Madam Liu’s behavior, they began to understand why he acted as he did.

“Aunt Liu, if you take everything, how will Zixuan and his family survive? He still has three children!”

“Three kids is bad enough, but Zixuan is in this state—his entire family relies on Jianxiu!”

“Exactly! Just look, Jianxiu isn’t even back yet, and it’s already getting dark.”

“What choice does she have? If she wasn’t forced to, who wouldn’t want to live comfortably at home?”

“……”

When Jianxiu returned, she was met with a large crowd of villagers gathered outside her house.

From afar, she could see them pointing and whispering about her home.

Seeing this, Jianxiu’s heart clenched, and she quickened her pace.

Inside the courtyard—

Zhang Zixuan sat in his wheelchair at the gate, gripping a wooden stick and pointing at the intruders with an expressionless face.

“I told you—if you want to leave, put down everything you’re holding!”

“I’m not putting down anything!” Old Madam Liu straightened her back arrogantly.

With that, she grabbed the bag of rice in one hand and the iron pot in the other, swaggering toward the door.

Seeing this, Zhang Zixuan didn’t hesitate. He raised his stick and struck Old Madam Liu.

“Ow!” she cried out in pain, bending over.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t fight back—she just hadn’t expected Zhang Zixuan to actually hit her.

How dare he?

Just a cripple, yet he dared to lay a hand on her?

Seething with rage, she immediately kicked his wheelchair.

The force sent Zhang Zixuan toppling to the ground.

Zhang Zhiyong rushed over to lift him back onto the wheelchair, then stepped in front of him, blocking Old Madam Liu.

“You’re no better than bandits! If you don’t put down those things, I… I will…”

As he spoke, Zhang Zhiyong anxiously looked around, searching for something to use as a weapon.

But Old Madam Liu saw right through him and sneered.

“What will you do? Call the village chief? Go ahead! I’d love to see how he rules on this matter. Even if this isn’t just a family dispute, I’m simply taking my own son’s things—what’s wrong with that? The village chief isn’t above the law!”

“You…” Zhang Zhiyong pointed at her, but no words came out.

Seeing this, Old Madam Liu grew even more smug.

She also realized that wretched Jianxiu wasn’t home.

Otherwise, taking these things wouldn’t have been so easy.

Thinking about how fierce Jianxiu had been a few days ago still sent chills down her spine.

Plus, it was already getting dark—Jianxiu would likely be back soon.

She needed to hurry.

“Why are you all standing there? Move! Now!” she ordered.

“Yes, yes, Mother, we’re leaving right away!”

“Nobody move! Nobody leaves!” Zhang Zixuan shouted from his wheelchair.

He gripped the wheels, trying to move, but the wheelchair wouldn’t budge.

Perhaps it had been damaged when Old Madam Liu kicked it earlier.

Seeing this, Old Madam Liu burst into laughter.

“You useless cripple! What can you do? Say another word, and I’ll beat you to death myself!”

“You call yourself my mother? Do you even deserve that title?” Zhang Zixuan gritted his teeth, seething with hatred.

At that moment, he despised his useless legs more than ever.