Aunt looked uncomfortable and glanced at the two elders beside her.
Grandpa nodded at her, and only then did she accept the gifts.
Xia Wan sat in the courtyard and recounted everything that had happened recently to the Chen family.
Even the neighbors who were just watching the commotion grew angry after hearing it.
“Those Lu people are despicable! They clearly wanted to destroy your Xia family from the start. Serves them right that their son died without anyone to mourn him!”
Grandma quickly waved at the neighbors, signaling them not to speak recklessly.
Even if the Lu family’s son had died, he had been Xia Wan’s ex-husband.
Xia Wan didn’t care.
She was telling them all this in the courtyard so more people would know the true colors of the Lu family.
In a village like this, when guests came, neighbors would usually gather to watch the commotion.
By the time Xia Wan sat down and began explaining about the broken ties with the Lu family, gossipmongers had already spread the word and more people had gathered.
The villagers formed a circle around the Chen family.
A nosy neighbor grabbed Grandma and said seriously, “Your granddaughter married into the Lu family and lived as a widow for a few months, then spent a year as a widow. That old woman treated her like a servant. She clearly took advantage of the Xia family while they had no one!”
“Exactly! They even stole the job she earned through her hard work and gave it to an outsider. This isn’t helping someone else this is plain jealousy!”
“Poor girl. Her father died, her mother went insane, her husband sacrificed himself, and now her mother-in-law drives her out. What’s she going to do?”
Grandpa, who had been quiet until now, slammed his pipe heavily on the table in anger.
“Hmph! The Lu family is too much! The Xia family may have no one left, but the Chen family is still alive!”
“Originally, we let it go because the Lu family once saved my daughter. That’s why we were willing to let our granddaughter marry there, thinking she’d have support. Even our son went to serve in the army, showing his sense of duty. We never expected that woman to be so wicked!”
Grandma’s eyes turned red with rage, her teeth clenched. “We can’t let this go! Tomorrow, we’ll take Zhiqiang and Jianjun and go confront them!”
Aunt Jiang Xiaohong grabbed Grandma. “Mom, calm down first. We can’t act on impulse. We need to think this through carefully.”
Uncle shouted, “Think it through? There’s nothing to think about! Tomorrow we smash their house!”
Jiang Xiaohong glared at him. “If that old man from the Lu family were still alive, you could storm their house with our son. But that old man was your sister’s lifesaver, and now he’s gone. If you three men go to a widow’s house to make trouble, what will that look like?”
A neighbor couldn’t take it anymore. “Jiang Xiaohong, you’re being too petty. Your niece is alone and helpless it’s pitiful.”
Jiang Xiaohong glared at the neighbor. “You’re just watching the drama! How is it just her alone? My sister isn’t dead, she’s insane. If I were really petty, would I have let my sister stay at home, and we still took care of her?”
The neighbor had no response to that.
Xia Wan gently rubbed her grandmother’s back to soothe her.
“Grandma, don’t get upset. What Aunt said is right. I also came today to ask for everyone’s help and support.”
Grandpa calmed down and looked at her. “Girl, what do you want to do?”
“I want to go to the Lu family tomorrow with my eldest and second cousins. I’ll take away whatever dowry and bride price I can, and destroy what I can’t carry!”
Jiang Xiaohong agreed, “Fine, let the younger generation go. We won’t get involved.”
Cousin Chen Yuling hurried forward. “Cousin, I want to go too!”
Before Xia Wan could answer, Jiang Xiaohong said, “Okay, you go too. Protect your cousin well, and don’t let the Lu family bully her again!”
Chen Yuling grinned proudly. “Got it!”
At that moment, a neighbor stepped forward. “If you’re going, you can borrow my car.”
It seemed that among the nosy neighbors, some could actually help.
Uncle thanked them one by one.
After that, the neighbors dispersed.
By performing this scene in front of them, not only did they borrow a car, but also a few young people who would help move things from the Lu house tomorrow.
With the Chen family inside, Grandpa asked Xia Wan, “That job… did you really give it to Yang Shufen’s goddaughter?”
Xia Wan shook her head. “No way! I told the director to give it to Zhang Wei, who ranked second in the exam. But now they really think I gave it to her.”
Grandpa’s expression softened slightly. “That’s more like it. I thought you’d really be that timid. You had me worried.”
Xia Wan helped him sit down. “Grandpa, don’t worry. I’m about to prepare for the college entrance exam. If they knew I lost the job, they’d bother me constantly. Even without giving them benefits, I’d still be distracted.”
Grandpa nodded approvingly. “True. But if you don’t mind, why not move in here? You’ll have people to take care of meals and everything, so you can focus on studying. Zhiqiang will also take the exam this year.”
Xia Wan looked at her eldest cousin in surprise. “Really? Why didn’t you say earlier! I still have some study materials I’ll give you a copy!”
Chen Zhiqiang happily said, “Great, thanks, cousin!”
After that, Xia Wan’s smile faded, and she looked at everyone seriously. “I want to go see my mom.”
The room fell silent.
Grandma sighed. “I’ll take you.”
Grandma led her to a locked room.
She whispered to Xia Wan, “Her condition has worsened recently. She’ll grab at anyone who comes in, thinking it might be your father or you, so we had to lock her up. Be careful inside.”
“Okay.”
Grandma opened the door. The room was pitch black.
Xia Wan stepped in and heard a woman’s sobs coming from a dark corner.
It was hard to tell whether she was crying or in pain.
“Mom…”
Xia Wan called softly.
The shadow in the darkness trembled.
Xia Wan had taken just two steps forward when the shadow lunged at her.
By instinct, she tried to restrain the person.
“Daughter!”
Hearing this, Xia Wan froze as if shocked by electricity.
The disheveled woman in front of her hugged her tightly.
“Mom…”
Xia Wan choked up.
In her previous life during the apocalypse, she had never met her parents. She had never truly felt parental love.
Hearing Chen Xiaoyan, her mother, call out “daughter” made her heart ache.
Even though she had merely crossed over into the world of a book, the people in front of her were real, living, and emotional.
Sadly, whether by the book’s original design or now, the daughter the woman had been waiting for her true daughter would never return.
Xia Wan sniffed and looked at her grandmother, who was wiping tears anxiously.
“Grandma, I want to be alone with Mom for a while. You go out first, okay? I’ll be fine.”
Grandma nodded vigorously, unable to bear seeing her own daughter in such a pitiful state, and hurried out.
She stood at the door and called, “Wanwan, if anything happens, call out we can hear you.”
“Okay.”
Xia Wan replied and turned to look at her mother, whose eyes were vacant. Her expression turned serious.
Activating her system, she scanned her mother, and immediately the system provided a diagnostic plan along with medication recommendations.