Whether others had the face to meet their ancestors or not, Fang Yao didn’t care.
In any case, she had a clear conscience from start to finish and hadn’t wronged anyone. On the contrary, the three members of Xu Manjiang’s family, in order to get the compensation back, had teamed up with the Li family to stir up this whole mess. They had threatened to report the case, but when she actually did report it, they backed down at the last moment.
If only they had been a bit more resolute—filed the case, recovered the compensation, and then withdrawn it—Fang Yao would have willingly paid up.
Now that she was the victor, Fang Yao had even less reason to hold back. She straightened her back and spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly: “Comrade officers, I have no conflicts to resolve with them. The root of the incident lies with them, so let them speak.”
It was nothing more than shifting the blame—a tactic these people had just used on her, and Fang Yao was simply returning the favor!
Upon hearing her words, Wang Cuilian couldn’t contain her anger. Her eyes widened as if she had been struck by something, and she jumped up, cursing: “You little wretch have nothing to say? You’ve already latched onto Xu Qingzhou and swindled a large sum of money from us. Were we wrong to ask you to return it? You clearly agreed but then reneged and even called the police—you just don’t want us to have any peace!”
Xu Manjiang, too, was filled with grievances. He had just opened his mouth to call out, “Comrade officers!” when Old Mrs. Xu, cradled in Wang Hua’s arms, suddenly let out a pained cry.
“Mom? Mom, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me!” Wang Hua shook her body vigorously. Old Mrs. Xu’s eyes widened, but within just two seconds, they closed again.
“Mom!” Wang Hua cried out in panic.
Instantly, Wang Cuilian and Xu Manjiang fell silent. The members of the Li family all wore restrained expressions, while the two officers rushed forward to check on the old lady’s condition.
“The elderly woman has fainted. A life is at stake—put your conflicts aside for now and take her to the hospital first!”
And so, with the help of the two officers and Wang Hua, they carried Old Mrs. Xu into the courtyard.
Xu Jianshu also wanted to follow, but Wang Cuilian grabbed him by the arm.
“Where do you think you’re going? We haven’t gotten our money back yet!”
Xu Jianshu was still concerned about his mother’s health after all. He glared at her and shook off her hand: “At a time like this, you’re still making trouble. If anything happens to my mom, I won’t let you off!”
Xu Jianshu rushed out the door in a panic. Inside the room, only Wang Cuilian, Xu Manjiang, and the three members of the Li family were left, staring at each other in dismay.
Fang Yao had originally followed them out, but just as they reached the main gate, Old Mrs. Xu suddenly gasped and woke up again.
She immediately grabbed Xu Jianshu, her face streaked with tears, and sobbed: “Jianshu, things have already come to this. Do you really want to lose every last bit of our dignity? If that’s the case, you might as well find a rope and strangle me to death right now!”
“Mom… don’t say such things. It makes me seem like the Xu Family’s sinner!” Xu Jianshu slapped his thigh, his guilt making him unable to meet his mother’s gaze.
Old Mrs. Xu then grabbed the officers’ hands, weeping and pleading: “Comrade officers, I beg you. This is our family’s shameful affair. Please leave this old woman a little dignity and let us settle it behind closed doors. I’m begging you, please show some mercy! Can you just drop the matter?”
The two officers hadn’t expected such an unexpected turn of events. They exchanged glances, neither wanting to get themselves into trouble.
"Elder, as long as you can handle this properly, we won't pursue it further! Please don't get agitated anymore—your health is what matters most."
"I'm not agitated, not agitated!"
Everyone worked together to help the old lady back into the house. She was gasping for breath, her mouth wide open, looking as if she were hanging on by a thread. Xu Jianshu crouched on the ground, head buried in his hands, silent.
One of the police officers spoke up: "Your family's elder says you can handle this yourselves. Does anyone have any objections?"
"We have no objections!" Xu Jianshu replied in a muffled voice.
The officer nodded, offered a few words of caution about handling the matter properly, and then left.
Wang Cuilian, seeing that she wouldn't be able to get any compensation, glanced at the half-dead old lady and, fearing she might actually be angered to death, simply shifted all the blame onto Fang Yao: "Are you satisfied now, having angered your grandmother like this? If you didn't want to pay, you brought the police to arrest people at home—how heartless can you be!"
Just as Fang Yao was about to retort, Xu Jianshu stood up and shouted, "Enough!"
Turning to Li Bonian, whose face was livid with anger, Xu Jianshu's demeanor shrank noticeably: "Father-in-law, in the end, the fault lies with us. The bride price we owe Xuemiao—my wife and I will find a way to make it up ourselves. Consider it our responsibility."
With these words, Xu Jianshu completely gave up on trying to recover compensation from Fang Yao.
Li Bonian still held his ground. In truth, putting himself in their shoes, after serving as the village Party branch secretary for over twenty years, he had always been the one giving orders and reprimanding others. To lose face so badly on his first visit as an in-law—how could he not be furious?
"I don't care how you handle it. Today, I'm taking Xuemiao back with me. When the bride price is paid in full, I'll send her back!"
After saying this, Li Bonian walked out first. Li Xuemiao and Xu Manjiang exchanged hesitant glances but were eventually pulled away by Liu Feng.
Wang Cuilian kept calling out, "Daughter-in-law, don't go!" and chased after them with Xu Manjiang.
What was supposed to be a pleasant family gathering meal ended up in complete chaos!
Fang Yao stayed behind, wanting to take care of Old Mrs. Xu, but seeing that the old lady kept her eyes closed and refused to acknowledge anyone, she said goodbye to Wang Hua and returned to her room.
Wang Hua didn't return from the old lady's courtyard until dusk. During that time, Wang Cuilian made a few noisy remarks, but the situation wasn't too intense, so Fang Yao stayed inside. She prepared dinner on her own and waited for Wang Hua to return.
"Mom, how is Grandma?" Fang Yao asked as soon as they met.
Wang Hua sighed first, then couldn't help but chuckle.
"She's fine. The old lady was pretending. She had no choice but to fool the Li family into leaving, given how badly they were bullying us."
Wang Hua sat on a stool, looking at the freshly cooked dishes and the newly steamed cornbread on the table. Her anxious heart finally settled.
Fang Yao was still a bit worried. She had taken it upon herself to call the police, and the look in the old lady's eyes at the time had clearly been one of disappointment.
"Does Grandma hate me for stirring things up?"
Wang Hua didn't hide the truth: "She's definitely angry, but I think you did the right thing! We can't sacrifice your well-being just for the sake of saving face. I'd rather cut ties with your second aunt! All these years, the old lady has favored them. She was finally fair about your marriage to Qingzhou, but at the last moment, she bent the rules again. Since she wants to be a fence-sitter, she'll have to bear the consequences!"
With her mother-in-law's support and affirmation, Fang Yao's mind felt as if it had been cleared, becoming suddenly enlightened.
At the same time, she once again recognized a side of her mother-in-law that was not shown to the outside world—weakness and being easy to bully were not her true personality. On the contrary, the real her was clear-minded and wise, capable of analyzing everything thoroughly, with a hidden sense of ease and humor deep in her bones.
No wonder Xu Qingzhou grew up to be so outstanding—it turns out it was all thanks to her mother-in-law's excellent upbringing!