She had a premonition that once Second Aunt came to her senses, she would bring people over to cause trouble at their house. How could they not attract envy after buying so many things?
However, she had already thought of a countermeasure; she was just afraid they wouldn't come.
The ox cart moved slowly, and Xu Jianing, feeling somewhat drowsy, unconsciously closed her eyes.
When she opened her eyes again, she found they were already home.
Hearing the noise, Mother Xu quickly came out from inside and anxiously inquired, "Husband, is that you back?"
"Mother, we are back."
Xu Jianing quickly jumped down from the cart and helped Mother Xu sit down. "Mother, just wait here while we put the things away."
With Uncle Jingde's help, the few of them quickly carried everything into the rooms.
Before leaving, Uncle Jingde hesitated for a moment, pulled Father Xu aside, and said, "Brother Dongyang, though it might not be my place to say, you should quickly hide your belongings. I'm worried..."
He didn't finish his words, but Father Xu understood what he meant.
Father Xu gave him a wry smile, nodded, and took out a few Copper Coins from his pocket, pressing them into his hand. "Take this. You've been busy helping for so long. I understand what you mean."
"Brother Dongyang, I won't take the money. Just now, the girl even gave me two Meat Buns. If you insist, I'll give you the money for the Meat Buns too. Forget it, I won't take it. I'm leaving now."
With that statement, he left.
Father Xu sighed, knowing his character, and didn't press the issue further. He thought he could make up for it in some other way later if he had the chance.
"Ning'er, Yin'er, hurry up and put everything away in my room. Ning'er, have your Eldest Sister take you to Granny Xu's house to get the Fabric so they can make you both some clothes."
Xu Jianing was a little reluctant to go; she felt that something bad would happen at home after they left.
But Father Xu urged her repeatedly, and since her Eldest Sister had already gathered the things, she had no choice but to go along.
Remembering the Meat Buns and Steamed Buns in the basket, she couldn't help but remind them, "Father, heat up the Steamed Buns and Meat Buns later; Mother probably hasn't eaten yet. We'll be back soon."
Xu Jianing pulled her sister and walked out, saying as they went, "Sister, we must go and come back quickly. I have a feeling Second Aunt won't let us off easily. Just because she doesn't cause trouble doesn't mean others won't."
After her reminder, Xu Jiayin also felt it made sense, and she started running while pulling Xu Jianing along.
Fortunately, the two houses weren't far apart, and they stopped not long after.
"What's going on here?"
Granny Xu happened to be coming out to pour wastewater and ran into the two sisters who were out of breath.
"Come, come, come inside with Granny for a drink of water and a rest. You two girls, really, if someone didn't know better, they'd think you were being chased."
The two Xu sisters smiled sheepishly.
After putting the things away, Xu Jianing said a few polite words and then headed back with her Eldest Sister. They were still quite worried.
As expected, before they even entered the door, they heard the sound of a heated argument.
Xu Jianing happened to see a very thick wooden club by the door; she picked it up and rushed inside.
Hearing the commotion, the people inside suddenly stopped arguing.
An old man who looked seven parts like Father Xu was glaring at her, puffing out his beard and glaring, "What's this? Rebellious child, what does she mean by this?"
Father Xu said with a slight headache, "Ning'er, Yin'er, quickly come and greet Grandfather. Put what you're holding in the Kitchen first."
This time, Xu Jianing stubbornly refused to let go.
Old Master Xu couldn't be bothered with them and spoke directly to Father Xu, "I have delivered my message. You all need to consider it carefully. Father is doing this for your own good; your wife is frail and cannot bear children, so you cannot be without an heir."
"Father, can you please not say such things in front of the children? Eldest Brother has many sons; that is their good fortune. Having Ning'er and Yin'er is enough for us."
"You stubborn fool, why won't you listen to advice? What use are two little girls? Once they marry out, they belong to someone else's family; who will support you in your old age?"
Xu Jianing finally understood: her Grandfather disliked that her mother couldn't bear sons and wanted to force her parents to Adopt for inheritance one from the First Branch, but her father refused to agree.
She couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. She wouldn't believe this matter had nothing to do with their Second Aunt.
Wasn't it just because they bought a few extra things, and she worried about not getting benefits later, so she wanted to use her son as leverage to take advantage legitimately and scheme? With her here, how could she let them succeed?
Adjusting her emotions, Xu Jianing deliberately spoke exaggeratedly, "Father, Mother, Grandfather is also thinking of what's best for our family; why won't you agree?"
"Ning'er, you..." Father Xu was somewhat shocked. Based on past situations, shouldn't their Ning'er be the first to jump up and object?
While Old Master Xu wasn't paying attention, Xu Jianing quickly winked at Father Xu and Mother Xu, signaling them to remain calm; she had a plan.
Hearing her words, Old Master Xu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, see? Even Ning'er knows I'm doing this for your own good."
"Ning'er, you must help your Grandfather persuade your parents properly. Having a brother is good; if you and your sister are bullied by your in-laws after marrying, you'll have someone to support you. Otherwise, people will think your maternal family has no one."
Xu Jianing nodded in agreement and asked with feigned innocence, "Grandfather, does that mean he can also help share the cost of Mother and Father's medical treatment in the future? That would be wonderful; I was just worrying about not having enough money!"
"What?" Old Master Xu was greatly surprised. Where did this come from?
The logic was sound; what this little girl asked was not flawed.
But he dared not agree. If he dared to make a commitment without authorization, his eldest daughter-in-law would surely fly into a rage when he got back.
Seeing his expression change, Xu Jianing knew her words had an effect.
She secretly chuckled; it seemed that wasn't enough, she needed to add a strong dose of medicine.
She then pretended to say casually, "Mother, Father, I already spoke with Doctor Liu a couple of days ago, and he agreed to see you both. It will cost quite a bit of money; our family needs to prepare."
Old Master Xu, standing nearby, wiped the sweat from his forehead, turned to Father Xu, and said, "Second family's wife, Father just remembered there's something else I need to attend to, so I'll be leaving now. You don't need to see me out."
Seeing him about to slip away, Xu Jianing mischievously shouted, "Grandfather, don't go! Are you still going to keep your word about what you just said? In a few days, should I have Doctor Liu ask Eldest Brother or Second Brother for the money?"
Old Master Xu, who had been walking away slowly, quickly vanished from their sight after hearing her shout.
Seeing this, Xu Jianing burst into unrestrained laughter. Wonderful, she had successfully scared off the aggressive Old Master Xu.
She estimated that the people from the First Branch wouldn't bring up this matter again for a while.