Chen Tianhao snapped his gaze to Jiang Baozhen, his eyes filled with astonishment and reluctance.
He simply didn’t believe she would actually make him vacate the room.
But her ice-cold glare left him no choice but to believe it.
Chen Huaiyuan stepped forward, his heart aching, and coaxed her softly, “Wife, you’ve hit him and scolded him.
Your anger should be quelled by now.
Old Fourth is living perfectly well in this room; where do you want him to move?
Even though spring is here, the night air is still heavy with cold.
If he really catches a chill, won’t you be the one heartbroken?”
“If he freezes to death, I won’t feel a speck of pity,” Jiang Baozhen said, her voice hard and cold.
“But your words just reminded me.
It’s still cold right now, and even I am living in a room with drafts blowing in from all sides.
Yet he, as a son, occupies the best room without a shred of guilt.
If this isn’t unfilial, what is?
“He even wants to study for the imperial exams and become an official.
With such unfilial behavior, once word gets out, which court would dare employ him?”
Whether it was the old dynasty or the new dynasty, no court would select an unfilial son to enter officialdom.
Jiang Baozhen’s words left Chen Huaiyuan utterly speechless.
Her gaze swept over her oldest, second, and third sons.
“They are all pieces of flesh that fell from my own womb, so why should Old Fourth be so special?
No wonder none of you stood up to speak for me when the land was divided.
I see it now—my usual favoritism toward Old Fourth has caused you all to harbor resentment in your hearts!
“I’ve figured it out now.
Since you are all my sons, none of you will live in this room.”
Hearing this, Wu Qiaoqiao looked thoroughly disappointed.
Summoning her courage, she said, “Mother, our Shitou and Tie Tou are getting older.
It’s not right for them to keep squeezing into one bed with us…”
Huang Qiuju also waddled up with her pregnant belly and gritted her teeth.
“That’s right, Mother.
My north room doesn’t see the sun all day long.
It’s so damp that I break out in rashes all over.
It’s fine if I suffer, but I’m afraid your grandson will suffer along with me.
Why don’t our families take turns living in this room?”
Jiang Baozhen shot them a sideways glare and sneered.
“Don’t give me that nonsense!
Do your children share my surname or something?
They are the Chen family’s seed.
What does that have to do with me?
If you’re so capable, go earn some silver and build a big house yourselves!”
Chen Gensheng and Chen Tiansheng exchanged a glance, their hearts filled with regret.
If they had known no one would get this room, why did they bother stepping forward to kick the door earlier?
Chen Chunsheng and Liu Yinhua stood not far away.
They wanted to say something but ultimately kept their mouths shut.
Seeing Jiang Baozhen facing off against the entire family alone, fighting a somewhat lonely battle, Lin Yingxue stepped forward and gently linked her arm through hers.
“If you ask me, Mother is the one in the family who most deserves to live in the best room.”
She had long seen that Jiang Baozhen was clearing out the room for her sake, so naturally, she needed to offer her a graceful out.
Jiang Baozhen felt a warmth in her heart.
She held her daughter’s hand in return and raised her voice.
“Did you all hear that?
In this whole family, only Yingxue knows how to be filial!
Don’t you dare act dissatisfied when I say this.”
Earlier, when her oldest and third sons were fighting over the room, neither had even suggested letting her live in it.
It wasn’t as if Jiang Baozhen hadn’t been disappointed.
She turned to Lin Yingxue, her tone leaving no room for argument.
“Yingxue, your body is weak, and you can’t withstand the wind.
From now on, you’ll live in this east wing room.” Fearing her daughter would decline, she immediately added, “You’re not allowed to say no, or else you’ll be unfilial to me as your mother.”
Lin Yingxue’s lips curved into a slight smile as she obediently agreed, “Alright, I’ll listen to you, Mother.”
Only then did Jiang Baozhen reveal a smile.
Turning her head, she instructed Chen Chunsheng and Liu Yinhua, “Second Son, you two help Yingxue tidy up and clean the place out.”
Right now, this couple didn’t dare openly defy her.
Even if they were dissatisfied, they absolutely wouldn’t dare play dirty tricks on Yingxue.
Standing to the side, Wu Qiaoqiao curled her lips and rolled her eyes.
She knew Lin Yingxue’s previous pitiful act was entirely fake!
Look at how calculating she was—not only had she coaxed her mother-in-law into giving up a bracelet, but now she had even seized the best room.
Chen Tianhao was both furious and wronged.
Watching his clothes being thrown out piece by piece, he couldn’t help but shout at Jiang Baozhen, “Then where am I supposed to live?”
Jiang Baozhen shot a glance at the shed outside.
“You can go live there.”
“The shed leaks wind from all sides.
How can a person live in it?”
“If Yingxue could live there, why can’t you?” Jiang Baozhen didn’t even lift her head.
“If you think the shed isn’t good enough, there are pigpens and chicken coops right next to it.
Take your pick and alternate between them.”
Chen Tianhao’s vision went dark from anger as he looked helplessly toward Chen Huaiyuan.
Chen Huaiyuan’s face was already ashen, his chest heaving, yet he forcefully swallowed whatever words he had.
“Leave the bedding, and leave the oil lamp too,” Jiang Baozhen ordered coldly.
“Other than your undergarments and books, you’re not allowed to take a single thing.”
Especially that thick, new cotton quilt—it had to stay.
That was made with cotton batting she had swallowed her pride to borrow from her elderly mother back at her maiden home a few days ago.
After years of war, the Jiang family wasn’t well-off either.
Her elderly mother had given her the last bit of cotton they had, and her oldest brother’s wife had thrown quite a few tantrums over it.
“Xue’er, you’ll have to make do with this tonight.
Tomorrow, I’ll take this bedding apart and wash it.
In a couple of days, I’ll go to town, buy some new cotton, and make a brand-new quilt for you.”
Jiang Baozhen laid out the bedding with her own hands, yet she still felt thoroughly disgusted.
How could her daughter sleep under something that wild bastard had used?
Lin Yingxue nodded and softly agreed.
At the doorway, Chen Huaiyuan’s figure sank into the shadows.
His gaze was fixed dead on Lin Yingxue, dark and unreadable.
She was just a wretched girl, yet Jiang Baozhen doted on her as if she were the apple of her eye.
A few years ago, amid a pile of refugees in the mountains, he had caught a glimpse of the longevity lock dangling around this girl’s neck.
After some probing, he discovered she was the very biological daughter he had personally abandoned all those years ago.
He never had good intentions when he brought Lin Yingxue back.
He merely wanted to use this girl to exact a far more vicious revenge against Jiang Baozhen!
He would never forget the temple fair that year.
He had secretly arranged to meet Qin Sangrou.
It was supposed to be a time of sweet romance.
Yet that shrew, Jiang Baozhen, somehow got wind of it and charged out in public, exposing the fact that he was already engaged.
She pointed right at Qin Sangrou’s nose, cursing her as a “man-stealer” with “no sense of shame.” Every word was like a blade, shredding Qin Sangrou’s dignity until she had lost all face.
How could such a gentle and kindhearted woman bear that kind of humiliation?
She cried for days after returning home and nearly hung herself from the rafters.
A vulgar village woman like Jiang Baozhen wasn’t even fit to carry Qin Sangrou’s shoes!
He wanted Jiang Baozhen’s most beloved daughter to toil like a beast of burden for the son left behind by the woman he cherished most.
It could be considered Jiang Baozhen indirectly atoning for her sins against Qin Sangruo.
Whenever he thought of the daughter Jiang Baozhen worried about day and night suffering and slaving right under her nose, a twisted sense of pleasure surged in the depths of Chen Huaiyuan’s heart.
He never planned to hide the truth about Lin Yingxue’s origins forever.
He had originally intended to wait for Jiang Baozhen’s most vulnerable moment to turn this truth into the sharpest knife and plunge it viciously into her heart.
He wanted to watch her break down in regret and die with her eyes wide open.
But now, Jiang Baozhen had actually taken Lin Yingxue in as her adopted daughter, completely throwing off his calculations.
He was unwilling to accept this!
He believed that his act of abandoning their daughter all those years ago had been flawlessly executed; there was absolutely no way Jiang Baozhen could know.
Yet the current situation once again filled him with a faint sense of unease.
Once Jiang Baozhen’s anger subsided, he would have to find an opportunity to properly probe her thoughts.
He also needed to test that girl, Lin Yingxue, to see exactly how much she knew about her own origins.
But regardless, this girl could no longer stay in this house.
He could throw her away once, and he could throw her away a second time.