Inside the main house, Granny Zhao’s roar was so loud that even Gu Huanxi in the RV heard it clearly, let alone the few people at the door. Li Qiuhua was so frightened she shuddered, lowering her head and muttering an indistinct curse.
Xu Huaili habitually blamed him, “It’s all your fault, dawdling like that. Look, see how angry you’ve made Mother? If she falls ill later, will you pay for the medicine?”
Xu Huaiyi looked up at him.
Xu Huaili glared back irritably, urging impatiently, “What are you still staring at? Hurry up, or do you really want Mother to come invite you?”
Xu Huaiyi took a deep breath, silently repeating “daughter and wife” three times in his mind. Only then did he barely manage to maintain the original owner’s persona, refraining from snapping back. However, he turned around and locked the door before trudging toward the main house with his head down.
Xu Huaili didn’t move, a contemptuous smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
Li Qiuhua tugged at his sleeve, pointing at the copper lock and whispering, “Why do you think he locked the door anyway?”
Xu Huaili had no interest in knowing. “Why do you care? Anyway, the one inside won’t last much longer. Even if she still has her dowry, won’t it belong to the family once she’s dead? It’s just a matter of sooner or later.”
“That’s true…” After muttering, Li Qiuhua pressed her ear against the door, unwilling to give up, but couldn’t hear anything. She couldn’t help saying, “Why is it so quiet inside? It’s making me uneasy…”
Xu Huaili said dismissively, “Maybe she’s only got one breath left, what sound could she make? Alright, forget about her. You hurry to the main house and listen carefully. We absolutely can’t let Third Brother brush this off easily…”
Hearing this, Li Qiuhua asked in surprise, “Do you really think Third Brother deliberately caused all that trouble?”
Xu Huaili sneered, “Have you forgotten the old saying? The dog that bites doesn’t bark. Third Brother may seem honest, but what he did wasn’t honest at all. Selling the bracelet is one thing, but why say all those extra things? Now the whole village is spreading rumors that the Xu family’s second branch is heartless and unjust, forcing their daughter-in-law to die. With that kind of reputation, none of us in this family can show our faces outside anymore. Fifth Brother can forget about taking the imperial exams too. He’s seeing that his wife won’t survive and wants to drag the whole family down with her…”
Li Qiuhua gasped, “No wonder Uncle Xu rushed over as soon as he heard the news. Third Brother… does he really have that kind of cunning and guts? Or are you overthinking it?”
Xu Huaili stared darkly at the main house. “Enough nonsense. Go now, and hurry.”
Li Qiuhua shrank her neck and scurried off to the main house.
At that moment, the east room of the main house resembled a formal trial. Uncle Xu and Xu Maoshan sat on the kang, while Granny Zhao and her youngest daughter, Xu Honglian, sat cross-legged by the window. Xu Hairen sat on a bench, with Wang Suyun standing behind him. Xu Huaiyi stood in the middle, keeping his head bowed and trying his best to appear quiet, honest, and cowardly so as not to let others notice too great a shift in his personality.
Granny Zhao grew furious at the sight of him like this, berating him without sparing any face. “Third Son, have you got paste in your brain? You’ll do any stupid thing! Even going to buy medicine can bring disaster on the whole family. If I’d known you were such a calamity-bringing beast, I should’ve drowned you in the piss bucket right after giving birth to you…”
After she had finished cursing, Xu Maoshan finally coughed and interrupted with displeasure, "Alright, enough with the endless scolding. Big brother is here. If there's anything, big brother will naturally handle it. Is it your turn to worry?"
Granny Zhao snorted and reluctantly fell silent.
"Big brother, what do you think about this matter…" Xu Maoshan turned to his elder brother Xu Maoyuan, wearing a troubled expression. "Ah, what a misfortune for our family. I always thought he was the most obedient and honest one. Who would have thought he could stir up such trouble? It's all my fault for failing to discipline him properly, dragging you into this mess and making you suffer. Now you even have to find a way to clean up this little beast's mess…"
Listening to the two of them tag-teaming, Xu Maoyuan frowned and asked Xu Huaiyi, "Huaiyi, what exactly happened? Why is everyone in the village saying you sold off Gu Shi's last piece of dowry?"
Considering Xu Maoyuan's character had always been honest and fair over the years, Xu Huaiyi nodded and replied in a muffled voice, "It was a silver bracelet, the last dowry my father-in-law gave to my wife. It was originally kept as a memento, but now…"
He paused, as if too pained to speak, took a few breaths, and then choked out, "Doctor Jiao said that without medicine, my wife definitely won't make it. Could I just stand by and watch my wife die? I had no choice but to use the silver bracelet to cover the cost of the medicine, just to get through these next couple of days."
Hearing this, Xu Maoyuan instinctively nodded. "What you did isn't wrong…"
Granny Zhao immediately objected. Throwing down the old clothes she was mending, her face darkened as she pointed at Xu Huaiyi and scolded, "You fool! What kind of precious thing is your wife that she needs medicine costing two taels of silver per dose? If she wants to die, let her die! These days, half a bag of grain can buy a young maiden. And here you are, using a silver bracelet to pay for her medicine? Is she even worthy? Aren't you afraid that after taking it, she won't be able to handle such fortune and die even faster? That little slut, a hen that doesn't lay eggs—she's not a daughter-in-law, she's the Xu family's enemy, isn't she? A silver bracelet, over ten taels of silver, just wasted like that by her. Oh my…"
She clutched her chest, dramatically crying out in pain, putting on an act of being infuriated.
In the past, seeing her like this, Xu Huaiyi would have long been terrified, dropping to his knees to beg for forgiveness and admit his guilt. Granny Zhao had always used this trick to control him and his wife, and it had never failed.
But this time… the expected scene did not happen. Instead, it was time for a battle of acting skills.
Xu Huaiyi stood as straight as if steel nails had been driven into his knees. His head was no longer bowed, his body no longer trembling. The expression on his face was rich with emotion—pain mixed with tears of grievance, tears that shimmered with a heartbreaking stubbornness, and stubbornness tinged with restrained despair. In short, it was indescribable.
Everyone in the room was stunned.
Wang Suyun was the first to snap out of it, discreetly nudging her husband.
Xu Hairen had no choice but to put on a stern face and speak up, "Third brother, what are you doing? Look how angry you've made Mother, even her old illness has flared up. Why aren't you apologizing?"
With a pained and disbelieving expression, Xu Huaiyi retorted, "Big brother, where do you think I went wrong? Should I not have gotten my wife medical treatment, or should I not have sold the dowry? Do even you think it's better for my wife to die than to live?"
Xu Hairen dared not agree to that, immediately forcing a dry laugh, "I didn't mean it that way. Of course, it's best for my sister-in-law to be healthy and well, to carry on the Xu family line. It's just that selling the dowry…"
"If we don't sell the dowry, where will we get the money for medicine? I don’t want to sell it either, but I really have no choice…" Xu Huaiyi choked up, covering his face, filled with shame and self-blame, as if he couldn’t bear to face anyone. He confessed remorsefully, "I’ve let my father-in-law down. When he was alive, he treated me so well, with such profound kindness. I promised him I would take good care of Huanxi, but I’ve failed…"