Hearing the woman’s heart-wrenching cries, Jiang Yuyan felt a pang in her chest and instinctively touched her heart.
She looked up at the two people kneeling on the ground. Their rough, scarred hands told the story of years of hard labor.
Then she glanced at the middle-aged men lounging behind Grandma Jiang—each of them well-fed and plump compared to the two on the floor.
Some villagers couldn’t stand Grandma Jiang’s cruelty:
“Exactly! In the Lao Jiang family, it’s always Jiang Gou-dan’s household doing all the hard work—the dirtiest, most exhausting jobs. And they eat the worst food! And now, Grandma Jiang wants to kick them out?”
“Hahaha, kick them out? Who else will do your work then? Your eldest son is a worker in town, and the third son… well, he’s useless.”
Jiang Lao-san (the third son) frowned.
“Uncle, why do you have to put it that way? Jiang Gou-dan’s household works because they want to, no one forced them. And it’s their family too—so what if they do some work?”
His wife added, “Besides, Second Uncle’s son Mu Xuan has a broken leg and can’t work to earn money. Are we supposed to bleed out to pay for his treatment?”
“Also, Second Uncle’s other son, Mu Yi, was caught by the police for petty profiteering. That’s his own fault. Why should our Lao Jiang family risk our reputation and go down together?”
These words immediately strengthened Grandma Jiang’s resolve. She shouted:
“Go! Call the brigade leader now! Our Lao Jiang family will split—send the Second Branch out!”
“No need to call, I’m already here!” The brigade leader said, his eyes full of complexity as he looked at Grandma Jiang.
“You… are sure you want to evict Gou-dan’s household? Strip them bare?”
“Mother!!” Jiang Gou-dan wailed in pain.
He hadn’t expected his mother to be so cruel. Ten yuan would have saved Mu Xuan’s life, yet she refused to hand over the money.
Ignoring him, Grandma Jiang said:
“Yes, Brigade Leader. I want to split the household today. Gou-dan’s household has done something so detestable—stripping them bare is the best choice.”
The brigade leader hesitated.
Seeing no reaction, Jiang Lao-san rolled his eyes and pretended to reason:
“Brigade Leader, it’s not that our Lao Jiang family lacks compassion, leaving the Third Uncle’s household to die. But their family produced a criminal child. If outsiders knew, who would dare marry into our village?”
The villagers, initially feeling that the family’s treatment was harsh, now found it reasonable.
Every family has children. A criminal appearing in the brigade could destroy its reputation.
Jiang Gou-dan and his wife slumped to the ground, empty-eyed, seemingly out of body, hearing nothing.
The brigade leader sighed internally but had no choice. He asked Grandma Jiang again:
“Lao Jiang family, are you certain you want to evict Gou-dan’s household completely?”
“Yes! Absolutely! Do it today!”
“Wait! I do not agree!”
A clear voice interrupted. All eyes turned to a young, unusually beautiful woman standing apart from the villagers.
Jiang Lao-san’s eyes lit up. Seeing her beauty, he instinctively swiped his mouth and adjusted his hair, striking a pose he thought was charming.
“Uh… young lady, may I ask who you are? You’re not part of the Shifei Brigade, are you? Visiting relatives? I’m—”
Jiang Yuyan ignored him entirely and walked straight to Jiang Gou-dan, helping the kneeling couple to their feet.
She brushed the dust from their legs and asked:
“The ground is hard, kneeling hurts. Are you alright?”
Jiang Gou-dan froze. His wife, Hu Ye, seeing Jiang Yuyan’s familiar yet unknown face, couldn’t hold back tears.
“You… you… could it be…”
Jiang Yuyan smiled faintly and nodded.
“If I’m not mistaken, I am your biological daughter. My name is Yuyan—Jiang Yuyan.”
“Good… good child! How… how did you get here? Weren’t you fine—”
Hu Ye’s joy turned to alarm, thinking perhaps the city folks had rejected the child and sent her back.
Not just her—others murmured:
“So it’s the swapped fake heiress! Ha, coming back now, probably sent back by rich city people?”
Grandma Jiang sneered, clearly disliking the audacity of a young girl interrupting her.
Jiang Yuyan comforted Hu Ye with a reassuring pat and gestured for her to stay silent. She would handle this.
Ignoring Grandma Jiang’s sarcasm, she looked at the brigade leader:
“Brigade Leader, I am Jiang Yuyan, Jiang Gou-dan’s biological daughter. Lao Jiang family wants to strip my household bare. I have a few questions—please forgive me if I offend, I’m young and may speak bluntly.”
The brigade leader nodded, curious to hear what this sudden daughter had to say.
“Since ancient times, being stripped bare in a household only occurs when one commits a grave mistake. So, I’d like to ask: what serious mistake has my family committed?”
The brigade leader hesitated.
Grandma Jiang scoffed, “Hmph. I’m his mother. If I say he should be stripped bare, then he will be—no objections matter.”
Jiang Yuyan raised an eyebrow.
“So, remnants of feudal thinking still linger in the Shifei Brigade? Then, should I report this to the authorities? Someone here is attempting to restore feudalism and monopolistic power!”
Grandma Jiang: “!!!!!!”
Everyone’s hearts skipped a beat. They hadn’t expected this young woman to threaten them with just a few words.
The brigade leader quickly intervened:
“No! That’s absolutely not the case! Jiang Yuyan, please don’t act impulsively.”
Grandma Jiang trembled, lips quivering, “You… you little girl, huff… I… oh my…”
“Mother, are you alright? Quick, help her inside—”
“Wait!” Jiang Lao-dasan’s wife was not willing to let things end like this.
She had returned today with the sole purpose of having the Lao Jiang family evict the Second Branch, preferably stripping them bare so the remaining wealth stayed with the First Branch.
Suddenly, this girl disrupted all her plans.
She whispered a few words into Grandma Jiang’s ear, and the pretended unwell woman straightened again.
“Ahem, no need, I’m fine. Brigade Leader, the split will happen as planned. But the stripping bare? Forget that. Second Branch has a criminal child, and our Lao Jiang family cannot tolerate them. We will sever ties completely.”
Hiss! Everyone but Jiang Yuyan gasped.
They didn’t understand why the Lao Jiang family could be so ruthless.
Wasn’t Jiang Gou-dan her son? How biased!
Jiang Gou-dan and his wife gasped for breath, holding each other for support.
Jiang Yuyan glanced at Xia Hong, realizing this woman truly held absolute authority in the Lao Jiang family.
“Very well! But I request that the household accounts be brought out and tallied, every item accounted for. Only with a clear record can future disputes be avoided.”