The old Qiao woman’s expression twisted instantly.
“You’re neglecting your work for a woman?”
Qiao Wengang looked at her, his gaze carrying a hint of gravity. “To me, nothing matters more than my wife and daughter. Mom, do you understand?”
That look made the old Qiao woman’s heart tremble. She muttered, “I know. That’s why I treat your wife so well.”
Qiao Wengang nodded, then continued, “Yunchu and Lihua are in the hospital. I don’t have any money on me right now. Give me some…”
Money in the old Qiao woman’s hands, whether spent on her son or her husband, was one thing. But spending it on her daughter-in-law and granddaughter was practically asking for her life.
She was extremely unwilling, but her son had just made his stance clear, and she didn’t want to damage their relationship over this. Gritting her teeth, she said, “The family isn’t well-off. You don’t manage the household, so you don’t know how expensive daily necessities are. I don’t have much—how much do you want?”
Qiao Wengang thought for a moment and said, “Give me five hundred for now…”
He wasn’t even sure if it would be enough. When he left the hospital, he had deliberately gone to ask.
When the old Qiao woman heard “five hundred,” it was like asking for her life. That was their entire family’s income for two months.
She tried hard to suppress her anger and said pointedly, “Yunchu is perfectly fine, yet she insists on staying in the hospital. Lihua just bumped her forehead herself; that wound must have healed by now. Why do they insist on staying in the hospital? Son, it’s not that Mom is unwilling—it’s that five hundred yuan really isn’t a small amount…”
She looked at Old Man Qiao.
Old Man Qiao also put down his chopsticks and nodded. Five hundred yuan was indeed a lot.
“If there’s nothing serious, have them come home to stay. Your mom can take care of them at home too. Hospitals are places that burn money—it’s not worth it…”
Just then, an elderly woman’s tentative voice sounded from outside: “Is this the Qiao residence?”
A helpful neighbor in the courtyard replied, “Ma’am, are you looking for the Qiao family? I’ll take you there. It’s right here. Sister Qiao, someone’s looking for your family…”
The Qiao family, who were eating in the main room, looked up and saw the elderly woman who had arrived.
The old Qiao woman’s expression changed. “Why is it you?”
The person before her was none other than Old Madam Huang, her sworn enemy. The old Qiao woman subconsciously looked toward her husband. Don’t think she didn’t know—she’d heard that the man Old Madam Huang married was about to die. She wasn’t here to snatch her man, was she?
“What are you here for?” she asked warily.
Old Madam Huang ignored her. She glanced around the house, then her eyes settled on the dishes on the table. She clicked her tongue a few times.
Annoyed, the old Qiao woman asked, “What exactly are you here for?”
Old Madam Huang snorted, then grabbed the kind auntie who had led her in and suddenly shouted loudly, “Why am I here? I’m here to uphold justice and right a wrong! Neighbors, everyone, come out and take a look!”
There wasn’t much entertainment in those days. Although department stores sold televisions, they were too expensive for ordinary families. So once Old Madam Huang shouted, everyone in the courtyard came out to watch the excitement.
The old Qiao woman had a bad feeling and hurriedly grabbed a broom to chase her away. “Why are you causing trouble at my house? Go away, hurry!”
Old Madam Huang dodged while pulling out the things she had prepared, shouting, “Everyone, take a look! Haven’t you all been curious these past few days about why the Qiao family’s daughter-in-law hasn’t been at home?”
The neighbors nodded one after another. Living in the same courtyard, seeing each other every day, it was natural to notice that the Qiao family’s daughter-in-law had been gone for several days, and people had been speculating privately.
When asked, the old Qiao woman always wore a troubled expression and said, “My daughter-in-law has a bad temper. I can’t control her. I don’t know where she went, and she didn’t tell us. We worry every day—two old people worrying so much we can’t sleep…”
After this spread, everyone felt that Shen Yunchu was unfilial.
Someone spoke up.
Old Madam Huang heard this and sneered. “Then do you all remember the injury on that little girl Lihua’s forehead?”
Someone responded, “Could it be she threw a tantrum over something so small? Kids bump into things all the time. I even saw the old Qiao woman apply safflower oil to her… She’s a good grandmother.”
The old Qiao woman grew more and more uneasy.
She wished she could stuff an old rag into Old Madam Huang’s mouth, but Old Madam Huang was far too nimble. She continued, “Yes, children accidentally getting hurt is normal. But that injury wasn’t from little Qiao Lihua falling by herself—it was the result of the old Qiao woman’s daily venting!”
“Haven’t you ever wondered why that little girl has injuries every few days? It’s not because a child keeps falling—it’s because someone is abusing her!”
That news was like a heavy bomb, shattering the calm and setting off intense discussion among the crowd.
The old Qiao woman’s face turned deathly pale. “You—you’re talking nonsense!”
Seeing her like this, Old Madam Huang was delighted and said smugly, “And there’s more! She loves to put on a performance. In front of you, she’s kind and gentle, but her daughter-in-law’s body doesn’t have a single uninjured spot. If you don’t believe me, look—this is the evidence!”
“And she clearly knew her daughter-in-law went to the hospital. Wasn’t she deliberately leading you all to think otherwise?”
She held a stack of photocopied examination reports, handing them out so everyone could see.
When everyone looked, it really was true. That day, an unfamiliar old lady had indeed mentioned taking Qiao Lihua to the hospital. The children knew this even better. Thinking of the generous old grandmother who had given them candy, they all began to speak up one after another.
Children spoke without restraint. After taking Nan Linyi’s candy, they weren’t about to take things for free and do nothing. No one knew who spoke first.
“I heard Grandma Qiao cursing her daughter-in-law in the kitchen—really nasty stuff…”
“Grandma Qiao cut up Lihua’s favorite cloth doll…”
“Grandma Qiao…”
Old Man Qiao’s face looked extremely ugly. Face was what he valued most in his life. He coldly looked at the old Qiao woman.
She could only look to her son for help, but her son’s gaze was even colder.
“Mom, is this what you call taking good care of Yunchu and Lihua?”
Old Madam Huang still wasn’t satisfied and went on, “And she boasts every day about being a good mother-in-law. Then why, when her daughter-in-law and granddaughter are hospitalized, doesn’t she take out even a single yuan?”
The old Qiao woman knew that if she didn’t do something now, she would be completely finished.
So she hurriedly shouted, “Who says I didn’t? Even if I didn’t go to the hospital myself, I already sent my son. And—and I’ve agreed to take out one thousand yuan for their medical treatment!”
Saying this, her heart ached terribly.
One thousand yuan—that was one thousand! It was half of all her savings…
But still…
Where did Shen Yunchu get such audacity? Was she not planning to return to the Qiao family at all, to let such a thing be exposed to this vile old woman? Despicable—absolutely despicable!
(End of Chapter)