Chapter 115 So-called Relatives

Chapter 115 So-called Relatives

The three adults and one child quickly tidied up the two rooms. Aunt Ge took out two clean mats that were neither new nor old from the box and spread them on the old mat on the earthen bed. Then she hung the two sets of quilts from the box on the clothesline in the yard and let the sun dry them slowly.

Xie Wanniang and Jiang Yuan first gave two days' worth of food to Aunt Ge, and then put most of the things they brought into the south room of the east wing where Jiang Yuan was temporarily staying.

There was a large lockable box in the room. The lock was something Hao Yu had bought and brought with her on their second visit, following Aunt Ge's advice.

In addition, the door to the main room of the east wing can also be locked; of course, Jiang Yuan and his group brought their own locks.

In Aunt Ge's words, every village has its share of wicked people, and with her family consisting of the elderly and the young, they simply couldn't deter those with malicious intentions.

Rather than waiting for those shameless people to barge in and then steal things when they're not looking, causing everyone to be unhappy, she decided to proactively remind Jiang Yuan and the others to lock the door and the boxes.

Hearing Jiang Yuan take out a padlock and lock the large wooden box, and whisper that Aunt Ge had given her prior instructions, Xie Wanniang couldn't help but look at this old lady with even greater respect.

She became a widow when her son was around ten years old. She struggled to raise him and find him a wife, but her son died on the mountain a few years later, just like his husband.

Her young and strong daughter-in-law abandoned her young child and remarried, but this old woman gritted her teeth and persevered.

Her perseverance and strength alone are already admirable, but now, through this small incident involving the lock, Xie Wanniang has discovered two great virtues of the old lady: she is reasonable and thoughtful.

She whispered to Jiang Yuan, "I hope the old lady can live a long time, until her two children grow up and are able to take care of her until the end of her life."

Xie Wanniang sincerely hoped that the old lady could enjoy a few days of peace and happiness, but Jiang Yuan shattered Xie Wanniang's beautiful fantasy with a single sentence.

“The lives of ordinary hunters are even harder than those of farmers. Even when Awang and Xiaohua have grown up, Aunt Ge still has to continue to diligently manage the household chores.”

Let alone Aunt Ge's situation, even in other families with many able-bodied men, the elderly don't have the concept of "enjoying a peaceful retirement." Unless they are dead, paralyzed, or mentally disabled, who can stay at home and wait to eat for free?

If you can't do heavy work, do the lighter work; in short, you have to contribute to the whole family.

Xie Wanniang was convinced by him. Indeed, even in the relatively wealthy families of Mingfu Village, the elderly still had to work in the fields, gather firewood, do housework, and take care of children.

The two put their things away properly and came out of the house one after the other, intending to tell Aunt Ge before heading up the mountain together.

However, before they could even speak, a commotion of voices arose from the village road outside the courtyard.

"You little bastard, born of a father but raised by no mother, you stop right there!" A sharp, angry voice clearly reached Xie Wanniang and the others' ears. "If I don't teach you a lesson today, you little bastard, you'll be running wild!"

Xie Wanniang rubbed her ear uncomfortably. Jiang Yuan's usually expressionless face was now furrowed with brows and his thin lips pressed together, making his displeasure easily discernible.

Grandma Ge and her two grandchildren were already used to it. Seeing that the two were both dissatisfied and puzzled, Grandma Ge lowered her voice and, amidst the persuasion of other villagers outside the courtyard, told Jiang Yuan and Xie Wan Niang about the woman outside.

"She is Atai's aunt, whose parents passed away last winter."

"The courtyard and land left by Atai's parents were taken over by his uncle's family."

"When they took things from their house, the couple spoke very nicely to us."

“What do you mean, Atai and Xiaomei are too young, and they are just the two siblings living together? How can their uncle and aunt feel at ease?”

"They even said that when Atai grows up and gets married, they will return the house and land left by Atai's parents."

"As soon as the brother and sister were taken over by them, they had their eldest son's family move into Atai's house."

"The brother and sister slept in the woodshed at their house, were beaten and scolded, didn't have enough to eat, and had to do all kinds of work, while their own children and grandchildren lived in the spacious house that their parents had worked so hard to build."

At this point, Aunt Ge rolled her eyes toward the door. "And these are their own uncle and aunt! They eat the food left by their parents, live in the house left by their parents, and farm the land that their parents worked so hard to cultivate, yet they still mistreat the brother and sister. Aren't they afraid that their parents will come looking for them in the middle of the night to settle scores?"

Of course, even Aunt Ge herself, who said the words, didn't believe the so-called "accounting" at all.

If the dead could really punish the living, Atai and Xiaomei wouldn't have been treated so badly by their aunt.

In just over half a year, the two children had become extremely thin, especially Xiao Mei, who was younger and more timid. She was so worn down that she was no longer recognizable.

The elders in the clan had tried to talk to their uncle, but he always claimed that he didn't know, hadn't paid attention, or had been negligent.

When his elders asked him to control his wife, he readily agreed. But when he got home, he would shout and yell, making a huge commotion, as if the couple were having a full-blown fight. But the truth was, he was just putting on a show for outsiders.

The couple acted in perfect unison, but it was only the children, Atai and Xiaomei, who suffered.

Jiang Yuan and Xie Wanniang frowned as they listened. Xie Wanniang asked Aunt Ge, "Can't we just ask them to return the things that Atai's parents left behind?"

Even if they can shamelessly find excuses to keep the food, clothes, and furs, they still have to return the houses and land, right?

Aunt Ge sighed, "Once they've eaten something, that family is reluctant to spit it out. Every time the clan talks to them about this, they dodge the question and don't get to the point. When they anger the elders and force them to make a statement, the men remain silent, while the women throw tantrums, crying and screaming."

Little Flower raised her little hand and interjected very quickly, "Aunt Zhao and Sister Wang are both amazing. They can roll around on the ground so many times that they don't even get dizzy."

Grandma Ge glared at her mischievous granddaughter and said, "What nonsense are you talking about, you little brat?"

“I’m not making this up,” Xiaohua defended herself. “I saw them rolling on the ground with my own eyes, and after they finished rolling, they could immediately get up and start cursing and hitting people. They’re really amazing.”

Aunt Ge: ......

She gently pushed her little granddaughter's back, "Go, go, go play somewhere else."