Jiang Xing stomped her foot, tears streaming down her face, “No, my mother didn’t get beaten, you’re too wicked!”
Jiang Xing pushed Chun Ni away, abandoning her laundry, and ran home crying.
Chun Ni spat, “What kind of person is that? Everyone knows what’s going on, yet she keeps it hidden as if nobody understands their intentions.”
A young wife approached, tapping Chun Ni’s head, “Alright, you clever girl, they’re feeling upset right now, and you’re here watching the show. Hurry back home.
Chun Ni clung to the young wife, “Second Sister-in-law, I just can’t stand Jiang Xing’s fake demeanor. She acts like everyone else is a fool. She does disgraceful things herself and doesn’t let others talk about it.”
The young wife didn’t say anything further, just held Chun Ni’s hand, “Chun Ni, good girls don’t talk about others behind their backs. If you have something to say, do it at home, not in public.”
Chun Ni pouted, “Sister-in-law, I know, I was just talking to you.”
Looking around and seeing no one, Chun Ni suddenly lowered her voice, “Sister-in-law, do you think it was a bit excessive for Jiang Chan to report Master Jiang’s family to the authorities? After all, Master Jiang did raise her for thirteen years.”
Chun Ni’s second sister-in-law pondered for a moment, “I think Jiang Chan did the right thing. There’s a saying: ‘If you don’t cut cleanly, you invite trouble.’ By decisively stopping others’ bad intentions, she may have tarnished her reputation temporarily, but her loss is minimal compared to the impact on Master Jiang’s family.”
She held Chun Ni’s hand, “So, I admire Jiang Chan’s decisiveness. Sometimes, reputation only restrains those who care about it. When you don’t hold it in such high regard, it loses its importance.”
Chun Ni nodded, somewhat understanding, and followed her second sister-in-law back home.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xing cried all the way home, coincidentally meeting Jiang Miao, who was about to go out. Jiang Miao was heading to town to repay Jiang Sen the twenty taels he had borrowed for his exams. Now, with the thirty taels Jiang Chan had given to sever ties, Jiang Mu decided Jiang Miao should repay the debt.
Originally planned for a few days ago, the task was delayed because Wang Shi was bedridden and Jiang Xing couldn’t manage the household alone, forcing Jiang Miao to postpone it.
Now that Wang Shi could move around, Jiang Miao put this task back on the agenda. Seeing Jiang Xing come back crying without having washed the clothes, Jiang Miao frowned.
“What happened? Why aren’t the clothes washed?”
Jiang Xing threw the wooden basin to the ground angrily and cried loudly, “You still ask what’s wrong? Everyone in the village knows mother got beaten. Chun Ni even asked me about it while I was doing the laundry.”
Wang Shi, supporting her sore body, slowly walked out of the room. Hearing Jiang Xing’s words, she was so angry she almost fainted. She gasped, “It happened in town, how could they know?”
Jiang Xing wiped her tears, “How would I know how they found out? I’m so humiliated.”
Jiang Xing could almost foresee that from now on, whenever she went out, people would recognize her as the daughter of the woman who got beaten. How could she face that?
Jiang Miao frowned and said, “What you said is wrong. In the end, one of the reasons why Mother got beaten is because of you, isn’t it? If it weren’t for Mother getting beaten because of you, do you think you would be standing here lively and well today?”
No matter how reckless Wang Shi was, she truly doted on Jiang Xing. Their attempt to get Jiang Chan’s recipe was initially Jiang Xing’s idea, and she was the most enthusiastic about it.
Now that their dream was shattered and Wang Shi was beaten, Jiang Xing blamed her for the shame. Jiang Miao’s opinion of Jiang Xing plummeted, “And now you blame mother for your shame?”
Jiang Xing was taken aback by Jiang Miao’s righteous speech. Being passive and taking hits was not in Jiang Xing’s nature. Looking at Jiang Miao, who had an air of lofty righteousness, Jiang Xing sneered, “You speak so nobly, as if you weren’t involved at all. When discussing these things, didn’t you also think a lot about it?”
Jiang Miao’s face turned red, “I did discuss it and had those thoughts, but I never blamed mother. If she hadn’t taken the blame, I might have been the one beaten.”
Wang Shi felt warm at Jiang Miao’s defense. She patted Jiang Miao’s arm, “Alright, it’s just a beating. I’ll recover. After three or five years, who will remember this?”
“It’s just a pity we didn’t get the recipe and got beaten for nothing,” Wang Shi sighed, still feeling resentful.
Jiang Miao comforted her, “I’ve thought it through. Since Big Sister is so heartless, let’s pretend she doesn’t exist. Her life, good or bad, has nothing to do with us.”
“That’s right, I’ll just act as if I never gave birth to her. Let’s live well as a family. At least we got thirty taels this time, so the beating wasn’t in vain.”
Jiang Miao helped Wang Shi sit down, “Money will come. If we had known Big Sister would do this, we wouldn’t have tried such methods. After all, you were thinking of us. The main issue is our family’s lack of money.”
“Don’t worry. After I repay Uncle’s debt, I’ll go to town and see if I can find a job. I can’t let father support the family alone.”
Wang Shi, feeling comforted, patted Jiang Miao’s hand, “Good child, you’ve worked hard.”
After consoling Wang Shi, Jiang Miao looked sternly at Jiang Xing, “Take good care of mother. I’m heading to town.”
Jiang Xing was scolded by Jiang Miao like this for the first time and was immediately stunned, only able to nod meekly.
Wang Shi, disappointed by Jiang Xing’s earlier response, sighed. Though she had pampered her daughter for so long, her words were indeed disheartening. However, seeing Jiang Xing’s anxious expression, Wang Shi found an excuse for her.
She is only thirteen, at an age where she doesn’t understand much yet. It’s understandable that a young girl would care about her appearance. After convincing herself this way, Wang glanced at the clothes scattered on the ground and said, “Hurry up and wash the clothes, or else your father will scold you when he comes back tonight.”
Seeing Jiang Xing reluctant to go out, Wang Shi pointed to the courtyard, “There’s well water in the yard.”
Jiang Xing immediately took the basin and went to the yard, leaving Wang in the main room, sighing while holding her chest.
Jiang Miao, carrying twenty taels of silver notes, strode towards the town. When he arrived at Jiang Sen’s house, it was only around ten o’clock in the morning. Perhaps because he had a guilty conscience, Jiang Miao felt as if everyone was staring at him.
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