Aunt Leng felt slighted and was about to fly into a rage.
Fearing trouble, Third Aunt Leng quickly reminded her.
"We’re here to apologize. Don’t be rash."
Aunt Leng took a deep breath, forced a smile, and continued knocking.
"Leng Yuan! It’s your second aunt! Open up!"
Third Aunt Leng shouted as well.
"Leng Yuan! It’s your third aunt! Open up!"
The courtyard remained silent.
Aunt Leng was furious.
"That little bastard. How dare he treat us this way? We’re his elders!"
Third Aunt Leng’s expression soured as well.
They had already swallowed their pride to co and apologize to Leng Yuan. That alone should have been enough of an honor for him.
For him to not even open the door now was simply an utter lack of respect for his elders.
"Leng Yuan, get out here! If you don’t, I’ll just stand at your gate and refuse to leave. I’ll stand right here and let everyone see what a ’fine grandson’ your grandfather raised, and just how he treats us!"
Sure enough.
Leng Yuan opened the door, his face cold.
Aunt Leng looked smug. "Leng Yuan, listen to . Go to the County Town right now and find Leng Qiushou and Leng Mancang’s supervisors. Get them to reinstate their jobs. Do you hear ?"
Third Aunt Leng also chid in with a smile.
"Leng Yuan, before your grandfather passed, he entrusted you with taking care of this family."
"When you were little, Grandfather treated you the best. Can you really bear to disappoint him now?"
Gu Jiaojiao walked out just in ti to hear this.
She was thoroughly disgusted.
’All these two know how to do is use a deceased elder as leverage.’
She strode right out and pulled the man behind her, looking fiercely protective.
"If Grandfather’s spirit is watching from the heavens, I doubt he’d be disappointed in our Leng Yuan. He’d be disappointed in worthless descendants like you."
"Every one of you is full of sches, only knowing how to plot for the eldest son’s ager inheritance. If his spirit is really watching, he ought to pay you a visit tonight for a little ’chat’."
Aunt Leng exploded.
It was true she was afraid of Leng Yuan.
But she wasn’t afraid of Gu Jiaojiao.
"You little vixen, you—"
"Aunt Leng."
The man spoke in a low voice, his pitch-black eyes fixing on Aunt Leng with oppressive weight.
Aunt Leng froze.
"Aunt Leng, this is the first and last ti. The next ti I see you pointing a finger at Gu Jiaojiao and cursing her, it won’t just be Leng Qiushou and Leng Mancang coming ho to farm. Your other sons will be coming back to join you in the fields too."
The threat landed. Aunt Leng was scared.
She quickly forced an apologetic smile.
"Leng Yuan, I didn’t an it like that. I just got a little worked up. I’ll apologize to Jiaojiao."
"Jiaojiao, I’m sorry. I misspoke just now. You’re not a vixen, you’re not."
Gu Jiaojiao: ...
’This was the first ti she’d realized Aunt Leng was surprisingly flexible.’
Third Aunt Leng glanced between the two of them, and a realization seed to dawn on her.
’So this was all Leng Yuan’s way of standing up for Gu Jiaojiao.’
’She knew that to get Leng Yuan to back down, she had to go through Gu Jiaojiao.’
She quickly grabbed Gu Jiaojiao’s hand, her voice thick with impending tears.
"Oh, Jiaojiao! You know our family’s situation. It’s not easy to have a job in the County Town. If they get fired, they’ll have to spend the rest of their lives farming."
"At the end of the day, we’re all one family, so you..."
"Yu Zhi, what do you think you’re doing!"
From a short distance away, a few other village won carrying baskets, who had planned to go up the mountain together, walked over. When they saw Third Aunt Leng clutching Gu Jiaojiao’s hand, they were stunned.
Third Aunt Leng’s body went rigid.
The words and tears she had just mustered up were stuck, hanging on her face, and she didn’t know whether to let them fall.
The atmosphere fell silent for a mont.
The won with the baskets looked at each other, completely baffled by the scene.
In the end, it was Aunt Leng who reacted the fastest.
"Oh, my! Are you all heading up the mountain? It’s getting late, you’d better hurry along!"
"I’m just having a word with my nephew and my nephew’s wife here."
The won glanced over, still unable to make heads or tails of the situation.
"Didn’t you say you’d disowned Leng Yuan as a nephew? Didn’t you say they were so extravagant they’d be starving sooner or later? And that if they ever ca to your door begging, you’d chase them off with a broom?"
The air...
fell deathly silent.
Aunt Leng gave a hollow laugh.
"What nonsense are you spouting? Leng Yuan is one of us, a mber of the Leng Family. Blood is thicker than water. If Leng Yuan were truly starving, I’d go hungry myself just to make sure he had a bite to eat."
"Don’t you dare joke about things like that!"
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