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Wang Clan was already in great pain, and upon hearing that her arm was broken, she cried out even louder, cursing Li Family with every foul word imaginable. The people in the room changed their expressions repeatedly at her outburst, while Li Family shrank to the side, feeling wronged. If it weren't for her mother-in-law hitting her, would she have pushed that way?
At this moment, Xie Youhe could only help his wife speak up, while Shackles also chimed in with kind words. Hongya cried out for her mother.
"Enough! Stop crying like you're mourning! I'm not dead yet!"
Seeing her son and granddaughter pleading for Li Family, Wang Clan felt even angrier. Despite her injury and pain, they showed concern for the troublemaker Li Family. How could she not be furious? "If you think I won't send her back to her mother's house, think again! I expect you all to pay for the physician's fees, and while I'm recovering, I want good food—chicken soup every day and ginseng! You all go buy it for me! Don't you have Silver? If you have Silver, then spend it on me!"
Upon hearing his mother mention Silver, Xie Youhe felt a pang of heartache and said, "Mother, you know our Silver is gone. If it weren't for that, would this have happened? We can't even afford to pay the workers to build houses now; we can barely afford food! You're my own mother, and I wanted to borrow some money from you; please don't ask me for more."
Auspicious scoffed from the side, saying, "Who knows if that's true or just a lie? You used to cry about being poor, yet you had big silver ingots hidden away. Who could steal them when they were so well hidden? I think you just don't want to pay the workers and are putting on this act to frame your family and squeeze some money out of us so you can live comfortably. What a clever scheme!"
After Auspicious spoke, everyone thought it made sense as they looked at Xie Youhe and Li Family, whose eyes were wide open.
Wang Clan shouted angrily, "You heartless people! How dare you scheme against me! Even in my condition, you're still plotting against me! I don't need you to buy me ginseng anymore! Just give me ten taels of Silver! Then move out; I don't want to see you again. I can't rely on you for my old age or my end days; if I keep depending on you, I won't live much longer! Eldest daughter-in-law, this matter is up to you!"
Fang Family immediately replied, "Understood, Mother. You focus on recovering; I'll handle this."
Wang Clan was determined. She wanted to see how much private savings her third son and his wife had hidden away. They had previously complained about being poor after buying materials for building houses but had been deceiving her all along. They must have plenty of money! If they wanted to hide it from her, fine; but once she found out about it, they would have to hand it over! Anger surged within Wang Clan, causing her arm to hurt even more with each clench of her fist.
Upon hearing this, Xie Youhe and Li Family panicked. Their Silver was genuinely lost; now their mother wanted so much more from them. Where were they supposed to get that much Silver? Wasn't this forcing them into a corner? They begged for mercy one after another, but Wang Clan refused to relent.
"You all get out; I need to rest!" Wang Clan shouted loudly. Among her sons, Xie Youhe was in the middle position—typically the least favored—but since he could speak well, she acknowledged him more than she did Xie Youshun. Although Li Family was troublesome, they dared not confront her directly and instead catered to her whims. Plus, they had given her two grandsons and a granddaughter; she treated them well. But now she was truly infuriated.
Reluctantly, Xie Youhe and the others were driven out by Xie Shengcai.
At that moment, Xie Youkang and the others arrived after hearing about the trouble at home.
Xiao Lihua also came over; with Wang Dashan Zhang Lianxiang watching over things at home, she managed to slip away. Listening as Fang Family recounted what had happened made her twitch at the corners of her mouth—she couldn't believe such things could happen here too; indeed life in a farming family was no less eventful than in a palace.
Xie Youkang glared at Xie Youhe, saying, "Third Brother! How can you be so unreasonable? On what basis do you suspect us of stealing your Silver! Your wife's hiding place is so good that even you can't find it—where are we supposed to look? I think you're just trying to play poor again; that's why this has happened! I say if you're going to pretend to be poor, don't drag our mother into it—she's our mother!"
Xie Youhe, with a mournful expression on his face replied, "You said our family's money is well hidden; there are people coming in and out of our house every day. If an outsider had come in, they would have been seen long ago. If it's not someone from our family who took it, then who else could it be?"
"Well then," said Fang Family, angrily retorting, "it's bad luck being part of your family! Now that your Silver is gone, we’re all thieves! This family has long been divided; logically speaking, you should have moved out ages ago. But we were kind-hearted enough to let you stay until your house was built before moving out. And look where that kindness got us—trouble! If you can't keep track of your own Silver, don't blame us!"
Zi Clan frowned, unwilling to be treated as thieves. "If you say the money was taken by someone from our side, then provide evidence. If you can't find any, stop making a fuss!"
Li Family replied, "We don't have evidence, but you are all the most suspicious people. For the sake of our brotherly bond, we won't make a scene. Just help us plead with Mother so we don't have to pay that ten taels of Silver, and this matter can be put to rest."
Li Family felt a sharp pain in their heart; it was their Silver. But now was not the time to lament over the Silver. They couldn't offend Parents. The most profitable Fourth Son refused to deal with them and even threatened to cut ties, not allowing them into his home. They had no hope from him now. Their only hope was Ruyi. If they offended Parents, they would also offend Ruyi.
Xiao Lihua calmly said, "If Mother is injured, we, as her children, will certainly take care of her. However, we cannot take responsibility for what Mother instructed you regarding this matter. That Silver was not taken by us, and we will not share the burden of this money just because of some bond. That would mean we are tacitly admitting to taking that money. We cannot bear that label of being thieves!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone except for Third Household nodded in agreement, including Fang Family and Auspicious.
Li Family looked at Xiao Lihua, secretly resenting her. Why did she get to live such a good life now? Why wasn't it Feng Yi earning the money? Why didn't she have the good fortune to obtain a few formulas? Now that the Fourth Family was so wealthy, they refused to lend them a hand and even severed ties with them. How many people in Village were laughing at her? It was all Xiao Lihua's fault.
"You know our family has money; others do not know. You are the most suspicious," Li Family said while looking at Xiao Lihua, thinking it seemed impossible to reconcile with Fourth Son's family now. They might as well tear apart their relationship and minimize their losses.
Xie Youhe pulled his wife and said, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Li Family waved her hand dismissively and said, "I'm not talking nonsense! They admitted they heard our child say that our family has money! Others may not know, but they certainly do!"
Auspicious looked at Xie Youshun and Xiao Lihua, asking, "Fourth Brother Sister Four, is this true?"
Fang Family also turned to look but was pulled back by Xie Youkang. She knew they couldn't offend the Fourth Family. They were trying to mend their relationship with Fourth Son, so she quickly said, "Fourth Brother, their family is so wealthy now; why would they care about your ten taels of Silver? It definitely wasn't them; they haven't lived at home for a long time. If they came in, wouldn't they be seen? Fourth Brother, Sister Four, rest assured that Big Brother and Sister-in-law believe you are not the kind of people who would do such things; your character is impeccable."
Xie Youkang smiled and added, "Exactly! Even if a little slips through his fingers, it's worth much more than ten taels; why would he steal such a small amount?"
The couple, Xie Youhe, nearly cursed out loud.
Auspicious felt angry too; she wanted to repair her relationship with Fourth Brother, but clearly, she had no chance. After thinking it over, she decided to keep quiet since Big Brother and Sister-in-law had changed their attitude. So she immediately agreed with what Big Brother and Sister-in-law said and lowered her head in silence.
The couple, Xie Youhe, almost shouted in frustration; truly a family of fence-sitters!
Xie Youtai and Zi Clan also insisted it was impossible. Since Shuanzi had spoken outside, many people knew about it; there was no reason to suspect outsiders while doubting family members. They scolded them harshly for making trouble.
At that moment, Xie Shengcai came out. The Li Family immediately went to him crying about how their whole family was being bullied and receiving disdain from everyone.
"To catch thieves and recover stolen goods without evidence means you should admit it yourselves! Do you think family members will not recognize you?" Xie Shengcai, thinking about his wife's arm pain, felt a headache coming on. Although his wife had many small issues, she was still the person he had lived with for most of his life. Seeing her in pain made him feel bad too, especially since this incident was caused by his son’s wife. He had indulged her every request; it was time for them to contribute something as well.
Li Family felt a surge of anger when she saw no chance of turning the situation around. Spotting Shackles nearby, she intended to grab and hit them while shouting insults. However, she didn't genuinely want to strike, so her actions were somewhat exaggerated.
Shackles was so frightened that they immediately screamed and ran away, prompting Li Family to chase after them. Seizing the opportunity, Li Family headed towards Xiao Lihua.
Li Family originally intended for her to collide with Xiao Lihua. If Xiao Lihua didn’t dodge, she could vent her frustration by bumping into her. If Xiao Lihua got hurt, it would be because of her frail old bones; Xiao Lihua would surely be fine, and a little pain would help her feel better. If Xiao Lihua dodged, she could pretend to trip and fall, feigning injury to get some money from them. That way, she could get the money her mother wanted. She had it all figured out in her mind.
Seeing Li Family charge at her, Xiao Lihua frowned. She hated being caught in such chaotic situations, so she quickly sidestepped before Li Family reached her.
Caught off guard by Xiao Lihua's swift movement, Li Family was momentarily stunned. In that instant, she wondered if she could still pin the blame on Xiao Lihua. Not knowing how to react so quickly, she turned in another direction while still rushing forward. Originally aiming for Xiao Lihua, she shouted about catching Hongya, who was hiding behind her.
"You little brat! You’re still watching this? I’ll beat you to death!"
Li Family yelled, looking for an excuse to rush in that direction. She admired her quick thinking but ended up tripping over her own feet and falling sideways instead. Coincidentally, she landed right on top of Auspicious, who was too busy watching the commotion to dodge in time. They both fell to the ground, with Auspicious pinned underneath.
"Ouch! That hurts! It hurts!" Auspicious cried out loudly, pushing against Li Family with all her might.
"Hey! Stop scratching! My face!" Li Family screamed as Auspicious flailed around, accidentally scratching her face painfully. Furious, she pressed down hard with both hands right onto Auspicious's stomach.
With a pained gasp, Auspicious let out a cry and rolled her eyes back before fainting.
The author has something to say: What a dramatic plot! I’ve been writing for several hours now. Since it’s getting late, I’ll write one more chapter, but it might take a while. It was slow logging in just now; I hope it won’t be as slow as yesterday again.
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