kingnovel Chapter 186 Find a way
Chapter 186 Find a way
After hearing what Old Mrs. Li said, the Li and Chen families were somewhat disgruntled. Old Mrs. Chen, with her neck stiff, wanted to retort to Old Mrs. Li, but her face turned red, and she couldn't utter a single word.
Seeing that the old lady of the Chen family was so useless, the old woman from the Li family finally spoke up.
“Father-in-laws, although you didn’t give our two families a single chili seedling back then, you did give some to our two sons-in-law’s families. Our sons-in-law were considerate of both our families and wanted to help us get rich together. That’s why our two families planted chili seedlings,” the old woman from the Li family said softly.
"Yes, it's because your son-in-law is considerate of you that he's helping you get rich. Since it's your son-in-law's problem, why did you come to Xinzhou Village to cause us trouble? If I remember correctly, the Li family's son-in-law lives in Laren Village, and the Chen family's son-in-law lives in Zuo Village." The old lady was seething with anger for her two good-for-nothing sons.
The old woman from the Li family was more skilled than the old woman from the Chen family. Before the old woman from the Chen family could cause trouble, she spoke up, "My dear in-law, you can't say that. Think about it, the chili seedlings came from the Li family in Xinzhou Village, so naturally we have to come here to seek an explanation, right?"
The two sons of the Chen family seized the opportunity to help Old Mrs. Chen up, nodding repeatedly in agreement. Old Mrs. Chen was bewildered by her sons' attitude; her gaunt face and sharp little eyes glared angrily at them.
Grandma Li paused leisurely on her ebony cane, which was practically just for decoration, and asked with a mocking smile, "May I ask you two in-laws, what is the relationship between your son-in-law and our family?"
Old Mrs. Li was about to speak quickly, but her mind always worked even faster. In the blink of an eye, she understood the meaning behind Old Mrs. Li's words. Therefore, she turned away somewhat guiltily and did not reply.
The Chen family members usually relied on their sharp tongues and difficult personalities to get away with things. Therefore, they didn't bother to delve into the deeper meaning behind Old Madam Li's words.
"Look at what you're saying, Grandma. Everyone knows our sons-in-law are your own sons," said the eldest daughter-in-law of the Chen family, her thin, scarlet lips parted as she feigned a smile, covering her mouth. The lip rouge on her lips was the one she had bought on credit from the Li family the day Li Xiaogang became his apprentice.
"She's probably forgotten. Otherwise, what kind of mother would be so heartless as to drag her own son and his family to their deaths?" Old Mrs. Chen said with a disdainful sneer.
“Oh dear, Mother-in-law, you can’t say that. When they were promoting chili pepper cultivation, they said it was a way to get rich, not a dead end,” another daughter-in-law of the Chen family chimed in.
“My dear in-laws, Aunt and Second Aunt, according to you, our whole family is courting death. Since we’re the ones who are looking for our own demise, why are you getting involved?” Madam Su finally had a chance to speak.
Previously, it had always been the three of them, the old lady and her companions, exchanging barbs. Since all three were elders, Su Shi hadn't felt comfortable interrupting. Now that someone of Su Shi's generation had finally spoken up, she wasn't about to miss this opportunity to retaliate.
“Look at what my sister-in-law is saying. We didn’t come here today for the matter of illegally growing chili peppers. My sister-in-law isn’t that old, so why is your memory so bad?” The second daughter-in-law of the Chen family raised her hand to brush away the stray hairs by her ear, deliberately showing off the silver ornaments on her ears and wrists.
Su watched the woman showing off with a cold eye, and pretended not to know, asking, "Oh, my dear second aunt, those earrings and bracelets, were they bought from the Binzhirugui Restaurant on the day our Xiaogang became an apprentice? Back then, it was my Xiaonuan who paid for them."
After hearing Su's words, the old woman from the Li family looked at the Chen family with even more hostility. Her already well-hidden jealousy was about to burst forth.
Madam Su watched with satisfaction as Chen's second daughter-in-law awkwardly lowered her hand. The eldest daughter-in-law pursed her lips tightly, fearing that Madam Su would also embarrass her in front of the Li family.
Grandma Chen didn't care about any of that. In her mind, anything that entered her house belonged to her.
"Hey, Auntie, what you're saying is unreasonable. We didn't ask you to pay for it back then. Since you paid for it voluntarily, what's the point of bringing it up again? It's just a gift for a relative, do you really want to control people for the rest of your lives?" Old Mrs. Chen asked, pointing her finger at Su's nose.
Madam Su didn't mind. She took a small step back, avoiding the old lady Chen's fingers.
Grandma Li looked at the shameless appearance of the Chen family with displeasure, and suddenly realized that she must have been blinded by a blind man back then.
“Grandma, what you’re saying is really interesting. Tell me, what kind of life did our family live back then? You bought over twenty taels of silver worth of goods and secretly put them on the restaurant’s bill. Doesn’t that seem plausible to anyone?” Grandma Li finally retorted.
Old Mrs. Li listened intently, her eyes wide with disbelief. Her two sons' gazes towards the Chen family's two sons grew even more menacing. They were both in-laws, so why did the Chen family get such a huge advantage, while they could only squeeze money out of Mrs. Li bit by bit?
Perhaps blinded by the lure of profit, Madam Li abandoned all pretense of modesty and loudly proclaimed, "My dear in-laws, it's best to settle your personal grudges privately. It's only a matter of twenty-odd taels of silver; what's there to argue about? Let's talk about the chili peppers first."
Grandma Li hadn't intended to continue the previous topic, so she didn't say anything in response. Grandma Chen, on the other hand, wanted to interject, but Madam Su beat her to it.
"Actually, you've come here today just to ask us for a suggestion. Ideally, a suggestion that would both absolve you of your sins and allow you to continue making money with those chilies. Don't you think so?" Madam Su's sarcastic expression vanished, replaced by a calm demeanor.
The Li family members all looked at Madam Su, their eyes filled with complex emotions. The Chen family members, however, had a much simpler expression. They looked at Madam Su with an "How did you know?" look, their eyes full of expectation.
Old Mrs. Chen even said, "My dear in-laws, I didn't know you had such a good idea. Since you thought of a solution so early, why didn't you send someone to inform us? That way we wouldn't have made this trip for nothing."
The eldest daughter-in-law of the Chen family wasn't entirely stupid. After thinking it over carefully, she said, "Auntie, this is entirely your fault. So you must find a way to clear our names. Since you know what to do, we won't make a fuss anymore."
Old Mrs. Li, however, was not so optimistic. She spat on the ground before speaking, "My dear in-law, something sounds off about what you're saying. Do you expect us innocent people to bear the burden of the trouble you've caused?"
Li's eldest son rolled up his sleeves and said in a gruff voice, "I don't care if our two families are related or not. If your family doesn't come up with a way to keep our family out of this mess, I, Li Tianchun, will drag your whole family down with me."
Hearing these vicious words from inside the house, Li Xiaonuan was utterly terrified. Li Tianchun's voice was filled with anger. If Madam Su and the old lady were to accidentally start a small fire, they might suffer the consequences.
Unfortunately, neither Li's father nor Xiaoyang were home at that moment. Li Xiaonuan continued to exert force on the door, trying to pull it open, even though it was bolted from the outside.