Chapter 38: My Old Man is Yang Zhengshan
“Alright, this matter is settled. Clan leader, take the silver and handle the rest. I reckon I won’t be of much help!” Yang Zhengshan didn’t even wait for their objections, directly making the decision.
Yang Zhengxiang and the others looked at each other, smiling, “Then we’ll take responsibility for the clan. Don’t worry, we’ll use all the silver for the clan. We won’t embezzle a single penny.”
“Ha ha, I believe you!” Yang Zhengshan laughed.
Yang Zhengxiang’s character was still worth trusting.
After returning from Yang Zhengxiang’s home, it was already noon. The family’s meal was already prepared, and they had a lively lunch together.
In the afternoon, Wang Shi carried a wicker basket to the nearby Wang Family Village.
The matchmaker, Wang Po Zi, that Yang Zhengshan mentioned earlier was from Wang Family Village, and her natal family was also in Wang Family Village. So, this trip to Wang Family Village was also a visit to her natal home.
The Wang family had three sons and one daughter, and the daughter was Wang Shi. Like the Yang family, they were a big family living together.
When Wang Shi arrived at Wang Family Village, she saw a large crowd gathered in front of her natal family’s gate.
The courtyard was filled with the sounds of quarreling and scolding.
A foul-mouthed woman was cursing and scolding, saying whatever came to her mind!
Wang Shi didn’t need to look to know what was happening at home.
She sighed and didn’t go forward, silently standing by the wall, waiting.
Her natal family was like this, with three daughters-in-law quarreling every day, and her mother was a gentle person who couldn’t control the three daughters-in-law.
Compared to her natal family, she preferred her husband’s family.
Although her husband’s mother was a strong person, she was fair and didn’t bully the daughters-in-law.
After her husband’s mother passed away, Wang Shi suddenly had to take charge of the family affairs, and it was a mess for a long time. Luckily, her husband didn’t care about anything and never made things difficult for Wang Shi.
Later, Yang Zhengshan came, and the family’s life became better. Wang Shi’s life also became more comfortable, although every day was busy, and she had to be forced to practice martial arts by Yang Zhengshan.
Listening to the quarreling sounds from her natal family’s courtyard, Wang Shi couldn’t help but think of her mother-in-law.
If her mother-in-law were her own mother, she wouldn’t tolerate the three daughters-in-law quarreling every day.
Thinking of her mother-in-law, Wang Shi’s heart burst with anger.
She stood up suddenly, “Get out of the way! Get out of the way!”
Pushing aside the onlookers, Wang Shi squeezed into her natal family’s gate.
As expected, the courtyard was in chaos. Not only were the three daughters-in-law quarreling, but the nephews and nieces were also fighting in the courtyard.
Her father and mother were standing at the door, their faces red with anger.
As for her three brothers, they were standing in the courtyard, looking embarrassed and unsure of how to intervene.
Wang Shi saw this and her anger flared up.
Actually, she was very clear why her natal family was like this.
It was all because of poverty.
Previously, the Yang family had twenty mu of land and, although life was difficult, they didn’t starve.
The Wang family only had ten mu of land, which was barely enough to feed the family.
To have food on the table, each household had to fight.
If they didn’t fight, they would starve, and the children would also go hungry.
In this situation, even a good woman would become a shrew, and not being a shrew wouldn’t work.
“Shut up, all of you!” Wang Shi rushed into the courtyard, using the loudest voice she had ever used.
Her shout was like thunder, and the courtyard instantly became quiet. Not only the courtyard, but even the onlookers outside closed their mouths.
Everyone looked at Wang Shi with shock and surprise. Wang Shi’s round face was red with anger, and her bright, round eyes sparkled.
It was said that women would become gentle after getting married, but Wang Shi’s temper was an exception.
“Ah, you’re back!” Wang Shi’s mother was shocked, then panicked, asking.
At this time, Wang Shi was being stared at by everyone, and her earlier anger had disappeared. Her heart was like a thousand little deer jumping around.
She opened her mouth, not knowing what to say.
“Ah, you’re back!”
This time, the eldest sister-in-law spoke up.
Although she had just been quarreling, her face instantly changed, and a warm smile appeared. This speed of changing her face was comparable to a Sichuan opera actor.
“Shut up!”
When Wang Shi heard her sister-in-law’s words, her anger flared up again.
If anyone was the most annoying in this family, it was her sister-in-law.
This woman loved to gossip and cause trouble, saying things that would hurt people’s feelings.
The eldest sister-in-law didn’t have the demeanor of an eldest sister, always causing trouble and stirring up conflicts between the sisters-in-law.
She was largely responsible for the family’s current state.
After being scolded by Wang Shi, the eldest sister-in-law’s face changed again, turning pale.
She opened her mouth to curse, but seeing Wang Shi’s angry eyes, she swallowed her words.
Seeing that the family had finally calmed down, Wang Shi quickly went forward to support her mother, saying, “Father, Mother, we can’t keep going like this. If we don’t separate, we’ll just keep quarreling every day. How can we live like this?”
Wang Shi was desperate, “You can follow my second brother, not my elder brother!”
As she said this, she gave her elder brother a fierce glare.
If Yang Mingcheng, the Yang family’s eldest son, was honest and reliable, then the Wang family’s eldest son was a useless person who couldn’t even take care of his own wife, letting her cause trouble at home.
“How can this be? Parents shouldn’t separate!” Wang Shi’s elder brother finally spoke up.
“Then you should divorce your wife!” Wang Shi glared at her sister-in-law again.
The eldest sister-in-law instantly became anxious, “You, you’re not worthy to speak here, a married-out daughter, a sold woman, you’re talking nonsense!”
“You dare to call me a sold woman? Do you know who my father-in-law is? My father-in-law is Yang Zhengshan, my husband is Yang Mingcheng! Do you dare to call me that?”
“You just wait, I’ll go tell my husband to send you back to your natal family!”
Wang Shi was really angry now.
It’s said that a woman’s backing comes from her natal family. But for Wang Shi, her backing came from her husband’s family.
With a powerful father-in-law and a martial artist husband, she didn’t need to be afraid of anyone, not even in her natal family.
As she spoke, Wang Shi was about to walk away.
The eldest sister-in-law was panicked, “Little sister, I was wrong, you look at my nasty mouth, it deserves to be hit, it deserves to be hit!”
She said this with a flattering smile, still patting her own mouth.
“Little sister!”
Wang Shi’s mother also hastily pulled her back.
Now, Yang Zhengshan’s great name had spread throughout half of Anning County. Killing mountain bandits, fighting against the Hu riders, and other heroic deeds had established Yang Zhengshan and the Yang family village’s reputation.
It wouldn’t be good to cause trouble and let the Wang family lose face in front of the Yang family village.
Wang Shi was also worried about losing face in front of Yang Zhengshan.
“Father, Mother, let’s talk inside!”
Wang Shi didn’t want to deal with her sisters-in-law anymore, pulling her parents into the hall.
Sitting down in the hall, her parents still looked worriedly at the courtyard, but because of Wang Shi’s scolding, the family finally calmed down.
The three sisters-in-law looked at each other with disdain, their faces dark and unwilling to speak, but they still listened to the sounds from the hall.
(Fin)
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