The elderly couple stared at each other with wide eyes. The daughter-in-law wasn't afraid to get angry, but the son, that was a problem.

After all, one relies on their son for support in old age.

The two people mumbled a few words to each other, but they still knocked on the door of the young couple's room.

Seeing those copper coins, Tian Feng was displeased. "This is too little, what good is it for? Are you sending them to beg?"

Xiao Zhang sat on the kang, without going out, and began to taunt. "Mother, you don't need to worry now. Don't fret, I won't spend money frivolously. I'll buy favors for you all."

"I... I don't, really don't." Zhang shi stammered, her eyes darting around, unable to even look at her own son.

Tian Feng was well aware of the situation, “Hurry up! Now that Aunt's family is wealthy, it's strange if they would even look at something bought with these copper coins!”

"Well...I'll keep looking?" Zhang said, afraid her son would find out she still had money. "But I can't guarantee I will."

Xiao Zhang sat on the kang, holding a chubby baby in her arms, and rolled her eyes.

The next day, Tian Feng and Xiao Zhang went out with the silver. Following the directions given by their elders, they prepared a generous gift to visit Tian Guihua.

Tian Feng deeply inherited the traits of his parents, being very frugal.

Looking at Xiao Zhang spending all the money his parents gave him, Li felt a pang of pain in her heart. “My dear wife, shouldn’t we have taken less? Isn’t this too much?”

Little Zhang glared at the man, "He's just like his mother, stingy and cheap. "You say you want to make a profit off of them, but you're not willing to put anything in? That won't work!"

If it weren't for this man always listening to her and siding with her every time she argued with his mother, he would have stuck by her side. Then Little Zhang wouldn't have ignored him so long ago.

Tien Feng awkwardly smiled, "My wife is still the smartest. I listen to you, I listen to everything you say."

He looked at the various boxes of snacks he was holding in his hands, truly heartbreaking.

Xiao Zhang stood at the door, praising repeatedly, "It's really good. It seems that our parents haven't messed this up this time."

They have lived in the city for several years now. Although they have always been renting, they also know how expensive houses are in the county town.

Their little hut costs dozens of taels, how can I even imagine the price of such a large mansion?

Tian Feng stared blankly, "I really didn't expect that my aunt would have such good fortune."

"That's right, if it weren't for your mother-in-law, we would have been blessed long ago." Xiao Zhang's words, both spoken and unspoken, still held a hint of resentment towards her mother-in-law.

She wasn't blaming them for not doing a good job, but rather that she had bet on the wrong horse.

"Watch me do something, knock on the door."

Tian Feng only realized what was happening after the fact and quickly rushed up to knock on the door. But he was afraid the person inside couldn't hear him, so he pounded on the doorknob with all his might.

Just as Tian Guihua had brought her young daughter back home from school, she heard a knock at the door. The sound was not like that of the neighborhood boys.

They came to the county town, and they didn't have any relatives except...that one doesn't count.

So, no matter how hard they knocked, she just made up her mind not to open the door.

"Not at home? That's strange, where could she have gone by herself?"

Xiao Zhang sneered, "With money and no need to bring children, why wouldn't you be able to go wherever you want?"

She really envies this kind of life.

Although she doesn't do anything at home, she has no money.

"Shall we go back then?" Tian Feng began to retreat, it was awfully cold outside, and he'd been delaying work. Money was getting tighter by the day, barely keeping up with expenses.

Xiao Zhang muttered under his breath, "What a fool."

The door wasn't locked outside, it must have been the latch that was dropped from inside. He definitely has to be in there.

I don't know if he didn't hear, or if they deliberately didn't open it for him.

"Daughter-in-law, you are so clever."

Tian Feng listened to Xiao Zhang's explanation and praised her repeatedly. This is also why he didn't listen to his mother and only listened to his daughter-in-law.

After all, this daughter-in-law is quite intelligent.

The weather is cool, sitting outside for a few hours is really unbearable.

Xia Zhang also felt a little discouraged. It's not that he was afraid of not being heard, but rather that he feared people didn't want to see him.

After a while with no response, she could almost certainly conclude that it was the latter.

On their way home, Xiao Zhang felt upset. "It's all because of our mother," she thought, "She doesn't even remember what she did back then! People hate her to death, and she just keeps going to them."

"If she had just told me, I would have gone first, this wouldn't have happened."

Tian Feng thought she made sense, “That’s just how our mother is.”

"I think they just don't treat me like family. They whispered to each other and left without telling me a word."

Even though Tian Feng was turned away, he wasn't upset. He just said, "I'll go back and tell her."

Xiao Zhang said with a sigh, "Forget it. You tell her, she'll just think I'm instigating things. She gives me the cold shoulder all day long. When you're not home during the day, what am I supposed to do?"

When Tian Feng was away, she got bullied quite a bit.

Tian Feng was coaxed into submission by Xiao Zhang's sweet words, agreeing to everything she said.

After returning home, she vented all her frustrations about Xiao Zhang's grievances and her resentment at not seeing Tian Guihua today onto Zhang Shi.

The Zhang family is so timid they wouldn't even fart.

Seeing that he was almost finished speaking, Xiao Zhang came over holding the child and said, "Husband, you mustn't anger yourself. This family depends on you."

"Mother, tomorrow you watch over Yaozhu. I'll send Dajue to school."

Zhang was scolded by her son and couldn't even muster the courage to speak. "Oh, you say whatever you want," she replied meekly.

Xiao Zhang disliked her tone, "Mother, you wouldn't even be happy to see your grandson? If you hadn't offended Big Auntie, would we have made this pointless trip? Tomorrow I still have to go and apologize to them."

"I'm innocent, what does this have to do with me?"

"Mother, please speak politely."

The Zhang family had a hard time defending themselves. How could they speak properly?

Little slut, she's bewitched her son.

The next day, Xiao Zhang tidied herself up and, seeing that she didn't have a single valuable piece of jewelry, wanted to scold someone.

"Hurry up, Dazhe, don't dawdle. Get going!"

"Here I am, Mother," Tian Dajue mumbled.

Little Zhang suddenly looked at her daughter. The chubby girl was wiping her mouth with her hand. She glanced at the opened snack box on the table, and immediately exploded.

"You good-for-nothing spendthrift, a waste of money! Why do you always have to put your mouth in everything? You're incapable of doing anything right. You eat like there's no tomorrow, and you still dare to steal from me?"

In this beating, Tian Daxiue didn't escape.

On her way to school, she was still crying. Her walking posture was also quite strange, after all, her butt was swollen.

Xiao Zhang poked her forehead, “Dead girl, you are so useless. If I didn't have something else to do, I would peel your skin off.”

All of them were too scared to make a sound.

They went there early today, just in case they missed Tian Guihua.

Xiao Zhang doesn't recognize her, but Tian Dajue has met them before.

See, which one is it?

Tian Daxue snuffled her nose. “No.”

"Are you forgetting or denying it? Let me tell you, if you betray me, you won't be allowed back home tonight."

Tian Dajue was scared, her small eyes widened. She looked for a while and pointed at the large and small figures walking towards them: "Mother, it seems to be those two people."

First published on the Traditional Chinese Novel Network