Before Yu Xiaohua could enter the house, Hua Bao rushed out, holding a basket of yellow chicks, nearly knocking Yu Xiaohua over.
If not for Zhang Wenxue catching his wife, she would have fallen.
Yu Xiaohua narrowly avoided the collision. Looking at her fair and tender granddaughter, whose origins were unknown, her anger surged.
"Can't you even walk properly? Jiang Qingqing, is this how you teach your daughter?" Yu Xiaohua began to scold at the main hall entrance due to this incident.
Jiang Qingqing lowered her head and apologized, "Mom, Hua Bao is still young. She didn't do it on purpose. Please don't be angry with her."
This was the first time Jiang Qingqing faced her mother-in-law's difficulty, leaving her unsure how to respond.
"Hmph, get inside." If it weren't for her second son, Yu Xiaohua would have reprimanded her outside.
Upon entering, she noticed many new items. To the right was a candy basket, placed casually on the table for anyone to take.
Yu Xiaohua and Zhang Wenxue exchanged glances, and their minds were made up about their younger son's decision to become a self-employed individual.
"Grandma and Grandpa, I won't allow you to be mean, mmmph!" Hua Bao, holding the yellow chicks, saw her grandparents scolding her mother. The little legs stood in front of her mother, wanting to seek justice, but before she could finish, Jiang Qingqing covered her mouth.
"Hua Bao, be good. Go play outside, okay? Mom has something to say to Grandma and Grandpa." Jiang Qingqing, afraid her daughter's words might displease her in-laws, instructed her daughter. Seeing her nod, she released her.
Once Hua Bao left, the atmosphere became tense again.
"We heard you're becoming self-employed. Is that true?" Zhang Wenxue spoke this time.
Jiang Qingqing did not deny it. "Yes, we are becoming self-employed."
"Do you know how shameful it is to be self-employed?" Especially for their second son. If people knew his younger brother was self-employed, they would surely mock him.
This was something Zhang Wenxue did not want to see.
"As long as we don't feel ashamed, that's enough." After Zhang Liunian's guidance that morning, Jiang Qingqing could now answer this question properly.
"You might not feel ashamed, but the second child will. You should find proper jobs and not be self-employed." This was the first time Zhang Wenxue spoke with a commanding tone.
"I can't promise you that." It had to come, but Jiang Qingqing knew her husband's stance. They, as a couple, could not stop being self-employed.
After all, they still needed to live, didn't they?
"Bang!" As soon as Jiang Qingqing finished speaking, the candy basket flew towards her, hitting her forehead.
Jiang Qingqing cried out in pain and stumbled backward. By accident, she bumped into a stool behind her, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the side.
"Qingqing!" Zhang Liunian, who had just returned home and witnessed this scene, his eyes filled with fury, rushed forward and slid under his wife, acting as a cushion, thus preventing a worse outcome.
"Liunian!" Yu Xiaohua exclaimed in disbelief as she saw her younger son using himself as a cushion, lying underneath.
"Bang!"
Jiang Qingqing fell onto Zhang Liunian, causing him to choke and cough.
"Liunian, Liunian." Feeling the breath of the person beneath her, Jiang Qingqing immediately scrambled up in a panic, concerned about Zhang Liunian.
Zhang Liunian smiled at her and said, "My body is tough, I'm fine. Are you and the child okay?"
Jiang Qingqing's eyes reddened, and she shook her head repeatedly. "We're fine."
But when Zhang Liunian noticed a scrape on her forehead, his expression instantly darkened. "Who hit you?"
"I did. Is that not allowed?" Yu Xiaohua looked at her son, who was focused on his wife and hadn't even looked at his parents. Her concern moments ago had turned into anger.
Hearing the voice, Zhang Liunian's furious expression did not subside. No one could bully his wife.
"She is my wife, and no one is allowed to bully her, not even my mother." Zhang Liunian said, getting up from the ground.
Yu Xiaohua saw her younger son opposing her for the first time, finding it hard to believe. She remembered that although this son wasn't successful, he had never spoken to her like this before.
He certainly wouldn't have confronted her like this for his wife. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Yu Xiaohua pointed at Jiang Qingqing and said, "You ungrateful wretch who forgets his mother after marrying a wife! Do you know what I saw when I came to your house? I saw your wife being intimate with a strange man, acting improperly."
Since her son was accusing her, his mother, for a woman, she was truly heartbroken.
"I didn't. Liunian, believe me, I really didn't do anything to betray you. I don't know who that man is, nor do I know why he grabbed me and wouldn't let go." Hearing this, Jiang Qingqing, afraid Zhang Liunian would misunderstand her, hurriedly explained with red eyes.
Zhang Liunian paused, then his large hand pulled her into an embrace, comforting her, "I believe you."
Of course, he believed Jiang Qingqing because, in every lifetime, the only person she loved was him, Zhang Liunian. How could she be involved with anyone else?
Although he didn't know who the man his wife mentioned was, he still believed in his wife's fidelity.
"I believe you!"
These three words alone made Jiang Qingqing's tears flow uncontrollably.
"Liunian." Jiang Qingqing was so touched she didn't know what to say, only calling his name.
Zhang Liunian stroked her head and looked at his mother, Yu Xiaohua. "Mom, you've misunderstood Qingqing about this. You need to apologize to her."
Yu Xiaohua looked at her younger son, who had unhesitatingly chosen to believe Jiang Qingqing, and her anger flared.
"You love-struck idiot! It wasn't just me who saw it just now. Your father saw it too, and I believe many people in the village saw it. I'm not lying."
Yu Xiaohua felt disheartened. She had given birth to a son who preferred to believe his wife over her, his mother. This son was truly breaking her heart.
"Qingqing isn't lying, and you didn't misinterpret it."
"You..." Yu Xiaohua was so angry she couldn't speak.
Zhang Wenxue, observing his younger son's changed demeanor, couldn't help but wonder how this son had become so unfamiliar after only two months.
Not only had the past listlessness vanished, but he now possessed an extraordinary aura.
Just standing there, he involuntarily drew people's gaze.
If he weren't certain that the handsome young man before him was his younger son, he would have suspected it was someone else.
"Third child, yesterday your second sister-in-law said you harassed her eldest sister, Fang Yan, the director of the food factory. Is that true?" Zhang Wenxue hadn't forgotten the purpose of their return to the village, so he directly spoke to break the awkwardness.
"What? Harassed Fang Yan? How could Fang Yan compare to my Qingqing? I must be blind to harass her." Zhang Liunian was greatly shocked by this false accusation.
What was this about him harassing Fang Yan? Was there a mistake? He already had a wife; why would he go find his second sister-in-law's elder sister?
Was Fang Ru insulting him?