She looked at Granny Wang, thinking she must be mistaken. How dare Granny Wang come to the old Su family's door again? Hadn't she been beaten enough to be scared?
Or was there some benefit that Granny Wang couldn't resist, forcing her to come?
In any case, Su Xiaotian felt that Granny Wang wouldn't have made this trip just because she missed Su Manxiu.
When she saw Grandma Su's ashen face, she immediately realized something was wrong and rushed over to support her.
"Grandma, don't be angry, don't be angry, it's not worth it!" Su Xiaotian carefully soothed Grandma Su's emotions, her eyes filled with hatred for Granny Wang.
This old woman, they in the Su family didn't bother with her, and she still dared to push her luck?
Grandma had finally recovered a little, and if she were angered by this old woman again, it would be fatal.
Grandma Su, soothed by her granddaughter, and seeing her granddaughter's worried expression, suppressed the anger in her heart and said, "I'm not angry, I'm not angry!"
"That's right, we're not angry." Granny Wang seized the opportunity and immediately spoke up.
She flashed a big smile, revealing her yellow teeth stained with chives.
"You can leave, I don't want to see you!"
Granny Wang pouted, as if to say, I don't want to see you either.
But she still spoke affectionately, "In-laws, let's be direct. I'm here today to pick up Manxiu. A married daughter shouldn't always live at her maiden home; it's a laughing matter!"
Hearing this, Grandma Su felt her blood pressure surge. What kind of talk was this?
"Granny Wang, don't you understand what divorce is? After divorce, there's no relationship. My child has no relationship with your Wang family, no relationship!"
"Tch, in-laws, I don't like what you're saying. Marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog. Once married into our old Wang family, you are our old Wang family's person. How can there be no relationship?"
Granny Wang said indifferently, as if Grandma Su had told a joke.
Grandma Su was so angered by these shameless words that she almost fainted again, but luckily Su Xiaotian was there to comfort her.
"Uncle Captain, could you please explain to this female comrade what divorce is? I'm afraid my grandma will be angered to death by her." Su Xiaotian quickly said to the captain.
The captain: ...
So, you're afraid your grandma will be angered to death, but you're not afraid I'll be angered to death?
This Granny Wang was a scoundrel, and her words were indeed infuriating.
The captain glanced at Granny Wang and stood opposite her with an authoritative air.
"Comrade Wang, you must understand that after divorce, Manxiu is no longer your family's daughter-in-law. Besides, your family already has a new daughter-in-law."
"I don't care. How can you say that a daughter-in-law who was married in with a bride price is no longer my family's daughter-in-law?"
Granny Wang, as usual, was unreasonable and resorted to pure sophistry.
Grandma Su dared not get angry, fearing she would faint again and cause her sons more trouble.
But Wang Xianghua couldn't stand it anymore. Was this old woman treating the people of the old Su family as clay figures with no temper?
Wang Xianghua rushed towards Granny Wang like a calf, her hands reaching out to scratch Granny Wang's face.
"Shameless old hag, how dare you come to our house. Are we giving you too much face? I'll tear your face off!"
Granny Wang, seeing that she was about to suffer, quickly squatted down, but she didn't squat steadily and rolled onto the ground.
The ground, still wet from an autumn rain, was covered in mud and water. Granny Wang's already not-so-clean clothes became even dirtier.
Seeing how dirty her clothes were, Granny Wang, having already lost face today, became reckless.
She rolled on the ground, her movements like a turtle eating a watermelon, rolling and crawling, looking incredibly funny. The onlookers burst into laughter.
"They're going to kill someone! The people of the old Su family are unreasonable! They stole our old Wang family's temporary worker and now they want to hit someone. People of Hongxin Brigade, you all be the judge, is there any justice in this world!" Granny Wang, half crawling and half rolling, still managed to cry out for help.
Granny Wang's words made everyone suddenly realize that she was after Su Manxiu's temporary worker position.
Speaking of Su Manxiu's temporary job, few people didn't envy it, but what could envy and jealousy do?
It was someone else's, and they couldn't force it!
However, no one had ever come to their door like Granny Wang.
Su Changjiu was also speechless. He looked at Grandma Su, his meaning very clear: it's up to you to decide!
Liang Xiu and Qi Liangying, one on each side, protected their mother-in-law and daughter behind them, glaring fiercely at Granny Wang rolling on the ground.
"A bat with chicken feathers stuck to it, what kind of bird are you? Don't you even look at your old Wang family's wicked bunch, can they have this fortune? Even if it's a toilet cleaner, it's not your old Wang family's turn." Liang Xiu scolded, not forgetting to spit, her saliva landing on Granny Wang's face.
Liang Xiu had always been a gentle person, but she didn't expect to be so eloquent when angered and scolding. Su Xiaotian's eyes sparkled with admiration.
Last time, the people of the old Su family went to the Wang family to stand up for Su Manxiu, and the daughters-in-law of the Su family still considered the kinship with Granny Wang.
Now that Su Manxiu was divorced, the two families were no longer relatives, and Granny Wang was no longer an elder, so they had no reservations.
Granny Wang was stunned. She looked up and said, "You disrespectful brat, doesn't your mother-in-law teach you?"
"Teach what? The great leader said, friends who come are welcomed with wine, and jackals who come are met with hunting dogs. People like you, who are worse than jackals, don't need to be polite!" Qi Liangying retorted, not to be outdone.
At this moment, the unity of the three daughters-in-law of the Su family was evident, and they resolutely defended the reputation of the old Su family.
"Second sister-in-law, now that you mention it, I remember. I'll go to the kitchen and see if my old chopping knife is still there!"
Wang Xianghua said, and then she really headed towards the kitchen with great momentum.
When Wang Xianghua returned, she was indeed carrying an old chopping knife.
"Are you going to roll out yourself, or should I split you in half and throw you out?" Wang Xianghua said fiercely.
Granny Wang did not expect the daughters-in-law of the Su family to threaten her with a knife at the slightest disagreement.
The cold glint of the old chopping knife in the sunlight scared her so much that she scrambled to Su Changjiu's feet.
"Captain, you can't just watch the members of your brigade kill people! This is against the law!"
Su Changjiu looked amusingly at this cowardly old shrew who had evil intentions but no courage. This old woman was always dreaming.
"I didn't see anything, did any of you see anything?"
He even helped ask the brigade members who were watching the commotion around the old Su family.
The Hongxin Brigade was united in their hatred for the old hag of the Wang family and had no good impression of her. They all stated that they hadn't seen anything.
Even Su Taohua said, "Sister-in-law, you just chop. With her thick thigh, I estimate one chop with the knife won't even reach the bone. How about we try? Maybe her blood is black."
"Alright!" Wang Xianghua indeed swung the chopping knife and charged forward.
Seeing that no one in the Hongxin Brigade was willing to save her, Granny Wang was truly scared. A wise man doesn't fight when the odds are against him. She rolled away. She didn't know how her plump body managed to get out of the old Su family's gate, but she did get out, and she even nimbly flipped over and stood up.
After running out, Granny Wang was still unwilling and wanted to curse, but she saw Wang Xianghua rushing out of the gate with the chopping knife again.
"Scram!"
"Hurry up and get lost, you damned old hag, you're dreaming!"
"Scram, and don't let us see you in our brigade's area again, or we'll beat you every time we see you!"
...
The brigade members were united in their hatred, and some even threw small stones and clods of earth at Granny Wang.
After being hit several times, Granny Wang felt pain and dared not cause any more trouble. She quickly got up and ran towards the outskirts of the village.
Along the way, she even lost a worn-out shoe and didn't even have time to pick it up, fearing that Wang Xianghua would really kill her.
Wang Xianghua stood at her own doorstep with the chopping knife, looking like a formidable defender.
"You harmed my sister-in-law and still dare to come to my door coveting my sister-in-law's job. Look at yourself! If you dare to cause trouble at my door again, I'll chop you up and feed you to the dogs."
Wang Xianghua yelled loudly, not knowing if Granny Wang could hear her.
But whether she heard or not, Granny Wang did run away this time.
Liang Xiu and Qi Liangying thanked the brigade members who had helped speak up, and especially thanked Su Changjiu.
Su Changjiu said, "This is all because of Manxiu's temporary job. This old Wang family is probably not done yet!"
Granny Wang was like a rolling stone. She had her eyes on the temporary worker position and would likely cause more trouble.
Wang Xianghua sneered, "If she comes again, my old chopping knife is waiting for her!"
Surprisingly, the Wang family never dared to come to the old Su family's door again, and the old Su family enjoyed a period of peace.
The old Su family was indeed peaceful, but other families were not.
The entire Hongxin Brigade was in turmoil because of Kang Yiye's arrival. It could be said that half of the Hongxin Brigade was in chaos.
This is a story for another time.
After Granny Wang was beaten and driven away, Grandma Su specially made white flour pancakes that evening to reward the three daughters-in-law who had worked together to fight against the enemy.
As for the rabbit that Su Xiaotian and the others had picked up from the mountain, according to the usual practice, it would be secretly cooked at midnight and eaten the next morning.
After dinner, while everyone in the family was busy with their own affairs, Su Xiaotian secretly pulled Grandma Su aside and told her about her discovery on the mountain.
Grandma Su listened, feeling her heart pounding erratically.
What strange things could this Xiaotian encounter?
"Grandma, I think that box is not an ordinary thing," Su Xiaotian emphasized.
Although she hadn't seen the entire box, just a corner of it, Su Xiaotian felt that it was definitely not an ordinary thing.
Don't ask why, Su Xiaotian just had this feeling.
Grandma Su pondered for a moment and said, "There was originally a rich man here. Before the bandits came, he hid all his gold and jewelry in the mountains, but for so many years, no one has seen it."
Could the box Xiaotian saw be from that rich man's family?
If anyone else had told her this, she wouldn't have guessed so, but who could she blame when her granddaughter was so extraordinary?
Perhaps this was another gift from the Dragon King.
But at such a time, a gift from the Dragon King would also be troublesome.
As this thought arose, Grandma Su felt it was disrespectful to the Dragon King. Fearing the Dragon King's anger, she quickly clasped her hands together and chanted, "Amitabha, I was just speaking casually. May the Dragon King not blame me."
Su Xiaotian was dumbfounded by her grandmother's magical actions. Who was she praying to?
But it didn't matter. The most important thing was to find out what was in that box.
"Grandma, is this true?"
"True!"
"How come I've never heard of a rich man here?"
She had never heard of it in this life or the previous one.
"What about the rich man's family? If the treasure was lost, the people should still be here, right?"
"After the bandits attacked the rich man's family, the entire family perished. Alas, those damned bandits!" Grandma Su said with emotion, "Speaking of which, the rich man's family was quite good. When I was young, my mother used to work at their house. When she came back, she could bring some leftover dishes, otherwise, my more than ten siblings and I wouldn't have survived."
Su Xiaotian wasn't worried about so much. Her mind was filled with the thought that if that treasure chest on the mountain was indeed ownerless, she had to bring it home.
"Grandma, shall I and my father go up the mountain tonight to bring that box back?" Su Xiaotian said excitedly.
"No!" Grandma Su immediately objected.
What a joke?
Having a gold nugget at home was already troublesome enough; she had buried it three feet deep. If she brought back a whole chest of treasure, she probably wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully.
"Grandma, let's bring it back and hide it, and then take it out in a few years." Su Xiaotian continued to tempt Grandma Su, "Grandma, think about it, your eldest brother will get married in a few years, your second brother will follow, and then your third, fourth, and fifth brothers..."
Su Xiaotian meticulously counted on her fingers. After counting, she said, "When they get married, the house won't be big enough, and we'll have to build separate houses. Even if it's not a brick house, a thatched cottage will cost a lot of money."
Grandma Su felt that the family was indeed short of funds after her granddaughter calculated it.
But Grandma Su felt that the treasure belonged to the rich man's family, and it felt guilty to bring it into her own home.
"Grandma, that's ownerless property. Whoever is fated to get it, why else would I have encountered it?" Su Xiaotian continued.
Grandma Su was finally swayed by her granddaughter's words.
However, Grandma Su said that it was better to go during the day than at night.
Going up the mountain openly wouldn't arouse suspicion if others saw it, but if they went at night and were seen, it would be disastrous.
The next day, under Grandma Su's arrangement, Old Su San and the children of the family went up the mountain together.
Old Su San was going to chop firewood.
Grandma Su said that this winter would be very cold, and the family's firewood was not enough, so they had to prepare in advance.
At this time, the people in the brigade who were diligent would go up the mountain to chop firewood.
Therefore, if they were seen occasionally, no one would find it strange.
No one knew that when Old Su San descended the mountain, his legs were trembling, and he couldn't tell whether he was more excited or scared.
He only knew that in the large woven basket on his back, there was a heavy box, which might contain the wealth that their family could not accumulate in a lifetime, no, in several lifetimes.