"Easy does it, Mom. What are you doing? Are you trying to kill your son?" Chen Mantun was frantic, a sheen of sweat breaking out on his brow despite the dead of winter.
"Your precious daughter! That mountain has to be managed by Baozhu. What does a girl like her know? If you don't agree, I'll hang myself right here on your doorstep." Old Mrs. Chen spoke, moving towards the door again.
"Mom, I'll talk to her right now." Chen Mantun dared not loosen his grip, turning back and pleadingly looking at Chen Lishu. "Lishu, hurry up and agree to Grandma. Say the mountain will be managed by your eldest brother."
Chen Lishu, who had invested her entire fortune to contract the mountain, couldn't possibly hand over its management to just anyone. Even a white lie was out of the question.
Moreover, Old Mrs. Chen's tactic of threatening death at the slightest provocation, if successful once, would only escalate in the future. Chen Lishu was not prepared to compromise.
"For me to hand over the mountain's management to Chen Baozhu, it's absolutely impossible. You can all give up on that idea."
"You unfilial child, are you just going to watch your Grandma die!" Chen Mantun glared at her. If he wasn't holding back Old Mrs. Chen, Chen Lishu suspected he might have rushed forward to slap her.
"Dad, haven't you compromised enough your whole life? Every time she throws a tantrum, she gets her way. That's why you're always led by the nose by her. Have you ever considered a different way to solve problems?"
Sweat dripped into his eyes inadvertently. Chen Mantun closed his eyes tightly, his face etched with pain. "What time is it, and you're still saying such useless things? Am I, your father, not heard? Are you also forcing me to join Grandma in this?"
"Her husband!" Wu Chunmei was startled by his words. Her eyes reddened as she turned to Chen Lishu. "Lishu, just agree to Grandma. Look at what you've driven your father to. Mom is begging you, alright?"
As she spoke, Wu Chunmei began to cry mournfully.
"You ungrateful bastard, why are you stopping me? Your daughter doesn't listen to her father's words. You useless good-for-nothing, what's the point of me living? Don't stop me!" Old Mrs. Chen's shouts naturally grew louder. In her heart, however, she felt a sense of triumph. As long as she had Chen Mantun under her thumb, she was sure this stubborn girl would eventually comply.
Although Chen Lishu was quite disappointed with Chen Mantun and Wu Chunmei, their reactions were somewhat within her expectations.
"Lishu, where are you going?" Seeing her get up and head towards Old Mrs. Chen, Wu Chunmei's heart nearly leaped out of her chest, fearing she might impulsively act against her. She even forgot to cry.
Given Old Mrs. Chen's status, how could Chen Lishu possibly get into a physical altercation with her?
Instead, she walked to the doorway, gave the door a forceful push, and as it swung open, a blast of cold air rushed in, causing everyone inside to shiver involuntarily.
"Aunt Wang!" Without looking back, Chen Lishu exited the house and walked directly towards the courtyard wall of the Wang family's east courtyard, then shouted loudly.
Seeing Chen Lishu bypass her and head outside, Old Mrs. Chen blinked a couple of times, then looked down at the hemp rope in her hand, unsure of her next move.
But the words had been spoken. For her grandson's future, she had to get a definitive answer today. Taking advantage of Chen Mantun's inattention, Old Mrs. Chen shoved him aside, and immediately after Chen Lishu exited the room, she threw the rope and hung it on the eaves.
"Mom, what are you doing? Are you trying to drive me to my death!" By the time Chen Mantun reacted, Old Mrs. Chen had already tied the rope.
"You ungrateful bastard, don't come any closer! If you take one more step, I'll smash my head against the wall and die to show you," Old Mrs. Chen spat on the ground.
If they weren't afraid of losing face, she would cast aside her own dignity and secure a good position for Baozhu.
Hearing her words, Chen Mantun and Wu Chunmei truly dared not step forward. If they angered her and she actually hit the wall, the consequences would be far from trivial.
The commotion in the courtyard quickly attracted the attention of the neighbors. Seeing Old Mrs. Chen about to hang herself, everyone came over to persuade her.
"Auntie, what is it that's making you want to die? Tell us, maybe we can help solve it." Aunt Wang was the first to arrive after hearing Chen Lishu call out.
"Yes, there's no hurdle that cannot be overcome. Life is getting better and better, why do you want to hang yourself?"
"I..." As everyone tried to console her, Old Mrs. Chen was about to speak when Chen Lishu interrupted her.
"Aunt Wang, Grandma Liu, you don't need to persuade her. My Grandma just feels that life is meaningless and is determined to die. As a junior, I've done my filial duty. There's no reason for me to defy her final decision before she passes."
Chen Lishu looked at everyone very sincerely. "I've called you all here because I want your help in planning the funeral arrangements. Our family only has this one elder left. She insists on choosing today. It's getting late to prepare a burial outfit, but after she passes, I will certainly give her a grand funeral. The coffin, paper effigies of cows, gold ingots, and such will all be prepared, and we'll need brass bands and唢呐..."
Old Mrs. Chen couldn't bear to listen any longer. She raised her hand, gave a forceful tug, and flung the rope from the eaves onto Chen Lishu. "You heartless little brat! I'm still alive, and you're already announcing my death. Are you wishing me dead because I'm living too long?"
Chen Lishu looked at her with an innocent expression. "Grandma, didn't you say that if I didn't hand over the management rights of the contracted land to Chen Baozhu, you would hang yourself at our doorstep today?"
Old Mrs. Chen choked. "I, I was just speaking casually."
Well, now everyone understood. It turned out that Old Mrs. Chen was making trouble for Chen Mantun's family again, all for the sake of Chen Mancang's family.
Why should Old Mrs. Chen's mountain land, which Chen Lishu paid for, be cheaply given to Chen Baozhu, who hadn't spent a penny? This old lady was truly overbearing.
"Grandma, I don't have many virtues, but I am honest. You said you wanted to die, and we as juniors cannot stop you, otherwise, it would be disobedience. But all the filial piety and grandeur will be provided."
"You know it's not disobedience, so why aren't you handing over the management rights to your eldest brother?"
"Filial piety isn't blind obedience. Forget about Chen Baozhu's matters."
"I, I..." Old Mrs. Chen was so furious she was going crazy. Facing such a stubborn obstructionist, she had no idea how to proceed and could only stomp her feet in anger, glaring helplessly.
"Old sister-in-law, as they say, children and grandchildren have their own fortunes. Don't be a slave for them. Besides, Lishu is a good child. Why are you forcing the issue with the mountain land?" Old Mrs. Liu sighed and stepped forward to advise.
Old Mrs. Chen retorted ungraciously, "It's easy for you to say when Baozhu isn't your grandson. You stand there and speak without a care."
"Fine, blame me for being meddlesome." Old Mrs. Liu waved her hand and turned away.
Seeing Old Mrs. Chen's demeanor, others dared not say anything more. Some found it uninteresting and turned to leave.