Chapter 588: Xiao Dang Wants to Take Revenge on the Jia Family

Xiao Dang's return not only broke the Jia Family's defenses, it also broke Qin Huairu's defenses.

When Qin Huairu saw Xiao Dang, the look on her face was not the delighted surprise a mother feels upon seeing a long-lost daughter, nor was it mere shock; it was terror, a fright that reached to her bones.

As for that.

The neighbors also didn't know what to say.

The scheming woman looked like she'd seen a ghost the whole time.

On the contrary, it was Xiao Dang.

She stood there openly, welcoming the neighbors' various gazes as a baptism.

In the end, Yan Fugui spoke up, saying Xiao Dang had come all the way from afar, urging Qin Huairu not to stand there dazed, to quickly bring Xiao Dang back to the Jia Family, and only then did this farce quietly end.

However, she still harbored curiosity about the Jia Family in her heart.

Back then, everyone knew why Xiao Dang left the Jia Family; her present destitution, to put it bluntly, was caused by the Jia Family's widows.

Just now, a sharp-eyed neighbor could faintly see, from the way Xiao Dang looked at Qin Huairu, a hatred toward Qin Huairu; even if one racked their brains, they could tell the Jia Family was about to cause an uproar.

If it were them, it would be the same.

Ruined for life by their own mother and grandmother.

Yet, since this matter had nothing to do with them, they could only gather together and chat about trivial things.

"What a fine young lady; if Third Grandfather hadn't just called out her name, I wouldn't have believed this was Xiao Dang, Qin Huairu's daughter."

"Who says otherwise? I never expected her to be so down on her luck; look at her face—people would believe she's forty, which just proves the saying 'If you don't listen to elders, you'll suffer the consequences,' and Third Grandfather is sharp."

"You don't even look at Third Grandfather; he has two more eyes than we do, those little eyes are shrewd—I remember when Shazhu brought back whatever meal, Third Grandfather could see it even through the lunchbox."

"Don't talk nonsense." Yan Fugui laughed and scolded, then said: "Just now I was dumbfounded too; it was Xiao Dang who called out to me, I recognized her voice as familiar, and that's how I knew it was Xiao Dang."

"Bangeng has been taken away, Huaihua ran away from home; I thought the Jia Family would finally have some peace, but Xiao Dang has come back—just you wait, there's sure to be some entertainment."

The neighbors around.

They were all nodding as much as they could.

The matters out in the open.

None of them are blind.

They see things clearly.

Xiao Dang has come back to seek revenge on the Jia Family's widows.

They also resent the Jia Family's widows for their extreme favoritism—after all, they are all Jia Family children—why value Bangeng but not Xiao Dang?

They deserve to have Xiao Dang come after them for settlement.

Back when Jia Zhangshi caused a ruckus for no reason in the Jia Family's siheyuan, everyone said she would eventually face retribution.

Now the retribution has arrived.

……

The Jia Family.

The farce officially begins.

Following behind Qin Huairu as she entered the Jia Family residence, Xiao Dang said nothing, but gave a meaningful look at the somewhat elderly woman.

That is Jia Zhangshi.

Qin Huairu didn't know what she was thinking; she didn't expose Xiao Dang's identity, brought her back to the Jia Family, then went to lie down in the inner room.

The farce that just took place at the siheyuan's gate—because Jia Zhangshi is old, and also due to the stimulation of Bangeng being imprisoned and the neighbors shunning her—has caused her hearing to deteriorate somewhat.

Therefore, she didn't even know Xiao Dang had returned.

Seeing Qin Huairu bring back a woman with a sallow complexion, Jia Zhangshi's mood instantly soured; she felt Qin Huairu was losing all respect for her, bringing just anyone home without regard, and not even looking at whose property the Jia Family now was.

Worried that Qin Huairu would sell the Jia Family's house behind her back, pocket the money, and ignore her, Jia Zhangshi's countermeasure was to stay inside as much as possible.

Upon seeing Xiao Dang, she mistakenly thought Xiao Dang had come to buy their house.

She had nothing nice to say.

Although she hadn't wanted to talk about the house, the sight before her made Jia Zhangshi's lungs hurt with anger; after Qin Huairu brought the woman back to the Jia Family, she went straight to the inner room to lie down.

Even a ruined home still has a couple of catties of scrap iron.

She feared those scraps would be taken away.

Jia Zhangshi stared at Xiao Dang with her somewhat cloudy eyes, gazing fixedly.

"You girl, do you have any manners? This is our Jia Family, not your vegetable garden. Why are you staring at my old woman like that? Does her face have flowers? Or something else on it? I've laid down my words—this house was bought with my old woman's life; it's the root of our Jia Family in the city. We won't sell it; my eldest grandson Bangeng will someday take a wife in this house, and my old woman wants to see my great-grandson born. Hurry up and get out—no matter how much money you offer, the house is not for sale."

Xiao Dang's heart.

Ached ever more.

She resented being born a Jia.

She kept muttering "Bangeng" and "the Jia Family's future."

So does that mean I and Huaihua aren't Jia Family children?

The resentment in her heart was like a volcano being squeezed, repressed to the extreme.

Since we aren't your Jia Family children, why do you control our marriages? For Bangeng's sake, you didn't hesitate to sell Xiao Dang to a man over ten years her elder—is that what a grandmother should do? Is that what a mother should do?

She came back just to take revenge on Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu.

At the gate just now, Xiao Dang saw Qin Huairu's reaction—seeing her own destitution, Qin Huairu was frightened and kept stepping back.

Xiao Dang unexpectedly felt a rare sense of refreshment.

Suddenly she felt that coming back was the right thing.

Not coming back.

How could she use her own destitution to fiercely stimulate Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu, ideally making those two widows have to eat, drink, defecate, urinate, and sleep all in bed?

She moved her steps forward, approaching Jia Zhangshi by a few paces.

Jia Zhangshi saw Xiao Dang not only not leaving but walking toward her, her mood worsening, thinking about how to cause a scene later, no matter what she wanted to properly scare the disobedient woman before her.

"What's wrong with you? You have ears but won't listen? I told you, our house isn't for sale, why are you still coming up to my old woman? Even if you kneel before her, our house isn't for sale, you can't afford it, I'd sell it to you for ten thousand—do you have the money?"

"I'm not here to buy a house; look at who I am."

Xiao Dang brought her face as close as possible to Jia Zhangshi.

Jia Zhangshi widened her eyes, her gaze filled with disbelief; she didn't recognize Xiao Dang, but recognized her voice.

"You're Xiao Dang."

Her tone carried a hint of surprise.

Just like Qin Huairu.

She was also frightened.

"Grandma, I'm Xiao Dang." Xiao Dang, who kills with words, spoke words that stabbed Jia Zhangshi's heart and lungs and also Qin Huairu's windpipe: "Just now at the courtyard gate, even my mother didn't recognize me; it was only after San Daye shouted that she recognized me as her daughter, yet you recognized me at a glance—your eyes are truly vicious."

Jia Zhangshi stumbled back several steps.

"What the heck."

"This person is Xiao Dang."

"Jia Family's Xiao Dang."

"How is that possible."

They regarded Xiao Dang as the Jia Family's hope for a turnaround, believing her looks would surely secure a good marriage and bring the family rich returns.

They regarded Xiao Dang as the Jia Family's hope for a turnaround, believing her looks would surely secure a good marriage and bring the family rich returns.

Until the Bangeng sleeping-with-a-widow incident erupted.

Only then did the idea of relying on Xiao Dang to support the Jia Family die out.

They shouted a buyout price of five hundred.

Whoever paid more, Xiao Dang would go with them.

Xiao Dang ran away.

Furious, Jia Zhangshi raged for days, telling everyone Xiao Dang was unfilial, a white-eyed wolf, wanting to watch her brother die and perish without feeling anything.

She had imagined Xiao Dang returning to the Siheyuan in various ways, but never expected her to appear before her in this state.

Jia Zhangshi was dumbfounded at that moment.

She was frightened.

Xiao Dang, in her mid-twenties and in her prime, how could she look like a woman in her forties standing before her?

"Not Xiao Dang."

Xiao Dang shouldn't look like this, so down-and-out.

"You're not Xiao Dang."

Jia Zhangshi muttered under her breath.

She didn't think much of it.

She simply couldn't accept the reality before her.

She didn't realize that this sentence made Xiao Dang, who already held ill will toward the Jia Family and harbored thoughts of revenge, dislike Jia Zhangshi even more.

"I'm not Xiao Dang."

"How could I not be Xiao Dang?"

Xiao Dang knew it was her appearance that had stunned Jia Zhangshi, just as it had stunned Qin Huairu at the gate, and she felt a faint excitement.

She brushed her hair with her hand, extending her cheek as far as possible toward Jia Zhangshi.

This could be considered intimidation of Jia Zhangshi.

"Grandma, what nonsense are you spouting? How could I not be Xiao Dang? Look at me—I am Xiao Dang, your obedient granddaughter Xiao Dang, I've returned."

Jia Zhangshi looked at the wrinkled face before her.

Her inner fear was stimulated to the utmost.

The more she looked at Xiao Dang's cheek,

the more she felt heartache.

Probably realizing she couldn't escape and must acknowledge Xiao Dang, she forced a bitter smile, turned her head toward Qin Huairu in the inner room, finally understanding why Qin Huairu, upon returning to the Jia Family, had hidden in the inner room and not come out—it was because of Xiao Dang.

She also panicked.

"Child, you."

Staring at Xiao Dang's face, Jia Zhangshi, not knowing what to say, blurted out a bitter "you've suffered," and tears welled in her eyes.

These tears.

In Xiao Dang's eyes, they seemed disgusting; if she truly felt pain for herself, she wouldn't have sold Xiao Dang to that old man for money back then.

"Grandma, I'm back—aren't you happy?"

Xiao Dang, fully aware.

Speaking words Jia Zhangshi didn't want to hear.

Afterwards she glanced around the room's situation.

Overjoyed inside, she didn't know what to say.

The furnishings at home were worse than when Xiao Dang had left.

Xiao Dang knew the Jia Family had fallen on hard times.

The only thing unchanged.

was that there were still two widows alive in the house, and on the wall hung the posthumous portrait of her father, Jia Dongxu.

"Grandma, where is the incense? I want to offer incense to my father."

Xiao Dang, having finished speaking.

Saw the incense.

Walked over.

Took out three sticks, lit them, then respectfully placed them into the incense burner, respectfully kowtowed three times, and muttered a sentence Jia Zhangshi didn't hear.

Jia Zhangshi watched Xiao Dang finish doing those things.

The stone in the heart.

It slightly landed.

They thought Xiao Dang hadn't come to seek revenge on the Jia family widows; otherwise, they wouldn't have offered incense to the short-lived Jia.

At that moment, hearing Xiao Dang announce his name, saying he was Xiao Dang, Jia Zhangshi felt as if she briefly saw King Yama.

Really scared.

Let out a sigh.

"Xiao Dang, just coming back is fine; back then, that matter was Grandma's fault, and also your mother's fault; there are no parents who aren't at fault, only unfilial children. I know you're angry, but there's nothing we can do—human life is paramount; we can't just watch your brother get shot. Grandma is here, apologizing to you; I hope you don't resent Grandma. Grandma also has no choice—others pressured us urgently, and we're all flesh and blood, our Jia Family."

Xiao Dang suddenly changed his/her own plan.

While kowtowing, still thought of arguing loudly with Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu; after finishing the incense offering, listened to Jia Zhangshi's words.

Guessed what Jia Zhangshi was thinking.

When Jia Zhangshi was scheming against her, she was also scheming against Jia Zhangshi.

The Jia Family's house ahead was still worth some money.

To take revenge on the Jia Family, on Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu, they must leave them nowhere to live; otherwise, how could they experience Xiao Dang's past suffering?

There was also the thought of standing up for Huaihua.

Huaihua wrote Xiao Dang a letter, saying she was preparing to casually marry someone, saying she didn't want to return to the Jia Family; Xiao Dang used himself as an example to persuade Huaihua, urging her to definitely choose a good partner, otherwise it would be a lifetime of hardship.

Xiao Dang carried the hatred of two people.

After Jia Zhangshi finished scheming against Xiao Dang, Xiao Dang also turned the tables on Jia Zhangshi.

"Grandma, you're right; setting aside the facts, I was wrong, and I initially went down a rabbit hole, thinking that you and my mother only had my brother in your hearts, not me, which is why I did something wrong to the Jia Family; my appearance, Grandma also saw, I've been living a hard life; I sneaked back."

Gaze fixed on Jia Zhangshi.

The corner of the eye, however, fell on Qin Huairu inside the side room.

On Jia Zhangshi's face showed a hint of emotion, perhaps resenting Xiao Dang for getting what they deserved.

Anyway, Xiao Dang thought so.

Qin Huairu inside the side room remained lying on her side, back to Xiao Dang, but her head moved slightly; since Xiao Dang couldn't see Qin Huairu's face, it was impossible to judge her reaction.

She suddenly had an idea and knelt before Jia Zhangshi.

Bang, bang, bang—three kowtows.

Jia Zhangshi seemed frightened by Xiao Dang's kowtowing, flustered, hurriedly pulled Xiao Dang up from the ground, and patted the dust off Xiao Dang's trousers with her hand.

"Child, the matter is past, don't mention it; just go back home. At home, whatever I have to eat, you will have too; you won't go hungry. As for the affairs in the northwest, don't worry about them. In a year or two, the neighbors will forget what happened. Then Grandma and your mother will ask a matchmaker to arrange a marriage for you, and we'll be one family again. If we can't find a suitable boy in the city, we'll go to the countryside to look; there are girls in the countryside who like city boys, and we'll take in a son-in-law who lives with us."

"Thank you, Grandma."

"Silly child, what thanks for what? Family doesn't speak of two families. From now on you mustn't do foolish things. Look at you—it's not Grandma criticizing you, but you really make Grandma feel heartbroken, and your mother is upset too. At least you've come back. Alright, I won't say anything more. Grandma is going to the toilet, and while I'm at it I'll stop by the supply and marketing cooperative to see if I can get some meat."