Chapter 7: A Show of Force

"Wan'er!" Du Ruo called out tentatively.

Brothers Jiang Zhan and Jiang Cheng might not be at home, but Jiang Wan's health was poor and she rarely went out, especially at noon; her two brothers would never let her go out to be exposed to the sun.

Jiang Wan didn't answer, but a woman in her forties came out of the room.

The woman was as thin as a hemp stalk, with hanging eyebrows, a mean face, a big mole on her chin, and a dirty gray cloth garment. She looked like she was not easy to get along with.

"Oh my, you finally decided to come back?" She slanted her eyes at Du Ruo and said in a strange tone, "You didn't see anyone since early morning and ran wild until now. If people didn't know, they would think the eldest Du girl disliked our Jiang family for being poor and ran off with some wild man!"

Her words were really unpleasant.

Du Ruo frowned: "Who are you?"

The woman put her hands on her hips and was about to scold, but Jiang Zhan walked out hurriedly from behind her and gave Du Ruo a look, "Sister-in-law, hurry up and greet the eldest aunt."

So it was that Cao Shi who liked to "snatch" things from their second branch, no wonder she sprayed dung as soon as she opened her mouth, as if she had forgotten to brush her teeth when going out.

"So it's eldest aunt." Du Ruo pretended to be suddenly enlightened, "Why didn't you say so earlier? I thought it was some crazy person who was meddling in other people's business and came to our house to run wild."

"Hey, you little bitch, are you scolding me by pointing at the mulberry tree? See if I don't..."

Cao Shi was embarrassed and angry, took off her shoe, and prepared to slap Du Ruo a few times. At this moment, an old and impatient voice came from the room.

"Enough, let her in!"

Cao Shi responded, glanced at Du Ruo triumphantly, and twisted her waist into the room.

It was a bit meddlesome and not quite right for her as an eldest aunt to discipline her nephew's wife, but there were plenty of people who were right, so just wait and see!

Jiang Zhan's exquisite eyebrows were full of worry, and he reminded in a low voice: "Grandmother is inside..."

"It's okay, I can handle it." Du Ruo smiled and comforted him.

Those who come are not good, but she wasn't a soft persimmon either. Did they think they could handle her like they handled those children?

Heh, dream on!

Du Ruo stuffed the few medicinal herbs into Jiang Zhan's hand, patted the dust off her body, and tidied her hair before stepping over the threshold leisurely.

The main hall was not big, and it was even more crowded now.

Standing at the edge of the door were Jiang Cheng and Jiang Wan, the two siblings. Jiang Cheng was angry, Jiang Wan was timid, and the little girl was clutching her brother's clothes tightly, not daring to let go, as if she were facing not her own grandmother, but some flood monster.

Beside the paint-peeled square table, Cao Shi held her chin high, her eyes contemptuous.

Standing next to her was a girl of about 15 or 16, who looked somewhat similar to Cao Shi, also thin without a trace of curves. Her face was barely passable, barely worthy of being called delicate, but her eyes were as malicious as Cao Shi's.

If she wasn't mistaken, it should be Cao Shi's daughter, Jiang Lian'er.

Du Ruo's gaze moved up, and she saw the old lady sitting upright in the seat of honor.

The old lady was wearing a blue cloth pleated jacket, her gray hair was coiled into a round bun at the back of her head, and her face was covered with gullies, deep as if cut by a knife, revealing stubbornness and strength.

Du Ruo piled up a smiling face and stepped forward to bow like an ancient person, "Grandmother, be well."

Yan Pozi's turbid gaze fell on her, especially lingering on her fat body for a moment, and then opened her mouth: "Eldest grandson's wife, I know your father is an official, so you must have been pampered at home and rarely done rough work. But since you have married into our Jiang family, you must follow our Jiang family's rules. From now on, get up at the hour of the tiger, wash clothes and cook, chop wood and farm, raise chickens and feed pigs, and serve your elders. None of these can be less. Do you hear clearly?"

Du Ruo's eyes flickered.

Getting up so early and doing so much work, were they planning to abuse her to death?

It seemed that what Little Third said was all true. This old ancestor didn't know what medicine she had taken wrong, she was extremely biased, very unfriendly to the second branch, and even looked at her, the newly married granddaughter-in-law, with displeasure.

"Yes, I heard clearly." Du Ruo appeared very well-behaved, "But granddaughter-in-law has a question. I don't know whose clothes you want me to wash and whose meals you want me to cook?"

Yan Pozi's drooping eyelids lifted.

Jiang Lian'er, who was standing beside her, immediately shouted: "Aren't you talking nonsense? Of course, it's to wash clothes and cook for our big house!"

Originally, these chores at home were done by her sister-in-law Qin Shi. After Qin Shi became pregnant, the work fell to Jiang Lian'er. She had to get up early and work late every day, and she was tired to death. She had long wanted to stop doing it.

Now it was good, with this ugly monster taking over, she could have a good rest from now on. Just thinking about it made her happy.

"So it's to do work for the big house, great!" Du Ruo clapped her hands and smiled, "My requirements aren't high, it's okay not to provide housing, but I must be provided with food. Three meals a day, three bowls of rice per meal, no problem, right?"

Everyone present was stunned.

Three meals a day, three bowls of rice per meal, let alone ordinary families, even the village head's family, the richest in the village, couldn't afford it!

Cao Shi jumped up, "Eat, eat, you only know how to eat. Our family doesn't have any spare food for you! Making you do a little bit of work, you haven't even done the work yet and you're already thinking about our family's grain. Are you a starving ghost reincarnated? I tell you, Du Shi, no food! You must do the work!"

Du Ruo restrained her smile.

"Second brother!" She called Jiang Zhan over and asked sternly, "What you told me yesterday, that our family has been separated from the old house and is living on our own, is it true?"

Jiang Zhan nodded: "Absolutely true, there is a separation document as proof."

Back then, their second branch fell into trouble, father died, mother took them back to the ancestral home, thinking it was a reliance for their own flesh and blood. Who knew those people used sweet words to deceive mother, not only cheated them out of the second branch's land and money but also drove their lonely mother and children out on the grounds of family separation.

If it weren't for Clan Head grandfather fighting for them, they wouldn't even have a place to live...

"Eldest aunt, you heard it all, right?" Du Ruo looked at Cao Shi, her voice not loud but every word ringing, "Although our two families are both surnamed Jiang, we separated eight hundred years ago. I, Du Ruo, am the eldest daughter-in-law of the second branch. If I do work, it's for the second branch. Why should I be a cow or a horse for your big house!"

She turned to Yan Pozi and put on a smiling face, "Of course, for the sake of grandmother, as long as eldest aunt agrees to provide food, I am still willing to do it reluctantly."

Yan Pozi: "........."

This little bitch, she wasn't as soft and easy to bully as the rumors said, her teeth were sharp and her mouth was sharp.

Jiang Li was already a thorn, and now the wife he married was also so disobedient. Wouldn't the second branch turn the sky upside down in the future?

Yan Pozi raised her hand to stop the furious Cao Shi and looked at Du Ruo with a fake smile.

"Eldest grandson's wife's words also make sense. Since the two branches have already separated, naturally each should do their own work. But don't forget one thing, I, this old thing, am still here. Asking you to go there to do work is not for your eldest uncle's family, but to show filial piety to me, this grandmother. Why, before you left home, didn't your parents tell you to be filial to your elders after you married? I remember your father was a scholar, he should be the most particular about filial piety."

Cao Shi immediately echoed: "That's right! And she's a young lady from an official's house, she doesn't understand anything!"

Actually using Du Ren Mei to suppress her?

Fine, then she wouldn't be polite either. Who couldn't pull the tiger's skin to make a banner? ===== CHAPTER 8 =====