Chapter 315: Got complaints? White-eyed wolves!

Older brother, of course we can't let the second aunt do such a thing—she's shameless, our family still needs face, and our father still needs to rest in peace.

Zhang Chengyong shook his head; at that time he was dressed in mourning attire, hearing his second aunt's words left him stunned, he almost flew into a rage and wanted to strike her, but after thinking, now is not the time to clash with his second aunt.

Right now the main thing is to let his father rest in peace; the issue with his second aunt can be discussed later, after his father's funeral ends—if necessary, they can simply sever ties forever.

Zhang Chengze asked curiously: "You mean you convinced your second aunt? How did you convince her?"

His own younger brother—he's straightforward, a guy who prefers fists over brains, causing trouble since childhood; luckily everyone are fellow villagers and clansmen, so he hasn't stirred up any major disaster.

Nor has he provoked anyone he couldn't afford to offend.

He was quite curious: since his second aunt had the nerve to say she'd come back in a few days, how could his brother, with his limited intellect, possibly persuade her to change her mind?

"I told my second aunt I don't expect her to rush over tonight, but at the very least she should come tomorrow; if she doesn't, I'll kneel at her doorstep and refuse to get up."

Zhang Chengyong spoke indignantly.

Given his personality, if his second aunt refused to come, he would try to use force to drag her over—but this is his father's funeral, and if he did that, his second aunt might seize the opportunity to cause trouble.

Making the whole family lose face would be minor; the real fear is that it would prevent his father from resting in peace.

Zhang Chengze glanced at Zhang Chengyong in astonishment and exclaimed: "You did that, and the second aunt agreed?"

"Of course… of course she didn't agree!"

Zhang Chengyong snorted in dissatisfaction; he himself hadn't expected that after saying those words, his second aunt would actually have the nerve to tell him to kneel as long as he liked, just not starve to death at his doorstep.

At that moment, hearing those words, he was filled with blazing anger, wishing he could beat his second aunt senseless on the spot, even though she was his elder.

His parents had taught him since childhood not to clash with elders, let alone lay hands on them.

"I knew it!"

Zhang Chengze snorted, not surprised—who let him understand his second aunt just as well—and asked: "So how did you persuade her to come tomorrow? Surely she isn't just stringing you along?"

At that time.

Just after his father's passing, he notified all his relatives one by one; when the Zhang family members arrived to help, he planned to inform his second and younger aunts' households overnight.

Initially.

He originally intended to go himself to find his second aunt, while his younger brother Zhang Chengyong would go find his younger aunt.

After all.

He knew what kind of person his second aunt was; he feared he wouldn't be able to summon her, since after her family struck it rich, they not only looked down on his relatives, but even looked down on these close kin of his.

Don't be fooled by his second aunt's constant complaints—his father cared about his younger aunt but not her—but regardless of whether it was his father, his mother, or even himself, they all knew her saying that was just an excuse she made for herself.

An excuse to convince herself!

Isn't it just because she's afraid they'll take advantage of her family?

She completely forgets who made her family's prosperity possible.

If it weren't for his father's early loan that gave her family a fur goods shop,

Every time they hunted game in the mountains and processed the pelts, they sold them to that family at a price far lower than what others paid.

Furthermore, he introduced many hunters to her family, offending who knows how many longtime customers.

With just her family, how could they possibly have become wealthy?

Since his father's health deteriorated and he decided to stop hunting in the mountains, he no longer sold pelts to her family, letting them take advantage; consequently, her family's attitude toward his household has worsened day by day.

Of course. His family has been hunters for generations; his father no longer hunts, and he and his younger brother inherit the trade—if they don't go up the mountains to hunt, they rely on those few acres of poor mountain fields, making even marriage and children difficult, let alone sustaining themselves.

The brothers have been learning hunting from their father since adulthood; only after their father quit did they fully take over the hunting business.

However.

Their harvest, the processed pelts, they no longer sold to her family—not because they lacked conscience or neglected kin's business, but because her family was simply ruthless.

They even tried to cheapen his father's affordable pelts, claiming their hunting and pelt‑processing skills couldn't compare to his father's, so pelts made by them couldn't sell well—at best they couldn't fetch a price.

They wanted to look after her family's business, but they too need to marry and have children; they can't unconditionally provide for her family's livelihood.

What's worse, they bought other hunters' pelts at the price offered by outside shops.

This matter.

When he brought it up to his father, his father said nothing.

One would think…

…because this affair antagonized his second aunt's family!

But he never imagined his second aunt would do something like this.

This novel you have arrived at

He felt bitterly cold-hearted after years of his father caring for his second aunt's family, having raised a pack of white‑eyed wolves, and even in death he could not rest in peace.

No wonder.

Back when his father was critically ill, besides suggesting they invite his younger aunt over, after a while, when his father passed away and he could see his father's last face, he also suggested inviting his second aunt over, but his father said nothing at the time.

Instead, he waved his hand!

He still thought his father disagreed with his second aunt coming, for the same reason he didn't want his younger aunt to come.

Now it appears.

It was his father who saw that his second aunt's family was a nest of white‑eyed wolves!

No wonder.

In the past, whenever his mother muttered a few complaints about his younger aunt, his father would fly into a rage, but when she spoke of his second aunt, his father said nothing.

"I originally, upon hearing her say that, was so angry I prepared to forcibly bring her here……"

Before Zhang Chengyong could finish his sentence, Zhang Chengze hurriedly interrupted: "If you drag her here by force, you might as well not have her come—who knows if she'll go mad and cause a scene in our father's memorial hall?"

Had he known his brother harbored such thoughts, he shouldn't have let his father notify the second aunt—his father often went to the county seat and was well acquainted with the city gate guards.

Some of them were even his brother's fellow disciples!

At such a late hour, without some connections, it would be hard to get the city gates opened.

"Big brother, look at what you're saying, I think that's what you think, but how could I possibly do such a foolish thing?"

Zhang Chengyong snorted dissatisfiedly, explaining: "It was Du Guan who stepped in, and only then did my second aunt agree; she'll come to our house early tomorrow morning!"

Du Guan

He is indeed his second uncle-by-marriage; but when he was studying martial arts at a martial arts school in the county town, he ran into Du Guan there, and when he called him "second uncle-by-marriage" Du Guan didn't respond, so he got lazy and just called him by name.

"How could it be the second uncle-by-marriage who stepped in?"

Zhang Chengze exclaimed in surprise.

Du Guan is what kind of person? He knows it full well; one could say that half—no, maybe as much as eighty percent—of the conflict between his second aunt and their family is due to his instigation.

How could he possibly step in to mediate this conflict?

(End of chapter)