CHAPTER 47: CHAPTER 44: QINGSHAN VILLAGE – THE ELDEST COUSIN PUNISHES THE SCUM

Jiang Zhenghui had just returned from outside and demanded food as soon as he entered the house. Wu Cuilan turned her back on him, which made Jiang Zhenghui extremely frustrated.

"I say, woman, have you forgotten that a man is like the sky? Hurry up, I’m starving."

Wu Cuilan remained unmoved: "Will you die from missing a meal? You didn’t even go to work, just wandering aimlessly all day. Do you want to starve our whole family?"

Already irritable from hunger, Jiang Zhenghui flew into a rage when his wife mocked him, aggressively pulling Wu Cuilan’s hair and smashing her head against the wall.

"Ah! I’m going to die! Wuwuwu... Jiang Zhenghui, you’re not human! I gave you two sons, and you treat me like this? Wuwuwu..."

Outside the door, Jiang Beishan and Jiang Beiyang, siblings who had come because they were hungry and saw no signs of cooking in the kitchen, stumbled upon this scene.

The siblings were seemingly accustomed to such sights and showed no reaction; they quietly tiptoed away as if the person being beaten inside were a stray dog, unrelated to them.

The old lady in the main room pretended to be sick tonight, and no one had come to check on her. She sulked alone but didn’t let herself suffer, eating some hidden biscuits before lying back in bed. She even stuffed cotton balls in her ears and didn’t hear Wu Cuilan’s cries.

The old lady thought of today’s family division; her chest tightened again. She cursed her eldest son from top to bottom, calling him heartless and his children shameless wolves.

Wu Tiantian, returning from playing outside, went to the kitchen looking for food. Finding none, he sat at the kitchen door and started rolling on the ground.

Hearing footsteps, he immediately sat up and saw Jiang Ran returning with a basket. Wu Tiantian immediately tried to snatch it but hesitated upon seeing Xiao Jiang Ran holding a dog-beating stick. However, Jiang Beishan and Jiang Beiyang pushed him from behind.

"Idiot, he’s carrying our stuff; you’re just taking our things. Aren’t you hungry? Can’t you smell the delicious aroma?"

Indeed, the aroma was undeniable!

Encouraged by this, the little bully feared no dog-beating stick; his eyes were solely on the deliciously scented basket as he lunged at Xiao Jiang Ran like a starving dog.

Xiao Jiang Ran was focused on avoiding the pits on the ground. Suddenly ambushed, he had no defense against the little bully, like a small rabbit toppled by a bear.

Instinctively, Xiao Jiang Ran set the basket aside, so although he was pinned down, the basket remained unharmed. The problem arose when Huangque, Jiang Beishan, seized the opportunity to snatch the basket.

Xiao Jiang Ran suddenly saw someone trying to take his sister’s goodies and, gathering an unknown strength, pushed the bear-like bully away, gripping the basket’s handle tightly with his little hands.

"Let go."

"You let go, this is my sister’s. You’re stealing."

The word "stealing" reminded Jiang Beishan of the embarrassment caused by Jiang Mingyue accusing her of theft, spreading rumors about her stealing. She couldn’t imagine what there was to steal from her home.

Jiang Beishan now loathed everything related to Jiang Mingyue. She kicked Xiao Jiang Ran to the ground, and because he refused to let go of his sister’s things, when he fell, the basket tipped over too.

Instantly, the aromatic dishes scattered, spreading their fragrance everywhere.

Xiao Jiang Ran ignored the pain in his hips from the stones, and he immediately burst into tears, kicking at Jiang Beishan and Jiang Beiyang like a little wolf dog.

"Bad people, wuwuwu, give me back my stuff... wuwuwu..."

Xiao Jiang Ran cried pitifully!

Jiang Ming’an, who had just returned after settling someone at their granduncle’s home, saw the small basket swinging in front and was about to help when this incident occurred. He was too late to stop it.

He suspected his cheap little brother was being bullied, but seeing it with his own eyes was different.

Like a whirlwind, Jiang Ming’an appeared. Seeing their eldest cousin radiating murderous intent, Jiang Beishan and Jiang Beiyang were so scared they crouched like quails. They had never seen their eldest cousin like this before, always gentle in the past.

"Bang! Bang!" Two successive sounds; Jiang Ming’an exerted all his strength to kick them over, avenging the earlier evil and declaring war on the second branch.

Jiang Ming’an used to be a good gentleman; now, he’s a demon incarnate, returning double for any bullying against his loved ones.

"Ah! Eldest cousin, I’m Beishan."

"Eldest cousin, you’re too harsh! I’m going to tell Grandma." Jiang Beiyang wailed.

Jiang Ming’an sneered coldly: "You’re eighteen, two months older than Ming Yue. And Jiang Beishan, you’re twenty. Together you’re nearly forty, yet you snatch food from a five-year-old. Can’t win and even kick him. Impressive!"

Jiang Ming’an wanted to tear the two in front of him to pieces. Only that would feel satisfying, but reason told him he couldn’t; dealing with people didn’t have to be direct, so troublesome!

He went to help the little one, but the child wouldn’t get up, his tears dropping like rain. His little hands didn’t wipe them away, only incessantly gathering the food from the ground into the bowl.

Jiang Ming’an’s heart ached; he wasn’t someone who empathized with others, only a rabid wolf could elicit his emotions in the past life. Who knew this life brought him another little thing.

"Alright, it’s all covered in dirt and stones, you can’t eat it."

"Wuwuwu, I can!"

"No, if you must eat it, feed it to your pet Coal later."

Though Xiao Jiang Ran felt sorry for the meat and rice, thinking about feeding Coal, his little companion, he reluctantly agreed.

"Go back and find your Ms. Ming Yue."

The little one, thinking about feeding Coal, didn’t ask much more and left with the small basket.

However, the second branch siblings regretted not escaping earlier. Now they watched their eldest cousin as if he were about to devour them.

"E-eldest cousin, we are family."

Jiang Ming’an snorted mercilessly: "I have no such dog relatives. It seems I’ve been too kind these years, letting you forget who’s your provider.

After the family division, I didn’t want to fuss over other things, but since you want to, I’ll accompany you. It’s time you learned a lesson and a long-lasting memory.

Remember, Jiang Ran is my blood brother. Anyone who dares to bully someone close to me will end up like today."

At first, Jiang Beishan and Jiang Beiyang didn’t understand what he meant, then watched Jiang Ming’an return to the main house, quickly coming back with scissors and a lit torch.

The two retreated in fear, and the next second, Jiang Ming’an entered the second branch’s room.

Using memory, he headed straight for the left room, prompting Jiang Beishan to chase him frantically in panic.

"What...what do you want to do?" panicking so much she forgot to call him brother.

Jiang Ming’an ignored her; with a few snips, the bed quilt was shredded beyond repair, including bedsheets, pillows, and clothes in the wardrobe. Anything that could be cut was not spared.

Realizing the situation, Jiang Beishan cried and tried to stop him: "Eldest cousin, what are you doing? You... you stop!"

These were all her belongings: the soft quilt, beautiful dresses, everything city people had, she had them all. But now, someone was destroying them all in front of her, as if digging out her heart. What difference did it make?