CHAPTER 69: CHAPTER 69: OLD GRUDGES AND GRIEVANCES

It wasn’t until their grandmother called them for dinner that the little rascals scrambled up from the ground, laughing and jostling as they ran to wash their hands.

By then, the ground was a complete mess from their haphazard drawings.

Sun Kang glanced at the chaotic scene, a smile touching his lips. He put away his smoking pipe and went to wash his hands as well.

The children were exceptionally excited today, still chanting, "One plus one equals two, two plus two equals four!" even while washing their hands.

The two aunts were thoroughly pleased, and the entire household was filled with joyous laughter and a warm, harmonious atmosphere.

Children’s voices are naturally penetrating, and as they all shouted their recitations in unison, the lively sounds from Sun Kang’s house could be heard from a great distance.

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Some villagers who heard the commotion grew curious.

"Hey, what’s going on at Sun Kang’s place today? It’s so noisy. Is it some kind of festival?"

"No, their daughter and son-in-law are visiting."

"Ah, their daughter and son-in-law? Didn’t she marry into Zhao Village? It’s so close, and it’s not like she hasn’t been back in years. Is it really worth making such a fuss?"

"Hahaha, you don’t know, do you? That son-in-law from the Zhao Clan has really made something of himself."

"Oh? What do you mean? Just a few days ago, I heard her son-in-law broke his leg and was separated from the main family, right? Back then, Sun Ma’s wife, Mrs. Guan, never missed a chance to gloat publicly. How did he suddenly become so successful in such a short time?"

The old woman lowered her voice. "When the Zhao Clan’s son-in-law broke his leg, it was terrible news, and Granny Guan must have wished she could broadcast it to every single household. Now that it’s good news, she’s probably at home sulking. Since she hasn’t been out spreading this news, not many people know about it."

The other woman listened, an expression of understanding dawning on her face.

Most of the neighbors in the vicinity were old acquaintances; they generally knew about each other’s family affairs and grudges.

Sun Ma and Sun Kang were from a relatively close generation, their fathers being biological brothers. Initially, the relationship between the two families wasn’t bad. However, things gradually soured after they both got married and brought wives into their homes.

Mrs. Guan and Sun Mei became brides around the same time. Perhaps because they married into the same clan simultaneously, Mrs. Guan felt compelled to compare herself to Sun Mei in everything, always striving to outdo her.

Not long after Sun Mei married into the family, she gave birth to her eldest child. Mrs. Guan’s belly, however, remained flat. It wasn’t until Sun Mei had her second child that Mrs. Guan finally gave birth to a son.

After this perceived defeat, Mrs. Guan dropped all pretense of civility. Whenever she saw Sun Mei, she would make all sorts of sarcastic and cutting remarks, resorting to indirect insults. Of course, Sun Mei was no pushover and wouldn’t tolerate her acidity, which led to several quarrels between them.

However, their relationship hadn’t deteriorated to an irreparable state. That is, until their children grew up and it was time to arrange marriages for them. Then, the animosity between the two families completely erupted.

The crux of the matter was that the matchmaker had initially arranged for Sun Mei to marry a scholar from Chen Village, while Mrs. Guan’s daughter, Sun Ying, was to marry Zhao Dong.

However, Mrs. Guan, being fond of Scholar Chen’s status and family wealth, looked down on Zhao Dong, a mere farmer. Consequently, she interfered and sabotaged Sun Mei’s engagement to the scholar.

She then married her own daughter to Scholar Chen, and Sun Mei ended up marrying Zhao Dong.

To ruin someone’s marriage prospects was such a malicious act. Sun Mei completely broke off relations with Mrs. Guan because of it. From then on, the two families ceased all contact, as if the other didn’t exist.

All the villagers and neighbors knew this.

Hearing the lively sounds of children reading from Sun Kang’s house, the old woman’s curiosity piqued further. She couldn’t help but ask, "Hey, quickly, tell me, how did the Zhao Clan’s son-in-law become so successful?"

The other woman chuckled. "Did you have any tofu a few days ago? That tofu and soft tofu business is run by the Zhao Clan’s son-in-law. And the crucial part is, he’s filial. Now that he’s making money, he hasn’t forgotten to include his wife’s family in his success."

"Oh, so that tofu comes from the Zhao Clan’s son-in-law’s family! No wonder Mrs. Guan is so furious. I heard her son-in-law rather looks down on their family and can’t even be bothered to visit during festivals and holidays."

The old woman continued, "And there’s more. Back when Sun Mei gave birth, her health was damaged, right? Mrs. Guan certainly gloated over her misfortune. But who would have thought? Even if Sun Mei could only have one child, her husband still loved and cherished her. Besides, what a child she had! Even if it was just one, she gave birth to a precious little treasure, incredibly intelligent.

Even Mr. Meng personally offered to take their daughter as a student and was willing to waive the tuition fee. Now, listen to that! That little girl has inspired all the children in the family to study. In a few years, who knows, the Sun family might even produce a scholar! They’ve really pulled ahead."

Many of these gossiping remarks from the women on the street reached Mrs. Guan’s ears. Hearing the lively sounds from next door, Mrs. Guan’s face turned livid.

BANG! She slammed her door shut and immediately started berating her good-for-nothing grandsons.

"You damn scoundrels! Hurry up and eat! Food itself can’t shut your stinking mouths! You’re useless all day, knowing nothing and doing nothing! I don’t even know what you’re all clamoring about!"

After scolding her grandsons, she turned on her daughters-in-law. "Look at the kind of children you’ve produced! Each one is worse than the last!"

The two daughters-in-law pulled their sons closer, their heads bowed. Inwardly, they were cursing their mother-in-law. What kind of children are they? Aren’t they from your own sons’ lineage?!

Of course, neither daughter-in-law dared to voice this thought. Seething with suppressed anger, they could only take it out on their own sons.

Thus, just as Zhao Zhitong and her family were happily preparing to eat, they heard a commotion from next door—children wailing and adults shouting abuse.

Zhao Zhitong was stunned. She looked towards Mrs. Guan’s house for a moment, then ran to Sun Mei, exclaiming, "Mother, Mother! Granny Guan is hitting and scolding her grandsons again! She’s such a mean grandmother!"

The other little rascals nodded in agreement. "Yes, Granny Guan is really mean. She not only hits and scolds her own grandchildren, but she also scowls at us whenever she sees us on the street. She definitely doesn’t like children."

Aunt Liu chuckled. "Children might not understand the underlying meaning, but we adults certainly do. She’s probably just green with envy again, lashing out indirectly. Her family is in this state because of her own actions. She deserves it!"

Then, she leaned closer to Sun Mei and whispered gleefully, "Little sister, you might not know this, but Mrs. Guan’s daughter, Sun Ying, isn’t doing well at all.

That Scholar Chen, after all these years, still can’t pass the examination to become a provincial scholar, and he blames Sun Ying for all of it.

He hasn’t become an official yet, but his arrogance is already immense. He does no work at home and just expects Sun Ying to wait on him hand and foot. Not only that, but he’s also entertaining wild fantasies about taking a concubine. TSK TSK. What a ’capable’ man.

Now, seeing our family doing better and better, Mrs. Guan must be regretting her past actions so much her intestines are turning green!"

Sun Mei was somewhat taken aback. She had memories of the marriage turmoil from years ago. But after marrying Zhao Dong, she had focused on living her own life well and hadn’t paid much attention to Sun Ying’s affairs. She’d never imagined that the marriage Sun Ying had snatched for herself would turn out like this. It was truly lamentable.