Chapter 268: Greed

She wore an enthusiastic smile.

"Honestly, you should have told us you were bringing the children back. Your brother and I could have prepared some food for you."

’If I had told you in advance, you wouldn’t have been happy to prepare anything,’ Wang Mei thought.

Liu Hong, making herself completely at home, strolled into the room. Mrs. Wang hadn’t had a chance to put away the things Wang Mei and her family had brought, so Liu Hong saw everything. The greed in her eyes was impossible to hide.

"Wow, you brought so much! What’s this? Oh my, you even brought milk powder? Isn’t that for little kids? It’s such a waste to leave it here. Mother, your two precious grandsons are so skinny, this would be perfect for them."

"This is all good stuff. And that car... it must have cost several thousand, right? Meizi, what did your family do to strike it rich? I heard you caught a lot of large yellow croakers, and it looks like that’s true. You’ve even built a new house.

"As your sister-in-law, I’m truly envious. Unlike our family. Your Eldest Brother and I work ourselves to death in the fields day in and day out, and we barely make any money all year. The kids have school, and we haven’t had meat in ages."

Mrs. Wang’s face immediately fell. "What are you talking about? We gave you so much meat from the pig we slaughtered for the New Year. You’ve finished it already?"

Clearly, she was not fond of her eldest son’s wife.

But she wasn’t the type to torment her daughter-in-law.

Liu Hong was thick-skinned, though. The criticism didn’t bother her at all.

"Oh, come on, Mother, you know how it is. Your two grandsons are at that growing age, and your son works so hard in the fields every day. Don’t they need nourishment? How long was that little bit of meat supposed to last?"

Wang Mei rolled her eyes and said bluntly, "Don’t even think about the milk powder. It was specifically bought as a supplement for the elderly. And no matter how much you eat, there’s no way you haven’t had meat in months. It’s not even June yet. I bet my sister-in-law took all the meat back to her own family."

It wasn’t like she didn’t know what kind of person Liu Hong was.

Back when Wang Mei was still an unmarried girl, this sister-in-law would often take things from their house back to her own parents, always coming up with grand-sounding excuses.

What was even more outrageous was that Liu Hong had once rummaged through her clothes and taken some for her own niece to wear. Wang Mei had been so angry she cried and got into a fight with Liu Hong. Afterwards, Liu Hong paraded her injuries around the village, spreading rumors about how aggressive Wang Mei was for hitting her sister-in-law. After that, Wang Mei’s reputation in the village took a dive.

Even now, Wang Mei and her sister-in-law did not get along.

Besides, if Liu Hong had ever brought anything back from her parents’ home, Wang Mei wouldn’t be so passive-aggressive now. Her dear sister-in-law had taken so much from the Wang family to her own, but Wang Mei had never seen her bring a single thing back—not even one vegetable!

And to make matters worse, her useless elder brother was completely wrapped around this woman’s finger.

"What kind of talk is that? I gave the Old Wang Family two grandsons. I’m a great contributor to this household. It wasn’t easy for my parents to raise me, so what’s wrong with taking a few things back to show them some filial piety?"

"Meizi, I’m not just saying this as your sister-in-law, but your family is rich now. There’s no need to be so stingy. We’re all family. We should help each other out when someone’s in trouble, right?"

Her intentions were so obvious it was like she was slapping them in the face with them.

Wang Mei was not the type to hold back. She opened her mouth to curse at her.

After all, she had argued with this woman countless times before she was married. Her temper had mellowed a bit since then, but the moment she saw Liu Hong, it flared right back up.

Fortunately, the quick-thinking, quick-acting Yun Linhe clamped a hand over her mouth.

There were quite a few onlookers outside the house. If his wife really started cursing, it would be bad for her reputation.

"Ah! What are you doing? Let go!"

While the atmosphere was tense on their side, on the other, the Yun family children had started fighting with the two from Eldest Brother Wang’s family.

Liu Hong took one look and her expression changed instantly.

Because it was obvious her two sons were on the losing end.

Right now, her two sons were being pinned to the ground and beaten by Yun Xiaowu and the others.

"What are you doing! Let go of my sons, you little bastards!"

"Who are you calling a little bastard?!"

The insult was so vile that it wasn’t just Wang Mei anymore—even Yun Linhe couldn’t stand it.

So, Yun Linhe let go of his wife. A bad reputation was a bad reputation. Besides, Wang Family Village was a long way from their Bailong Village.

And so, like a wild horse breaking its reins, Wang Mei charged forward.

The two women immediately started fighting. "Is this how an auntie should act? If a dog’s mouth can’t spit out ivory, then don’t spew filth! It’s one thing to be a freeloader, but you curse your own nephews too? We must have had eight lifetimes of bad luck to have a relative like you..."

Mrs. Wang looked anxiously from one side to the other, finally slapping her thigh in frustration.

"What a sin, oh, what a sin! Let go! Everyone stop fighting..."

Then, Wang Mei’s eldest brother came over. Seeing his wife being hit by his sister, he jumped in to help his wife without a second thought.

Yun Linhe wasn’t having it. Did they think his wife didn’t have a husband? He rolled up his sleeves and joined the fray.

Yun Jiao pinned down Liu Hong’s older son and gave him a beating, only letting go after she’d vented her anger.

Yun Xiaowu cursed, "We let you off easy and you think you own the place? Looking at the car is one thing, but you actually wanted us to give it to you? And you kicked it when we said no? You don’t want your legs anymore, is that it?"

"Everyone, stop!"

Father Wang was angry now. His furious roar finally brought the chaotic brawl to an end.

But Liu Hong was clearly not ready to give up. She pulled her miserably beaten son close and started crying and making a scene.

"These are sons of your Old Wang Family! Are you just going to watch them get bullied by a bunch of outsiders with a different surname? Are you their grandparents or not?!"

Wang Mei shot back, "What, are my parents supposed to only have one son, my eldest brother? Are you the only one in the Old Wang Family who can have children? Having two sons has really made you arrogant, hasn’t it? You think you can just climb on top of the Old Wang Family and take a shit?"

"How can you speak to your sister-in-law like that!"

Eldest Brother Wang scowled.

"You shut your mouth!"

Wang Mei was most furious with her eldest brother. "I saw it clearly just now. If my husband hadn’t stopped you, you were going to hit me, weren’t you? You’re really something else. Why don’t you just stop being a Wang? Go marry into the Liu family instead!"

"Enough!"

Father Wang tapped his pipe.

"Eldest, take your wife and children and go home."

Liu Hong was unwilling to let it go. "My son was beaten this badly, and you’re just going to let it slide?"

She was still eyeing the things Wang Mei had brought back, and now she wanted them to pay compensation money.

Yun Linhe said, "Xiaowu, tell us why you hit them."

Yun Xiaowu shot the two boys a glare, then explained what had happened from beginning to end.