HCB Chapter 94 The Wang Family Members Who Wanted to Take Advantage
Chapter 94 The Wang Family Members Who Wanted to Take Advantage
"Aunt Lin, are you home?" Wang Wushi came to the Lin family's courtyard carrying a bunch of wild vegetables.
After failing to gain anything from Wen Yuxia, Wang Ping and his son sent Wang Wu to the Lin family, attempting to incite them to join him in going to Xinghua Village to find Wen Dashan.
Old Mrs. Lin said gruffly, "Who is it? The door's open, come in."
"Aunt Lin, I'm from Wang Ping's family. Actually, our two families are related!" Wang Wushi pushed open the courtyard gate, speaking as she walked in.
"Relatives? How could that be?" Old Mrs. Lin mentally searched through all her relatives but couldn't find any with the surname Wang. So, she asked in confusion, "Wang Ping's family, what kind of relatives are we?"
"Your daughter and I are related by marriage. In fact, I should call you 'Auntie'!" Madam Wang started by talking about her deceased daughter and son-in-law, and didn't stop until she mentioned that Wen Yuxia was Princess Muhua.
"This old woman is getting old and just wants to live a peaceful life. She doesn't want to cause trouble for herself. Her children and grandchildren have their own lives to live. As for their affairs, this old woman doesn't want to get involved, and she can't get involved anyway. This old woman won't be going to Xinghua Village anymore."
Old Mrs. Lin spoke lightly, but inwardly she was filled with remorse. She had already sold Wen Linshi out long ago, and she had no idea whether she was alive or dead. How could she dare to go with the Wang family to Xinghua Village to seek revenge on Wen Dashan?
Wang Wu was unaware that Wen Lin had been bought, and she couldn't understand why Old Lady Lin, who was always greedy for small gains, didn't go to Xinghua Village to ask Wen Dashan for a reward.
Old Mrs. Lin took the wild vegetables from her hand and pushed them outside the yard. She couldn't understand why, so she had no choice but to walk back to her own mountain land. The old man was too shrewd; she should leave this matter to him to figure out.
"Old Lady Lin doesn't want to go to Xinghua Village," Wang Ping asked in surprise.
"Yes, I was so thirsty, and she didn't even pour me a bowl of water. I was dying of thirst," Wang Wushi said, picking up a bamboo tube from the side of the field, tilting her head back, and gulping down the cool boiled water.
Wang Ping was indeed quick-witted. After thinking it over carefully, he figured out why Granny Lin dared not go to Xinghua Village to cause trouble. He lowered his voice and said:
"Old woman, after settling in Niutou Village, Wen Linshi seems to have disappeared without a trace. Do you think Old Woman Lin might have sold Wen Linshi out of guilt and is afraid to go to Wen Dashan?"
Wang Wu slapped her thigh excitedly, "Old man, it had to be you! I'll go find someone to ask right now!" With that, she hurried off into the village, all the while making a ruckus.
"Be careful, don't make it public knowledge," Wang Ping quickly reminded him.
Finding out where Wen Linshi is will give him more leverage in negotiating with Wen Dashan. Since many people know where Wen Linshi is, what business is it of his?
“I know,” Wang Wu replied impatiently.
In Xinghua Village, Wen Dashan was discussing with his second son, Wen Zibai: "Second son, do you think your maternal grandmother will come to ask for something if she knows your mother is at home?"
“My maternal grandparents taught my uncle to take advantage of his older and younger sisters since he was little. If they knew my mother was staying at home, they would definitely come looking for her,” Wen Zibai said confidently.
Wen Dashan slowly said, "Will sending your mother to town and letting her stay in the shop temporarily affect Yang's business?"
The shop in town was rented to three women surnamed Yang for one hundred coins a month. Besides selling snacks, the three also sold the fast food that Wen Yuxia had mentioned.
Wen Dashan wanted to send Wen Linshi to the shop for temporary refuge, but he was also worried that Wen Linshi's desire to support her brother might resurface, and she might secretly learn the skills of the Yang family.
Wen Zibo calmly said, "When my sister-in-law and her family are doing business, Mother can stay in the backyard. It won't affect them."
Wen Dashan's idea is good. If they send Wen Linshi away, and the Lin family dares to come, the father and son can demand their wife and mother back from the Lin family. That will surely scare the Lin family away.
The father and son acted immediately, having Wen Lin pack her belongings and sending her to town.
Upon hearing the reason why Wen Linshi was invited to stay temporarily at the shop, the three sisters-in-law of the Yang family volunteered to take turns staying there to keep her company.
Wen Dashan knew his daughters-in-law were worried that Wen Linshi would steal ingredients from the shop, so he said cheerfully, "I'm at ease knowing you'll be keeping me company tonight."
The father and son did not linger. They drove their mule cart back to the village and arrived at the home of the village head, Wang Guiyuan. Wen Dashan briefly recounted his experiences with the Lin family during their escape from famine.
Finally, he earnestly asked the village chief for help, asking the villagers not to mention to outsiders that Wen Linshi had once lived in Xinghua Village. Wang Guiyuan readily agreed and immediately sent his son to inform the villagers.
A few days later, Wang Wu finally figured out why Wen Linshi wasn't at the Lin family's house. Excitedly, she ran home to tell Wang Ping, "Old man, you guessed right! Wen Linshi was sold by Granny Lin!"
"Is the information reliable? Who told you this?"
"Reliable, reliable. Gu's youngest daughter-in-law overheard the conversation between Granny Lin and her two children in the courtyard last night when she got up in the middle of the night, and she also saw Wen Linshi being taken away by the carriage through the crack in the door..." Wang Wushi said with certainty.
In the past few days, she deliberately befriended Granny Lin's neighbors and learned from Gu's youngest daughter-in-law that Granny Lin had sold Wen Linshi to the county town.
"Excellent! We have leverage over Granny Lin, so we're not afraid the Lin family won't support us. Go to the Lin family now and give Granny Lin a good talking-to," Wang Ping said calmly.
“Okay, watch me,” Wang Wu nodded in agreement, then walked out of her house towards the Lin family’s house. This time, she didn’t knock; instead, she pushed open the Lin family’s courtyard gate and walked in confidently.
Hearing the sound of the courtyard gate being pushed open, Old Lady Lin looked out the window and saw Wang Wushi walking in from outside the courtyard with her head held high. She asked in a cold voice, "Wang family, what are you doing in my house?"
Wang Wu was not intimidated at all. She said smugly, "Old Lady Lin, you sold Wen Linshi out. I'm going to Xinghua Village to tell my father-in-law."
Old Mrs. Lin's face changed, and she was about to make a rebuttal when Wang Wu sneered and said, "It was taken away by carriage last night. I was too full to sleep that night, so I came out to digest my food. I saw it very clearly."
Wang Wu was still relatively clear-headed; she didn't implicate Lin Pozi's neighbor, the Gu family, and simply said that she had seen it herself.
Granny Lin said unhappily, "Wang family, don't talk nonsense. Who sold their daughter? My daughter went to enjoy a life of luxury, yes, she went to enjoy a life of luxury."
"Yes, yes, yes, Aunt Lin's daughter has gone to enjoy a life of luxury. Then, Aunt Lin, could you come with me to Xinghua Village to confront your father-in-law and demand an explanation?"
Granny Lin asked somewhat helplessly, "What explanation do you want?"
"Wen Yuxia is the granddaughter of the Wen family and also the granddaughter of my Wang family. Why should all the benefits go to the Wen family and my Wang family not get any at all? And you, Aunt Lin, Wen Yuxia is also your great-granddaughter, yet you don't get any benefits at all. Are you willing to accept that?"