Divorce with three kids? I'll build a house and eat meat, driving my in-laws crazy.

Chapter 5 Who doesn't know how to use moral blackmail?

Sanya secretly glanced at her grandfather; his face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

But her mother's eyes were gentle and full of encouragement.

Sanya thought for a moment, then pouted and said, "Mother... Mother is sick. I just dug up a basket of wild vegetables and came back."

Then... I saw some dark-colored steamed buns in the kitchen, and I wanted to get one for my mother, but my grandfather... my grandfather wouldn't let me, and he even hit me!

After Sanya finished speaking, she obediently stood aside, not expecting anyone to make decisions for her.

Everyone noticed a large handprint on Sanya's face and bloodstains at the corner of her mouth, and couldn't help but sigh.

That old man Chen, he went way too far!

Old Man Chen had beaten his granddaughters quite a few times in the past, and the three girls could only silently endure the beatings, never daring to tell Li Ruru.

Even if they told Li Ruru, she wouldn't speak up for them. Instead, she would tell them to be patient and not to provoke their grandfather.

Old Man Chen shouted sternly, "What do you mean 'take'? It's clearly stealing! You little slut, stop trying to confuse the truth!"

He glanced sideways at Li Ruru and shouted, "I'm going to report this to the authorities! I want to report this to the authorities!"

Li Ruru's eyes widened. "Father, are you going to report me to the authorities over a black steamed bun? Are you going to have the magistrate arrest a five-year-old girl?"

"What's wrong with a little girl? Does being a little girl give you the right to steal?" Old Man Chen said righteously.

Li Ruru almost burst out laughing. She pointed to Chen Sanbao standing in the corner.

“Father, as the saying goes, if a son is not taught, it is the father’s fault. If we go to court, your son will also suffer, and it might even affect his chances of passing the imperial examination.”

Old Man Chen was illiterate, but his favorite son was his eldest grandson, Chen Jinbang, who was literate.

Upon hearing that it would affect Jinsun's future, his tone immediately softened, "Well... it's wrong for Sanya to steal, isn't it?"

He glanced sideways at Zhao Shi, who was not far away, hoping she would speak up for him.

Zhao, however, filled a large basin with water and, ignoring the men in the courtyard, washed her face and hair repeatedly.

She felt unclean, as if she would never be able to wash away the stench of urine from her body.

Li Ruru kindly corrected Old Man Chen, "Dad, Sanya also has the surname Chen, and she is your own granddaughter. The two characters 'Chen' are written with the same stroke. How can taking a steamed bun from the Chen family be considered stealing?"

"Dad, I know you're illiterate and it's normal that you don't understand these things. I won't hold it against you."

Old Man Chen was speechless after being rebuked. He squinted and carefully examined Li Ruru, vaguely sensing that there was something wrong with this daughter-in-law.

Normally, when she sees her father-in-law, she keeps her head down, not daring to look at him, let alone argue with him.

The woman in front of him not only dared to look him in the eye, but also dared to speak sarcastically to him; she was simply outrageous.

"Third son's wife, is this how your parents raised you? How can you be so disrespectful to your parents-in-law?"

Li Ruru stood up straight, not intimidated at all. "You are my father-in-law, not the emperor. Let's talk things out. Even the emperor listens to the opinions of his ministers."

"Father, you're a grown man, why bother arguing with a little girl?"

Who doesn't resort to moral blackmail?

Old Man Chen tried to blackmail her with the idea of ​​filial piety, so Li Ruru countered by saying that Sanya was still a child, and also brought up the Emperor to scare him.

According to the original owner's memories, this dynasty was called the Great Tang.

It doesn't quite match any historical dynasty; it must be fictional.

No matter the time, the emperor was the greatest authority, and ordinary people were naturally afraid of him.

But Li Ruru felt that the emperor of this Great Tang Dynasty must be a wise ruler to allow women to study.

Only a tyrannical ruler should be afraid; what's so scary about a wise ruler? She's not afraid anyway.

Old Man Chen was once again put in his place. He looked at his daughter-in-law, who was usually meek and submissive and would never utter a word even when bullied to death, and suddenly became sharp-tongued and dared to challenge him. He found it hard to accept.

Normally, Li Ruru had to serve her father-in-law by washing his feet every day, and sometimes if the water was too hot or too cold, he would slap her.

Over the years, Li Ruru has never resisted.

After using up a whole basin of water, Zhao finally felt less smelly.

With her hair still wet, she ran over to help her old man, saying, "Third son's wife, this old woman isn't dead yet. I'm in charge of things in the kitchen."

"I can give the steamed buns to whomever I want, but it's wrong for Sanya to take things without my permission."

Li Ruru's eyes reddened upon hearing this, and tears streamed down her face. "Mother, you're not planning to hide the steamed buns again and give them to my eldest brother's family, are you?" Zhao Shi's expression became somewhat unnatural as her little secret was exposed.

Li Ruru almost cried out, "Mother, it doesn't matter if I starve to death, but Sanya is still so young. Please, have mercy and give her a bite to eat."

To deal with her father-in-law, Li Ruru mainly uses reasoning to scare him; to deal with her mother-in-law, she chooses to act, playing the role of a pitiful victim.

Li Ruru's words touched the hearts of everyone present, most of whom were women. Her words successfully reminded them of the mistreatment they and their daughters had suffered at home over the years.

In an era that favored sons over daughters, life was difficult for every woman, regardless of age.

Pan Dayan said indignantly, "Aunt Zhao, this is so unfair! Look at Sanya, she's so thin and skinny, don't you feel sorry for her?"

Zhao stared blankly at Sanya. She really didn't feel sorry for her. She was just a little girl, a money-losing burden. Why should she feel sorry for her?

Even if we starve to death, we can still save a bite of food.

Suddenly, Old Man Chen walked silently to the well, picked up the water-carrying pole, and threw it in front of Li Ruru.

“Discipline your own daughter. If she’s well-behaved, I might consider not reporting her to the authorities.”

Li Ruru picked up the carrying pole from the ground and weighed it in her hand.

She sneered inwardly. The Chen family was really strange; why were they all actively handing over equipment to her?

She beat up Zhang Junniang because of the smelly shoe soles Chen Sanbao had just given her.

Just then, Old Man Chen offered to bring her a carrying pole again. As Li Ruru was considering whether to beat her father-in-law in front of so many people, an old man's voice suddenly came from the crowd.

"Sixth brother, what nonsense are you spouting!"

The speaker was Li Ruru's third great-uncle, Chen Bingxiao's third brother.

When Chen Bingxiao saw his third brother, his eyes immediately became honest. "Third brother, I... I was disciplining my daughter-in-law."

Chen Laosan was a highly respected elder in the village. His family produced a scholar, Chen Jinbang, who was Chen Laosan's teacher.

Chen Laosan glanced at Chen Bingxiao and said coldly, "I already know what happened. It's just a steamed bun. Why are you making such a fuss? Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you?"

"You're not ashamed, but I'm embarrassed."

A lady standing nearby chimed in, "I'll pay for the steamed buns."

As he spoke, he took out a coin and threw it on the ground.

Li Ruru's eyes were full of smiles as she stepped forward and affectionately took the old woman's hand. "Third Aunt, please forgive my rudeness."

Li Ruru's parents-in-law were both illiterate and could not read a single character. Her mother-in-law would throw tantrums and her father-in-law would argue and make a scene.

Third Uncle was a prominent figure in Chenjia Village, and Third Aunt Hai had worked as a maid in a wealthy household. She was discerning and could distinguish right from wrong.

Chen Bingxiao's face was extremely ugly. "Third sister-in-law, aren't you humiliating me?"

If they only give you one coin and throw it on the ground, who would pick it up?

He had been preparing for this for a long time, and felt that he was not wrong, and was about to lose his temper.

Turning his head, he saw his old wife picking up the one-cent coin and tucking it into her bosom like a precious treasure.

Feeling Chen Bingxiao's piercing gaze, Zhao straightened her chest and said, "What? Isn't one coin money? It's from my third sister-in-law, so why not take it?"

Hai said, "Sixth sister-in-law, now that you've taken the money, don't hold it against the child."

The farce has finally come to an end.

The Chen family members suffered varying degrees of harm, while Li Ruru was unharmed and even garnered sympathy.

-

At the entrance of the dental clinic.

Ten-year-old Chen Peidi cried hoarsely, "Uncle, Aunt, please don't sell me, okay? My mother is sick, and I still need to go and dig up medicinal herbs for her."

Chen Dagang and his wife Wang Shuixia ignored their niece's cries, took five taels of silver from the slave trader, grinned from ear to ear, and turned to their two sons, saying, "Come on, your father and mother will take you to buy meat buns."

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they returned to Chenjia Village. As soon as they entered, they saw Li Ruru standing at the door with her two daughters.

Seeing them return, Li Ruru looked around but didn't see Er Ya, so she asked, "Big brother, where's Er Ya? Didn't Er Ya come back with you?"

(End of this chapter)