After four years of living alone after marrying far away, he went back to his parents' home and

Lan Yujuan almost laughed in anger after hearing what her former brother-in-law said.

"Just because he knew I had money, your older brother paid off his debts."

"So, you've concluded that he and I have remarried?"

"This is utterly absurd!"

"Liu Zhigang, back when your brother was drowning in debt, he came all the way to Hunan alone to pester us relentlessly. Was it your family who came up with that terrible idea?"

Sitting on the sofa, Liu Zhigang shrank back slightly, then moved closer to the clan leader without giving a direct answer.

However, the clan chief, who was standing nearby, cleared his throat and continued to persuade:

"Cough, cough!"

"Yujuan, let bygones be bygones!"

"Regardless of whose idea it was or what the reason was, as long as your relationship as a couple is restored, that's the best thing ever!"

"We came here today mainly to discuss with you and Zhiyuan about your mother-in-law's medical expenses and how to take care of her afterwards."

"By the way, where's Zhiyuan? We haven't been able to get in touch with him these past few days."

"Call him right away and tell him to come back."

"You women just need to take good care of the patient. As for the rest, let the two brothers sit down and discuss it face to face as much as possible."

Lan Yujuan didn't want to beat around the bush and said directly:

"If you came here to find Liu Zhiyuan, then you've come to the wrong place."

"We had no relationship for a long time after our divorce."

"As for the money he paid back, that has nothing to do with me."

"The money used to pay off the debt was the salary and subsidies that his employer paid in advance when he signed a contract to go to Africa for five years of aid work."

"We can't reach him by phone because he's already gone abroad."

"So, if you have nothing else to do, please leave my house immediately."

"Otherwise, don't blame me for disregarding our past relationship and reporting you for trespassing!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Zhigang jumped to his feet and said urgently:

"My brother went to Africa for aid work?"

"He went abroad?"

"Impossible, you're lying!"

"That's right, it must be you two, conspiring to fool us!"

As he spoke, Liu Zhigang turned to the clan chief and began to lodge a complaint on the spot:

"Chieftain, you must stand up for us, brother and sister!"

"My older brother and sister-in-law are definitely still holding a grudge about what happened before!"

"Now that they've heard my mother has cancer, they're unwilling to contribute money or effort, so they're making up this nonsense to appease us!"

"If what my sister-in-law said is true, that they divorced and lost contact a long time ago, then how could she know so thoroughly about my brother's trip to Africa, as well as the details of his debts and repayments?"

"This is self-contradictory; it doesn't make any sense at all!"

The old patriarch of the Liu family clearly sided with Liu Zhigang.

"Yujuan, you're not children anymore. You need to understand that running away won't solve anything."

"From Xiaohe Village to southern Hunan, it's over a thousand kilometers round trip."

"If I didn't have definite news, I wouldn't have come all this way with your brother to persuade you."

Seeing that she couldn't get through to the other party no matter what she said, Lan Yujuan simply took out her phone.

"Fine, I can't be bothered to talk to you. I'm just calling the police!"

When he took out his phone, he realized that it was broken and he couldn't make any calls.

She immediately got up and walked towards Lan's father.

"Dad, my phone is broken, can I use yours?"

Without saying a word, Mr. Lan handed over his phone.

Seeing that she was really going to call the police, the old clan chief immediately became anxious and stood up, saying:

"You child, let's talk this out. Why are you calling the police?"

As the old saying goes, even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes!

As he spoke, he shakily pulled a piece of paper from his bag and placed it directly on the coffee table.

"Take a look at this mailing address. Is it for your neighborhood?"

"Zhiyuan has been living in your neighborhood for over a month now, and you're still arguing with us!"

"If not, we went to the building in front and knocked on the door first. We knocked for a long time but no one answered. We didn't dare to go and bother our in-laws."

Lan Yujuan found this utterly unbelievable.

"You mean Liu Zhiyuan, who's lived in our neighborhood for over a month?"

She bent down and picked up the paper on the table. It was a copy of a courier waybill, and it was indeed from this neighborhood, the building in front.

The recipient is listed as Liu Zhiyuan, the phone number is also Liu Zhiyuan's, and the mailing date is recent.

"Where did this tracking number come from?" Lan Yujuan asked softly, her face full of disbelief.

The old clan chief narrowed his eyes slightly, and Lan Yujuan's genuine reaction aroused his suspicion.

"So, you two really didn't remarry?"

"This delivery slip was provided by the owner of the village store."

"She said that a while ago, Zhiyuan had a package sent back to the village because the address was wrong, and she asked her to help forward it to his current address."

Lan Yujuan clutched the copy of the express delivery slip in her hand, recalling the various details she had noticed before. Her face turned pale, and her fingers trembled slightly.

"No wonder, I always felt like someone was watching me from a distance when I entered and exited the community."

"When I walk home from here at night, I always feel like someone is secretly following me from the shadows behind me."

"I'm also curious how he knew my new home address. How did he find out?"

"It turns out he'd been living in the neighborhood all along, secretly watching my daughter and me..."

For a moment, the two sides seemed to have reached a stalemate in their communication.

The clan chief and his former brother-in-law exchanged a glance. They were both almost certain that Lan Yujuan and Liu Zhiyuan had not remarried and were now completely estranged.

But if what Lan Yujuan said is true, Liu Zhiyuan chose to go to Africa to work in order to pay off his huge debts and could only return to China after five years.

Where can Tian Xiuhua, who is now lying in the hospital, get money for treatment, and who can take care of her personally?

The old clan chief slowly sat down, pondered for a moment, and then subtly gave Liu Zhigang, who was beside him, a look.

Liu Zhigang, who had been timid and hesitant just moments before, knelt down before Lan Yujuan with a thud after receiving this look.

"Sister-in-law, Dad has passed away, and now my eldest brother has gone abroad."

"Now, our entire Liu family is counting on you!"

"I've always known that you have the kindest heart, sister-in-law."

"Please, please, have mercy! My mother has indeed done a lot of wrong things in the past, but please, for Xiaoman's sake, you absolutely can't ignore her!"

The clan chief beside him sighed as well, "At least it was a human life!"

"Your mother-in-law is in such a state now. If you make her wait another five years until Zhiyuan comes back from Africa, it will definitely be too late."

"Yujuan, how about this: you come back with us first and take care of your mother-in-law for a while."

"Right now, you're the only one in the Liu family who's a little better off. You can cover the cost of your mother-in-law's medical treatment first, and have Zhigang and Zhifang write an IOU to her older brother. They'll definitely have to pay it back in the future."

"Putting everything else aside, even the family in our Xiahe Village, who used to fight and argue with your mother-in-law the most and were the worst at each other, donated two hundred yuan this time."

"At least you and your mother-in-law have been together day and night for three or four years."

Even if your mother-in-law is not a very nice person to talk to, she is also quite straightforward in her actions.

"But back then, she was the one who took care of you during your postpartum period and helped you raise your child for several years. Even if she didn't do anything special, she certainly put in a lot of effort!"

"As human beings, we must have a conscience and know how to be grateful!"

Lan Yujuan had originally considered getting involved in Tian Xiuhua's affairs.

Hearing the old clan elder mention postpartum care and childcare only strengthened her resolve.

"Liu Zhigang, get up."

Even if you kneel until your knees break today, it won't make a difference.

"Outsiders may not know what your mother did to me, but you, her devoted son, know it all perfectly well."

"When I heard she was sick, I didn't rush downstairs to set off firecrackers right away. That was already doing my best for Xiaoman's sake. As for anything else, don't even dream about it."

"Your Liu family's affairs have nothing to do with me anymore."

"If it weren't for the fact that the old clan chief is quite old and personally accompanied you, I believe my parents wouldn't have let you into the house at all."

Because of many things, Lan's father and mother were unaware of the inside story.

Lan Yujuan felt that since the matter was in the past, there was no need to bring it up again and upset her parents, so she never brought it up.

But now that Lan Yujuan's attitude has been made clear, Lan's father and mother naturally understand.

But clearly, the old clan chief had no intention of letting her off easily and continued to patiently persuade her:

"Yujuan, everyone says that an elder sister-in-law is like a mother."

"You know the Liu family's situation. Your younger brother isn't married yet, and he doesn't even have a thousand yuan on him."

"Your younger sister is even younger; she's not even married yet, and her job isn't stable."

"If you don't do anything, the Liu family is on the verge of collapse!"

"Do you really want your mother-in-law to just lie there in the hospital, waiting to die? She's your daughter's own grandmother!"

No sooner had the old clan chief finished speaking than a deep male voice suddenly came from the doorway:

"Will you Liu family ever stop?"

"Clan Chief Liu, what exactly is your relationship with Tian Xiuhua? You seem to care for her more than she cares for her own son!"

"If you're really worried, why don't you pay for her treatment yourself, or have your own wife take care of her?"

"What do you want with my wife?"

Lan Yujuan turned around in surprise and found the door ajar. She had no idea when Chen Mo had arrived.

"Why are you back?"

Lan Yujuan immediately got up and walked towards him.

The tension that had been building in his mind immediately eased the moment he saw Chen Mo.

She knew that the man who would stand up for her had arrived.

Chen Mo deliberately looked away, avoiding eye contact with her, but then forcefully and naturally reached out and tightly grasped her hand.

"The food is all ready at home, but he's not coming back, and I can't get through to him on the phone."

Half guilty and half aggrieved, Lan Yujuan silently took out her phone from her pocket and handed it over.

"Look, someone bumped into me on the street, and my phone broke..."