"Hmph!"
Tian Ping, in terror, threw the small blackboard she was holding at Tian Jing.
"Crack!"
Tian Jing punched the small blackboard, which immediately shattered into pieces.
Under Tian Ping's enraged gaze, the fragments rained down.
Tian Ping's body went limp, and she fainted on the bed.
Tian Jing, covering her nose, walked out of the room and saw two unfamiliar girls in the yard.
The two girls lowered their heads submissively and called out to Tian Jing, "Cousin Jing."
Tian Jing raised an eyebrow, "Daughters of Tian Liwen's family?"
One girl nodded, and one girl shook her head, "I'm the youngest daughter of Tian Liwu's family."
Tian Jing pointed back to the room, "Your Aunt Ping is fainted, and she even wet herself."
"I suggest you send her to the hospital to see if she's had a stroke."
"By the way, where is your great-grandmother?"
The two girls exchanged a look and pointed to the room next door.
Next door? The woodshed?
Tian Jing pushed open the simple door of the woodshed, which was only bound with a few planks of wood by wire.
The room was dim and cold, with a smell worse than the room next door.
Half the room was piled with firewood, and the other half contained a bed. On the bed lay a gaunt old woman.
The quilt covering the old woman was not as good as the ones used in Kushan to play at living in the era.
However, at least it wasn't a bark quilt.
Seeing Tian Jing at the door, the old woman's lips moved, but she said nothing.
Tian Jing walked closer, standing by the bed and looking down at the old woman.
Despite being tormented, her spirit was still quite good. It seemed her resilience was strong:
"They say time spares no one, and it's true."
"Since you moved into this room, have you ever thought about why you ended up like this?"
Old Mrs. Tian's loud voice was gone. "They're afraid of you, so they're taking revenge on me for you."
"Hee hee hee." Tian Jing laughed merrily. "Oh my, do you want to laugh me to death? Is that what they told you?"
Old Mrs. Tian retorted, "Isn't it?"
"Oh, let me laugh first." Tian Jing crouched down, holding her stomach, and burst into laughter. What kind of oddballs are these people in the Tian family?
Old Mrs. Tian's face grew uglier. "Stop laughing, tell me what it's all about."
"Why?" Tian Jing stood up, leaning on the firewood. "Because of education."
"Because of your and Old Mr. Tian's education, you never taught them what kindness is."
"Whether it's treating elders kindly or treating children kindly, you never taught them."
"Not only did you not teach them, but you set yourselves as examples and taught them cruelty."
"Do you still remember what your mother-in-law said when she was paralyzed in bed?"
"I don't remember much, but I remember one sentence: 'You'll have an old day too.'"
"See? Aren't you getting your retribution now?"
"It's already the new century, and people in the new century know a saying: Parents are a child's first teacher."
"Children are around you all the time. They see how you abuse your mother-in-law, how you abuse your daughters-in-law and granddaughters."
"Don't even mention that most of the Tian family children don't go to school. Even if they do, the teachers' lessons are hard-pressed to overcome the subtle influence of their parents."
"Look, now they're learning from you, learning to abuse elders while finding a reason of being helpless for themselves."
"Since my household registration was transferred, I haven't set foot in the Tian family for twenty-seven years."
"When the Tian family sought me out, they never received a good look or a good word from me."
"We couldn't even have a normal conversation, and they never told me about your situation."
"You tell me, if I don't even know about this, what's the point of them making this futile effort?"
Under Tian Jing's meaningful smile, Old Mrs. Tian's face turned dark.
Tian Jing's smile deepened. "They won't tell you that once I've had my fill of anger, I'll help them, right?"
Seeing Old Mrs. Tian purse her lips, Tian Jing's mouth flew open in surprise:
"You don't believe it, do you? You're dedicating yourself to your descendants like this, haven't they been moved to tears?"
"Did they say that as soon as I loosen up, they'll bring you back to the main room?"
Old Mrs. Tian's face turned so dark it could drip ink.
Tian Jing shook her head and sighed, "I never expected that you, who were so cruel to your daughters-in-law and granddaughters, would actually be a good mother and grandmother who dotes on her children and grandchildren."
"It's a pity, as the saying goes, 'Marry a wife and forget your mother.' No matter how much of a mother you are, you're not as close as the one by your side."
"You abused the person by your side, your husband, and you expect your children to treat you kindly? Is that possible?"
"No wind is stronger than the pillow talk. You must have blown some to Old Mr. Tian too."
"You walked your own path, yet you still managed to fail at the hands of your son and daughter-in-law. I truly admire your great maternal love."
"If deceiving yourself gives you the motivation to live, then keep doing it."
"Tian Jing!"
Tian Yongren walked in. "Why do you have to expose it?"
Tian Jing turned her face to the doorway. "So, the Tian family hasn't changed in twenty-seven years because you've all been whitewashing peace and deceiving yourselves."
"How nice. Life is like a play, all about acting."
"From now on, don't bother me, and I won't shatter your superficial peace."
"After so many years, I was too lazy to repay you. Today, I have the chance to come once, and I'll dump the trouble of you repeatedly harassing me onto you all at once."
"Oh, by the way, haven't you sent Tian Ping to the hospital yet? You can send her too."
Tian Jing pointed at the trembling Old Mrs. Tian on the bed:
"I'm leaving now. No need to see me off."
With a wave of her hand, she pushed Tian Yongren to the side of the firewood pile, and Tian Jing stepped out of the woodshed.
Seeing Ding Aihua in the yard, Tian Jing grinned. "Oh~ Comrade Ding is home too?"
"Your two granddaughters look quite old by now. Why don't you arrange a swap marriage for Tian Maobin and Tian Maoyin?"
"Not only can you save on the bride price, but you can also save on the dowry. Don't drag it out too long, or even a good cabbage can turn into dried vegetables."
Ding Aihua was furious. "Tian Jing, you've caused Tian Ping to have a stroke. You won't escape responsibility."
"I don't care." Tian Jing shrugged. "If you have evidence, feel free to sue."
Seeing the two girls coming out of Tian Ping's room, Tian Jing sowed discord again:
"You two also must have committed sins in your past lives to be born into the Tian family in this life. If you want a good ending, leave the Tian family quickly."
"Not to mention the Tian family's past reputation, just the trouble caused by Tian Maobin and Tian Maoyin this time, the whole family together wouldn't be enough to pay it back."
"What bride price are you still asking for? Who is it for? They gave birth to you and raised you. Why should you repay their nurturing with a bride price?"
"If you repay their nurturing with a bride price, then when they are old, you won't be responsible for their support?"
"Tian Jing!"
"Tian Jing!"
Tian Yongren and Ding Aihua shouted at Tian Jing together, but they couldn't stop Tian Jing's torrent of words. She sped up her speech:
"Don't be foolish. Everything should be written down in black and white, so you won't be sold and still have to count money for them."
"Just think about it, as daughters, how much money do you spend on gifts to return to your maiden home every year during festivals?"
"Will your in-laws be happy? Will your maiden family see you being blamed in your in-laws' home? They only see that the gifts you bring back are too few."
"If one does not look out for oneself, heaven and earth will destroy them!"
After saying it all in one breath, Tian Jing waved her hand at the four people in the yard:
"Alright, I'm leaving. Stay put, don't see me off! Hurry up and send the person to the hospital, what a sin!"