During lunch, Chen Fu eagerly served Lin Hua'er, who accepted it calmly.
Chen Fu was taken aback, then beamed with joy, and served her more of her favorite dishes.
Lin Hua'er thanked him faintly.
Li Min and Ouyang Meihua exchanged glances and then looked at Tian Jing in unison.
Tian Jing blinked, picked up her bowl, ready to eat. Several dishes were already piled high on her rice.
"Ahem," Tian Jing coughed lightly and said faintly, "Thank you, County Magistrate Li."
"Pfft!"
"Pfft!"
Li Min and Ouyang Meihua quickly covered their mouths, almost spitting out their food.
Chen Suozhu and Li Liguo very tacitly served their wives, not wanting County Magistrate Li and Xiao Fu to steal the show.
...
In the afternoon, the village chiefs of Zhangshan Village and Zhonghe Village, along with village cadres, came to the Li family's house.
Tian Jing boiled water to make tea. Wang Zhongfei quickly took the tea set, saying, "Captain Tian, you just need to bring us another pot of boiling water. I'll handle pouring the tea and refilling."
"Alright!"
Tian Jing boiled a pot of hot water and then went to visit the Niu family.
Sister-in-law Niu was wrapping zongzi. Tian Jing sat down to help. "Why are you making so many?"
Sister-in-law Niu sighed, "It's my mother-in-law who told me to make more. She wants my younger brother-in-law to deliver gifts to the bride's family tomorrow."
"I just have to endure it a bit longer. Once the new sister-in-law moves in, I won't have to deal with it anymore."
Tian Jing looked up. "What about Da Niu's wife and Er Niu's wife?"
Sister-in-law Niu lowered her head, tying zongzi with reeds. "They're both pregnant. Less than a month apart. Fortunately, your Brother Niu divided the household. Otherwise, even if I split myself in two, I couldn't serve two postpartum women."
"I told Da Niu and Er Niu to find someone else to help. I'm not doing it."
"Xiao Shan doesn't even call me anymore. No matter how much Da Niu beats him, it's useless. I'm afraid he'll run away."
"Da Niu's wife is pregnant again. How will we get by? My family has been ruined by that damned woman."
Tian Jing knew Sister-in-law Niu was talking about Sister-in-law Xiao Niu. She was also worried about Xiao Shan Niu.
"How about I give you his mother's address? You can take them to see her. Their mothers talking might be helpful."
Sister-in-law Niu paused, then said, "Let me discuss it with your Brother Niu first."
Tian Jing stayed at the Niu family's until it was time to make dinner and then went home.
The guests had already left, and Li Zhengguo had tidied up the living room.
Li Zhengguo was eating zongzi in the kitchen. When Tian Jing returned, he peeled one for her with his still-sticky hand. "Where did you go?"
"Niu family's," Tian Jing said, eating zongzi and telling County Magistrate Li about the Niu family's affairs.
Li Zhengguo was grateful that there was someone like Sister-in-law Niu who got along with his wife in the village. Hearing that Brother Xiao Niu was about to get married again, he almost choked on his zongzi. "He's really planning to get married?"
"Yes," Tian Jing nodded. "Sister-in-law Niu made a lot of zongzi. Brother Xiao Niu is going to deliver gifts tomorrow."
Li Zhengguo sighed. "I didn't realize Mother Niu was so manipulative?"
Tian Jing waved it off. "Do you know how many things happen in Kushan?"
The couple chatted casually, and neither thought that delivering gifts would cause trouble. But trouble it was.
When Brother Xiao Niu went to deliver the gifts, the bride's family insisted he stay for a drink. Brother Xiao Niu, having just recovered, hadn't quit drinking yet, and couldn't refuse the repeated offers. He had a few too many drinks. On his way home, he crashed into a mountainside and died instantly.
It was the same car. It had been in an accident with Brother Xiao Niu once before. Although repaired, after Sister-in-law Xiao Niu died, the owner found it unlucky and sold it cheaply to Brother Xiao Niu.
Mother Niu cried inconsolably. The pain of losing a child was unbearable.
Villagers shook their heads and sighed. A good family, gone one after another.
One lost a child, the other a wife.
The Dragon Boat Festival lost its festive cheer. The villagers went to the Niu family at the end of the village to help.
With Brother Xiao Niu's eldest daughter, Niu Yuqing, and her husband supporting them, Brother Niu and Sister-in-law Niu only helped, not wanting to get too involved.
Mother Niu, who had been crying uncontrollably, was helped out of her room by two old women. She demanded her eldest son call the police, blaming the bride's family for not keeping him sober and for not escorting him home.
Brother Niu frowned. "Mother, what exactly do you want? 'Unsettled household' describes our family. You've had a hand in all of this."
Being spoken to like this by her eldest son, Mother Niu "plopped" to the ground and cried, wanting to die with her younger son.
The villagers were speechless.
Brother Niu stood with his arms crossed, watching his mother's wailing. "If I'm also driven away, will you finally be able to stop causing trouble?"
Mother Niu froze, then got up and patted herself off. "Divide this family. Niuniu is already married and has a villa and a new commercial building. She's already got enough. The rest belongs to Erniu."
Niuniu was Niu Yuqing, and Erniu was Brother Xiao Niu's infant daughter, only three months old.
"I can't manage it," Brother Niu refused. "My own family was ruined by a few words from others. Why should I care about other people's messes?"
"Since you're so capable, just divide it. If you're not satisfied, you can sue."
"Erniu is young and needs a large sum for child support. Niuniu is an adult and has a responsibility to support her three-month-old sister."
Brother Niu's words made Niu Yuqing's face turn ashen. Her son-in-law's face also changed slightly.
Mother Niu's cloudy eyes sparkled. "Niuniu, after your father's affairs are settled, we'll see how to divide the family."
Niu Yuqing nodded.
The villagers watched Mother Niu speechlessly, no one understanding what the old woman was trying to do.
On the sixth day of the fifth lunar month, Brother Xiao Niu was buried.
At lunch, Sister-in-law Xiao Niu's family arrived.
The purpose of Sister-in-law Xiao Niu's family was to accompany the Niu family to confront the bride's family and cause trouble. Even if they didn't get compensation, they should at least make the bride's family wear the label of being a killer of her husband.
Mother Niu and her in-laws hit it off immediately.
Brother Niu stopped his mother. "Mother, can you accumulate some good karma? If not for your next life, can you at least accumulate some for your descendants?"
"Heaven sees all. Good and evil karma are not determined by you."
"How will you explain the affairs of the second son's family to Father when we meet in the afterlife?"
Mother Niu's expression changed. She pushed her eldest son's hand away. "It's because I'm worried about not being able to explain that I'm going to get justice for your brother."
"You may be an official now, but I'm still your mother. It's not your place to teach me."
"Fine!" Brother Niu let go. "Then we'll make it clear now. If the police arrest you, don't expect me to bail you out."
"Your in-laws just got out of prison. Isn't she here to instigate you to go in and enjoy yourself?"
Mother Niu's legs felt heavy. Her gaze fixed on Sister-in-law Xiao Niu's mother. "In-laws, are you truly here to feel wronged for my second son?"
Sister-in-law Xiao Niu's mother nodded. "Of course. Niuniu's father is still my son-in-law."
"Nonsense!" Sister-in-law Niu couldn't help it. "If you truly cared about this son-in-law, why are you only showing up now? You didn't even come to see him off for his final journey!"
Sister-in-law Xiao Niu's family members all protected her and turned to leave. "Mother, Niuniu's mother is gone. We are strangers to you now. Don't worry about these things."
After Sister-in-law Xiao Niu's family left, Sister-in-law Niu forcefully sent her mother-in-law to her room, telling her not to cause more trouble. If she were locked up, Erniu would have to be raised by Niuniu.
Mother Niu immediately picked up her sleeping granddaughter from the bed, cradled her, and patted her affectionately.
Sister-in-law Niu frowned. Since yesterday, when her mother-in-law caused a scene about dividing the family, she had sensed something was wrong. Now, this was very wrong.
Could it be that she was too stimulated by her younger brother-in-law's death?
She walked out of the room and, in front of her eldest niece, told her husband about her mother-in-law's condition.
Brother Niu looked at his eldest niece. "Grandmother must have been stimulated. Don't bring up the matter of dividing the family for now."
"With her here, she can raise Erniu. If she's gone or unable to raise Erniu, I only have the obligation to support my own mother, not to support your sister. After all, you are Erniu's direct relative and are capable of supporting her."
Niu Yuqing pondered. "Grandmother's words make me uncomfortable. I never thought of fighting for anything. The new village storefront is enough for our lives."
"Since Grandmother and Uncle are both wary of me, I'll be blunt too. Even if the scenic area's dividends are only twenty percent, my father's share, I and Erniu have the right of inheritance. Uncle, don't you agree?"
"Correct!" Brother Niu nodded. "If you want it, then go through legal channels. Since Erniu is a minor, the eighteen years of child support and tuition fees will be calculated."
Niu Yuqing was taken aback and sighed casually. "Alright, I don't want anything, but don't push Erniu onto me."
Brother Niu shook his head. "I cannot agree to this request. If your grandmother can raise her until she's eighteen, there will be no problem."
"If your grandmother's health doesn't last until then, you and I will go to court directly to arrange Erniu's future."
"Okay!" Niu Yuqing agreed. "Let's make an agreement. Until my grandmother can raise Erniu, Erniu has nothing to do with me."
Brother Niu still shook his head. "No agreement. When both your parents are gone, Erniu is a minor, and you are capable, Erniu should naturally be supported by you."
"Your grandmother raising Erniu is to lighten your burden. We will definitely help out too. I'd be foolish to make an agreement with you. Niuniu, the more you talk, the more you reveal."
Niu Yuqing's face darkened. She took a deep breath and bowed to Brother Niu.
"Thank you for your help, Uncle. If the time comes when you need me, notify me, and I will never back down."
Watching the backs of his eldest niece and her family of three, Brother Niu shook his head and sighed. He was only scaring his eldest niece. If it really came to that, he wouldn't put his younger niece with his eldest niece's family.
Not only did he not trust them, but he also didn't want to cause any conflict in Niu Yuqing's family.
His eldest niece actually wanted to make an agreement to scheme against him. Heh, he never expected that in the entire Niu family, the person most like him would be this seemingly invisible eldest niece!