Chapter 382: Why Are You Kicking Us Out?

Granny Guo, walking ahead, was startled to see several bedrolls tossed by the door. They looked familiar, so she stared.

From a distance, Zhaodi saw her mother standing by the door and quickened her pace. When she saw the bedrolls, everything clicked into place. She bit her lip, hesitating to speak.

The Aunt stood with her arms crossed, looking coldly at Zhaodi. "Your parents have been staying here for several days now. It’s not right for them to keep living in our home. They should find their own place to live."

Granny Guo’s eyes widened. "What are you talking about? Why are you suddenly trying to kick us out?"

The Aunt sneered. "Nowhere in this world does it say a whole family gets to live at their in-laws’ house. When you first arrived, you had nothing to eat, nothing to drink, and nowhere to stay, so I decided to help you out. I’ve done more than enough. Go wherever you want, but you can’t expect my family to support the three of you!"

Granny Guo cried out, "You’re wrong! I raised Zhaodi with my own two hands, through all the filth! Even though she’s married into your family now, we’re still her parents. Shouldn’t she be the one supporting us?"

"My daughter earns so many copper coins every day! If anything, it’s my daughter who’s supporting your family. Everything we eat and use, my daughter earned it! What right do you have to kick us out!"

In the Aunt’s household these days, her husband ran errands for Gu Zhang. When Yougen and Youde weren’t busy in the fields, they went to the city to drive carts.

Zhaodi went to the city every day to sell grilled skewers.

Taohua, the Aunt, and Ju Hua were busy with the farm work. Even eight-year-old Gangzi had to go to the fields to pick peppers.

No one was idle.

Zhaodi’s parents knew that everyone worked, but when they saw their daughter going into the city every day to do business and coming back to hand over a fistful of copper coins to the Aunt, they couldn’t help but feel that the Aunt’s family was now entirely dependent on their daughter.

They had already brazenly asked Zhaodi for money several times. Zhaodi didn’t dare refuse, but after giving money to her parents, she had none left to give the Aunt.

The Aunt hadn’t received any money for several days. Though she wasn’t happy, she hadn’t said anything. She had figured that since the family had gone through so much to get here and arrived with nothing but the tattered clothes on their backs, giving them a little money would help them get on their feet.

Besides, the Aunt had never had much to do with this family before. For the past few days, they had even eaten separately; she had only given them grain and let them cook for themselves.

Although she knew in her heart that they were an uncouth lot, she never dreamed they would be so utterly disgraceful.

She hadn’t even wanted to take them to the feast, but Zhaodi had begged her. She’d said there was sure to be good food at Second Uncle’s, and that her parents hadn’t had a rich meal in ages and needed to get their strength back.

The Aunt knew Mrs. Chen wasn’t a petty person and wouldn’t mind a few extra guests. A part of her had also wanted to show off in front of her son’s in-laws, to prove that her own brother had made a fortune.

Who could have known they would be so embarrassing!

At country feasts, people took food home—but that was after the meal was over, packing up leftovers. It was nothing like what they had done, stuffing food into their clothes after only a few bites, not even caring about the filth.

The Aunt listened and gave a cold laugh. She didn’t bother arguing with Granny Guo, and simply said, "Zhaodi, what do you have to say?"

Zhaodi’s face was bright red. She tugged on her mother. "Mother, please stop talking nonsense."

Then she turned to the Aunt with a pleading look. "Mother, my parents have also suffered a great deal on their journey here. They’re just scared of going hungry. That’s why they acted like that."

"They have nowhere else to live right now. Where could they possibly go? I’m begging you, Mother, please have pity on my parents. They’re old now. Please don’t kick them out."