Chiang Songhai felt quite embarrassed upon hearing their conversation.
After all, it was his own nephew who had caused such a scandal, and no matter what, he felt somewhat ashamed.
Over the past half a year, Chiang Baohe’s yearning for a wife had grown increasingly intense. Songhai was aware of the village gossip about his nephew’s bad behavior, but he always felt that since Baohe was family, his elder brother should take the time to guide him, and hopefully, he would improve.
Besides, it was somewhat understandable. Approaching thirty and still without a wife, it was natural for him to be longing.
However, this time it was really too preposterous; he even concocted a story about a demon-like woman. Spreading such tales was truly embarrassing. He had heard that last night Baohe had stolen meat to give to Widow Liu, which further discomforted Songhai.
Stealing pork from his second uncle to please a widow was something only Chiang Baohe would do!
Moreover, thinking about how Baohe had even knocked down his stepmother made Songhai lose any desire to speak in his nephew’s defense.
However, since the women were discussing these issues, it was not appropriate for him to join in, so he turned to talk with Ge Dejun instead.
"De Jun, how is Xiao Tong? Your son-in-law is called Xu Linjiang, isn’t he? Has he said anything since he arrived?"
Ge Xiaotong met with an accident on her way back to her parents’ home. She had started bleeding and had been hospitalized. Some in-laws would blame the girl’s family for such incidents.
If Xu Linjiang was unreasonable, he might prevent Xiaotong from visiting her parents’ home again in the future.
Ge Dejun sighed and said, "Xiao Tong needs to recuperate in the hospital for a while, she really suffered this time. But Linjiang is a good kid, he didn’t say a single bad word. Instead, he blamed himself, saying that if it weren’t for the trouble at his home, Xiaotong would not have had to endure this ordeal."
"What happened? What exactly is the issue at your son-in-law’s family?"
"Linjiang’s current mother is his stepmother, who doesn’t like him much, nor Xiaotong. Now her own child is getting married, and she’s forcing Linjiang and Xiaotong to move out, claiming they need to clear the new room for the brother. Houses are expensive in the county town, and Linjiang used to give his salary to his father, so he has no savings. Now, they are expected to move out empty-handed. What can those two kids do?"
As Dejun spoke, his expression grew increasingly despondent.
With a daughter and son-in-law dealing with such a stepmother, and the domineering old lady at home, coupled with his own lack of savings, he really didn’t know how they were going to manage.
Chiang Xiao watched him, his face clouded with sorrow, and suddenly an idea struck her.
Now that her grandfather was injured, he couldn’t continue going to Bai Gu Mountain, but she could secretly go by herself. However, if she disappeared day after day, her grandparents might worry and search the entire village for her. Moreover, if she brought back dozens of pounds of mountain goods by herself, she would have a hard time explaining it.
But what if her great-uncle was willing to go up the mountain?
Chiang Songhai was tall, thin, and handsome, with a rather frail body, whereas Ge Dejun was built like a bear, strong and robust, not even fifty years old, at the prime time for hard work.
If he dared to climb Bai Gu Mountain, he might bring back even more than her grandfather had managed.
Besides, her great-uncle was unlikely to be as watchful as her grandfather. Once they were on the mountain, she might have more freedom. With him as protection, she could try sneaking off one or two times more and perhaps find even more valuable things.
Chiang Xiao now desperately wanted to make money.
If possible, once she started junior high, she would bring her grandparents to live in town. They would be near her great-uncle’s family, able to socialize every day and be far from the Old Chiang Family and their gossip. Wouldn’t that be the best of both worlds?
So now, the most important thing was money!
"Great-uncle, I have something to tell you!" The moment Chiang Xiao thought of the idea, she didn’t want to delay and immediately gestured for Ge Dejun to come closer.
Seeing the delicate little girl waving at him, Dejun couldn’t help but smile as if she were beckoning a little puppy. He touched his nose and followed her out of the main hall.