However, her subtle plan never came to fruition.
Chiang Songtao returned, carrying a soup ladle.
"What’s all this commotion? Aren’t we supposed to cook? Didn’t you say guests were coming to see Baoguo? Is this how we present ourselves to guests? With dignity?"
He had heard it on his way back, that respectable guests had arrived at his house looking for Baoguo.
Yet, the moment he returned, he saw his old wife chasing after Chiang Xiao with a coarse broom used for sweeping chicken droppings by the gate, making him feel utterly disgraced.
If it had been before, he truly wouldn’t have bothered with the matter.
Chiang Xiao knew immediately what Chiang Songtao was thinking, and naturally felt no gratitude toward him.
If it hadn’t been for the fear of losing face in front of the distinguished guests, Chiang Songtao would not have intervened on her behalf at all.
Still, she was somewhat curious—distinguished guests visiting the Old Chiang Family?
Ho Laidi took in these words and halted her pursuit of Chiang Xiao, but she was still so angry that her chest heaved and her face turned dark red. Her gaze towards Chiang Xiao was like sharp little knives, wishing a single look could slice a cut in her.
"You just wait, damn girl!"
She took careful note of this incident, planning to give that wretched girl a beating after the guests had left.
Having issued her threat, Ho Laidi, seething with fury, leaned the broom back against the wall.
Chiang Songtao looked at Chiang Songhai with furrowed brows, "Second, you too, why can’t you scold the child when she’s out of line? Spoiling them too much is no good for country folks like us when raising kids— they need to be scolded when necessary, so they don’t end up spoiled rotten."
This was clearly a veiled criticism of Chiang Xiao’s mother as well.
"Big brother, Little Little shouldn’t have talked back to her aunt, but you don’t know that it was because..." Chiang Songhai tried to explain, but Chiang Songtao wasn’t interested in listening.
"Wrong is wrong, is there still a reason for it? Enough, go back home, don’t block the road here. I heard that some distinguished guests are coming to see Baoguo— they’re probably at our house by now."
With that, he entered the house.
All this time he didn’t even glance at Ge Liutao and Chiang Xiao.
Chiang Xiao thought her granduncle was truly sly, knowing that Chiang Songhai was the head of the family and the one who was most grateful and respectful towards him, and that’s why it sufficed to take him to task for any issue.
This also caused both Ge Liutao and the former Chiang Xiao to experience a kind of psychological pressure.
A feeling of frustration welled up inside Chiang Songhai, and for the first time, he felt dissatisfaction with his elder brother’s attitude.
In his view, Chiang Xiao fighting and arguing with Ho Laidi was indeed wrong, and he was planning to properly educate Chiang Xiao later, but at the very least, his elder brother should have asked what his wife had done.
The words Ho Laidi had hurled just before had deeply wounded Chiang Songhai’s heart.
He sighed and said to Ge Liutao and Chiang Xiao, "Let’s go back first."
The three entered the house and also closed the courtyard door behind them.
From their end, Honest Tian and Hu Molan, who had watched everything from beginning to end, exchanged a glance, then set off for home, unable to avoid discussing Chiang Xiao’s situation.
Once inside, Chiang Xiao went straight to Ge Liutao’s side.
"Grandmother, are you alright?" She was genuinely worried that Ge Liutao might have been injured.
Ge Liutao shook her head, still unsettled, and clutched at her, "Little Little, how could you fight with your aunt? You almost scared me to death."
"Grandmother, was that really fighting? I didn’t even fight back; I just didn’t want to stand still and be hit." Chiang Xiao knew she would be blamed but didn’t take it to heart, and countered, "Should I have just stood there and let her hit me?"
Before Ge Liutao could answer, Chiang Songhai spoke up firmly, "How could that be possible? Big sister-in-law was too much today, that broom was specially made by big brother, thick and heavy, and she aimed right at Little Little’s head. What if it actually hit her? Little Little could have passed out, right?"
"Not just fainting, I would have definitely ended up with a bloody wound. Who knows, I might even be left with a scar on my forehead." Chiang Xiao asked, "Grandmother, do you really think I deserved that beating?"