Hearing Yang Ming’s words, Xiaoxiao felt an indescribable sensation; she knew that he had talked back to grandma because of her.
"Grandma," Xiaoxiao called out softly.
The old lady came to Xiaoxiao’s side, grabbed her hand, and instantly transformed into a child seeking affection. Facing Xiaoxiao, she said in a coquettish manner, "My dear granddaughter-in-law, I won’t argue with him. I’ll talk to you instead."
"..." The crowd fell silent at the old lady’s act, which was astonishingly childish compared to her previous arrogance.
"Grandma, I think my husband makes sense," Xiaoxiao said gently and softly.
The old lady looked somewhat bewildered, but she still stubbornly retorted, "What sense is there in what he says? It’s all nonsense."
"Grandma, I think it’s you who’s spouting nonsense," Xiaoxiao almost shouted this sentence.
The abrupt outburst startled everyone, including the old lady, who quickly tried to soothe Xiaoxiao, "My dear granddaughter-in-law, please, don’t be angry!"
"..." Everyone internally sighed with relief, thinking how fortunate it was that Yang Ming’s wife was the one who yelled; otherwise, they would have been scolded to death.
"Grandma, tell me, is Uncle Five your biological son?"
The old lady nodded, acknowledging that he was.
"Then what are you being so stubborn about? Whether you acknowledge it or not, nothing can change the fact that he is your son, and you are his mother."
"He took someone else’s surname; he recognized other parents," she objected.
Xiaoxiao was speechless. The old lady simply couldn’t get her head around this point. "Grandma, even if he didn’t take their surname, he would still have to call them ’father’ and ’mother.’ They are Uncle Five’s in-laws. Don’t you think, in your heart, that the wives of your first, third, and fourth sons shouldn’t call you ’mother’?"
The old lady still felt that the act of taking in a son-in-law had lost the Yang Family face. "Having his own parents and still taking in a son-in-law is shameful."
Xiaoxiao’s face began to look slightly unhappy as she said coldly, "Marrying into the wife’s family isn’t shameful at all; it shows Uncle Five’s filial piety. He wants to take care of his wife’s parents rightfully. Pushing away such a good son, do you really want to do that?"
The old lady found herself at a loss for words.
Xiaoxiao continued, "In my opinion, it’s much more shameful for grandfather to have sold his granddaughter than it is for Uncle Five to take in a son-in-law. You could accept the former, so why can’t you accept the latter?"
As soon as she said this, the expressions of the other Yang Family members present all darkened. They still didn’t know the whereabouts of their daughter.
"She can’t have children; isn’t that retribution?" the old lady challenged.
Xiaoxiao shook her head, "The matter of children is something that should come naturally. You don’t acknowledge them, and they’re under stress every day. How could they have children? Maybe if you accept them, the children will come."
After hearing this, the old lady grew uncertain and asked her granddaughter-in-law, "Is that so?"
The crowd immediately nodded in unison, confirming it.
The old lady thought for a moment, then finally relaxed, "All right then, grandma will listen to you."
Having said that, the old lady turned and walked away, muttering as she went, "I won’t interfere anymore; if they want to come, let them come."
When the family heard the old lady relent, they were as delighted as could be. They quickly sent someone to Xiawa Village to spread the good news.
Just as the old lady had walked a few steps away, she turned back suddenly, causing everyone to jump, afraid that she might go back on her word.
They only heard the old lady shout, "Granddaughter-in-law, come home with me quickly, to sing songs and tell stories for me."
"Okay, Grandma, coming," Xiaoxiao responded.
Xiaoxiao had no choice but to follow and pacify this elderly child. The visit to the pond had to wait; she would come back some other time.
Yang Ming felt an immense gratitude for his wife. She had resolved a major concern of Uncle Five and his wife, just like that.