The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!

Chapter 684: Chapter 684: Poor and Justified

"Lord, Manager He is my nephew. He hasn’t returned for so many years, and when we heard he was in Qinghe Bay, we came to see his wife." The silver-haired woman said, worried that the officials might arrest someone for the fighting, she covered for her family, "Manager He has no sons, so the clan wanted to adopt my grandson to continue the lineage. That vile woman’s grandson did not get selected, and out of jealousy, she’s been slandering me and my elder brother-in-law."

The gray-haired woman stomped her feet and clapped her hands, saying, "You’re covered in filth yourself; you don’t need me to slander you. You’re right; I am indeed jealous of you. I’m jealous that you have a good elder brother-in-law who insists on only adopting your grandson and not anyone else’s. Why should your grandson get adopted and not others’? You all have a lot of nerve, discussing it in your beds. In my opinion, if the clan is to adopt a child for He Chao, it shouldn’t be decided without He Chao."

The silver-haired woman pointed at the gray-haired woman and cursed, "After Chao’er’s parents died, I was the one cooking for him. He ate our family’s food for two years, so it’s rightful for my grandson to be adopted. If your grandson wants to be adopted, see if you qualify."

The gray-haired woman sneered, spat thick phlegm at the other’s face, and said, "You dare say that? Why did he eat at your place for two years? Wasn’t it because, after his parents died, you took over his family’s land? You took their land, so of course, you had to support him. Who doesn’t know he starved and went cold at your place and still had to work for you?"

The silver-haired woman, exposed for her past wrongs, didn’t blush at all.

If she didn’t take the land, someone else would have.

Since she was farming it, she had the least she could do was feed He Chao.

Moreover, no members of the He Family ever accused her of taking anything from He Chao, and that vile woman is no saint either.

So, with arms akimbo, she retorted defiantly, "Do you think you’re spotless? He Chao was studying well in school, and you took the silver his parents left, preventing him from studying further. If it weren’t for you, He Chao might have become a Champion Scholar."

The two went back and forth, exposing each other’s secrets, while other clan members didn’t dare intervene.

They feared the crossfire might reveal their own past actions toward He Chao.

Tong Huaqiong listened quietly, wondering what kind of life Manager He must have had, without a single protector in the clan.

Mrs. Hong’s eyes glistened with tears.

Even though He Chao had told her about these painful experiences earlier, hearing it directly from the clan members still made her heartache, eyes brimming with tears.

A group of heartless people wanted to claim kinship and even adoption; even if they never had children for eight generations, she wouldn’t have any ties with them.

"Enough. Stop talking, don’t bring up the past."

Uncle He was frustrated; this trip had been too unsettling.

First, their scandals with the sister-in-law were exposed, then clan disputes erupted, fearing that if he didn’t step in, the He Family’s affairs would all be uncovered.

"The officers are here, why all this commotion?"

Uncle He’s shout startled the silver-haired and gray-haired women into silence, also making his sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren stop fighting.

They had been too engrossed in fighting to remember the officers were still present.

Now, they stopped and worried about being rounded up by the officers.

"We were driven by poverty back then." Uncle He didn’t put on airs in front of the officials anymore, his face displaying a mix of bitterness and flattery, saying, "Those years the crops were bad, and with mouths to feed... oh, if only we had money, who would bully a child, but we were helpless..."

Uncle He’s eyes swept over Mrs. Hong, a flash of resentment quickly masked by woeful expressions.

It’s all because of He Chao’s wife making a fuss; if she had just accepted them at first, none of this would have happened.

She’s not virtuous, nor can she bear children; she’s not fit to be He Family’s wife. Once He Chao returns, he’ll persuade him to divorce her.

Tong Huaqiong sneered inwardly.

What an excuse.

Poverty provides no justification; weakness provides no excuse.

No matter how poverty amplifies human flaws, this outright bullying of an orphan isn’t something poverty can excuse.

Especially since the He Family wasn’t destitute, supporting a child was well within their means, even more so as they took over He Chao’s land.

Village Chief Liu said coldly, "Don’t search for excuses for your heartless and selfish behavior."

"May I ask who you are? This is a family matter of the He Family. Some were misunderstandings, so we’re here to resolve them today."

Of the officers, only Village Chief Liu was not in official attire, just dressed as a typical farmer.

Uncle He guessed this talker was likely one of Tong Huaqiong’s clerks or shopkeeper and didn’t regard Village Chief Liu seriously.

Seeing the officers’ arrival, the rest of the He Family was panic-stricken, but Uncle He was rather pleased.

Originally planning to go to the officials if Mrs. Hong refused to acknowledge them, now the government came directly.

With the government involved, things could be sorted easily.

The officials would investigate whether they were related to He Chao.

Village Chief Liu said, "I’m the village chief of Qinghe Bay. You barged into our village; do you think I wouldn’t be involved?"

Uncle He wasn’t intimidated by the village chief but bowed towards the officers, his voice filled with anguish, "Sir, I am He Chao’s uncle, my home is in He Family Village, Pingyang County. My nephew went missing at nine, and we recently heard he ended up here, so we came to find him, but his wife refuses us."

Uncle He smartly emphasized that He Chao was missing.

The leading officer, Zhang, sneered and said, "He went missing at nine, and is now at the border. So, for twenty or thirty years, you’ve never seen him. How can you be sure that Qinghe Bay’s He Chao is your nephew? Without certainty, how can Mrs. He dare recognize you?"

Uncle He was a bit flustered, steadied himself, and explained, "We got news from the court reports, originally thinking it was just a coincidence of names, but after thorough inquiries, dared to confirm it was my nephew."

At this point, Mrs. Hong spoke up.

"Officer Zhang, they are not my husband’s family. My husband’s registration doesn’t list any relatives."

In any case, Mrs. Hong simply wouldn’t acknowledge any connection between them and He Chao.

Tong Huaqiong said, "Officer Zhang, Manager He is a man of Qinghe Bay. It’s clearly stated in his registration. They saw the news report about someone with the same name and barged in when Manager He wasn’t home to claim kinship, thinking a few words would fool Mrs. Hong. They didn’t come to acknowledge kin; rather, they came to scheme and seize assets."

"If Mrs. Hong weren’t wise to their tricks, they wouldn’t have lost anything."

"He Chao is now a person of merit to the court; please, Officer Zhang, help Mrs. Hong."

Officer Zhang respectfully saluted Tong Huaqiong and Mrs. Hong.

Uncle He wanted to speak, but the now impatient Officer Zhang cut in, "You all barged into Manager He’s home, attempting to seize the He Family’s assets. Take them all into custody for questioning."

Uncle He was startled, trembling, "Officer Zhang, we are He Chao’s family. If you don’t believe us, go inquire in Pingyang County."

"Take them away, all of them."

Officer Zhang was too impatient to bother arguing, ordering his subordinates to arrest the intruders.

Soon, cries of panic and weeping filled the courtyard from the He Family.

The group was quickly taken away.