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Han Yan tightened his grip on Lin Xin's trembling hands he lifted his gaze to meet Madam Wei's glare. His voice was calm, deliberate, yet each word carried a subtle, cutting edge.
"Mother… spitting indoors? How dignified. Xin'er tends to me while I'm still weak, and yet you choose to scold him. Truly impressive."
Madam Wei froze, fingers clutching her sleeve until her knuckles whitened. Her eyes blazed with a storm of disbelief and fury, her chest rising and falling in restrained breaths. For years, everyone had obeyed her, yet he had the audacity to speak back—while shamelessly pretending to be weak what was going on she thought.
She quickly collapsed to the ground in a dramatic heap, wailing.
"Han Yan… I know I may not be your birth mother, but I raised you! How could you speak to me like this? Oh Heavens, what did I do so wrong?" she sobbed, striking her legs in despair.
Madam Zhang hugged her son Han Bo close, smirking at the spectacle unfolding.
Madam Liu quickly added her voice, unwilling to be outdone.
"Second Brother, you should apologize quickly. Mother-in-law was only speaks out of concern. We're still family, aren't we?" she said, her smile sharp and false.
Before he could respond to her hypocrisy, Han Bo, the first brother's son, piped up loudly, picking his nose as he spoke:
"Mother! I'm still hungry! Tsk! There wasn't nearly enough meat to even scrape my teeth! Tell Second Uncle to bring more I'm still starving!"
Han Yan's face twitched. Disbelief churned in his chest he felt as if he might spit out blood like in the movies. This little tyrant… did he really think he was some wannabe emperor?
Madam Wei sprang to her feet suddenly lively, her tears vanishing in an instant.
She jabbed a finger at him, hands on her hips, all trace of pitifulness gone.
"Han Yan! Even if you can't give me the two teals of silver, you must at least give us meat!"
Madam Liu's eyes sparkled greedily immediately adding in.
"That's right. At least half of the meat."
Han Yan's lips curved into a charming smile, soft yet edged with steel.
"Half?" he laughed, shaking his head. "Hunting isn't so simple, and autumn is almost here. How can I promise half the game when I don't even have a roof over my head yet? This won't do."
Madam Wei rolled her eyes and scoffed.
"I don't care! If you won't give us half, then just admit you don't want to give us anything at all!"
Her shrill words rang through the cramped dining hall, drawing all eyes to Han Yan, awaiting his response.
He let his gaze sweep the room slowly, observing every face, his little smile never faltering despite the suffocating tension. Mondays at work are always like this, he thought, almost rolling his eyes towards the high Heavens.
At his side, Lin Xin tugged gently at his robe, eyes trembling.
"Yan-ge… please, no more arguing. It's no use."
He looked so fragile in that moment, as if daring not to speak back at Madam Wei for fear of worse consequences.
Han Yan's expression softened slightly. He patted Lin Xin's hand gently, then turned back to Madam Wei.
"Since you don't wish to reason like adults, why not wait for the village chief? You can tell him directly what you want."
His tone was calm, almost lazy, yet carried a quiet edge that made Madam Wei flinch at the mention of the village chief.
She stepped back, pale as if confronted by some unseen horror. Quickly recovering, she rushed to Old Man Han and clutched his leg, sobbing with renewed fervor, tears and snorts marking her face.
"See this, your good son! He acts as if I'm the villain, when I'm only thinking of this family boo hoo!" she wailed.
Old Man Han snorted, clearly unimpressed by her theatrics.
"Enough! Tell the village chief about it when he arrives stop making a spectacle of yourself."
Ever since his second son declared he wanted nothing from the family, Old Man Han had been more than eager to wash his hands of him—after all, he had always believed Han Min was cursed ever since his mother's death in childbirth.
Han Yan smirked faintly. So it was true. The old man had never wanted him here to begin with. Truly sad… this character is really pitiful, he guessed.
The shilly author really didn't have an happy childhood why so much hate? He felt a brief twinge of pain, strange and fleeting, as if it wasn't really there. Hard to put into words. Was it because he was judging the shilly author?
Just then, Han Qiang entered with the village chief, followed by curious neighbors craning their necks at the Han household commotion. Though daily disputes were normal here, something about this scene seemed different.
"I bet Madam Wei stirred up trouble again," Madam Zu muttered, eyes flashing as she peered around.
"Of course it's her. If the Han household is quiet for even a day, it must mean Madam Wei lost her voice," another villager chuckled, the mockery in her tone clear.
"Hah! Better get some melon seeds," a man whispered, settling in as though for a show.
Madam Wei flushed red with fury and humiliation. She jabbed her finger at Madam Zu, shouting venomously.
"I dare you to repeat that, you nosy hen! Can't even keep your husband in line, yet your mouth never stops. Truly shameless!"
Madam Zu shrank into the crowd, mortified, wishing she could disappear.
The villagers laughed quietly at the scene, while Madam Wei glared fiercely, realizing no one else dared meet her gaze.
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