22. Playing Dirty, Striking First

Inside the room, Grandma Liu looked around at the scattered belongings and felt dizzy and overwhelmed. For the first time in her life, she regretted letting the child save money on her own.

As soon as Jiang Ruo entered, even she, usually slow to catch the mood, sensed something was wrong. The only reason Grandma would call her by her full name was that she was truly angry.

“Jiang Ruo… Ruo…”

Grandma Liu’s head buzzed. Seeing her granddaughter’s innocent face, clueless about what she had done wrong, she instinctively pinched Jiang Ruo’s ear sharply.

Jiang Ruo almost reflexively tried to dodge but caught herself just in time, submitting quietly.

“Ouch, ouch, Grandma, my ear, my ear…”

Anyone unaware would have thought Grandma Liu had pinched hard, but in reality, it was just a gentle grip.

Grandpa Jiang immediately felt sorry. “Old lady, old lady, let’s talk this through reasonably. The child is still young; you shouldn’t lay a hand on her…”

Though he noticed the mess around the room, his concern for his granddaughter won out, fearing Grandma might accidentally hurt her in a fit of anger.

Outside the door, the son and grandson stood silently, speechless. When they met their father’s gaze, Grandpa would always complain that Grandma’s grip was too light. But hearing Ruo’s cries of pain right beside them stirred their hearts, sending them rushing into the main room without hesitation, completely forgetting whether Grandma might lash out indiscriminately.

“Mother, please calm down, don’t rush. Father is right—Ruo is still young. Maybe…” Zhao Su Zhen hurried forward to intervene but couldn’t think of what that ‘maybe’ could be. Quickly, she corrected herself, “Mother, we should at least hear what the child has to say!”

“Yes, yes, Mother… Ruo has always been obedient; there must be a reason,” Uncle Jiang, still shocked by Grandma’s sudden fury, also stepped in to protect his niece. Wang Xiaocao took the opportunity to hold Ruo and distance her from Grandma.

Grandma Liu was at a loss. For a moment, she didn’t know whether to be angry or to laugh.

More than anything, she felt a sense of relief seeing everyone protecting Ruo. After all these years, her granddaughter’s efforts for the family had not been in vain.

But as her eyes fell again on the scattered items, her palms itched uncontrollably.

How much money had all this cost?

That was the dowry money she had urged the child to save. Surely she hadn’t spent it all at once!

No, she simply couldn’t think about it. The mere thought made her heart ache so fiercely she panted heavily. Pointing at her granddaughter, she was helped to sit down by her daughter-in-law.

Everything had happened so quickly. Amid the chaos, before Jiang Ruo could react, she was already cradled in her aunt’s arms, surrounded by the family. Auntie even blew gently on her ear, full of concern.

***

“Mother, the child’s ear is red. You’re too harsh,” Wang Xiaocao said sincerely, having no daughters of her own and thus truly feeling for her niece when her interests weren’t involved.

Zhao Su Zhen noticed it too. Usually reserved, she couldn’t help but glance at Grandma Liu. Though she said nothing, her eyes spoke volumes.

Grandma Liu, feeling the harshness of their gaze, suddenly gulped down a mouthful of water to quell her anger, then gave her eldest daughter-in-law a disdainful look.

Goodness gracious, now that everyone had turned into the good guys, she, as the grandmother and mother-in-law, ended up seeming like the villain.

Jiang Third Uncle and Jiang Dajun burst in, seeing Ruo was protected, they sighed with relief. But that relief was short-lived when they saw the mess, their mouths dropping open in shock, staring incredulously.

Now they understood why Grandma, who usually doted on Ruo most, had suddenly erupted in such fury.

How much money was this? Though their niece was known to spend freely, she had never been such a spendthrift before.

Truly… silence was golden, but when she did act, it was earth-shattering!

They were absolutely terrified!

“Ruo, come here,” Grandma Liu, now calmed by the family’s intervention and another sip of water, no longer so agitated but still stern, called gently.

“Mother, the child is still young…” Zhao Su Zhen tactfully reminded her.

“Yes, Mother, it’s no use getting angry after the purchase. Let’s teach her properly. Didn’t you say we should be patient with children?” Wang Xiaocao, still moved by the sight of the room, couldn’t help but get emotional. She knew much of Ruo’s temperament came from them. Ah, she couldn’t think about it too much; the thought only stirred her deeper love. Such a wonderful niece was rare, and she had to protect her treasure closely, so she followed up with encouragement.

“Enough, both of you shut up,” Grandma Liu glared at her two daughters-in-law. If not for their protection of her granddaughter, she might have said much more.

“Ruo…” Her eyes locked on her granddaughter, the meaning clear.

Even if Jiang Ruo hadn’t caught on initially, she now understood the cause.

She had been so caught up in planning an economical purchase—buying as much as possible while she still could—that she had forgotten whether her grandparents could handle the shock of such a huge haul. After all… this was no small sum.

A flicker of guilt crossed her eyes. Quick to recover, she immediately put on a pleading expression, smiled obediently while releasing her aunt’s hand, then lingered before slowly approaching the elder, her hopeful look almost melting Grandma Liu’s heart.

***

Then, she threw her arms around her grandmother and burst into tears, clearly ready to take the offense first, or else she’d be the one in trouble.

Though it didn’t really hurt… being grown up and still having your ear pinched was too embarrassing!

“Waaah… Grandma, my ear hurts so much, it’s going to fall off…”

The old lady groaned, feeling a headache coming on.

“Waaah… Grandma doesn’t love me… Waaah… I’m so pitiful…”

She had intended to merely fake some tears without really crying, but somehow the tears came unbidden. Memories of past mischief flashed in her mind—before her grandparents, parents, and father, she was always a child, forever entitled to be willful.

“Waaah…” Heaven had been kind to her.

The precious child’s pitiful sobs and the steady stream of tears instantly softened Grandma Liu’s heart.

When had the child ever cried like this? She couldn’t help but reflect, wondering if she had indeed been too harsh. Her daughter-in-law was right, the child was still little and didn’t understand much. At her age, why couldn’t she control her temper? Seeing the child so frightened, all her anger vanished immediately.

Grandpa Jiang paced back and forth, distressed. He wanted to say something but dared not open his mouth when he saw the mess.

“All right, all right, Grandma was wrong. Grandma shouldn’t have blamed you without hearing your side. Don’t cry anymore—you’re all ugly with tears on your face now.”

The others sighed in relief, unsurprised by the scene.

Grandma Liu pulled the child into her arms, gently patting her back to comfort her.

Feeling the wholehearted love from her grandmother, Jiang Ruo’s tears multiplied, but after a while, she held them back. Mostly, she was moved by her grandparents’ deep concern, especially Grandpa pacing anxiously nearby, his eyes red with worry.

“Hic… hic…”

But the strain was too much, and one hiccup after another broke out.

“Quick, drink some water,” Grandpa Jiang, standing closest, grabbed the enamel cup on the table and handed it over, shooting a dissatisfied glance at Grandma.

Grandma Liu was so focused on worrying about her granddaughter that she didn’t notice Grandpa’s look, or there would surely be another old quarrel to settle afterward.