C11 I Want to Go!

Zhao Zhibing and his son, Zhao Pengcheng, exchanged worried glances inside the house.

“Dad, what should we do?”

Honestly, they never expected Yuh Jiaojiao to be so assertive. His grandmother didn't even get a word in.

Zhao Zhibing had long been frustrated with his grandmother's blatant favoritism. When his mom was alive, she was often bullied. If his mom hadn't been the type to stand up for herself, they might not have made it. Even then, his cousins would always snatch his food, making him too scared to eat outside.

Whenever his mom confronted his grandmother, she'd dismiss it with, “He's just a kid. Why are you making a fuss?” The villagers even called his mom stingy for arguing with kids.

Was it really about arguing with kids? Where were those bystanders when those little brats were stealing his food? They only dared to act that way because his dad wasn't around, and his mom, being a woman, couldn't make too much of a scene.

But Yuh Jiaojiao was from the neighboring village. She had several brothers, and her dad was the Great Captain. In their village, he was someone nobody dared to mess with, and people went out of their way to stay on his good side.

Even though she's lost her reputation and married a divorced man with a child, she's not someone you can easily mess with.

Zhibing couldn't immediately grasp all these connections, but he could tell that Jiaojiao wasn't afraid of his grandma at all.

These thoughts flickered through his mind quickly. Almost as soon as the last word was spoken, Zhibing didn't wait for his dad to say anything before he blurted out, "I want to go."

Just then, Jiaojiao called from outside, "Zhibing? What are you doing? Hurry up and come out!"

Zhibing dashed outside, not even noticing his dad's outstretched hand.

When he saw what was happening outside, Zhibing was taken aback.

Jiaojiao had one arm wrapped around his grandma, while the other hand covered her mouth. No wonder he hadn't heard a peep from his grandma.

His grandma was desperately trying to break free, but somehow, no matter how much she struggled, she couldn't escape Jiaojiao's grip.

Jiaojiao kept talking, "Zhibing, why are you standing there? Hurry up and lead the way! It's my first time here, and I don't know where your grandma lives. She's so kind and thoughtful; we can't let her efforts go unnoticed, right? Come on, remember to tell people about her along the way. Oh, your grandma is just wonderful; we really need to spread the word about her good name."

Zhibing obediently walked ahead, while Jiaojiao followed, maintaining that peculiar posture with her grandmother.

Zhibing felt something was off about what Jiaojiao said. It was all nice words, but why did he feel so satisfied hearing them?

When they encountered others, he dutifully followed Jiaojiao's instructions.

In June, with the wheat just harvested and corn newly planted, the grains were still drying in the sun. Even under the blazing sun, few people slacked off. Yet, some folks, either lazy or avoiding hard work, or claiming illness, wandered the streets.

These people were all talk but no action. Seeing young Zhibing openly mention his stepmother, and that stepmother responding just as openly, sparked their curiosity. Not to mention Mrs. Zhao's demeanor—clearly intimidated, not daring to speak. No one knew how the new daughter-in-law managed that.

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