Chapter 689: Northwest Wind

Qin Juan pushed her bicycle while Old Mrs. Jia held Ningning’s hand. The three of them walked home at a leisurely pace.

Qin Juan curiously spoke, "Mom, what brings you here at this time?"

When she left, Old Mrs. Jia was still tidying up her room.

Recalling the situation, Old Mrs. Jia shuddered, "I saw you out there for so long and felt uneasy, so I took Ningning for a stroll. Upon reaching the night market, I heard there was a fight. For some reason, my right eyelid wouldn’t stop twitching, and from afar, I could see people bullying you. Though I’m confident in my own strength, even a hero can’t fend off many hands. Just as a brave man can’t overcome a crowd, I and two women managed somehow. But you’re pregnant, you can’t take things lightly. It just so happened that someone nearby was going to Qin’s Buns Shop for lunch. So, I thought of our relatives’ bun shop at the night market and had Ningning call for help while I went ahead to assist. How about it? Did I slow you down, dear?"

Hearing her say "even a hero can’t fend off many hands" almost made Qin Juan laugh.

By the end, a faint smile graced her lips, "No, I’m so glad you came, Mom."

"That’s right," Old Mrs. Jia said proudly. "I’m telling you, Juanzi, as women, we can’t be too honest. The world bullies honest people; even a clay figurine has a bit of fire. If I hadn’t been tough, when Liangzi’s father passed away, we would have been bullied to death..."

Qin Juan knew some things about the Jia Family.

Jia Liang’s father died young, and Jia Liang’s uncles tried to seize their house.

It was her mother-in-law who, wielding a kitchen knife, fought those few people to keep their house, maintaining a refuge for herself and her child.

The little old lady was still going on and on. Noticing Qin Juan’s prolonged silence, her expression suddenly changed, "Juanzi, you don’t think I’m too domineering, do you? Rest assured, Mom only acts this way with outsiders, never at home with family."

Earlier, she had been too agitated and couldn’t help but reveal her past.

Could she have scared her daughter-in-law?

Her son had told her that when her daughter-in-law was with the Zhang Family, her previous mother-in-law’s family had beaten her, which led to her divorce.

She better not frighten her daughter-in-law away.

Qin Juan, holding the bike with one hand, squeezed the old lady’s hand with the other, "Mom, I understand. They forced you; you’re actually a very good person."

Now Old Mrs. Jia was happy again.

She placed Ningning’s little hand in Qin Juan’s, "You take the child, I’ll push the bicycle."

"Mom, I’m not tired, let me push it."

Old Mrs. Jia grabbed the handlebar resolutely, "It’s just pushing a bicycle, this old lady can still do it."

With a cheerful smile, Old Mrs. Jia briskly made her way home, her small feet moving steadily and rapidly.

If she weren’t worried about her pregnant daughter-in-law keeping up, she’d probably be skipping along.

But as soon as they stepped into their own yard, her cheerful mood was abruptly dampened as if a bucket of cold water was thrown over her, even the smile on her face faded away.

Little Ningning noticed her grandmother’s shift in emotion, looked up at her, then at her mother.

Qin Juan raised her hand to gently rub her daughter’s little head in reassurance.

She didn’t recognize the few people at her door, but it was obvious that her mother-in-law’s mood was related to them.

Before she could inquire as to why, Old Mrs. Jia restrained her temper to speak.

"It’s like running into a ghost only to have them haunt you. Those two at the door, one is Liangzi’s big uncle, the other his Third Uncle, and the women are his aunt and Third Aunt. These were the very people who forced us mother and child out of this home back then. We’ve since severed ties with the Jia Family, no matter how difficult things got, we’ve never asked them for anything. But those two aren’t done scheming yet. Later, when Liangzi went astray, they secretly hoped he would end up jailed so they could kick this old lady out. But Liangzi always had back-up plans, knowing they came to cause trouble at home. Upon release, he’d firmly teach them a lesson, making them quiet for a while. Who knows what wind blew them here today."

Ningning, with an innocent face, chimed in, "Grandma, today the northwest wind is blowing."

Old Mrs. Jia burst into laughter at that, affectionately looking at little Ningning, "Yes, today the northwest wind is blowing."

Meanwhile, Qin Juan silently observed the people at their doorstep.

Both men weren’t very tall nor very strong-looking. The older one was bald while the slightly younger one had a balding crown, leaving just a ring of hair around the back of his head and temples.

This lone ring of graying hair encircling what looked like a boiled egg appeared somewhat comical.

Qin Juan knew that Jia Liang’s baldness wasn’t by choice but due to early-onset hair loss.

She had heard from her sister-in-law that this type of hair loss was hereditary, passed down to sons, not daughters.

Because of this, when Jia Liang proposed to her, her sister-in-law had pulled her aside to talk privately, lest she mind this aspect of him and was unprepared.

Having experienced a scoundrel like Zhang Wenbin, Qin Juan wasn’t bothered by this minor flaw of Jia Liang’s.

The richness of character far outweighed appearances in her view.

Beside them, the two women were also not tall. Upon seeing Old Mrs. Jia, their eyes lit up instantly.

"Oh, Second Sister, when did you get back? You didn’t even send word to the family. When Big Brother, Sister-in-law, and I heard you were back, we hurried over. Wasn’t this house sold before? When I heard about it back then, I was so upset, wondering if we’d ever meet again. Who would’ve thought you’d buy the house back, Jia Liang really seems to have accomplished much..."

Old Mrs. Jia looked at the group across from her, raising her eyelid, giving them no face at all.

"Don’t give me that, what could my Liangzi accomplish? A fatherless child, poorly raised, stealing chickens and acting up all the time, bringing disgrace to the Jia Family name."

Third Aunt’s face stiffened at those words. Though outsiders might not know, everyone there was perfectly aware that those were the exact words Third Aunt had once used to scold Jia Liang.

She let out a dry laugh and furtively glanced at her own husband, knowing her Second Sister-in-law wasn’t easy to deal with.

The slightly elder woman beside them spoke up, glossing over Third Aunt’s words and looking at Qin Juan behind Old Mrs. Jia with a smile.

"Is this Jia Liang’s wife? It’s our first time meeting, oh my, Jia Liang is truly fortunate to have married such a beautiful wife. Looking at your belly, you’re about five or six months along, aren’t you? It’ll be just right for confinement once it warms up; this is such a blessing, isn’t it? Second Aunt, your hardships really have paid off. I always said, you could tell Liangzi was blessed just by looking at him. Now he’s a big businessman, has a wife, and soon you’ll have a big, chubby grandson. Truly, no one can compare to you. Jia Liang’s wife, I’m your Great Aunt, this is your Big Uncle, along with your Third Uncle and Third Aunt. You don’t visit Yan City often, so we don’t see each other much, but we’re all real family here."