Upon hearing this, everyone mocked him, saying, "If you have the guts, say it in front of Xiaxia." Naturally, this person didnāt dare to do that and just turned his head back home.
Actually, this person was none other than the patriarch uncle of Auntie Liās family. Since he had supported Auntie Liās family during the previous marriage arrangement, he felt like making a few comments now.
But these were small matters that Yang Chuxia wouldnāt take to heart. She was just wondering if she should let that couple return to the village on their own, or if she should have someone tie them up and bring them back.
As she was thinking about this, she arrived home. Seeing her daughter lost in her thoughts, Ms. Wang asked, "Did your Fourth Uncle really find the medicinal herbs you were looking for?"
When this was mentioned, Yang Chuxia was at a loss for words. She spread her hands and said to her mother, "My dear mother, I canāt believe my Fourth Uncle and that horrible Fourth Aunt. Iāve never seen anything like this before. They asked Uncle Cai to confirm whether the herb was real or not and, as soon as he confirmed it was real, they hurriedly packed their things and ran away. By the time I got there, they were long gone."
Hearing this, Ms. Wang was also speechless. This was something to be used for treating patients! How could the couple do something so shameless?
"When your father comes home later, tell him and see what you can do about this," Ms. Wang said. "This is Ankās medicine, not something insignificant. How could they hide it and run away with it?"
As they were talking, Old Yang returned home from outside and heard Ms. Wangās words. He waved his old tobacco pipe and said, "The third branch of the family, I know about the situation. Iāve heard about it outside and thatās why I came home." Old Yang sighed helplessly, "Damn it, how did I end up with such a disgraceful son?"
Old Yang was genuinely heartbroken, but at this moment, none of Yang Chuxia and her family members were in the mood to comfort him.
After a while, he said in silence, "Xiaxia, have someone send a message to your Fourth Auntās family. Iām sure theyāre hiding there. Just say that Yang Xiaochuanās father is seriously ill and on the verge of death, so he must come back to take care of him. If he doesnāt come back, Iāll go to the county to report them."
Yang Chuxia looked at Old Yang speechlessly, pulling her mouth into a smile, "My dear grandfather, donāt curse yourself like that. Besides, if youāre so ill that you need someone to take care of you, how can you go to report my Fourth Uncle?"
Choked by her words, Old Yang almost got suffocated by the smoke. "Then what do you suggest we do?"
As they were talking, Yang Dachuan returned home from outside with a dark expression on his face. Judging by his appearance, he had definitely heard the rumors outside.
"Dad, Fourth is really out of line. How could he do something like this?" Yang Dachuan snorted coldly. "If he had just brought the herbs out for Uncle Cai to look at, would Xiaxia really treat him unfairly if they were genuine? This situation is totally different from the usual. Our Xiaxia may have a bit of a temper, but sheās not unreasonable. When have you ever seen her make a scene out of nothing? Now, Fourth has locked the door, taken the things, and run away. Is he planning never to return for the rest of his life?"
As the family had grown increasingly prosperous, Yang Dachuan had met more people, and his confidence had grown as well. He no longer spoke hesitantly and humbly like before, and now it didnāt take him half a day to come up with a single muffled word.
If Yang Dachuan hadnāt said those words, Old Yang might not have had the determination to go find Yang Xiaochuan. But now that Yang Dachuan was angry, Old Yang couldnāt just sit still any longer.
He had only these two sons, and the first branch of the family was different after all. He couldnāt bear to see the two sons drifting further and further apart, especially since the third branchās family was doing better and better. In the future, the fourth branch would need the thirdās support. If the fourth couple didnāt know better, he had to help them understand.