Chapter 454: Chapter 441: Forgetful

However, as the onlookers pointed out, neither Zhang Xiangrong nor Mrs. Cao came out to refute the rumors.

Zhuang Qingning’s heart suddenly sank.

Zhang Xiangrong and Mrs. Cao are essentially kind and good-natured characters.

Against Zhang Xiangrui and Mrs. Guo, such types of people most easily become victims of their slander. They might not know how to defend themselves against such accusations, which makes sense in the context.

Zhuang Qingning lowered her head, contemplating how to get them out of this predicament.

Just as she was thinking, Zhang Xiangrong and Mrs. Cao came out of the shop.

Perhaps due to their hurried exit and anger, Zhang Xiangrong appeared to be limping slightly, and Mrs. Cao, supporting him, had tears welling up in her eyes, and her face was lined with fury.

Similarly, Zhang Xiangrong’s eyes were filled with anger.

Facing such a predicament and being slandered so blatantly, it was impossible not to be angry.

However, Zhuang Qingning could discern that while Zhang Xiangrong and Mrs. Cao were indeed angry, they showed no signs of fear or surprise, but rather a tinge of self-confidence.

It seemed they had a plan in mind?

Zhuang Qingning thought for a moment and decided not to intervene but to observe from the crowd.

Almost instantly, the anger in the faces of Zhang Xiangrong and Mrs. Cao had all but disappeared, replaced by sorrow and, surprisingly, delight?

Mrs. Cao’s voice was a little hoarse, tinged with a note of crying, “Years ago, when you two didn’t care for your parents, I still thought you had completely forgotten about your dear mother.”

“It’s good that you’ve finally come around now, realizing that even if your own lives aren’t great, your first duty should be to your parents.”

“Yes, you’ve grown and matured now, your eldest brother is very happy,” Zhang Xiangrong said, putting on a show of wiping away tears, “If your father were still alive and could see you now, he would be so pleased.”

“Ah, if only you had been this sensible and respectful a few years earlier, your father wouldn’t have been unable to close his eyes peacefully when he left us …”

“What’s in the past is in the past, all those old and trivial matters, it’s been so long, you might not even remember them anymore. I shouldn’t be reminding you of that…”

Zhang Xiangrui and Mrs. Guo’s faces suddenly changed.

In just a few sentences, they had effectively unveiled all their faults.

They were immature, disrespectful, so much so that their father died with his eyes open in frustration. And they had conveniently forgotten about it all.

What seemed like kind sentiments were actually accusations framing them as disrespectful sons.

When did this Zhang Xiangrong start to be so eloquent?

Zhang Xiangrui bit down hard on his teeth, his face alternated between red and white, changing rapidly like a palette.

“What are you saying, big brother? I can’t quite understand.” Zhang Xiangrui somehow managed to mutter a response.

“How can you not understand? It hasn’t been that long, you sure have a forgetful memory.” Zhang Xiangrong replied, sounding surprised.

“Since our younger brother knows his mistake, why do you continue to dampen his spirit with such remarks? He also has his pride. With so many people watching, he’s bound to feel embarrassed and might not want to admit his wrongs.”

Mrs. Cao calmly interjected, “Don’t mind your elder brother’s rant. He’s always been this way, a stickler for details. Don’t take it to heart or avoid visiting us for three years because of a few mild criticisms.”

Without showing any anger or signs of losing their temper, they appeared to be trying for reconciliation. Yet subtly, they implied that he was a prideful person who refused to admit his mistakes and held grudges over small things.

Zhang Xiangrui was exasperated, suffocated. At a loss, he did not know how to respond.

Zhang Xiangrong continued, “That’s enough. No matter what you do, I can’t un-recognize you as my brother or put you in a difficult position as your elder brother.”

“Yes, yes, please stand up. We are all family. You have intentions to respect and care for our mother, and we understand your respect for her.” As Mrs. Cao said this, she moved to help Zhang Xiangrui and Mrs Guo up.

Zhang Xiangrui and Mrs. Guo shared a look and were suddenly overjoyed.

Let Zhang Xiangrong and Mrs. Cao talk as much as they like, what do they care about losing face, as long as they can successfully bring Mrs. Liu back to their house. Given the personality of Zhang Xiangrong and Mrs. Cao, they would naturally dislike seeing the old woman suffer in their house.

Then, with a few complaints about headaches and fevers, or when Mrs. Liu wants to eat something, they could easily come and make a racket in the shop, persuading them to give up some money.

Today they ask for a bit; tomorrow, they ask for some more. Naturally, they would take advantage of them gradually.

These Zhang Xiangrong and Mrs. Cao, they seemed smart but only understood superficial matters. They did not perceive the deeper intricacies and gave in far too easily. They were setting themselves up for future losses.

“Then, by brother and sister-in-law’s words, you’ve agreed to let mother stay at my place for a while?” Zhang Xiangrui eagerly followed their lead.

“We are all sons of our mother, it’s right that we should respect and care for her.” Zhang Xiangrong nodded knowingly.

“Then can we go and get mother now?” Zhang Xiangrui hastily began to stand up.

Perhaps because he had knelt too long, his knees felt weak upon rising and he almost fell back down. After staggering half a step, he managed to stabilize himself.

“Don’t rush, we have to make some things clear before taking mother home.” As he finished saying this, Zhang Xiangrong took out a piece of paper from his pocket, “Our mother is now old and in poor health. Since last year, she often suffers from headaches and dizziness. There was a time when she almost died. Thankfully a doctor was able to treat her. Even now, she still relies heavily on her prescribed medication.”

“Since you’re so keen on caring for our mother, both of us being her sons, it’s not right for only my family to pay for her medicine. So, the cost of the medicine is 67 taels and 3 silvers. I’ve paid 7 taels. The remaining amount has been credited to the pharmacy. The pharmacy kindly rounded it off, so we still owe them 60 taels.”

“This amount, logically, we should split between us. No matter what, I am the elder brother, and I can’t let you take too much of the burden. So you can pay 28 taels, and I will take care of the remaining amount.”

“Moreover, since we’ll be taking turns caring for our mother, we should agree on some terms. We will rotate each month. During this period, each will bear their own expenses. If mother isn’t happy, she can choose whose home she wants to go to. Since mother isn’t in the best of health, the cost of the medicine will be the responsibility of whoever’s home she is at…”

“But that’s for later, for now, you need to give me the money for the medicine. That way, I can settle the account with the pharmacy sooner.”

What?

Zhang Xiangrui was so surprised that his jaw nearly dropped to the floor.