Chiang Xiao suddenly felt that being hit these three times wasn't entirely bad.
She had been worrying that if she really had a complete fallout with the Old Chiang Family, it wouldn't sit well with her great-grandfather, and seeing him distressed, her grandfather, who valued brotherly affection, would definitely feel awful too.
She could quarrel with her uncles and aunts, but when it came to Ho Laidi, it was impossible to take a tough stance right from the start. After all, she was the eldest sister-in-law that her grandfather had respected and yielded to for half his life.
She would definitely break with the Old Chiang Family, but she couldn't rush things.
Not to mention that with her current physical condition and abilities she couldn't do it, even if she could, she would still have to consider her grandfather. There were so many despicable members in the Old Chiang Family, so many stabs in the back, but many things were unknown to her grandfather. In his heart, although they had split up, they were still one family, those people were his brothers and sisters-in-law, his nieces and nephews.
No matter what, he didn't want to see the family fall apart.
It was best to plan slowly and carefully.
Gradually erode her grandfather's affection for the Old Chiang Family, making it easier to act when the time comes.
And this time, Ho Laidi had hit her, which just happened to mark the beginning. As long as it could achieve her goal, taking those three hits was worth it.
Faced with Ho Laidi's retort, Chiang Songhai indeed hesitated. He doted on his granddaughter, but how could he possibly attack his eldest sister-in-law fiercely?
Even if he doted on Little, he couldn't bring himself to really hit his elder sister-in-law, and he even regretted having yelled at her just now.
Seeing his gentle nature resurfacing, Chiang Xiao immediately cradled her swollen hand and let out a whimper with a cry in her voice, "Grandfather, my hand, my hand hurts so much..."
As she spoke, teardrops rolled down from her eyes and dropped onto the blanket.
Such a pitiful cry, such tears, instantly suppressed the regret that had just surfaced in Chiang Songhai.
He kept a stern face and spoke harshly to Ho Laidi, "My Little is already suffering a lot from falling into the creek and catching a fever, and then my elder sister-in-law comes in without discerning right from wrong and hits her hand like this. Should I be thanking you for it?"
"This is like the dog that bit Lu Dongbin and didn't recognize the kind-hearted person!" Ho Laidi's gaze was deep and resentful, and Chiang Xiao knew she was truly angry now.
She shrunk her hand back, sobbed once, and leaned closer to her grandfather.
Chiang Songhai duly felt even more distressed, gave a snort, and said, "We don't need my elder sister-in-law's kindness! It's better if you go back. We will let today's incident slide for now!"
What, he really was keeping it in mind?
Ho Laidi felt a surge of fury in her heart. In the past, when she disciplined Chiang Xiao, even though Chiang Songhai was distressed, he still urged Chiang Xiao to listen to her, not be rebellious. What was going on today?
She wanted to say more, but then the voice of Song Xiyun came from outside the house, "Mother, father asks you to hurry back for the meal."
"Hmph!" Ho Laidi slipped on her shoes in a huff, gave Chiang Xiao a sharp look, "If Da Qiang's family causes trouble tomorrow, don't come to the Old Chiang Family looking for help!"
With those words, she flung out of the door.
Chiang Songhai carefully cradled Chiang Xiao's hand, his heart aching for her, "Little, does it hurt?"
Holding back tears to avoid worrying him too much was something Chiang Xiao should have done, but to stir up his disapproval of Ho Laidi, her tears fell like rain.
"Grandfather, it hurts so much..."
Ge Liutao came in with porridge and dishes, and upon seeing her swollen hand, her eyes instantly turned red too.
"What did my elder sister-in-law do? Little is already sick, how could she lay her hands on her."
Chiang Songhai stood up in frustration, "You feed Little. I'll go make some medicinal herbs to reduce the swelling."
Chiang Xiao hurriedly stopped him, "Grandfather, you eat first. After the meal, carry me on your back to Secretary Uncle's house."