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Chapter 59: Chapter 59: The Farmer and the Snake
Li Nuanchun ran over with a scared look on her face, patting her thigh emotionally, "Oh dear! Thank god Tong Yao caught it, or Baodan would have had a bad fall." She had just been sitting in the hallway chatting with Chen Yanmei while snapping beans, and had overlooked Baodan for a moment. She hadn’t imagined that such negligence could have led to a serious accident.
If he had rolled down the stairs, even a severe head injury would have been minor in comparison. She had a distant cousin, who was a very clever and handsome child, much like a generous child god. But he became mentally disabled after falling from a tree.
Chen Yanmei didn’t show any gratitude at all, she gave Tong Yao a sidelong glance and grumbled, "Baodan was playing just fine, how could he suddenly fall? Maybe someone scared him on purpose."
She had been living in this residential compound for many years, and no matter who came, they always showed her deference and flattery. However, Tong Yao, despite being here for some time, never tried to please her, and every time they met, she would stare at her with disdain.
Therefore, Chen Yanmei had a resentment towards Tong Yao. She didn’t like seeing a woman like Tong Yao who enjoyed a comfortable life without doing any work. This increased her dislike of Tong Yao. She always feared that if her son married a woman like her, she would never be able to rest in peace.
Hence, no matter what Tong Yao did, Chen Yanmei always made sarcastic comments and refused to acknowledge Tong Yao’s kind acts, unless Tong Yao acted sensibly and took the initiative to befriend her like Li Meiyu did when she first arrived in the residential compound, by giving Baodan some candies to eat.
Tong Yao, who was about to head back to her room, heard these comments and sneered, "Then you better take care of your child. This time he got scared and nearly fell, maybe next time he will be scared out of his mind."
"Hey! What kind of talk is that?" Chen Yanmei’s face stiffened and she questioned Tong Yao accusingly, "Is that how you talk?"
"If you can talk nonsense, why can’t I?" Tong Yao was not afraid of Chen Yanmei at all and countered back boldly, "Its my mouth, I’ll say what I want. If you’re not keen on hearing it, then you should block your ears."
Chen Yanmei’s eyes bulged like a bronze lion head at the entrance of a yamen (historical government office), she was so agitated that spit sprayed onto Baodan’s face, "Why should I block my ears? Just because you tell me to? Who do you think you are? I’ve been living in this compound for so many years, no one has ever dared ask me to block my ears, are you really that incredible?"
"Stop arguing, stop arguing, it’s all a misunderstanding. Why are you arguing?" Seeing the two quarrel fiercely, Li Nuanchun was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. She had made her earlier comment intending for Chen Yanmei to thank Tong Yao, so she (Li Nuanchun) could gain favor in Tong Yao’s eyes.
But she hadn’t expected that Chen Yanmei would hold such deep grudges against Tong Yao, nor had she expected them to start arguing.
Chen Yanmei was also unreasonable. Tong Yao had kindly helped, but Chen Yanmei ungratefully dismissed her good intentions.
"Baodan was scared by her just now, that’s why he nearly rolled down the stairs. I didn’t blame her and she actually cursed Baodan to scare him out of his mind. Is there such a vicious woman?" Chen Yanmei twisted the truth and spoke boldly, convincing anyone who didn’t know better.
Baodan seemed quite used to these scenes. He even stopped crying for candies and stared at Chen Yanmei as she quarreled, seemingly taking pleasure in their fight.
Tong Yao glanced at her disdainfully and rebutted, "If your eyes are useless, you should donate them. Don’t just spew crap here."
"Who are you calling shit-mouthed?"
Despite holding Baodan in her arms, Chen Yanmei had no trouble arguing. She repeatedly jostled Tong Yao while holding Baodan, like a stubborn mule. Finally, Li Nuanchun had to pull her back.
"Yanmei, what are you doing? She was kind enough to help and you’re blaming her for it."
On hearing this, Chen Yanmei got upset, "We’ve been neighbors for years now, why are you siding with outsiders?"
Li Nuanchun: "..." So, she’s supposed to lie too?
Si Chen gives her two cents a day as travel expenses, which add up to six yuan a month, nearly enough to buy more than ten pounds of pork. Can she afford to side with Chen Yanmei?
Anyway, this whole thing is Chen Yanmei’s fault!
Tong Yao, "I go by the principle of siding with reason, not relation. I can’t stand people like you."
"You have to clarify what kind of person I allegedly am? What exactly does ’can’t stand people like you’ mean?" Chen Yanmei relentlessly flung herself at Tong Yao, all the while shoving her child into Tong Yao’s arms, "Aren’t you going to scare the soul out of him? Go ahead, do it! I want to see if you’re some magical creature from the mountains with such abilities."
One cannot deny, when it comes to being dramatic and throwing a fit, Chen Yanmei is quite adept, acting shamelessly without restraint.
Tong Yao, irritated by the repeated pushing, was about to slap Chen Yanmei when suddenly a voice from behind echoed out. It was Si Chen, "What’s happening?"
Hearing this, Tong Yao’s raised hand swerved, and she used it to brush back a few stray locks of hair from her forehead.
Seeing Si Chen arrive with Liu Haisheng and Dai Liwen following behind, Chen Yanmei immediately lost her aggressive spirit. Yet, her resilience remained unabated as she played the victim, "Doctor Si, it’s good that you’re here. If you don’t manage your wife soon, the family quarters won’t be big enough to contain her any longer. My little Baodan didn’t do anything to provoke her, yet she even went as far as cursing him to death."
Upon hearing these words, Liu Haisheng and Dai Liwen turned to Si Chen. As men, they were envious that Si Chen had such a beautiful wife. At the same time, they felt some sympathy for him. It was one thing to have to take care of the household chores, but his wife was also constantly stirring up trouble and spending money without restraint.
How long had they been in the family quarters?
They’d managed to pick fights with everyone, including the Dean’s family, and now they were also getting into trouble with Chen Yanmei. Everyone knew that Chen Yanmei treasured her son Baodan. Hurting Baodan was equivalent to inflicting pain on Chen Yanmei herself.
"Her son nearly fell down the stairs, but I caught him. Yet she insists that I scared Baodan, who then nearly tripped." Everyone has a mouth, and Tong Yao wasn’t about to allow herself to be blamed without dispute. So she quickly gave an explanation of what had transpired.
Although Li Nuanchun didn’t say anything, she nodded her head in agreement after Tong Yao had finished her explanation. Everyone instantly understood what was going on when they saw this.
Not seeing any reason to get involved, Dai Liwen and Liu Haisheng silently followed their conversation.
However, Chen Yanmei was still adamant, "My little Baodan was playing just fine before. Why did he only trip when you came back?"
Looking at Chen Yanmei’s unreasonable and defiant attitude, Si Chen frowned, "Does a child’s tripping need to be timed?"
Caught off guard, Chen Yanmei resorted to acting unreasonably, "Doctor Si, that’s not right of you. You not only fail to control your wife when she frightens my son but also choose to protect her. Do the two of you see my husband is not home and decide to bully us, mother and son?"
Seeing things becoming increasingly heated and anticipating that Chen Yanmei was about to start crying and making a scene, Dai Liwen and Liu Haisheng tried to leave but were stopped by Chen Yanmei.
"Doctor Liu, Doctor Dai, don’t leave. Please stay and help judge what’s right or wrong. We’ve been neighbors for so many years. You can’t just stand by and let them bully us."
Dai Liwen: "..."
Liu Haisheng: "..."
Both of them exchanged troubled looks. It was clear to anyone that Chen Yanmei was in the wrong here, but they couldn’t possibly say that out loud!
