The Peasant Wife: The Prime Minister's Beloved

Chapter 112 Overindulgence

"You are completely slandering me! How could Dabao do such a thing? If you don't want to pay compensation, you can just frame me. Chen Xi, I really misjudged you."

When Mrs. Chen heard that her grandson was wrongly accused, she became furious and emotional.

Zhou Xuemei lowered her head guiltily, the scene of Dabao holding candy in his mouth last night flashed through her mind. Her dodge for a moment revealed her secret.

Although she knew in her heart that her son had done something wrong, Zhou Xuemei was still stubborn and refused to face it honestly in front of everyone.

"A loving mother often spoils her child," this old saying is reflected in Zhou Xuemei.

The villagers began to whisper to each other and exchange glances, and the gossip about Chen Dabao's bad character quietly spread among the crowd.

Chen Dabao's usual behavior of stealing and cheating has made his neighbors in the village avoid him.

As the balance of public opinion gradually tilted towards Chen Xi, Zhou Xuemei couldn't help but feel a little flustered and uneasy.

"Everyone, please don't be fooled by Chen Xi's docile appearance! Have you ever seen the shocking scars on Dabao's face? She, Chen Xi, was so ruthless that no ordinary woman could be compared to her!"

Zhou Xuemei defended her son at the top of her lungs, trying to use words to arouse people's sympathy for her son to prevent the balance in people's hearts from completely tipping to the other side.

Old Madam Chen also took the opportunity to join in, trying to stir up the crowd's emotions, and blamed Chen Xi: "Chen Xi, no matter what, you are the elder sister, how can you be so harsh on your brother? What if he is accidentally left with a lifelong disability, how will you let the Chen family suffer in the future?"

There was a hint of inflammatory flavor in her words, trying to shift the focus of the issue from Chen Dabao's behavior to Chen Xi's action.

Facing the doubtful and expectant eyes around him, Chen Xi took a deep breath and decided to make public the bitterness and suffering he had endured in the Chen family for many years and let the villagers judge.

"My fellow villagers, I believe that you have heard about the relationship between the Chen family and me. Not long ago, our relationship came to an end."

After calming down, Chen Xi continued, "My life in the Chen family was so hard. Chen Dabao often bullied my brother and me, and Zhou Xuemei and Old Lady Chen didn't know right from wrong. Our physical suffering became commonplace in their eyes. I finally got rid of that bondage and just wanted some peace, but they came to my house again and again to cause trouble. What can I do?"

After she finished speaking, a few crystal tears slid silently across her pale cheeks. Her pitiful look moved everyone present.

The discussion in the crowd became more and more heated, and most of them were accusing Old Lady Chen and Zhou Xuemei of treating Chen Xi and his sister inappropriately.

"Who would go hungry these days? I think they are being too harsh on the children and can't even give them a full meal."

Some people expressed their dissatisfaction with Mrs. Chen's behavior indignantly and stood up to speak for Chen Xi.

"That's right. The Chen family has two daughters-in-law. Why do you have to put all the pressure on this half-grown granddaughter? Could it be that you have acquiesced to the laziness of the two daughters-in-law?"

"Chen Dabao is your grandson, but aren't Chen Xi and Chen Rong your grandsons? This pair of siblings who lost their parents already had a tragic fate, and they didn't even receive the love and care of their elders. They have had a rough road growing up until now."

The discussion was full of criticism and contempt for Old Lady Chen and Zhou Xuemei. Amid the condemnation, the two turned pale and lowered their heads, appearing extremely embarrassed.

Chen Xi revealed all this not to gain sympathy, but to make public the truth of his years of forbearance.

Seeing the unanimous support from the people around them, Zhou Xuemei and Old Lady Chen knew they were no longer able to argue, so they had to leave the scene in embarrassment amid the unanimous reproaches from everyone.

Looking at those figures that were gradually moving away, Chen Xi's eyes were filled with complex emotions.

All the grievances and bitterness she had endured over the years seemed to have turned into a heavy burden at this moment, weighing on her heart.

In comparison, what those few people who had just suffered a slight humiliation endured seemed insignificant.

As the crowd slowly dispersed, several kind-hearted neighbors did not rush to leave, but gathered around Chen Xi, using their warm words to soothe his inner wounds.

"If we had known that Old Lady Chen would treat you and Chen Rong like this, we should have stood up and jointly filed a complaint with the county government, making Zhou Xuemei and Old Lady Chen pay the price for their actions!"

These strangers could understand his pain so deeply, while those who should have been closest to him were so cold and heartless. Chen Xi couldn't help but feel mixed emotions.

On the other side, Zhou Xuemei and Old Mrs. Chen rushed back home in a panic.

Originally they just wanted to teach Chen Xi a lesson, but they never thought things would get so out of control. The two of them secretly thanked themselves for getting away in time, otherwise, they would have really become the laughing stock of the neighbors.

"Mom, what should we do? Didn't Dabao get beaten in vain? He is the only child in our Chen family. His body hurts, but my heart hurts even more!" Zhou Xuemei's tone was full of anxiety and helplessness.

In fact, the Chen family has never truly accepted the two brothers Chen Xi and Chen Rong as part of the family.

Now that Chen Xi has taken the initiative to sever this thin bond of family affection, it has actually relieved them of a burden.

In particular, Old Mrs. Chen was deeply dissatisfied with Zhou Xuemei's excessive doting on Chen Dabao. She believed that this was the root cause of Chen Dabao's disregard for the rules and causing trouble outside.

Although everyone understands the truth, it is always difficult to control oneself when it comes to oneself.

Chen Dabao's current lack of autonomy and spoiled and permissive character are the direct result of his mother and grandmother's excessive pampering.

"Xuemei, don't take my words to heart. Dabao must be strictly disciplined and can't be spoiled like this any longer. He is a man, and one day he will have to face the storms of the world alone. You can't shield him from the wind and rain forever. Look at him, he is so clumsy even in such a small matter as dressing himself. How can this be allowed!"

Old Mrs. Chen's face was as gloomy as water, and her words revealed a stern reprimand.

Zhou Xuemei, however, has a different view on this: "Dabao has been raised in our hands since he was young. If he is spoiled, it is not just me who is to blame."

She looked at Old Mrs. Chen with a hint of dissatisfaction between her brows.

This time, a dispute arose for the first time over Chen Dabao's education.

At the same time, the Xu family.

Xu Jing was sitting alone at home, thinking hard about how to get close to Xie Tianyi.

After sending her daughter to school in the morning, she had been thinking about whether she could take this opportunity to establish a good relationship with Xie Tianyi's son.

However, after much thought, I still couldn't find a suitable reason.

Suddenly, an idea flashed through her mind.

Making pastries is her specialty. Why not make some fresh and delicious pastries by herself and give them to Xie Tianyi to taste. This can not only show off her cooking skills, but also serve as an opportunity to enhance their relationship.