Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Settling Scores

With the matter resolved, the crowd gradually dispersed, leaving Han Yan in an awkward predicament—neither able to leave nor stay, her face flushed with humiliation.

"Han Yan, A Hang is married now, and A Ming is of age. It's better for you if you don’t come to our house unless necessary," Zhang Xiaofeng said, her tone gentle yet delivering the most cutting words.

Han Yan seethed with hatred over the humiliation Zhang Xiaofeng had inflicted but dared not retort. She mumbled 'Got it,' barely hiding her reluctance, then she hastily fled...

"What a damn mess!" Grandma Lu sighed as she watched Han Yan leave.

"Grandma, are you feeling sorry for her?" Lu Yuan asked unhappily.

Grandma Lu looked at her spitfire of a granddaughter and chuckled. "Of course not. I’m just lamenting how a once-decent girl could turn out like this."

They weren’t fools—they knew exactly what Han Yan had been scheming.

Back then, they had sensed Han Yan’s calculating nature and deemed her unsuitable for A Hang, hence their polite refusal. Never had they imagined the Han family would stoop so low, revealing their true colors.

"She’s no good through and through," Lu Yuan fumed. "When my eldest brother was doing well, she was all over him, hinting at marriage. But the moment something happened to him, she acted as if she had no intention of marrying at all, afraid we’d latch onto her. And now that he’s married, she’s up to no good again..."

Lu Yuan was so furious she spoke without restraint, oblivious to the consequences. Zhang Xiaofeng’s expression shifted slightly as she grasped Lin Nannan’s hand. "Nan Nan, don’t misunderstand. Back then, we simply thought she was too manipulative for A Hang, which is why we didn’t agree."

Lin Nannan, who hadn’t been overthinking anything, was about to reassure her uneasy mother-in-law when Grandma Lu cut in first.

"A Hang’s wife is Nan Nan, and only Nan Nan. Remember this—if anyone dares to bully her, don’t blame me for being ruthless!" she declared firmly.

"That’s right! If anyone messes with my sister-in-law, I’ll fight them!" Lu Yuan was the first to chime in.

She thought the villagers were blind—her sister-in-law wasn’t foolish at all. In fact, she was incredibly sharp.

Her sister-in-law didn’t look down on her eldest brother and even fiercely protected him. Of course, Lu Yuan adored her and recognized no one else as her sister-in-law.

The others couldn’t help but laugh at her outburst. Lu Ming even ruffled Lu Yuan’s hair teasingly. "Talking big, huh? If it weren’t for Sister-in-law today, you’d just be throwing a tantrum."

She gave a sheepish grin—her cousin was right. Aside from stomping her feet in anger, she really had only been on the verge of tears.

"I’ll stick with my sister-in-law from now on and learn from her!" she declared proudly.

Lin Nannan laughed and agreed, "Alright, follow me, and I’ll show you how to thrive."

No one took her promise seriously at the time, dismissing it as mere coincidence. It wasn’t until later, when they saw Lu Yuan blossom under Nan Nan's wing, holding her own against anyone, that they realized how wise her choice had been.

...

All that morning's drama had thrown off their whole schedule, and with the day already late, Grandma Lu called for everyone to take a breather and head to the fields after lunch.

Lin Nannan, the one who saved the day, wasn't allowed to lift a finger. Everyone insisted she rest, so she ended up just doing nothing and went back inside.

Little did she know, Grandma Lu and the others watched her with fond smiles as she entered...

Lu Hang, who had waited, had been hoping someone would fill him in. The moment Lin Nannan walked in, he immediately asked, "How did it go?"

With all the commotion outside, he hadn’t caught much, only knowing that someone had been led away.