Chapter 149: Chapter 84: Laicai’s Power (Part 2)

At that, Juhua practically jumped to her feet. Her voice shot up as she cried out, “Whoa! Then what did you say? Did Grandma agree?”

Qingmu quickly grabbed her, trying to calm her down. “I didn’t even wait for Grandma to speak. I just said that it wouldn’t do. I told her that while we wouldn’t mind otherwise, Laicai is too much of a troublemaker for us to handle. I said Mom and you are both busy, so you wouldn’t have time to look after him. And if he got into any trouble, it would be difficult to explain to Second Aunt.”

Juhua stared at him in astonishment. ’Since when did he become so eloquent?’

Seeing his sister’s surprised expression, Qingmu felt a little embarrassed. “The other day, our teacher was explaining the *Analects* and he quoted a saying: ’To fail to speak with someone who can be spoken with is to lose a person; to speak with someone who cannot be spoken with is to waste your words.’ He meant that if someone is reasonable and you don’t explain yourself clearly, you risk losing a friend through misunderstanding. That’s ’losing a person.’ But if someone is unreasonable, and you try to reason with them, you’re just inviting scorn. That’s ’wasting your words.’ I think Second Aunt is the unreasonable kind. There’s nothing to say to her. It’s best to just say no. No matter how much you explain, she won’t listen, and you’ll only end up angry.”

Juhua was both surprised and amused. ’If Confucius himself knew his famous saying could make a simple village boy suddenly so tactful and decisive, I wonder what he would think.’ Of course, Juhua was only delighted.

She couldn’t hold it in any longer and ended up laughing with Qingmu for a good while.

Just then, Mrs. Yang and Zheng Changhe came in carrying dishes and a small stove. Seeing the brother and sister laughing so heartily, she asked, “What are you two laughing about?”

So Juhua told her about Laicai.

Mrs. Yang’s voice instantly rose. “She dares send him here? I’ll send him right back the moment he arrives. She should take a good look at how spoiled Laicai is! And she wants to send him to my house? I’d spank him three times a day!”

Her reaction was just like Juhua’s. Even though she heard Qingmu had already refused Second Aunt, the thought alone left her rattled and furious. ’Can’t my second sister-in-law ever just be quiet?’

Seeing that her mother’s reaction was even more extreme than her own, Juhua thought, ’That Laicai is really something else. He can terrify our whole family from miles away. Mom has never read the *Analects*, but her approach to dealing with Second Aunt perfectly embodies the essence of that sage’s wisdom.’

“Oh, shoot! Mom, aren’t they supposed to visit after the New Year?” Juhua suddenly recalled, turning to ask Mrs. Yang anxiously.

Seeing Juhua shrink away from the idea of Laicai as if he were a venomous snake, Qingmu thought, ’My sister must have truly suffered at his hands.’ He tried to console her, “Usually, they visit their own maternal grandmother first for the New Year, then come here to stay for a night. Sometimes they don’t even stay over; they just have lunch and leave.”

Zheng Changhe added, “Your Second Aunt has her own family to visit. She won’t have that much time to spend here.”

Mrs. Yang and Juhua exchanged a glance. Mrs. Yang said, “I’m afraid this year will be different. She’s sure to come and cause a scene. In previous years, we were poor, so she had no reason to hang around. But now we have plenty of food and drink. Knowing her, she’ll settle in and never want to leave! Sigh… If people heard me being so stingy, they’d surely laugh at us. Anyone who didn’t know better would think we were the kind of people who turn their backs on family. It’s not that I’m afraid of her eating our food; I just don’t want her bringing Laicai to wreak havoc—I’m truly terrified of that boy. And as his aunt, a daughter who married out, it’s not my place to meddle or say too much. My second brother would be upset if he heard me.”

“That’s what I was thinking, too,” Juhua said, her spirits sinking. “She’s definitely going to stay for a good long while. We have all this meat saved up.”

Qingmu and Zheng Changhe were stunned as well, realizing the situation looked bleak!

Seeing how a single child had the whole family on edge, Juhua couldn’t help but laugh. ’It’s not that we’re really afraid of him and Second Aunt,’ she thought. ’We’re just trying to be respectful for Uncle’s and Grandma’s sakes. Looks like I’ll have to be the one to give that brat a good thrashing—one so thorough he won’t dare to come again. Only then will this be over.’

With that, she hopped off the foot warmer and said to Mrs. Yang and the others, “Come on, it’s not like he can live with us forever, right? When they’re here, we’ll just invite First Aunt, Grandma, and our cousins Laifu and Laixi over, too. When it’s time for them to leave, would Second Aunt have the gall to stay behind? I doubt Grandma would even let her!”

Mrs. Yang and the others all laughed.

Zheng Changhe grumbled, “I’ve never seen such a mischievous kid in my life.”

Juhua blinked. “That’s only because you haven’t noticed, Dad. I’d say that Gou Dan kid is just as bad as Laicai. It’s a case of the pot calling the kettle black with those two. Meizi is always at her wit’s end with him; no wonder Gou Dan’s mother is always threatening to beat him. Little Shitou is much better. He’s naughty, but in a charming way.”

As the family began to eat, Mrs. Yang emphasized, “Even if she wants to extend her stay, your grandmother can’t possibly allow it. Does she have nothing to do at her own home? What we absolutely, under no circumstances, can agree to is letting Laicai attend the village school. If that happens, we can forget about ever having a moment’s peace in this house.”

Zheng Changhe, his mouth full of food, nodded repeatedly.

Juhua smiled. “Don’t worry, Mom. Now that even Qingmu knows how to handle her, there’s no chance we’ll agree. You should also have a word with Grandma and ask her to run some interference for us.”

Mrs. Yang tapped Juhua’s forehead with her chopsticks. “You silly girl!” she chided. “If it were about anything else, your grandmother would surely take our side, and she does discipline Laicai when he misbehaves. But he’s her grandson, after all. If I went to her and said something like that, making it plain how much I can’t stand him, I’d just make the old lady furious, wouldn’t I? You see her scolding him all the time, but she actually dotes on him. Do you really expect her to put your family before him? She might even be hoping Laicai can come here to study! One is her son’s son, the other is her daughter’s son. It’s like choosing between the palm of your hand and the back of it. What do you want her to do?”

Qingmu paused, chopsticks in hand. After a moment of thought, he said, “Actually, when Second Aunt brought it up, Grandma didn’t seem to object at all.”

This new piece of information made everyone even more anxious. If Grandma herself were to ask, it would be a huge problem. Juhua, however, hardened her resolve. ’It doesn’t matter if it’s Grandma who asks,’ she decided. ’Even if Grandpa were to climb out of his grave and demand we let Laicai study here, the answer would still be no.’

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep