Chapter 143: Chapter 143: The Shit-stirrer

Raina was absolutely fuming. She patted Phoebe Thorne lightly a few times, hating the Chapman family for their heartlessness and angry at Phoebe for just taking it all in silence. And to top it off, she hadn’t even gotten to fight anyone today, which left her feeling unbelievably frustrated.

To truly feel satisfied, you had to get physical. A war of words just left you with a dry mouth and had no real kick to it.

“I… I was afraid you’d all be angry if you found out. My brothers are both so busy, how could I have them running around all the time for my little problems? I’ve gotten by all these years,” Phoebe Thorne said quietly, her eyes welling up.

She knew her parents and brothers loved her dearly, but she was married now. She couldn’t just run home to complain every day, could she? She had to live her own life. But Phoebe Thorne truly hadn’t expected them to get this angry—angry enough to drop everything and rush over, even taking her home to recover.

Phoebe Thorne’s heart was a mix of guilt and warmth. Even after being married for so many years, her parents and brothers still cherished her just as they always had. She could only blame herself for not being stronger, for causing so much trouble for her family.

“We always have time, no matter how busy we are. A daughter of the Thorne family is not married off to be some maid,” Felix Thorne said sternly.

“Phoebe, you should have told us sooner. Every time you come home, you only ever share the good news. If it hadn’t been for Goldie this time, were you going to wait until something terrible happened to finally speak up? It would be too late for regrets by then.”

The speaker was a handsome, clean-shaven man. He bore a strong resemblance to Goldie Thorne but carried himself with a calmer air. This was the Thorne family’s second son, Frederick Thorne, a technician at the town distillery. He earned a cadre’s salary of over forty yuan a month, which was considered a high income at the time.

Frederick Thorne had a calm and steady personality and was the most educated in the family, having graduated from high school. He was a man of few words but had strong opinions of his own and treated his wife well. His greatest regret was having no children, so he was wonderful to his three nephews, treating them like his own sons. He particularly doted on Tang Xiaonan, bringing her a gift every time he came home.

In the book, Frederick Thorne and his wife had also met a tragic end—one dead, one insane, and they never had any children. Seeing Frederick reminded Tang Xiaonan of something extremely important, which was probably the catalyst for his family’s tragic fate. ’I have to make a note of this in my little book so I don’t forget later.’

Goldie Thorne nodded vigorously, not missing the chance to pat himself on the back. “I told you so, didn’t I? I said a long time ago that Brian Chapman was no good and his whole family is fake, but none of you believed me.”

“Brian Chapman himself isn’t so bad; he’s just excessively filial. Phoebe’s father-in-law is sly, but he’s in poor health and doesn’t have the energy to make trouble. The biggest shit-stirrer is Phoebe’s mother-in-law. Phoebe’s life will only get easier if that old hag behaves herself.”

Shane Thorne analyzed the situation in a slow, deliberate manner, laying out the Chapman family’s circumstances with perfect clarity. It was also thanks to the old man’s silver tongue today that the Chapmans had been argued into silence and had obediently let them take Phoebe Thorne and her daughter home. Otherwise, if the Chapman family had decided to play rough, it wouldn’t have been nearly so easy to get them out of there. A physical fight would have been unavoidable.

But if it had come to blows, things would have gotten much bigger. The Chapman family wasn’t some minor household; Brian Chapman had uncles and cousins. If they had gotten involved, the Thorne family wouldn’t have stood a chance, no matter how well they could fight. Even a mighty dragon can’t crush a local snake, after all.

“That old hag is rotten to the core. There’s no way she’ll ever change. It’d be best if she just dropped dead. Then there would be peace in the world,” Goldie Thorne said hatefully.

Raina scoffed. “That old hag has everything handed to her on a silver platter. She lives a comfortable life. Why would someone like that die an early death?”

’In my opinion, we should have just resorted to violence,’ Raina thought. ’Beat that old hag into submission. If once wasn’t enough, do it twice. After a few beatings, she’d learn to behave. But Shane Thorne is always saying violence isn’t the answer, and I feel like I’m going to burst from the frustration.’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep