The tycoon's wicked wife from the era of literature has been reborn.

Chapter 168 Allowing Yourself to Be Afraid

Jiang's mother said worriedly, "This time we've offended all your uncles, what are we going to do?"

Jiang Yu asked incredulously, "You're still worried about them?"

"Mom, can't you tell who your family members really are?"

Jiang's mother seemed not to hear, lost in her own world, and continued to worry:
"You two have no idea how difficult it is to live without a man in the house."

Jiang Yu stared in disbelief: "Is my brother a woman?"

"Besides, what's wrong with women? Aren't my sister-in-law and Gao Qingya women too? Look at my uncle and aunt, they tried to bully people, but they were chased away!"

Jiang Yu gritted her teeth and said in a low, excited voice, "Mom, your aunt and the others never intended to help you. They just want to stir up trouble. They can't stand to see us doing well. They're deliberately trying to ruin your relationship with your sister-in-law."

“You always tell me and my brother to get along well with our uncles, saying that this way we'll have someone to help us if something happens to us. But what have they done for us all these years? On the contrary, my brother has cleaned up their messes countless times!”

Jiang's mother also didn't understand why her daughter got so agitated whenever her uncle was mentioned.

He sighed helplessly, "Yu, that's your father's own brother. A family should help each other. Your brother is capable, so what's wrong with him helping his uncle?"

Thinking of the commotion that afternoon, Jiang's mother said sadly, "Now look what's happened. Things have gotten so bad. I don't even know how I'll apologize to them before they'll forgive your brother."

Jiang Yu felt a surge of anger rush to her head, but her mother's reaction held her back, leaving her unable to catch her breath.

A profound sense of powerlessness washed over Jiang Yu. She took two deep breaths and decided that she shouldn't have any expectations of her mother.

"We can't offend them, they are your own uncle and aunt. If we offend them, our lives will be difficult," Jiang's mother muttered to herself.

Hopeless! Jiang Yu strode out of the kitchen and into the yard.

She had originally planned to go see a movie as well.

But his feet were firmly planted at the kitchen doorway, and he couldn't bring himself to step over it.

What right does she have to despise her mother?
She herself is a coward.

Jiang Yu looked at the backs of Gao Qinghe and her sister under the movie screen, envying them, and feeling guilty and disgusted with herself for her inaction today.

In this afternoon's farce, how was she any different from her mother?
One was hiding behind someone else, while the other hid alone in a corner.

Jiang Yu couldn't understand why she always felt a strange sense of panic, afraid of this and that.

But what exactly is she afraid of?

I can't answer it, I'm just afraid, always afraid.

It seems that from the moment we become conscious, we are afraid of this and that.

This afternoon she asked herself, what if I'm not afraid?

They are not afraid of being suppressed by their elders, not afraid of being laughed at by their fellow villagers, and not afraid of being pointed at and gossiped about by others.

It doesn't seem like anything will happen.

So what?

She is afraid of being suppressed, criticized, or laughed at.

It doesn't seem like anything will happen.

You see, Gao Qinghe and Gao Qingya don't care about anyone's opinion at all.

I recall the scene that afternoon when my eldest uncle, second uncle, third uncle, and fourth uncle were slinked away.

Jiang Yu felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration!

But she still wouldn't dare to stand in front of these elders and spout nonsense.

In the courtyard, the areas illuminated by the movie screen were brightly lit.

Where Jiang Yu was standing, only a few rays of light occasionally flashed by.

She gazed at the person in the light for a long time, her hands hanging at her sides gradually clenching into fists, as if she had made up her mind.

Jiang Yu let out a breath. She decided to allow herself to be a coward who was afraid.

Even after the movie "Shaolin Temple" ended, the audience was reluctant to leave.

Old Ding played another movie for everyone before reluctantly leaving.

The courtyard, which was bustling with activity during the day, is now empty except for a few family members.

Zhao Village is a small-town-sized village, with 60% of its residents being coal miners' families. The miners earn high wages, and their living conditions are much better than in the surrounding villages.

It only takes ten minutes to walk from Zhao Village to the town, and about forty minutes to ride a bike to the county seat.

The Jiang family's old house is located along the main road leading into the town, with a road right outside the door.

After crossing the road, there are vast rice paddies, and all you can hear is the chorus of frogs.

Jiang's mother seems to have gone back to her room to rest; she wasn't seen.

Gao Qingya yawned and followed Jiang Yu to the newly built bathroom in the northeast corner of the yard to wash up.

Jiang Yu didn't say much. Gao Qingya watched two movies and spent the whole day cursing, so she didn't have the energy to deal with interpersonal relationships anymore.

Two girls of similar age silently finished washing up and then silently returned to their room.

Jiang Yu's bed is 1.5 meters wide, which is quite spacious for two young girls.

Gao Qingya lay down on the mat and fell asleep as if she were at home.

After lying down for a while, she felt the night wind was a bit chilly, so she patted the person next to her and asked Jiang Yu to get her a thin blanket to cover her stomach.

Jiang Yu has been sleeping in a room by herself since she was six years old.

When relatives come to visit and stay overnight, she would rather sleep on the hard wooden sofa with her pillow than sleep with others.

The only reason I can tolerate Gao Qingya today is because she displayed great power and drove away the bad relatives.

Unexpectedly, this person was completely at ease and treated the room as his own.

Jiang Yu was also busy today. She was tired and sleepy, and didn't want to move much while lying down.

I was thinking that the person next to me would fall asleep soon and forget about it.

To her utter surprise, a hand reached out and pushed her off the bed.

Jiang Yu was startled, thinking that she was going to hit her.

When I stood up and looked down, I saw that the person on the bed had their eyes closed and was snoring softly from their nose.

Gao Qingya is never a peaceful sleeper; whoever sleeps with her is doomed.

Jiang Yu was stunned and a little angry when she saw it for the first time.

She put on her glasses and went to the closet to find a thin blanket.

I covered her stomach with the blanket, thinking that she would behave now.

An arm crossed over his neck.

The weight was so heavy that Jiang Yu could hardly breathe.

The timid girl, in a fit of anger, removed the arm from her neck, turned her back, and went to sleep.

Gao Qinghe was unaware of what was happening in the small room next door.

Seeing that the light on the window was off, they assumed the two had fallen asleep peacefully.

Gao Qinghe felt both familiar and acquainted with this old house.

To say I'm not familiar with it is because it's been decades since I last went there.

However, I still have a vague impression of the general layout of the old house.

This one-and-a-half-story bungalow was built by Jiang Baohai's grandfather while he was still alive. The land was approved in 76 and the house was completed in 77.

There are four rooms, a living room, and a small kitchen on the east side.

The old man planned to build it as a retirement home, and all his savings were used for this house.

Unfortunately, the old man passed away shortly after the house was built, without getting to enjoy much happiness.

As for why the house ended up with Jiang Baohai's father, that's a long story.

When the old man fell ill, the three brothers discussed their parents' care. The two older brothers were unwilling, so Jiang Baohai's father took on the responsibility of caring for and supporting his parents.

So before the old man died, he left a will stating that whoever took care of him and his wife until their deaths would receive the house.

(End of this chapter)