Su Qingtian was initially a little uncomfortable, but when he saw his sister-in-law's accusatory look, as if he had committed some heinous crime, a surge of anger rose within him.

He straightened his back, his self-righteous demeanor practically screaming "I deserve it!" as he loudly proclaimed:

“I work hard in the fields, sweating more than anyone else. What’s a few pancakes compared to that? My mother loves me because she cares about me. But sister-in-law, you and my brother always stay in town and never come back. When have you ever been filial to our parents? People are all made of flesh and blood. My mother just wants to love me, so what?”

Mrs. Ma stood gently to the side, a perfectly timed smile on her face, but that smile somehow carried an unsettling quality.

Her gaze lingered on Su Li for a fleeting moment without betraying any emotion, then she turned to Zhou Shi, who was trembling with anger, and said in a soft voice:

“Sister-in-law, we shouldn’t argue with our parents over such a small thing. Mother just felt sorry for Qingtian working so hard, that’s why she got him some food. We’re all family, we can’t let this ruin our relationship.”

As she spoke, Madam Ma took a few steps forward and took Old Madam Su's arm, appearing to be a kind and understanding person.

The anger in Zhou's heart suddenly flared up.

Well, it was clearly my mother-in-law who gave my second brother-in-law special treatment first, but these shameless in-laws say it like that, making me look like a petty and calculating person.

How can you bully people like this?

If we don't get to the bottom of this today, she'll have lived for decades in vain!

"Bang—" Zhou squinted and slammed the basket in her hand to the ground.

With a series of crashes and shatters, pots and pans were smashed to pieces, and the people working nearby couldn't help but look up at the Su family's field.

"Eldest daughter-in-law, what are you doing? Have you gone mad?!"

Old Mrs. Su's shrill roar carried far. She jerked her arm away from Madam Ma and made as if to step forward and slap Madam Zhou a few times.

"How dare you smash pots and pans in front of me and the old man! We're not dead yet, it's not your place to smash things!"

"I only love the second son. He does the most work in the fields. What's wrong with me making pancakes for him? He's my own son. Can't I love him? Who gives you, as his daughter-in-law, the right to tell me what to do?"

"You fool, I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!"

Zhou rolled up his sleeves, put his hands on his hips, and stood there without being afraid at all.

That damned old hag, she's been back for over a month now, when has she ever stopped?

All he does all day is torment his daughter-in-law. Now he's not even pretending anymore and wants to lay a hand on her in front of the villagers, is that it?

"Mother, let everyone judge this today. What kind of thing have you done? They're all your own sons, how can you be so biased? How many times have you secretly given the second son special treatment? So, we're eating coarse food every day, and all the good food we save goes to the second son?"

"Now look what's happened, it's all been exposed. Mother, you can't hide it anymore, and you still want all of us who have suffered losses to shut up? What kind of logic is that?"

"You say the second son was tired from working? Everyone knows he's the one who slacks off the most. You're really good at lying through your teeth!"

Su Qingtian was furious when he heard this. He threw down his farm tools, rushed forward, and glared at them angrily: "Who's slacking off? Sister-in-law, don't make things up!"

"How could I have lied? You know perfectly well whether you slacked off or not..."

Su Qingyi had been paying attention to the reactions of the surrounding villagers. He had originally thought of keeping the matter quiet and letting it pass, since the work in the fields was almost finished and they would soon be returning to town, so why make things worse?

But as more and more villagers gathered around him, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward.

He is the eldest son of the Su family and the father of the future scholar, so he cannot afford to give anyone cause for gossip.

"Alright, we're all family, do you really want to fight?"

With his usual fake smile on his face, Su Qingyi stepped forward, pulled Zhou Shi behind him, and said insincerely:

"Xiangming's mother is just a bit straightforward, she doesn't have any bad intentions. But to be honest, Mom, what you did this time was really unfair. Your favoritism has made everyone resentful. How can our family hold our heads high in the village from now on?"

Ma walked to her husband's side, a half-smile on her face:

"Brother, what you're saying is truly disheartening. We work ourselves to the bone, all hoping that our nephew can make something of himself soon. Mother felt sorry for Qingtian and made him two pancakes. You don't have to say such hurtful things, do you?"

His appearance and tone of voice made Zhou gasp for breath in anger.

She had always disliked Madam Ma's insidious and petty nature. Her husband had made the decision to send Xiangming to school, so what was there to be jealous about? If she was so capable, she should have a son who could study well herself!

Hmph, you're all talk and no action!

"You shameless bastard! You're all about pretending to be harmless. You're so good at talking! Your man eats all the food and you still think you're right? Your whole family is no good! You're even jealous of Xiangming. Isn't Xiangming studying all for the sake of the Su family?"

The more Zhou thought about it, the angrier she became. Her eyes turned fierce, and the next moment, taking advantage of Su Qingyi's inattention, she pounced straight at Ma.

A sharp slap landed directly on Mrs. Ma's smiling face—

"You think you're so talkative? Okay, okay, keep talking! I'll tear your mouth apart!"

Seeing his wife being taken advantage of, Su Qingtian quickly stepped forward to stop her, but he slipped and ended up falling on top of Zhou Shi.

Even Su Qingyi couldn't keep up the act anymore. "Second brother, how dare you hit your sister-in-law? Don't you even respect me as your older brother?!"

The four of them rolled around in a heap and started tearing at each other in front of the villagers, their former semblance of harmony completely gone.

The others rushed forward to break up the fight, but people were so angry that they couldn't be separated so easily.

Grandpa Su stood numbly to the side, watching the farce unfold before his own family. He felt his face burning with shame and indignation under the watchful eyes of everyone, as if it were about to consume him.

It's unbelievable that they made such a fuss over just two pancakes...

His face turned purplish-red, like a ripe mulberry that had been squeezed hard, with veins bulging on his forehead.

He slammed the hoe into the ground, sending dirt flying, and Old Master Su roared:

"Stop it all!"

"You bunch of good-for-nothings, pack your things and go home!"

"What a disgraceful piece of trash!"

A moment of silence fell over the surroundings. Grandma Su looked flustered; she had never seen Grandpa so angry before.

The men who had rolled on the ground quickly got up, dusted themselves off, and hung their heads, not daring to say another word.

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