Li Yue Shu didn't lower her voice at all, as if she wanted everyone to hear her words.
She spoke righteously, her words imbued with power. "Before you knew I was the owner of Heng De Pharmacy, you took those children to find Doctor Chen, saying you would work for less to take our positions."
"As a woman, I not only have to support so many children, but also a husband who has lost his mind. If I were just a worker at the pharmacy, that would be the only income for our entire family."
"Even this you want to snatch away. Aren't you trying to force our entire third branch to death?"
Her accusations were forceful and resonant. Those who had initially felt Li Yue Shu's previous remark was excessive suddenly changed their minds.
The three members of the Shen family's faces flushed and paled. They opened their mouths for a long time but couldn't utter a single word.
Li Yue Shu's gaze was resolute, her expression stern. Standing beside Shen Wei, she appeared delicate, yet inexplicably, she exuded an aura of reverence.
Wherever one went, the word "filial piety" could weigh heavily on people.
But public opinion could also be a powerful force.
Li Yue Shu subtly took in everyone's expressions and slowly spoke again, "Filial piety is the foremost of all virtues. You are Shen Wei's mother and elder brother and sister-in-law, which is why I chose to tolerate your actions. But since you all want to drive my entire family to death, why should I care about such damn reputation!"
Her expression was firm. "Even a rabbit will bite when cornered. If the Shen family bothers my family again, they will either kill me, or I will kill them!"
This last sentence struck everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer.
When pushed to the brink, country folk often resorted to threats of death or dire consequences, but few actually wished for death.
Yet, for some reason, Li Yue Shu's words made everyone believe that if she were truly cornered, she would fight to the death.
The three Shen family members were also subdued by her imposing presence, instinctively shrinking back, their previous arrogance completely gone.
Everyone stared at Li Yue Shu, the silence so profound that only the sound of breathing could be heard.
Seeing this, Li Yue Shu slightly softened her tone and looked at the village elder. "I've invited you here today, Elder, to ask for your assistance in settling a matter."
The village elder, still recovering from her earlier intensity, nodded repeatedly. "Speak, speak."
Li Yue Shu glanced at the Shen family members and sighed helplessly, her imposing manner diminishing. "Although my mother-in-law never fulfilled her duties as a mother, she is still Shen Wei's birth mother, and we cannot simply abandon her."
"From today onwards, I am willing to contribute six hundred catties of grain annually, as a gesture of Shen Wei's filial piety."
Upon hearing this, everyone was astonished.
"Six hundred catties of grain annually? That's more than enough to feed an adult man!"
"Heavens, I've never seen such a generous daughter-in-law!"
"Li Yue Shu's words have merit. The Shen family abandoned Shen Wei back then, and she's still willing to return and show filial piety. That's already going above and beyond!"
"If I had such in-laws, forget six hundred catties of grain a year, I wouldn't give them a single grain of rice!"
...
Suddenly, those who had found Li Yue Shu's earlier words a bit too harsh instantly changed their minds. Their gazes towards Shen Mu were filled with jealousy and condemnation.
The three Shen family members clearly noticed the surrounding looks, their faces burning with embarrassment.
They couldn't understand how the situation had escalated to this point when they had barely spoken a few words.
The village elder, who had been standing there for a while, finally found his role. "Very well, Shen's third son's wife, I will make this decision for you!"
"Thank you, Elder," Li Yue Shu said with a sweet smile. "However, I'm afraid I cannot give the grain for this year."
"What?!" Shen Mu immediately jumped up. "You go back on your word just like that? Elder, look, this poisonous woman is not sincere at all!"
The village elder frowned at Li Yue Shu, but he felt she wasn't that kind of person.
Li Yue Shu's lips curved slightly, and then she pointed at Mother Mo. "Although Mo Lian is Ah Min's attendant, his mother is my patient. I've been using high-quality medicinal ingredients to nourish Aunt Mo's health during this period. Each dose costs at least two taels of silver."
"She was just beaten by her mother-in-law. Not only has all the treatment gone to waste, but her health is even worse than before. When you tally up the expenses, it far exceeds six hundred catties of grain."
"How is that possible!" Yang Shi, forgetting her demeanor, exclaimed, "Is your medicine made of gold? Two taels of silver!"
Li Yue Shu's expression was calm. "My prescriptions contain over a dozen precious ingredients like ginseng, ejiao, and lingzhi. Two taels of silver is a conservative estimate. If you don't believe me, sister-in-law, you can sit down and we can tally it up properly. Based on the final price, you can compensate me, and I'll have someone deliver six hundred catties of grain to your home tomorrow."
Yang Shi knew nothing about such matters. Seeing her so certain, she was instantly silenced.
Seeing this, the village elder directly declared, "It's settled. From next year onwards, Shen's third son's wife will contribute six hundred catties of grain annually. You all should stop bothering them, or I'll deal with you first!"
The village elder knew the Shen family's character. After hearing Li Yue Shu's words today, he disliked them even more, and his tone grew heavier.
And so, the Shen family left empty-handed as they had arrived.
It wasn't until they returned home that they belatedly realized.
After days of effort and labor, they hadn't earned any money and had lost all their assets.
Although they would receive six hundred catties of grain annually, they would get nothing this year.
In the end, all they had left was a tiled house and a few acres of overgrown fields.
"It's all your fault! If it weren't for your wicked idea, we wouldn't have ended up like this!" Shen Mu vented all her anger on Yang Shi, pouncing on her to hit her.
Since Shen family had fallen to this state, Yang Shi naturally wouldn't tolerate it any longer. "Why blame me alone? You agreed to it back then!"
Thus, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, who usually appeared harmonious and close, began to physically fight.
Shen Wang, already frustrated, couldn't separate them after pulling for a long time, so he simply ran out of the house and abandoned them.
...
Compared to the chaos in the Shen family, Li Yue Shu's side was remarkably harmonious and loving.
After the Shen family left, Li Yue Shu had Shen Wei distribute the candies and pastries she usually bought for the children to the onlookers who had witnessed the spectacle. She thanked them for speaking up for her and, more importantly, thanked the village elder for his fair judgment that had saved her family from hardship.
This further solidified everyone's conviction that Li Yue Shu's actions that day were entirely justified.
For Old Man Liu and his wife, who had helped, Li Yue Shu, despite their protests, sent several catties of meat.
While Li Yue Shu was busy building good relationships with the villagers, Shen Wei followed her like an obedient shadow, doing whatever she asked.
However, in places unseen by others, his gaze would often drift towards the Shen family's direction.
In his beautiful eyes, a hint of a dangerous and eerie glint appeared.