It was as if the things in this house were already theirs and they were now just short of bringing these things home.
“These are my betrothal gifts. I won’t lend anything to anyone, let alone let you take away even a needle or thread. You can rest assured of that!”
Qiao Mei made it very clear in a direct manner. She was afraid that they would not understand her, so she made sure to emphasize the tone of her voice.
Anyone who heard her would know that she was not to be trifled with.
The two aunties looked at each other. Big Auntie Qiao walked over first and stuck her head out to look inside. She exclaimed, “I’ll just look and I won’t touch anything. I’m just going to take a look, you’re not petty to the extent that I can’t look, right?”
At the side, Third Auntie Qiao was waiting for an opportunity to make a move, looking at the interaction between the two of them with shifty eyes.
One look and Qiao Mei immediately knew what the two of them were up to.
She then picked up a broom placed outside the door and waved it vigorously, shouting at the two aunties, “The two of you better don’t come over. If you come any further, I can’t guarantee that the broom in my hand won’t swing at your heads and scratch your faces.”
“When the time comes, I’ll see how you can get daughters-in-law with faces like that!”
As she spoke, she spinned the broom around in her hand.
Coupled with the muscles on her arms, she looked a little scary. These few actions made the two aunties cry out in fear and they could not help taking a step back.
“If you don’t leave now, I’m going to call for help,” Qiao Mei continued. “I want to see which one of you wants to let the entire village know that you want to take away my betrothal gifts!”
These words were meant to shame them.
Although the two Qiao aunties did not care about the opinions of the villagers, they felt a little afraid when they thought of the two comrades who sent over the betrothal gifts.
After all, they were soldiers. It would not be good if they heard about what happened.
There was no other choice. The two of them reluctantly took a last look at the piece of fabric in the room and then exchanged a look with each other. They turned around, full of resentment, and spat on the ground.
“Pfft, do you really think we care about such lousy betrothal gifts?”
“That’s right. I think that young man is really blind to marry you. Wait and see, when he sees your true colors after you marry him, he won’t want you anymore!”
Very quickly, the two of them walked further and further away, cursing every few steps.
When the two of them reached the front room, they saw people still in the courtyard and were glad they could finally find someone to talk to.
At this moment, other than the Qiao family, there were still a few neighbors who had not left yet.
Qiao Qiang sat on a stool, speaking to the person beside him with a smile.
When Big Auntie Qiao saw Qiao Qiang, she jogged over. “Uncle, you have to discipline your Qiao Mei. The two of us went to look at the betrothal gifts and wanted to borrow something. The moment we asked, we were chased out by Qiao Mei! She really has no affection for us as her aunties!”
“That’s right, Uncle!” Third Auntie Qiao managed to squeeze some tears from her eyes. “Uncle, she can’t step on people like this. I’m her aunt, not a thief. Is there a need for her to be so guarded? The two of us really feel terrible!”
The people around them stopped what they were doing to glance at the two of them.
Qiao Zhuang glared at the two of them. They were really useless, not even able to handle such a small matter.
Qiao Yu took a look at Qiao Qiang and glanced at that room from the corner of her eye.
Third Auntie Qiao continued to kick up a fuss. “There’s a lot of money wrapped in that cloth, probably a few thousand dollars. I don’t think Qiao Mei is someone who knows how to save money. She might just wastefully spend it all!”
Her voice was thunderous, as if she wanted the whole village to hear her.
A smug look flashed across her eyes. It would be good if everyone knew about it. If and when the money got stolen for no reason, then it would become a big joke.
Qiao Qiang slammed his liquor glass on the table and said, “The amount of betrothal gifts and money that our family has has nothing to do with your Qiao Zhuang’s family. Don’t even have any ideas about this money!”
“And those betrothal gifts all belong to my Mei Mei!”