"Auntie, don't do any more work!"
As they were leaving, Tang Xiaonan reminded her again and again. Phoebe Thorne nodded, her heart aching. 'It's all my fault for being so useless,' she thought, 'letting my niece be wronged like this. This time, I can't be such a pushover anymore. My brother is right—I have my family to back me up. What is there to be afraid of!'
"I know," Phoebe said. "Take these home to eat."
Phoebe Thorne had bought a basket of brown sugar fried dough twists; there wasn't much else presentable she could offer. Hiding in her room and peeking out, Mrs. Chapman's face turned livid when she saw the large basket. She hissed, "Spending my son's money to subsidize her own family. Hmph!"
Mr. Chapman coughed a few times and tried to reason with her. "The Thorne family brought plenty of things, too."
'In all honesty, the Thorne family was actually giving them more,' he thought. 'But the old woman always has to nitpick about every little thing. Sigh!'
