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Lunch had already been served when Mrs. Yang finally returned, her expression exceptionally ugly. No one knew what was wrong with Mrs. Yang, except for Mrs. Wang, who felt increasingly uneasy. Old Man Han sat in the seat of honor, observing Mrs. Yang’s condition.

“Old lady, what’s happened to you? Weren’t you just chatting with your old sisters? Why do you come back looking so upset? Has something happened?”

Mrs. Yang didn’t respond to Old Man Han, instead scanning over everyone seated, her gaze resting on Mrs. Wang with a brooding and unstable look. In her heart, she regretted having been blind in the past, for having agreed to such a daughter-in-law for her son. Wasn’t this just a troublemaker? It was one thing to stir up trouble at home, but to go outside and tarnish her own family’s reputation was another matter entirely.

Seeing that her mother-in-law and everyone else were staring at her, Mrs. Wang was forced to speak up, albeit reluctantly: “Mother-in-law, have I done something wrong that you’re looking at me this way?”

Mrs. Yang remembered what her old sisters had told her, and with an angry snort, said, “Humph! What have you done wrong? Then you tell us, what do you think you’ve done wrong? Say it out loud for everyone to hear, and let’s see what kind of good daughter-in-law the Han family has brought into the household!”

“Daughter-in-law, what have you done to make mother so angry?” Han Lin asked Mrs. Wang, seeing his own mother this way, and felt a bit angry. His daughter-in-law had previously been trouble-free, and even if she did something, she would clean up her mess without letting his mother find out. But lately, she seemed to have grown foolish, always doing things to provoke his mother, and he ended up being scolded as well, which was unfortunate.

Mrs. Wang felt angry upon hearing her husband talk to her like that. And besides, it might not necessarily be that particular issue that had been discovered. Plus, even if it was, she had her own arguments. Why should Su Wenyue, the daughter-in-law, receive such good treatment? Thus, her tone became quite harsh.

“What have I done? I spend my days following you all to work in the fields, don’t I? What else could I do? Do you think I am the Fourth Daughter-in-law, who just stays at home and enjoys what’s provided, and doesn’t know why Mother is angry!”

Seeing Mrs. Wang still showing no signs of remorse and making such remarks, Mrs. Yang grew even more infuriated: “Why! Why don’t you talk about what wonderful things you’ve done? I wonder how all this gossip has been swirling around outside, and it turns out it all came from our own home!”

“Third Daughter-in-law, I simply don’t understand. What exactly did the Fourth Daughter-in-law do to offend you that you target her like this? At home, I remained silent because, after all, this is a conflict between sisters-in-law, and if I say too much, it will seem like I’m showing favoritism as a mother-in-law. But you should never have gone outside and gossiped about her, tarnishing her reputation. We are all Han family members, and if her reputation gets sullied, what benefit do you or the old Han family gain? Now, the rumors are spreading through the village, and it turns out they were started by my own daughter-in-law. You’ve disgraced me entirely!”

Mrs. Yang thought of how just a while ago, she was interrogated by a few old ladies, their amused looks at her daughters-in-law making her lose face entirely. How could she have any dignity in front of them now? In the past, everyone said her sons had married good daughters-in-law, but now each one of them was a source of anxiety.

“What bad things have I said about her? I just said she doesn’t work in the fields and acts like a pampered Miss from a wealthy family. That’s the truth, isn’t it? Doesn’t the family treat her like a Bodhisattva, holding her in high esteem? We’re all daughters-in-law, so why should she get to relax at home while we slave away? Was I wrong to call her lazy? And you say there’s no favoritism, but when it comes to household affairs, aren’t you biased toward her and toward your favored son? Is it so wrong for me to complain a little? As for how others choose to talk, that’s their business. It’s done; are they not allowed to speak? Where’s the logic in that?”

Mrs. Wang was essentially mixing up concepts, convincing herself more and more that she was justified, and that it was Mrs. Yang, the mother-in-law, who was biased. This left Mrs. Yang so angry she found it hard to speak; she hadn’t realized till then just how sharp her third daughter-in-law’s tongue was when talking back to her.

Han Lin did not think his wife was in the wrong. Indeed, his mother did favor his younger brother and his wife, and it had always been like that, even before the Fourth Daughter-in-law joined the family. He had long felt uncomfortable about it, but unlike his wife, he hadn’t spoken out. However, seeing his mother being so upset by his wife, he feared she might take ill from rage and so gave Mrs. Wang a light scolding.

“You ignorant woman, what nonsense are you talking? Whether Mother is biased is her own affair. What business is it of yours to babble mindlessly like this? Don’t you have any sense of decorum? Go admit your mistake to Mother, for heaven’s sake! Look how you’ve upset her! And hurry, pour her some water to drink; she must be thirsty after the walk home.” Han Lin signaled to Mrs. Wang as he spoke.

Mrs. Yang was really angry now. What had her good son become under Mrs. Wang’s influence? Listen to what he’s saying; he’s still implying that she’s biased. Every sentence is in defense of his wife. Mrs. Wang really had some nerve!

Mrs. Wang, realizing she might have gone too far and seeing Han Lin’s remarks, quickly took advantage of the situation and poured a cup of water for Mrs. Yang: “Mother, don’t be angry anymore. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have talked back to you. I just couldn’t hold my frustration a moment ago. Please forgive me this once, I ask you to be generously magnanimous.”

Is that how one apologizes? It’s as if she hadn’t done anything wrong, and the fault lay entirely with her mother-in-law! The apology lacked even a shred of sincerity. Mrs. Yang, seeing the cup of tea Mrs. Wang handed to her, couldn’t possibly accept it; doing so would mean admitting her own fault and bowing down to her daughter-in-law in front of the whole family, which was out of the question. No wonder the old ladies had said she was too lenient as a mother-in-law. Her daughters-in-law never took her seriously, completely undermining her authority. With these thoughts, Mrs. Yang swept her hand, dousing Mrs. Wang’s face with the entire bowl of tea.

Mrs. Wang looked incredulously at Mrs. Yang. She really had thought that Mrs. Yang was usually easy to talk to and would at most reprimand her—plus she had Han Lin’s support—so she was unguarded. It never crossed her mind that Mrs. Yang would suddenly take action, let alone in front of the whole family, especially in front of Su Wenyue, with whom she never got along. She had not only been scolded by her mother-in-law but also humiliated like this. Mrs. Wang cried out pitifully and grew increasingly convinced that life here was intolerable. Covering her face, she rushed out, gathered her things, and headed for her mother’s family.

Su Wenyue’s family was not to be trifled with, and her own family didn’t just roll over either. If the Su family didn’t provide a justification for her this time, she would bring her mother’s family to make a scene. She was determined to see who would lose face! With that resolution, Mrs. Wang sped off even faster.

“Look at all of you, just look! This is my good daughter-in-law. What sin have I committed?” Mrs. Yang pointed at Mrs. Wang’s retreating figure and exclaimed angrily..