Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Holding a Grudge_1
Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Holding a Grudge_1
Apart from Li Xiaomei, who was in fact Wei Family’s cousin by marriage, the eldest daughter-in-law, Liu, and the youngest, Jin, had often been harshly oppressed by the Wei Family. Seeing Wei beaten was secretly very satisfying for them, but they dared not show their true feelings. At this point, they certainly wouldn’t be foolish enough to fight with their aunt-in-law on behalf of Wei, risking harm to themselves for no good reason.
“What are you all standing around for, didn’t you hear what I said!” Wei looked at Zhao Lan’s mocking eyes and grew even more enraged.
“Second mother, our aunt-in-law is also our elder. It wouldn’t be right for me to raise a hand against her,” Liu said seriously. Wei glanced at Liu; indeed, she wasn’t her own flesh and blood and was useless in a crisis. She then turned to the other two daughters-in-law. Li Xiaomei and Jin shrank back.
“Mother, we can’t overpower our aunt-in-law. As the saying goes, a wise man does not fight when the odds are against him. Let’s go back first and have father-in-law and husband decide for you,” Li Xiaomei explained somewhat fearfully, yet with disdain for Wei in her heart. Wei was trying to make them step in just because she had suffered a setback herself, taking her daughters-in-law for granted.
Although Liu and Jin felt that Wei usually favored Li Xiaomei, Xiaomei did not feel much gratitude toward Wei, her cousin by marriage and mother-in-law, and even harbored some resentment. After all, no matter how good the in-law’s family was, it couldn’t compare to her own. At home, she had been the cherished youngest daughter, somewhat spoiled, with her sisters-in-law doing most of the household chores, and she rarely needed to lift a finger. Now, married into the Zhao Family, she was at Wei’s beck and call and couldn’t complain, even if Wei was somewhat nicer to her than to Liu and Jin, the resentment remained.
And so it had come to this: Wei and her daughters-in-law returned to the Zhao Family’s old home for reinforcements, which led to the scene Dalang had witnessed. Over a matter of three taels of silver, the people of the Zhao Family’s old home had gotten into a physical fight with Zhao Lan’s husband’s family, turning kin into enemies. The Zhao old home had the advantage in numbers, so naturally, Zhao Lan’s side was at the disadvantage in the fight.
With her sons’ help, Wei sought revenge for the earlier slap by grabbing Zhao Lan and hitting her several times, scratching up Zhao Lan’s face. Zhao Lan fought back furiously. Wei didn’t fare any better; after all, her sons, having been coddled from a young age, were nowhere near as strong as the average villagers. When Zhao Lan managed to break free and fought back with desperate strength, grabbing Wei and beating her ruthlessly, the scene devolved into chaos. It wasn’t until the village head arrived that he was able to stop the fight.
Each family insisted they were in the right, bickering until everyone was left with a headache. In the end, under the village head’s decision, Zhao Lan was indeed obliged to give the Zhao Family’s old home three taels of silver as per the contract. However, given that Zhao Lan and her husband had been beaten so badly by them, one tael was deducted for medical expenses. In the end, Zhao Lan handed over two taels of silver to Wei in front of the village head and the crowd, and Wei destroyed the contract in front of everyone as well. Although the matter was resolved, the two families had gone from being relatives to enemies, leaving open the question of whether it was worth it or not.
Lin Yue’s injury from the last time hadn’t been deep; it was mostly due to excessive blood loss. A little nourishment was all that was needed for recovery. Having had a few days of good care, she was nearly healed. Zhao Erhu had gone into the city to fetch Doctor Zheng for a second examination to ensure Lin Yue was truly alright, and having been reassured, he knew it was time for him to go hunting in the mountains. Otherwise, their dwindling funds would not be enough to support his wife and child.
However, before heading to the mountains, Zhao Erhu decided he couldn’t keep Lin Yue confined to her room any longer. After so many days, he believed his young wife must have reflected and learned something from the ordeal.