Madam Zhou gave a pair of earrings to Zhou Xiuer. It was not only her concerns about Wufu becoming angry and making a scene that worried her, but Zhou Xiuer herself was also somewhat anxious because of the precedent set by Madam Lu.
She spent a night fraught with anxiety, even dreaming that Wufu came over and beat her. When she woke up the next day and realized it was just a dream, that Wufu had not come, she suddenly felt refreshed and relieved, and confidently put the earrings on.
Zhou Xiuer had something, everyone in the family knew. At breakfast, Old Lady Zhou’s sharp eyes, and the conspicuous color of the earrings, made it hard to overlook.
"Where did those come from?" Old Lady Zhou asked, pointing at Zhou Xiuer’s ears with her chopsticks.
All eyes turned to look in unison, and Lady Liang blinked several times.
"Auntie gave them to me," Zhou Xiuer said, flaunting her head with pride.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she said this, Old Lady Zhou’s expression changed, and she slapped her chopsticks down on the table.
"Gave them to you? Did she give them to you, or did you snatch them from her?" Old Lady Zhou asked with a darkened expression.
Ever since Wufu’s family had started living more comfortably, Xiuxiu and her mother had been eyeing Madam Zhou’s possessions greedily, hatching plans to get them every two to three days. Old Lady Zhou knew it and had strictly forbidden them from going over there, fearing they might cause a scene.
But people have their own two feet, and the old woman’s words were not heeded; her children would not listen. Despite her efforts to stop them from going over because of their greed, there had been no embarrassment to speak of, so she had let it slide.
Now, however, as Zhou Xiuer came home wearing jewelry, Old Lady Zhou immediately thought of the incident when Madam Lu had stolen a hairpin and was beaten by Wufu.
She still vividly remembered the vicious look in Wufu’s eyes.
She couldn’t believe that these people, their wounds healed, had forgotten the pain and were being greedy again.
"Grandma, don’t use such ugly words. It wasn’t a snatch; Auntie dotes on me and rewarded me with them," Xiuxiu retorted upon hearing the word "snatch." She didn’t like that at all. She wasn’t a robber; what was this talk of snatching?
Old Lady Zhou pounded the table hard, glowering at Zhou Xiuer. "Ugly words? You still won’t tell the truth? I think you have no regard for your life, forgetting how your mother’s fingers were broken."
Madam Lu’s face stiffened as she looked at her own fingers. Even though they had healed, she still felt a faint pain, unsure if it was psychological.
"Mother, don’t get angry. Let’s listen to what Xiuer has to say first," Madam Lu, feeling disgruntled from being the topic of discussion, interjected awkwardly.
Having the past brought up in front of her daughter-in-law was too much; her mother-in-law was really not giving her the face she deserved as the elder daughter-in-law.
Zhou Xiuer, scared out of her wits, began to cry as she spoke: "It’s true, Auntie gave them to me. I couldn’t refuse the gift from an elder; Auntie gave them to me, so of course, I had to accept."
Lady Liang listened, silently cast her eyes down, and gnawed on the bread in her hands. She could see her niece’s nature clearly enough; all this talk of not daring to refuse a gift from an elder, she must have coaxed it out of Madam Zhou.
"I told you not to go to their place, why didn’t you listen? You even dared to cajole Wufu’s mother; I think you’re asking for trouble," Old Lady Zhou said indignantly. "Go and return those earrings right now."
"Auntie gave them to me, why should I return them? Auntie didn’t ask for them back," Zhou Xiuer defiantly refused. She had finally managed to coax them out, why should she return them?
Old Lady Zhou would not let anyone challenge her authority. Faced with Zhou Xiuer’s rebuttal, she got so angry she grabbed her chopsticks and hurled them at her: "You even disobey me; you’re insubordinate!"
Zhou Xiuer, feeling disgraced, burst into tears and ran out.