Chapter 23: Chapter 23 Xiuzhi
“What did Xiuzhi drop? Why is it so oily?”
As Xuexue looked on puzzled, she stepped forward and picked it up.
It was a small handkerchief that had fallen from Xiuzhi—a little packet, now with oil seeping through, the entire bundle sopping wet.
Upon seeing this, Madam Ruan’s face changed drastically, she lunged forward in a gesture akin to a starving dog scrambling for food, desperate to snatch the little package before anyone else could.
But Xuexue was quick on her feet, beating her to it and, with a deft side-step, skillfully avoided Madam Ruan’s oncoming figure.
Madam Ruan missed her mark, not only failing to grab the bundle but also taking a tumble, crashing heavily to the ground and ending up with a mouthful of dirt, grimacing in pain.
“Look at you, a woman of the household behaving . What are you scrambling for? So eager to throw yourself at something, how embarrassing,” Old Lady Mo glanced with disdain at Madam Ruan sprawled on the ground.
“Mother, what are you doing?”
Xiuzhi, who had fled to the entrance of the kitchen, heard Madam Ruan’s scream and looked back. In the blink of an eye, her mother, who had been fine, was now on the ground, crying out in pain. Xiuzhi stopped and asked in bewilderment.
“Xiuzhi, that… that wretched girl Xuexue, she picked up your… your things.”
Madam Ruan endured the pain and spoke in fits and starts.
Xiuzhi was utterly confused; she did not even realize she had dropped something. She asked, “What things?”
“Just… just look for yourself.” Seeing that the truth was about to come out, Madam Ruan was losing strength even as she spoke and pointed towards Xuexue.
Xiuzhi followed Madam Ruan’s finger and saw Xuexue holding her handkerchief, which was wrapped around a few pieces of cured meat.
Xiuzhi screamed and, turning around, she took off running as fast as she could.
For the handkerchief wrapped around the cured meat was hers, now in Xuexue’s hands. How could Old Lady Mo let her off? So, without a second thought, Xiuzhi ran for it, knowing that a mere ear twist would be the least of her worries this time.
“This wretched girl, stealing my cured meat and I haven’t even settled the score, yet she’s making such a fuss,” Old Lady Mo suspected Xiuzhi of stealing her cured meat but had no real evidence.
Xuexue, who had found the handkerchief, opened it to discover, heh, three pieces of cured meat neatly placed inside and couldn’t help but laugh, then handed it to Old Lady Mo: “Grandmother, this fell off of Xiuzhi.”
Old Lady Mo took a look and immediately understood why Xiuzhi had run so fast; apparently, this little wretch knew she was exposed and made a quick escape.
“Madam Ruan, look at this, look! This is the ‘good daughter’ you’ve raised; so young yet she’s learned to steal, hmph!”
Old Lady Mo was so angry she was gritting her teeth, but, fortunately, since the cured meat was recovered, her anger subsided somewhat.
“How could Xiuzhi steal by herself? I think the aunty had a hand in it too, didn’t she?”
Just as Old Lady Mo was about to walk away, Xuexue coldly floated another comment into the air, making her stop in her tracks and turn around, her piercing eyes glaring sinisterly at Madam Ruan: “Is what Xuexue said true?”
Madam Ruan, still sitting on the ground, cursed Xuexue a hundred times in her heart: How had this little wretch become so clever all of a sudden? As if nothing could escape her eyes.
“Mother-in-law, don’t listen to Xuexue’s nonsense; it’s not true.”
Madam Ruan knew in her heart that she could not admit to any of this. Otherwise, how could she expect to have good days in the Mo family? She did not want to end up like Madam Xie, exhausted every day like an ox.