Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Getting Bolder
Despite Madam Xie’s advice, Xuexue went to the stream with her little wooden bucket to catch river snails again, and she returned with a full harvest.
“You little cheap hoof, why bother picking up so many lowly things?” Old Lady Mo burst into flames the moment she saw Xuexue bring back a bucket of river snails; not only were they inedible, but they also wasted firewood.
Xuexue’s lips twisted disdainfully as she said impatiently, “I’m collecting my own things, what does it bother you?”
“My! Talk back to me, will you? You little cheap hoof, has your audacity grown with time? You’re as repulsive as your barren mother.”
During this time, Xuexue’s temperament had drastically changed. Whenever Old Lady Mo berated Madam Xie, Xuexue would surely stand up and confront her. Old Lady Mo had long been seething with suppressed rage. With a glare, she scolded, “If you dare, don’t use my firewood to cook them.”
On hearing this, Xuexue laughed even more coldly, “Grandmother, all the firewood at home is chopped by my mother from the mountains, so how does it concern you?”
Old Lady Mo became so infuriated she was gasping for breath, glanced around, and casually picked up a broom in the doorway corner, swinging it at Xuexue all while cursing angrily, “You little cheap hoof, I’ll teach you backtalk, I’ll beat you to death.”
There’s an old saying: even heroes don’t suffer immediate losses, let alone a weak girl like her.
Xuexue turned on her heels and bolted outside.
With broom in hand, Old Lady Mo pursued her relentlessly, “You little cheap hoof, weren’t you bold just now? Have the guts not to run!”
Agile, Xuexue dashed ahead swiftly with her feet barely touching the ground.
After all, Old Lady Mo was advanced in years, with old arms and legs, and ever since she had gotten a daughter-in-law, she hadn’t had to lift a finger and had become accustomed to a leisurely life. Her body had progressively grown fatter and she barely made it a few steps before she couldn’t take it anymore, heaving like an ox.
As Xuexue ran, she glanced back mockingly, “Even my father is infertile, what can a girl like me inherit? You shouldn’t think that by taking on a concubine for him, he could have a son. I’m telling you, it’s useless. He’s fated never to have a son in this lifetime.”
Old Lady Mo, enraged and panting with the broom, simply exploded upon hearing this. The lack of a male heir from the main house had always been a thorn in her side.
Furthermore, some gossips in the village had been whispering behind her back, calling Mo Xiaoqiang the Star of Disaster, saying that the Mo family was cut off from future generations. Whenever she heard this, she would go home and ruthlessly beat Madam Xie, blaming this omen of disaster for the lack of heirs from her son.
Now, Xuexue dared to say such words to her face, and Old Lady Mo was consumed with fury. As she chased, she cursed viciously, “This old woman will definitely beat you, you little cheap hoof, to death today.”
Xuexue ran out of the Mo family’s courtyard, intentionally choosing crowded places.
The villagers gathered to watch, some even whispered to each other…
“Oh my! Old Lady Mo, accustomed to luxury, spends her days beating and scolding her daughter-in-law, but how strange today, she’s begun to hit her granddaughter instead?”
“You don’t know the whole story, it seems. I heard that Xuexue has grown up and feels sorry for her mother. Seeing Old Lady Mo scolding and hitting her daily, she has started defending her mother, and as a result, Old Lady Mo now hates Xuexue as well, no wonder she is beating her.”
“Oh! So that’s the situation.” The villagers nodded in understanding.
Running on, Xuexue looked up to suddenly see Old Money Mo and a few servants up ahead.
“Old Master, save me! My grandmother is going to beat me to death.” Xuexue immediately ran behind Old Money Mo and cowered in fear.
Old Money Mo was just about to step into his sedan to leave when he suddenly saw Xuexue come running to take refuge behind him, causing him to stop, “Xuexue, what’s going on?”