Chapter 468: Chapter 468: Ominous Chapter 468: Chapter 468: Ominous Madam Ruan was not at all appreciative. Having been scolded by Old Lady Mo, she had suppressed a bellyful of anger. Now was the perfect time to vent it, so she turned her head and glared at Mo Daoyan as she berated him, “You useless coward, why are you dragging me into this? Mother-in-law is unfair, yet you say nothing. Why should our branch of the family work ourselves to death to provide for the senior branch? There’s no end to this kind of life; when will it ever stop? How are we supposed to live in the future?”
Caught between the two branches of the family, Old Lady Mo was irritated, having clearly sought benefits for the second branch. Yet, Madam Ruan failed to recognize the good intentions and had the audacity to accuse her of being unjust?
This greedy woman truly epitomizes the saying, ‘a snake trying to swallow an elephant’.
“Since you’ve put it that way, I won’t make myself miserable by meddling in the middle,” said Old Lady Mo ominously before instructing Mo Daoyan, “Yaner, go call your elder brother over.”
Feeling smug, Madam Ruan thought that after making a scene, Old Lady Mo was finally ready to flex her authority and reprimand both Mo Xiaoqiang and Auntie Sun. She bitterly thought to herself, it should be that way! They were all one family, sharing meals together; why should they work themselves to the bone while those two whiled away their time, living like a Young Master and madam? Her branch was reduced to servants attending to their daily needs. Filled with these thoughts, her anger simmered.
Mo Daoyan was not as naive as Madam Ruan, and tentatively asked, “Mother, why call elder brother over all of a sudden?”
Old Lady Mo glared with her sharp, triangular eyes and said impatiently, “To divide the family! Wasn’t your wife complaining about my unfairness? This old woman will show you fairness right now, so I won’t get blamed while trying to help.”
Upon hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Mo Daoyan were shocked and exchanged worried glances. After a moment, they both anxiously turned to Old Lady Mo.
Mo Daoyan: “Mother, you can’t do this.”
Madam Ruan: “Mother-in-law, please think of Hengjian! If we split, how will we manage Hengjian’s future education expenses?”
The couple said in unison.
Indeed, the cost of sending one person to the Academy was substantial, beyond the means of an average peasant family. Hence, in rural areas, many people were illiterate and it was considered quite an achievement for a neighborhood to produce a Scholar. The Mo family had exhausted both branches’ resources purely on Mo Hengjian, managing his education with great difficulty.
Old Lady Mo’s eyes narrowed menacingly as she stared at Madam Ruan and said, “What? Having second thoughts now? Weren’t you just saying I was unfair?”
“I wasn’t talking about splitting the family; I was talking about the elder branch not doing household chores,” Madam Ruan retorted, intimidated by Old Lady Mo, her momentum fading, revealing a lack of confidence.
The senior branch had invested all their money in your son, Old Lady Mo thought disdainfully. What’s the big deal about doing more chores? She wondered if her daughter-in-law had a pig’s brain. Usually perceptive, she always seemed to falter at crucial moments.
Fearing Old Lady Mo might truly decide to divide the family, Mo Daoyan quickly played it down with a laugh, beaming as he said, “Mother is right. For the sake of our son attending the Academy, what’s a bit more work for us?”
Then, turning to Madam Ruan with a smile, he added, “Wife, for our son to study at the Academy, a little hardship for us parents doesn’t matter. Don’t complain about elder brother anymore.”
Madam Ruan could only weakly agree, resigned to her fate. For the sake of her son’s future, she had no choice but to bottle up her grievances and brace herself for a life akin to that of a Ninja Turtle.