Granny Lyu was firstly heartbroken over the lost money, and secondly, she feared that once the village learned of what her son had done, the Lyu Family would be the laughingstock. She had often bragged about her third son being a worker, making others envious of her, Sun Yin Hua.
But now, how would the village view the Lyu Family? She could even figure it out with her toes. Just now, she was so angry that she acted harshly.
Upon seeing Mrs. Yao, she regained some clarity. Although she didn’t continue chasing Yao Hui to hit her, her expression was still quite ugly. She pointed at Yao Hui: "If it were you, could you accept it? If your family had such a daughter-in-law, would you be happy?"
Mrs. Yao, aware of her own shortcomings, softened her tone: "In-law, Yao Hui was only worried about her three nephews, fearing they’d suffer under a stepmother, which led her to do something wrong. But since they are already registered, saying these things would only hurt feelings for no reason. How would they get along as a couple in the future?"
Mr. Lyu also stepped in to mediate: "The in-law is right, my wife was just too upset, you should try to understand and tolerate more."
Granny Lyu let out a cold ’hum’: "Talking is easier than singing. Being worried about the nephews, why don’t you ask her what she cursed about this morning? Is that what a good aunt or stepmother should say?"
Yao Hui now regretted not holding her tongue, letting the old hag overhear. She could only humbly say: "Mom, there was a lot happening this morning. You don’t know Xiang Ran’s temperament; if she isn’t satisfied, she’ll cry endlessly, the kind that can’t be coaxed. You can ask the neighbors if you don’t believe me. I was anxious and that’s why I scolded her.
Plus, Jun Cheng wasn’t in a good mood yesterday. We’re a couple, so if he’s upset, I can’t be any better. Everything just happened together, making it hard to avoid getting angry. But truly, I shouldn’t have scolded her. Mom, please understand and forgive me."
With things being said to this extent, what else could Granny Lyu say? She could only go along and say: "Alright, I was anxious too. After all, a hundred bucks isn’t a small amount, it’d hurt anyone’s heart."
Having said that, she looked toward Mrs. Yao: "In-law, come inside and sit."
The matter had come to this, yet she wouldn’t believe Yao Hui’s nonsense. Some things need to be made clear beforehand.
Seeing the old hag finally relent, Yao Hui let out a sigh of relief.
At that moment, Yao Family’s eldest, Yao Zhigang, and his wife Dong Liping squeezed in, followed by the panting Yao Zhiqiang.
As soon as they entered, they saw Yao Hui’s disheveled state. Although Yao Zhiqiang had issues with Yao Hui, she was still his own younger sister, and he had a rogueish nature: "Who hit her?"
Yao Hui lightly coughed; "Second Brother, it’s nothing now, Mom has already handled it."
Mrs. Yao gave her younger son a look telling him not to cause trouble, then said to her eldest son and his wife: "Since you’re here, come on in."
*
The Lyu Family’s drama, Yu Xinyan could guess without thinking. Granny Lyu was used to being praised in the village, and her temper wasn’t good.
But Mrs. Yao was adept with words, always giving people fancy compliments and making grand promises, not someone to easily deal with. Watching them clash like a needle against a wheat grain, it made for an entertaining show, it improved the mood.
After the Yu Family couple left, Yu Xinyan returned indoors feeling quite pleased. Xiao Tie was here this time as a representative from the bureau to offer condolences, naturally still because of He’s Jinxuan’s request.
Seeing Yu Xinyan enter, Xiao Tie got straight to the point: "I heard from Director He that you’ve been reading at home preparing for this year’s college entrance exams?"