Gu Xiaoqing slapped down the broom in her hand and huffed, "My mom works to death in the fields every day, how could she have any time to educate me? Haven’t I learned everything from you, Auntie? Don’t you always like ordering people around?"
"You..." Huang Xiangwen was livid, clattering the stick used for laundry in the bucket with a loud rattle and shouted furiously, "You brat, are you trying to tear the roof down? I’m your auntie, and I can still reprimand you. Are you going to wash them today or not?"
There were only the three of them at home, and since Gu Xiaoqing had already had a falling-out with Huang Xiangwen, she wasn’t afraid anymore and retorted on the spot, "I won’t wash them, what are you gonna do about it?"
"How dare you, let’s see if I will show you a lesson!"
Huang Xiangwen felt she had lost face in front of her daughter-in-law, her face turning an ashy blue with anger as she picked up the laundry stick and charged toward Gu Xiaoqing.
Seeing trouble, Gu Xiaoqing immediately turned and, with a bang, closed the door and barred it.
No matter how fierce, she wasn’t getting in.
Huang Xiangwen, hopping mad, banged on Gu Xiaoqing’s door with the laundry stick, making a continuous thump.
"You lazy bones, open the door for your mother now! If I have to kick it down, you watch out for your hide."
Gu Xiaoqing was equally infuriated by her shameless aunt, acting as if doing her daughter-in-law’s laundry was something she was rightfully supposed to do.
"If you can, then kick it down; otherwise, let’s just wait it out. I’m waiting for Grandpa to come back and do justice."
"You shameless lazy bones, you still have the nerve to ask your grandfather for justice? Which family’s eldest daughter gets privately engaged to a man like that? How come they didn’t drag you to be drowned in a pig cage, huh? You bring shame to the family, and you’re too lazy even to wash some clothes..."
Huang Xiangwen’s cursing grew nastier and nastier; how could a sheltered girl match her vulgar language?
Gu Xiaoqing was so angry she twisted the handkerchief in her hand to shreds.
"Auntie, don’t push me too far. I’m not the kind to swallow grievances without complaint. You believe me or not, I will bring up today’s words to Grandpa and Grandma."
Huang Xiangwen paused for a moment, startled by the threat.
That brat Gu Xiaoqing really might do something like that.
Turning around, she saw her daughter-in-law Lei Qianqian’s face with an odd expression. When Lei Qianqian noticed her looking, she quickly turned away.
She felt she had gone too far, been too fierce. After all, Lei Qianqian was the Scholar’s daughter; she had probably never seen such aggression before—a scare to her daughter-in-law’s unborn grandson would be terrible. So, she tried to smile and said, "Qianqian, that brat is getting unbearable, probably because she’s about to get married. Usually, your mom isn’t , it’s just that she annoyed me. Don’t overthink it."
Her daughter-in-law was not like these crude village girls; she was a proper, literate lady who grew up in the city.
There weren’t many men in the village who could recognize a few big characters, let alone women. And Qianqian was certainly special.
Whenever someone mentioned that her daughter-in-law was a literate and well-mannered reader, loads of villagers were envious.
Lei Qianqian’s face was a bit pale. She touched her belly, gave a smile, and said in a low voice, "Mom, I’m fine. I’ll go wash the clothes myself."
With that, she bent down to pick up the basin.
Huang Xiangwen wouldn’t hear of it, and with a cry of alarm, she shouted, "Qianqian, don’t move!"
Shocked by her shout, Lei Qianqian jumped.
"How can I let you do that, I’ll wash them!"