Chapter 111: Chapter 111 Reversal
“Su Yunjin, you shameless wench, have you turned against me? Hmph, I’m telling you, the affairs of the Su Family are your affairs, unless you are no longer part of the Su Family! Otherwise, you are obliged to go toil in the fields for your mother.”
The farming work of the Su Family should be done by all who bear the name Su. Since Su Yunjin and her kin are of the Su Family, they should not dream of evading the task of reaping the grain!
After berating Su Yunjin, Mrs. Tao turned to scold Mrs. Shen, “Look at you? What have you taught? Am I not still her grandmother? Yet she dares to speak to me with such a tone? Now, I’m going to ask you just one thing, tell me, will your family do the fieldwork for the Su Family or not?”
Mrs. Tao thought Mrs. Shen would be easy to intimidate and pressed her for an answer. Had it been before, Mrs. Shen would have surely nodded and agreed at once, but now, Mrs. Shen remained silent.
“Grandmother, the household has been divided, so what if we are of the Su Family? Once the family is split, we are only responsible for the few acres of our own land. As for your lands, they seem to have nothing to do with us,” explained Su Yunjin. In the village, a split in the family meant living separately. Those who lived apart were each responsible for their own fields during the farming season, with no obligation to help others.
Especially in cases like that of Su Yunjin and her kin, where the separation was grossly unfair in the first place, they had even less duty to help Mrs. Tao’s family with the rice harvesting and farm work.
Mrs. Tao, in her incessant scolding, had somehow forgotten that Su Yunjin’s family had already split from hers. Hearing Su Yunjin’s words, she tardily realized she had indeed divided off Su Yunjin’s family. At that moment, Su Yunjin’s elder sister, Su Ningxiu, also spoke up, “Younger sister is right. Since the family has been split, Grandmother, your fieldwork no longer concerns us.”
Mrs. Tao could not contain her fury.
She had never imagined that one day Su Yunjin and her sisters would dare to talk back to her, to oppose her? Trembling with rage, Mrs. Tao turned again to scold Mrs. Shen, “Eldest daughter-in-law, listen to the words of the two fine daughters you’ve raised! A couple of ungrateful wretches, are they not? Have the Su Family raised them for nothing? Can they really say such things? Splitting the household? So what if you’ve split? After the split, are you truly no longer of the Su Family? Are you truly relieved of work for the Su Family?”
“Mother, Ningxiu and Yunjin are correct. Since the family has been divided, we have no obligation to help you with the farm work in the fields. From now on, neither I nor my husband will take part in the Su Family’s fieldwork. Let us clear this matter up once and for all – Mother, do not come to us for help with this again,” said Mrs. Shen, who for once did not succumb to Mrs. Tao’s intimidation and agreed with her daughters.
Mrs. Tao gazed at Mrs. Shen in disbelief, then at Su Yunjin and Su Ningxiu, “Very well! You’ve all turned against me! I can’t command you anymore! Then fine, I’ll go get your grandfather to call you to task!”
“It’s all the same, whoever comes calling! Grandmother, even if my grandfather were here right now, my mother and we would still say the same thing!” Su Yunjin retorted, making Mrs. Tao’s face alternate between red and white in a most dramatic fashion. Biting back her urge to tear into Su Yunjin, Mrs. Tao decided to summon Su Yunjin’s grandfather, refusing to believe that Su Yunjin and her wretched family would dare to be so arrogant once he arrived!