Chapter 90: Chapter 90 Rebellion
“Mother, you first sold Yunjin for fifteen pieces of silver, and now you have come to sell Ningxiu, how could you do such a thing? At first, you deceived Dad and me by saying you found a good match for Yunjin, but what happened? Did Yunjin marry into a good family? Instead, her father-in-law is paralyzed, her husband is lame, and her in-laws are so poor they’re drowning in debt!”
Mrs. Shen stepped forward. Although she greatly feared Mrs. Tao, the step-grandmother, she had already harmed one of her daughters and couldn’t harm another.
Otherwise, how could she as a mother justify herself to her two daughters?
Once Mrs. Shen voiced this out, whispers spread among the onlookers in the yard, “If that’s true, then this Mrs. Tao’s intentions are too malicious, aren’t they?”
“I’ve heard people say Mrs. Tao is heartless! I never expected her to be this cruel!”
“Indeed, she is the step-grandmother. The Su sisters are not Mrs. Tao’s own granddaughters; naturally, she wouldn’t feel any pity for them!”
Mrs. Tao, visibly unable to save face, didn’t wait to speak before Su Yunjin pressed her with questions, “If mother says you sold my second sister, Granny, what else is there for you to say?”
“Mother, Yunjin was already wronged by you, and no matter what, I won’t let you harm Ningxiu!” Su Yunjin’s father, uncharacteristically assertive, also stood up to protect his daughter.
“Rebellion! Rebellion! Well, well, are you people trying to start a rebellion?” Mrs. Tao, the elder matriarch, pointed at Su Yunjin’s family, hopping mad.
Ignoring the old woman, Su Yunjin hadn’t seen her second sister ever since she arrived, so she immediately asked her mother, Mrs. Shen, “Mother, where is my second sister? Why haven’t I seen her?”
Mrs. Shen was overcome with sadness, “Yunjin, your second sister is in the firewood shed! She’s been tied up there by your Granny and uncle; they’re afraid she might run away!”
No wonder Su Yunjin hadn’t seen her second sister upon her arrival!
Was it because her step-grandmother, that heartless woman, had tied her up in the firewood shed?
“Granny, you’re truly vicious, aren’t you? To sell my second sister, you even bound her in the firewood shed?”
Mrs. Tao, already struggling to maintain her composure, looked even more unsightly, her old face twisted with displeasure. Su Yunjin’s commotion meant that now the entire village would know she’d sold Su Ningxiu, didn’t it?
After mocking Mrs. Tao, Su Yunjin pulled Mrs. Shen aside, “Mother, let’s go and release Second Sister!”
“Yes, let’s go now!” Mrs. Shen was eager to release her child, who had been locked up in the firewood shed for the whole day; she didn’t know whether her daughter was harmed.
If Su Ningxiu were to be freed by Su Yunjin and company, the twenty pieces of silver that were as good as in Mrs. Tao’s hands would fly away. How could Mrs. Tao allow that? “Don’t go! The match with Master Huang is a good one; Su Ningxiu must marry!”
“Who says my second sister must marry? Only my parents have a say in my second sister’s marital matters, let alone an unrelated outsider!” said Su Yunjin, her voice tinged with scorn as she looked at Mrs. Tao.
Mrs. Tao immediately shouted angrily, “Su Yunjin, whom are you calling an outsider? You unfilial wretch, I’m your grandmother, and you dare say I’m an outsider?”
“What? You’re my grandmother?” Su Yunjin laughed as if she had heard a joke, sizing up Mrs. Tao before asking, “In what way are you my grandmother?”
Mrs. Tao choked; she was indeed not Su Yunjin’s biological grandmother. Then Su Yunjin added something that nearly made Mrs. Tao choke with rage, “My grandmother is long dead. What are you?”
“You—!” Mrs. Tao turned red and white with anger at Su Yunjin’s words, appearing quite amusing.