The three of them chatted as they traveled, which made it quite enjoyable.

After leaving the city through the east gate, Xiao Yunying curiously looked around at the scenery.

This was the first time she had ever been to a place other than her own village and Donglin City.

The scenery along the way was no different from that of their village. When they entered the village, they saw villagers gathered in twos and threes, discussing whose distant relatives they were.

Mu Lianrong looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. She had only been there once before, when Xiao Yuntao got married, and was not very familiar with her daughter's in-laws' home.

Xiao Yunsong had come a few times before to deliver things to his third sister, so he knew the way well and drove the oxcart to the Ge family.

The Ge family's gate was closed. The oxcart had just stopped, and Xiao Yunying hadn't even gotten off when she heard a loud slap from the courtyard, like the sound of someone being slapped.

The slap was crisp and loud, suggesting it was quite forceful.

Then came the angry voice of an old woman cursing: "You barren hen! I told you to go wash some clothes by the river, why are you only coming back now? Were you slacking off? How could my family, Chang Jian, have married such a useless thing like you? Hurry up and hang the clothes up and go chop firewood in the backyard."

The three people on the oxcart didn't expect that the first thing they would hear upon arriving at the Ge family's house would be a reprimand of their daughter-in-law. They were momentarily stunned and unsure whether they should go in now.

Then a weak female voice came from the courtyard: "Mother, the river water is too cold, it's freezing my hands, so I'm washing slowly. Also, I haven't eaten since last night. Can I go and get something to eat first...?"

The voice grew softer and softer, clearly lacking confidence.

The old woman's voice echoed through the courtyard, completely unconcerned about being overheard her curses: "What's the point of eating? You can't lay eggs, you're just a glutton. How dare you eat? I'd rather feed you to the dogs. At least dogs can guard the house..."

Amidst the continuous cursing, Xiao Yunying suddenly realized that the voice she had just heard was Xiao Yuntao's!

The "Jiang Jian" that the old woman was talking about—wasn't that her nominal third brother-in-law?!

Mu Lianrong and Xiao Yunsong, who were standing nearby, also realized what was happening. The former was furious, her face turning red, while the latter, with a dark expression, tucked the whip into his waistband and prepared to get off the oxcart and enter the Ge family's courtyard.

Xiao Yunying was the fastest. She jumped off the oxcart and, ignoring her numb buttocks and legs, endured the tingling and itchy feeling and quickly walked to the Ge family's gate.

For some reason, after learning that the person being beaten and scolded inside was Xiao Yuntao, an inexplicable anger surged within her, making her extremely indignant and agitated.

It's probably because of the lingering feelings this body has for Xiao Yuntao. The original owner didn't show it on her face, but she still liked and appreciated this third sister very much. It's just that the original owner didn't know how to express her feelings.

Now that it's Xiao Yunying, a woman who won't swallow her anger, it can only be said that the Ge family has messed with the wrong person.

Xiao Yunying observed the Ge family's gate. The door was slightly wide open and not bolted, so it was probably just ajar.

She suddenly kicked the door open, using this action to vent her dissatisfaction and anger.

The kick was quite powerful. The Ge family's gate was already somewhat dilapidated. After hitting the wall, it bounced twice before collapsing with a crash and falling to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The old woman from the Ge family immediately stopped cursing. She first patted her chest to calm her startled heart, glanced at the fallen door, and then jumped up and down, cursing:

"Where did this little wench come from, daring to cause trouble in my house? What's wrong with her? She even kicked down my front door..."

Mu Lianrong and Xiao Yunsong were stunned for a moment, surprised by Xiao Yunying's behavior, and then quickly came in and stood by her side to support her.

After seeing the two people who came in, Old Lady Ge stopped cursing and asked uncertainly, "Father...father-in-law?"

Xiao Yunying ignored the old woman's expression, stepped through the door, and took Xiao Yuntao's hand to examine her closely.

Xiao Yuntao was wearing an old cotton coat that was so thin it couldn't be thinner, and her hands were freezing cold.

It had only been a month, and both her hands were covered in chilblains, the red and swollen palm prints standing out starkly against her pale face.

Not only that, she also noticed bluish-purple bruises on her wrists and neck, which were not covered by her cotton-padded coat.

Xiao Yunying's face darkened further. Damn it, that Ge Changjian hit her again.

Xiao Yuntao subconsciously tugged at her sleeve, not wanting her younger sister to see the injuries on her body, and asked, "Little sister, mother, elder brother, what brings you here?"

Mu Lianrong said angrily, "Your little sister said she missed you and wanted to come see you and bring you some things, but who knew she would hear all this as soon as she arrived at the door."

"Old woman of the Ge family, I married my daughter into your family to be your daughter-in-law, not a servant. It's still not warm up, the river water is so cold this morning. You make her go to the river to wash clothes so early in the morning and don't even give her food. Don't you have any conscience?"

Mu Lianrong couldn't control her emotions, and her voice grew louder and louder.

She had thought before that her daughter, without children, would probably have a hard time in the Ge family.

This can be inferred from Ge Changjian's attitude towards them.

But she never expected to live such a miserable life in the Ge family. No wonder she looked thinner and thinner the last few times she came home.

Unfortunately, she couldn't get any information from her repeated questioning. Xiao Yuntao always dressed reasonably well when she came back, so she could only comfort herself by thinking that her daughter was probably losing weight because she was too worried about not being able to get pregnant.

My three daughters have been sensible and gentle since childhood, completely different from my youngest daughter. They always report good news and never bad news when they come home.

If Yunying hadn't come to visit her third sister and she hadn't witnessed the old woman from the Ge family tormenting her daughter, she probably would never have known that her third daughter was living such a miserable life.

Old Mrs. Ge glared at him, about to retort, when she saw the tall and strong Xiao Yunsong standing to the side with a dark face. She then carefully examined Xiao Yunying, who had kicked the door, and her eyes darted around as if she had remembered something.

The girl who kicked down the door must be Xiao Yunying, the younger sister of Xiao Yuntao that my son mentioned.

She forced back the words that were about to come out and changed her words, saying, "What brings you here today, in-laws? Why didn't you send someone to let Changjian pick you up?"

Mu Lianrong held Xiao Yuntao's hand with heartache. Seeing her daughter's even thinner, paler face and hands covered in chilblains, she said with a mixture of anxiety and anger:

"Why tell you in advance? So you can pretend and fool us? Old woman Ge, how come I never knew you were such a good actor? If you went to perform in operas, you might be famous all over the country by now."

Old Mrs. Ge's face immediately fell, and she almost couldn't hold back her tears.

This old woman from the Xiao family actually dared to compare herself to that low-class actor!

Old Mrs. Ge was so angry that before she could even utter a curse, a thin old man walked out of the main room, shouting at her.

"Old woman, what are you arguing with? Are you bored? If you have nothing better to do, go up the mountain and gather firewood. Our Ge family doesn't support freeloaders."