"Mom, I just want to get a basin of water to wash your face." Wang Baoshan didn't dare go over there; he'd probably get slapped twice if he did.

"Do you even have a basin? Just looking at you makes me angry." Tao Ying glared fiercely at Wang Baoshan.

Wang Baoshan o(╥﹏╥)o, isn't he his mother's precious son now?

"Mom, did you hurt yourself in the fight? My sister's household registration is still here. Will they let us go?" Wang Baoshan carefully moved forward.

"They have to release her, whether they want to or not. How dare they bully my daughter like this? I'll fight them to the death!" Tao Ying said fiercely.

Wang Baoshan: "..." Mom is so scary.

Not long after, Li Guiying and Wang Dashuan returned, carrying a washbasin, a teacup, a towel, and soap.

"Sister-in-law, go wash up first. I'll look after the child." Li Guiying was still a little shaken when she saw the bloodstains on Tao Ying's face.

He was considered invincible in the village, but when it came to his sister-in-law, it was just a minor skirmish.

Don't let her seemingly weak appearance fool you; when it comes to trouble, she's really capable of using a knife.

"Thank you for your trouble, Guiying." Tao Ying quickly thanked her, then took the basin to the water room. She felt sticky all over, and her face and hands were really uncomfortable.

There was a small mirror in the washroom. Tao Ying went over to see what she looked like. In her memory, Wang Dazhu always doted on Tao Dama and never let her suffer. All the hardship she endured was after Wang Dazhu died. In her later years, Tao Dama thought about Wang Dazhu until her death.

When she looked in the mirror, she felt like the sky had fallen. The woman in the mirror had a haircut that looked like it hadn't been washed for days; it was sticky and covered in dirt. She was slightly overweight, wearing a gray floral shirt over a blue vest. Her skin was fair but looked loose and baggy. She looked to be about fifty years old. There was blood on her face, and she looked extremely slovenly.

I quickly went to wash my face and hair. It's July now, so the water wasn't particularly cold. Since I didn't have shampoo, I just used soap. I was thinking of washing my outer clothes too, but then I remembered I wasn't wearing any underwear, so I gave up on that idea.

After washing up, I looked in the mirror again and found that the middle-aged woman in the mirror had some resemblance to me in terms of her eyebrows and eyes, so she was still pretty good-looking.

It was still unfamiliar, and quite uncomfortable, so I decided not to look at it anymore. I smoothed my hair, fetched a basin of water, and brought it into the ward.

"Sister-in-law, why are you washing your hair with cold water? You'll get sick if you do that." Li Guiying couldn't help but advise Tao Ying when she saw her hair was wet, and took the basin of water from her.

"I haven't washed for days, and I feel terrible all over. Guiying, please sit down first. I'll wipe Chunni's face and hands." Tao Ying didn't even dare to think about it. She had just wiped off a thick layer of dust when she wiped her neck, and she really didn't want to think about it anymore.

"I'll go greet Baomin." Upon seeing this, Wang Dashuan got up and went out.

"Baoshan, you come out with me too." Wang Dashuan had gone halfway when he saw Wang Baoshan still standing there like a wooden stake, so he called out to Wang Baoshan.

"Second Uncle, you're fine. I'll stay here with Mom." Wang Baoshan still wanted to show off in front of Tao Ying.

"What do I need you to do for me? Is your head full of water? Didn't you see I was wiping your sister's body? You're a grown man, don't you know how to avoid suspicion?" Tao Ying's anger flared up again instantly. She thought about what to throw at Wang Baoshan, but couldn't find anything, so she became even angrier and her eyes glared even more fiercely.

"I'll go make the banner." Wang Baoshan had been scolded by Tao Ying for the past two days, so he stood up straight instantly, grabbed Wang Dashuan, and walked out.

Li Guiying stood aside, staring blankly at Tao Ying. Wasn't her sister-in-law always a self-proclaimed city person who never swore?

What's going on today? Baoshan is the eldest sister-in-law's most beloved youngest son, and his status is only slightly lower than Baojun's.

"Guiying, sit down. It really feels good to scold the kids. I used to live such a pathetic life, spoiling these kids so much that they're all lawless and none of them are filial," Tao Ying said to Li Guiying with a smile.

Li Guiying was speechless. She didn't know if her child was filial or not, but she knew whether Tao Ying was living a miserable life.

She was an only child, never wore patched clothes, and never lost more than 120 pounds even during famine years. She didn't have to serve her mother-in-law; her own mother raised her children. She's lived half her life without even knowing how to cook. No man has ever argued with her. If this is considered pathetic, then she should just be pathetic.

“A sapling won’t grow straight if it’s not pruned, and a child needs to be disciplined; otherwise, how can he become useful?” Li Guiying dared not contradict her.

"Guiying, you're right." Tao Ying strongly agreed with this view.

Anyway, they're all ungrateful wretches. Even if you treat them well, they won't support you in your old age, so there's no need to indulge them.

"Sister-in-law, you wipe Chunni's hands and face first. I'll go see if there's any hot water. Let's wipe Chunni's body." Li Guiying looked at Wang Chunni's hands, which looked like chicken claws corroded by sulfuric acid, and tears streamed down her face. If this were her own daughter, she would have fought them too.

A little while later, Li Guiying brought hot water. Tao Ying wiped Wang Chunni's body, and then Li Guiying wiped the little girl's body.

"These beasts!" Li Guiying unbuttoned the girl's clothes and saw the crisscrossing bruises and wounds on her body, clearly indicating that she had been beaten up in a single day.

Wang Chunni also had many wounds, but none as fresh as the little girl's. Moreover, there were traces of food on the corners of Wang Chunni's mouth.

Without even guessing, Tao Ying knew that the little girl had given her the food, and she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness, tears streaming down her face.

Both of them were so dirty that their hair was tangled together and couldn't be wiped clean at all.

I didn't dare to wipe too hard, for fear of catching another cold, and I didn't have any clean clothes to change into.

After the two men poured out the water, Wang Baomin and the other two returned, carrying two newly bought lunchboxes, a net bag full of steamed buns, and a packet of malted milk powder.

"Mom, I saw malted milk powder when I bought lunchboxes, so I bought a tub. My sister and daughter probably can't eat it, so I bought it with my own money," Wang Baomin quickly explained.

"Isn't it only right to buy a bucket of malted milk powder for your sister and niece?" Tao Ying glared at Wang Baomin.

"Mom, do you think the groceries I bought are okay?" Wang Baomin didn't dare to say anything, afraid that his mother wouldn't let him buy them, so he quickly opened the lunchbox.

There were two dishes in total: braised pork with potatoes and scrambled eggs with soy sauce.

“What’s wrong with this? What kind of family is this? There’s meat and vegetables in it all. Baomin, your dad just passed away, and there are many expenses at home. You can’t be extravagant. Your second uncle and aunt are not outsiders. They can eat whatever they want.” Wang Dashuan couldn’t help but feel sorry for the food in the lunchbox.

With that money, you should buy more tubs of malted milk powder for your child. Why would you eat this expensive stuff yourself, especially during holidays?