Chapter 100 The women of the Xie family are not to be trifled with.
The sun was blazing hot at three or four in the afternoon.
After Qiao Xingyue poured the remaining half-bucket of excrement into Zhou Dahong, the excrement splashed everywhere.
The heatwave was accompanied by a stench.
The neighbors who had come to watch the spectacle pinched their noses and quickly moved away.
Qiao Xingyue slammed the manure bucket in her hand to the ground and glared at Zhou Dahong without showing any weakness. "What, Aunt Zhou, do you want to hit my mother-in-law? Let me tell you, if you dare to bully my mother-in-law, I'll make sure you regret it."
Shen Liping and Sun Xiuxiu, standing nearby, were truly impressed by Qiao Xingyue's domineering presence.
The two sisters-in-law noticed that their mother-in-law, Huang Guilan, had changed today. She no longer valued harmony and tolerated others as before. Instead, she threw excrement at Zhou Dahong.
Ever since Shen Liping and Sun Xiuxiu married into the Xie family, Zhou Dahong has been talking badly about them behind their backs. In addition to talking badly about them, she often goes to their house to borrow things, such as a bottle of vinegar, a jar of salt, or sometimes lard, flour, or rice. She never returns the things she borrows.
Several days later, when her mother-in-law Huang Guilan went to ask for it back, Zhou Dahong slapped her thigh and said she had forgotten about it. When she returned it, all that was left was an empty bottle and an empty bowl.
That's nothing.
She borrowed things and didn't return them, and then she talked badly about her mother-in-law, Huang Guilan, behind her back.
When has my mother-in-law ever not tolerated it?
This time they actually threw excrement at Zhou Dahong?
The change in their mother-in-law, Huang Guilan, surprised both Shen Liping and Sun Xiuxiu, her sisters-in-law.
Why has it changed so much?
It turns out it was influenced by the stars and moon.
Seeing Xingyue's decisive action of throwing out most of the bucket of excrement, Shen Liping and Sun Xiuxiu really wanted to give her a thumbs up.
The two sisters-in-law had tried to persuade Huang Guilan many times, telling her not to put up with someone like Zhou Dahong, but nothing they did worked.
Xingyue had only been in the family for a few months, but she completely changed her mother-in-law Huang Guilan's previously submissive attitude.
Shen Liping and Sun Xiuxiu, the two sisters-in-law, exclaimed in their hearts: "That's great!"
Seeing the onlookers laughing at him and feeling humiliated, Zhou Dahong, covered in excrement and urine, charged at Qiao Xingyue, shouting, "Ah, I'll fight you all to the death today..."
Even if I die, I'll take someone down with me.
Seeing that Zhou Dahong was about to bully his sister-in-law Qiao Xingyue, Sun Xiuxiu grabbed a stick and rushed over, yelling at Zhou Dahong, "What are you doing? You think you can bully my Xingyue? No way!"
Shen Liping, seemingly out of nowhere, pulled out a long bamboo broom used for sweeping the streets and pointed it directly at Zhou Dahong, asking, "What are you doing? Want to fight?"
Sun Xiuxiu and Shen Liping had never wanted to put up with Zhou Dahong before.
Their mother-in-law, Huang Guilan, often advised them that patience brings peace and tranquility, and that taking a step back opens up a world of possibilities.
They were seething with resentment because they wanted to obey their mothers-in-law.
Now I finally don't have to endure it anymore.
If Da Hong dares to pounce on her this week, the three sisters-in-law are not afraid of her at all.
Huang Guilan stood behind her three daughters-in-law and shouted to the onlookers, "Zhou Dahong, if you dare to hit any of my three daughters-in-law today, I, Huang Guilan, will never forgive you."
The more a person endures, the more they are bullied.
Just like Xingyue said, we must stand tall and be bold. If anyone bullies us, we'll fight back.
What's the point of reasoning? The more you reason, the more they swallow their anger and the more they treat you like a pushover.
Hearing the commotion, Zhang Hongmei and Wang Shufen came out of their own yards. They first smelled a foul stench, and then saw Xie's three daughters-in-law confronting Zhou Dahong.
"What happened?"
Zhang Hongmei pinched her nose, fanned herself, and walked up to Huang Guilan.
Seeing Zhou Dahong covered in excrement and urine, his clothes, pants, hair, neck, and shoes were all stained with excrement and urine, and he stank loudly, I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Zhang Hongmei already had a loud voice, and this laugh made Zhou Dahong blush.
"Zhou Dahong, what foul mouth did you utter again that made Guilan, who never argues with anyone, so angry that she threw excrement and urine all over you? Last time, when you joined Deng Yingying and Jiang Chunyan in making up stories about Xingyue and Zhongming being spies, they threw excrement and urine all over you too. Haven't you learned your lesson yet?"
After Zhang Hongmei finished speaking, Wang Shufen walked up to Huang Guilan and, without caring that Huang Guilan was splashed with urine, hurriedly asked with concern, "Guilan, Zhou Dahong didn't hit you, did he?"
When Huang Guilan spoke to Wang Shufen, her voice softened naturally, "She can't hit her."
Just then, Director Chen of the family committee walked through the crowd and approached, pinching his nose as he smelled the stench.
"What's going on? We're all neighbors, who's arguing?"
"Do they even respect the organizational discipline of the compound?"
Upon seeing that it was Director Chen, Zhou Dahong collapsed to the ground and began to throw a tantrum.
Zhou Dahong was already short and fat, with short, thick legs that looked like two sections of radish filled with meat. When he sat down on the ground, his fat instantly spread out to the sides.
The blue cloth trousers were stretched taut, with the cuffs rolled up to the ankles, revealing two short legs stained with excrement and urine.
She started by crying out loud, her voice sharp and bright, able to penetrate the thick, dense leaves of the old locust tree in the courtyard and soar into the sky, attracting the attention of the military wives who were taking care of their children or hanging out laundry nearby.
"This is outrageous! This is bullying!"
“Huang Guilan and her three daughters-in-law bullied me, splashed me with excrement and urine, and even tried to hit me.”
"Director Chen, look, Huang Guilan's three daughters-in-law, one holding a stick and another holding a broom, are they trying to kill someone?"
As she spoke, she lay down on the ground.
Its short legs kicked wildly, kicking up a cloud of dust that smelled of excrement and urine.
Her once neatly combed hair had fallen into loose strands, and snot and tears streamed down her face. "Director Chen, if you don't stand up for me, I won't live anymore!"
Director Chen was also having a headache.
In the courtyard, Aunt Zhou was always arguing with this family or that family. One minute she was borrowing oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar and not returning it, the next she was stealing peppers and peanuts that people were drying at their door, and then she was talking badly about someone behind their back and got into a fight because she was overheard.
Although he saw Aunt Zhou looking disheveled and crying out that she had been bullied, Director Chen was not that stupid.
Auntie was definitely the one who started this trouble this week.
Director Chen said with a serious expression, "Aunt Zhou, get up and talk things out. Don't throw a tantrum on the ground."
Huang Guilan knew Zhou Dahong's methods. Today, if Director Chen wasn't satisfied with Zhou Dahong, Zhou Dahong wouldn't get up from the ground.
She gently tugged at her two sisters-in-law, Qiao Xingyue and Sun Xiuxiu, who were standing in front of her, and took a few steps forward to reach Director Chen. She then said, "Director Chen, here's the thing. I was planning to take my three daughters-in-law to the department store to buy two wedding dresses for my Xingyue. As you know, my Xingyue is the wife my fourth son married five years ago in Chadian Village. However, we haven't seen her for the past few years, and Xingyue has lost weight, so my son, Ming, didn't recognize her."
Huang Guilan made this statement so that the onlookers would hear that Xingyue was Zhongming's wife.
To avoid being criticized or ridiculed in the future.
Director Chen knew about this. Just this morning, he received a wedding invitation from Xie Zhongyi, the eldest son of the Xie family.
Huang Guilan continued, "We four, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, just left home, and this week Da Hong started talking badly about my daughters-in-law behind my back. She said that all three of my daughters-in-law dress up in a flamboyant way, like vixens, and are very provocative. Everyone can make the decision about this."
With Director Chen present, the onlookers dared not lie and readily agreed.
"Sister-in-law Guilan is right. It was Aunt Zhou who started making trouble for the Xie family's three daughters-in-law."
Zhou Dahong, lying on the ground, kicked wildly with her short legs. After kicking, she pointed at Huang Guilan and cried in a shrill voice, "She threw feces all over me, why didn't you say anything? Her three daughters-in-law even beat me up."
Zhang Hongmei shouted, "Who hit you? We didn't see the three daughters-in-law of the Xie family lay a hand on you."
After asking some more questions and understanding the truth, Director Chen looked at Huang Guilan and said, "Sister-in-law Guilan, it is indeed wrong of Aunt Zhou to talk about your daughter-in-law, but you should not have thrown manure at Aunt Zhou."
Hearing what Director Chen said, Zhou Dahong's back hardened even more. "Huang Guilan, you not only have to apologize to me today, but you also have to pay me money. My shoes and clothes are all dirty, so you have to give me money to buy me a new set of clothes. I don't need much, just give me twenty yuan."
Last time she hit Xie's granddaughter and had to pay Qiao Xingyue ten yuan in compensation, Zhou Dahong still holds a grudge.
Upon hearing this, Director Chen glared at her sharply, "You still want money? If you hadn't been talking badly about her behind her back, would Sister Guilan be so angry?"
"Here's a compromise," Director Chen suggested. "Aunt Zhou, Sister-in-law Guilan, we're all neighbors. Let's be considerate of each other. You should both apologize to each other, and we can let this matter drop."
never mind?
That doesn't count.
Huang Guilan used to be too cautious and always swallowed her anger.
She said firmly, "Director Chen, this matter cannot be left like this. I'm telling you this: if Zhou Dahong dares to speak ill of my three daughters-in-law and my granddaughter behind my back again, I will throw excrement at her just the same way. I can apologize, but last time she made up stories about my son and daughter-in-law being spies, and this time she called my daughter-in-law a slut and a vixen. She should write a thousand-word self-criticism and post it on the compound bulletin board first, and then I will apologize for throwing excrement at her today."
As she spoke, Huang Guilan grabbed Qiao Xingyue with one hand and Sun Xiuxiu with the other, then called out to Shen Liping, "Come on, let's go home and wash up, then hurry up and get to the department store to take care of some business."
Seeing Sun Xiuxiu and Shen Liping throw down their sticks and brooms and follow Qiao Xingyue and Huang Guilan into the courtyard, Zhang Hongmei testified, "Director Chen, I can testify about the incident last time when Zhou Dahong, Deng Yingying, and Jiang Chunyan fabricated stories about Xie's fourth daughter-in-law and Xie's fourth son being enemy agents. The security department has already investigated and found out, but Zhou Dahong is still spreading rumors throughout the courtyard that Xie's fourth son and his fourth daughter-in-law are enemy agents."
Wang Shufen chimed in, "I can testify to this as well."
Neighbors also confirmed that "it's true."
Upon hearing this, Director Chen pointed at Zhou Dahong, who was still sitting on the ground, and didn't know what to say to her. "Aunt Zhou, it's one thing for you to gossip about other people's affairs, but you can't just arbitrarily label someone as an enemy agent. If you don't write a 5,000-word self-criticism and post it on the bulletin board, not only will you be punished, but your husband and son will also be affected. You'd better think about what to do."
Director Chen, his face dark, looked at Zhou Dahong sitting on the ground. "Come see me after you finish writing your self-criticism. Also, wash this pile of excrement off the ground."
"What do you mean I washed it? It was clearly Huang Guilan who splashed it."
"Because you're a troublemaker!"
After saying that, Director Chen put his hands behind his back and stormed off.
The onlookers, unable to bear the stench of excrement covering the ground, dispersed one after another.
Zhang Hongmei and Wang Shufen were left behind, looking at Zhou Dahong sitting on the ground.
Zhang Hongmei warned loudly, "Zhou Dahong, don't mess with Huang Guilan again. She used to be a pushover, easy to bully. But if you dare to talk badly about her daughters-in-law or bully any of them, she'll fight you to the death."
...
The main hall of the Xie family.
The mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law took turns taking showers and changing into clean clothes before riding two old-fashioned bicycles to the department store.
While choosing a wedding dress for Qiao Xingyue, Shen Liping couldn't help but praise Huang Guilan, "Mom, you were so assertive when you dealt with Aunt Zhou today. I told you not to hold back before, but you finally did. Mom, what made you decide to do that?"
"It's all thanks to Xingyue." Huang Guilan asked the clerk at the department store to bring over two sets of bright red clothes and touched the fabric.
Then, she looked at Qiao Xingyue with eyes full of admiration, "I've lived for decades, but I'm not as wise as Xingyue. You really can't be a pushover; you have to be assertive when necessary."
Sun Xiuxiu deliberately said sourly, "Mom, you really do like Xingyue more as your daughter-in-law. My sister-in-law and I used to say this to you all the time, but you just wouldn't listen. How come you listen to Xingyue the moment she says it?"
Shen Liping chuckled and said, "Xingyue's explanation is definitely more reasonable."
“Xingyue, you’re a hero to our family,” Sun Xiuxiu added. “My sister-in-law and I have been trying to persuade our mother for years, but she just wouldn’t listen. You’ve only been here a few months, and she’s already listening to you. You really do have the best ideas.”
The four women—mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, and mother-in-law—chatted and laughed together.
"Xingyue, look at this outfit, do you like it?"
Huang Guilan held a bright red outfit in her hand. The top was a red short-sleeved shirt made of polyester, and the bottom was a knee-length, bodycon skirt. A large red plastic flower was pinned to the chest of the top, and the flower was decorated with white beads.
Compared to wedding dresses of later generations, they look rather rustic.
But in this day and age, this style of clothing is the beautiful dress that many brides dream of.
Although Qiao Xingyue didn't like these unfashionable clothes, they were picked out for her by Huang Guilan, and her eyes lit up. "I love them! Mom picked them out, I like any style."
Her two sisters-in-law told her to try it on to see if it fit.
When she tried on the dress and came out, Shen Liping and Sun Xiuxiu's eyes were practically glued to her.
"Xingyue, how can you be so beautiful! Just like a star in a painting."
"No wonder our fourth son is so happy. He married a wife who is as beautiful as an angel. How could he not be happy?"
Qiao Xingyue looked at herself in this bright red outfit, but she felt a bit dowdy.
She thought that when the times changed in a few years and private economy was allowed, she would definitely open a wedding photography shop and bring the beautiful wedding dress designs of later generations to this era.
Let my eldest and second sister-in-law also take a beautiful set of wedding photos with my eldest and second eldest brothers.
After the four women—mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, and son-in-law—bought the bride's new clothes and a suit for Xie Zhongming, they went to the counter where the groceries were displayed and bought several kinds of wedding candies, melon seeds, and peanuts before returning to the military compound.
It was already getting dark.
Smoke was billowing from the chimneys of every house in the compound.
The four women, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, returned to the main room, where the Xie family man had already prepared dinner and placed the dishes on the table.
The family was sitting around two tables, one tall and one short, preparing for dinner when Chen Shenghua walked in from outside the main room. "Old Xie, Zhongming, Guilan, Xingyue, great news! Huge, wonderful news..."
"What good news?"
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