Chapter 37 What Cousin?
Aunt Liu pushed open the door and walked in front, with Tao Tao and the others following behind.
Tao Tao habitually surveyed her surroundings. The courtyard wasn't large, but a small plot of land in one corner was used to grow vegetables. There were two rooms: a living room in the middle and a small kitchen.
The houses of ordinary people are basically the same, the only difference being their size.
The funeral hall was definitely set up in the guest room. She walked in, and suddenly a woman with large breasts and a slender waist came out.
Her face was made up, her hair was styled in a cloud-like bun, and she wore a plum blossom-colored short-sleeved top, which was currently fashionable in the capital, and a light green strapless long skirt. The bright and eye-catching colors made her look radiant and full of vitality.
Where did this woman come from?
"you??"
Tao Tao looked at her in shock and confusion, then turned to look at Aunt Liu with a puzzled expression. If she remembered correctly, she was here to set up Aunt Liu's mourning hall, right? The woman had only been dead for a few days, and her body wasn't even stiff yet. How could such a woman have appeared in the house?
She was dressed so smartly, whereas Liu Niangzi usually wore drab clothes and had never worn such fine garments before.
"Aunt Liu, who is this person?"
Aunt Liu's eyes flickered, and she looked flustered for a moment before quickly saying, "This is...this is my distant cousin. She wrote a few days ago saying she would come to visit this old woman, and I never expected her to arrive today."
Fangyun glanced at her arrogantly and walked straight to the kitchen.
She watched her retreating figure with suspicion; her gait was awkward and somewhat affected.
Without paying much attention, she turned around and instructed the Yu brothers, Yu Shan and Yu He, to start tidying up.
Tao Tao looked up and was drawn to a bouquet of flowers on the table. The porcelain vase was filled with large clusters of crabapple blossoms, which were delicate and beautiful.
She unconsciously frowned. It was a time of grief for someone to pass away; how could such brightly colored flowers be placed here? It was disrespectful to the deceased.
As she pondered, she reached out and took the flower down, when a sharp, piercing sound rang out behind her.
"Stop! What are you doing?!"
Fangyun rushed over angrily and snatched the vase away.
"These are my flowers! How can you be so rude?! You little brat, you have absolutely no manners!"
"Who are you calling an old woman?! Aunt Liu's daughter-in-law just passed away, and you, her cousin, are dressed like this, which is utterly distasteful. Anyone who didn't know better would think you came to congratulate your elder on their death. How inhumane, unjust, and unfilial! I'm truly ashamed for you!"
"How dare you stand here and speak to me and Aunt Liu? You've insulted Madam Liu so blatantly! Her body is barely cold; aren't you afraid she'll come looking for you in the middle of the night demanding an explanation?!"
She launched into a rapid-fire, angry rebuke, which enraged the woman in front of her, who pointed at her and spewed "you, you, you!" repeatedly, unable to think of a rebuttal for a moment.
Her once decent face was now contorted with rage. She turned and glared at Aunt Liu, shouting, "This little bitch has insulted me like this! Why don't you kick her out right now!"
"Who are you calling a slut?"
Fangyun turned around and shouted loudly, "You shameless woman!"
As soon as he said it, he realized what he had done and raised his hand to slap her. Yu Shan and Yu He panicked and hurriedly stepped forward.
Tao Tao knew she was going to use this trick. She blocked with her left hand and slapped her right hand hard across the face. In an instant, five red marks appeared on Fangyun's face.
Ouch!
Aunt Liu stared in disbelief at the chaotic scene before her.
Fangyun covered her face, her body stiff from the blow, and stood there dumbfounded, looking utterly incredulous.
Yu Shan and Yu He rushed forward to protect her, glaring angrily at the woman in front of them.
"Aunt Liu, is this woman really your cousin? Or is she Uncle Liu's mistress? If that's the case, I'll have to go to the government office and have a good talk with her."
Tao Tao stood behind the two, coldly staring at the old woman whose expression revealed a hint of barely perceptible panic.
"Before Lady Liu was even buried, a woman came to her house to act arrogantly and domineeringly. If the government finds out about such a despicable act, they will definitely investigate whether Lady Liu's death was an accident!"
Aunt Liu's face turned ashen instantly, her heart filled with unease. She clenched her fists, forcing herself to calm down, and said sternly, "What nonsense are you spouting, Miss Tao! How could I possibly mistake my own cousin!"
"Do you think you're losing out by not charging me for my daughter-in-law's funeral?! Now you're trying to make trouble with these nonsense?! Fine! My Liu family doesn't need greedy and avaricious people like you. You were blind to have taken such good care of my daughter-in-law while she was alive!"
"Get out! Get out now! The Liu family doesn't welcome you."
Just then, the sound of a child crying loudly came from the inner room. Fangyun was startled, realizing that someone had already moved faster than her.
Aunt Liu rushed inside, but Tao Tao was immediately stopped by Fang Yun as she moved.
Those sharp, triangular eyes stared at her venomously: "My aunt told you to get out, are you trying to stay here?! Do you believe I'll report you to the authorities and have you arrested!"
"Fine, we won't hold the funeral! Our boss kindly refused to accept money, but you treat him like this. You have no conscience at all!"
Yu Shan felt sorry for Tao Tao, and being young and hot-blooded, he couldn't stand it either, so he immediately grabbed her and left without looking back.
Tao Tao turned to look at the woman standing in the living room, her expression thoughtful.
The three of them had just stepped out when the door was slammed shut with a loud bang, so loud it made their ears ring. Wood chips fell from the wooden door, nearly shaking it to pieces.
She sat on the cart, looking up at the tightly closed wooden door, thinking that she had acted impulsively just now. She thought of how Liu Niangzi had worked hard every day to make a living, and how she had turned into such a miserable state in the blink of an eye.
Before the burial, a woman dared to enter the house, dressed so brightly, as if celebrating her death. The mother-in-law, who seemed to have a deep bond with her daughter, did not reprimand her at all, but instead chased away the people who were holding the funeral.
Her anger level soared, so when the woman's face was practically right in front of her, what reason did she have not to slap her?
Seeing her arrogant and domineering attitude, she felt that she hadn't been hit hard enough.
Suddenly, she raised her left hand and stared at it, frowning slightly. Faint bloodstains seeped from the white gauze.
The injury hadn't healed yet, and then there was moving things and blocking blows from wooden sticks; it's no wonder it cracked open.
"My God, boss, has your injury gotten worse? Let's go see a doctor."
Yu Shan stared nervously at her hand.
In his view, this skill was extremely important, both for women and for those who needed to mend corpses; if it wasn't healed properly now, it would definitely leave scars.
If she is left with a scar, her future husband will definitely mind.
Thinking this, Yu Shan brandished his horsewhip and hurried toward the clinic.
That day, she unfortunately cut a tendon in her finger, which has made her fingers less flexible now. Considering that she will need to sew up her body in the future, she should indeed see a doctor.
She didn't stop it.
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