Sure enough, Madam Li said next, "During the New Year, Mr. Wen ate New Year's Eve dinner at my house. I asked him why he didn't go home, and he said the food at home wasn't good! I was so puzzled, how bad must the cooking be?"
"You've come here today to learn a skill, haven't you? Haha, that's right! Let me tell you, my daughter-in-law is a descendant of the imperial chefs. She can teach you a few dishes, and you won't have to force your kids out of the house to find food anymore!"
Madam Wen's expression changed. These words were not pleasant to hear, and if they got out, the Wen family would lose face.
Before she could argue, Old Mrs. Li called her daughter-in-law out of the yard and then immediately ushered them into the Li family's courtyard.
Seeing the somewhat bewildered Wen family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law being half-pushed into the door, Jiayin smiled and took Madam Cui's hand, quickly following behind.
Others might not know, but she knew her grandmother's temper best. The old lady must be angry, annoyed that the Wen family had chased her here to bully her.
There's definitely going to be some exciting stuff coming up, you can't miss it!
Sure enough, Old Lady Li abandoned the main room in the front yard and led the Wen family mother and daughter-in-law directly to the small suite in the back yard.
The suite wasn't large, so the two old women and two maids who had come with the Wen family could only stand outside the door.
The Wen family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were politely invited to sit on the kang (a heated brick bed).
Perhaps because they weren't used to it, neither of them could quite put their legs together comfortably.
Old Mrs. Li, on the other hand, sat opposite them, casually cross-legged, and took out her long-unused pipe, slowly adding more tobacco.
She didn't neglect the Wen family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, serving tea and snacks to He Mama and Shui Ling, before saying to the old lady of the Wen family, "Judging from this, elder sister is older than me, so I'll address you that way."
"Sister, your daughter-in-law doesn't seem like she'd do any housework. Has she ever cooked before? What kind of dishes do you usually like to eat? You're getting older, so it's best to eat something light!"
When Madam Wen heard her calling her "older sister" repeatedly, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
What she hates most is being told she looks old. She has gone to great lengths to delay the appearance of wrinkles on her face.
That's her dowry maid, who still calls her "Miss" all the time!
Unexpectedly, upon arriving at the Li family, she listened to five or six elders in a row, and her heart felt as if it had been stabbed repeatedly, leaving gaping holes.
If it weren't for her son, she wouldn't have come to this wretched place and suffered this injustice!
But when she thought of her son, Madam Wen pulled out her handkerchief and began to wipe away her tears. "My dear sister, you don't know how bitter I am... You said that during the New Year, my second son had such a fierce argument with his father that he ran away and refused to eat at home for the New Year's Eve dinner."
"As their mother, caught between them, father and son, I'm in so much pain, my heart is breaking. I wish I could just escape to the winds and find a quiet place to end all this worldly troubles..."
Old Mrs. Li was about to light her pipe, but after Old Mrs. Wen started crying like that, she almost forgot what she was going to do.
Is this person made of water? How can they cry so easily?!
Tears continued to fall in strings, completely genuine; the crying was heartfelt.
If someone didn't know the truth, they might really think that the Li family had wronged her greatly.
Looking again at Madam Wen, who had her head down, she seemed to be completely resigned to her fate.
Old Mrs. Li frowned.
No wonder they were able to force Jinrou to come here to hide; their methods are truly novel and ingenious...
Madam Cui sat behind the old lady with Jiayin in her arms, biting her lip tightly, feeling both annoyed and helpless.
She was soaked in the tears of this old lady Wen for five or six days.
She knew perfectly well that the Wen family did not approve of her marriage to her senior brother, but her senior brother was too adamant, and the Wen family had no choice but to come to her, hoping that she would withdraw voluntarily.
Moreover, she chose to have open and aboveboard conversations, making the old lady cry in front of her every day.
She didn't express her opposition to their marriage, but only talked about how difficult it was for her to be a mother...
This is her senior's mother, her future mother-in-law. She can't hit or scold her; she can only endure it, enduring it until she's almost vomiting blood...
Jiayin leaned against her aunt's leg, touching her double chin, and also felt that the Wen family was really hard to like.
A soft knife can stab someone without drawing blood, yet it is more cruel than a hard knife!
But whether it was the nun or their own family, they were all hesitant to act rashly.
They all had to be mindful of Mr. Wen, and they didn't know how Grandma would handle the situation...
After listening for a while, Old Mrs. Li had a general idea of what was going on, so she gestured for her daughter-in-law to come forward and whispered a few words to her.
Tao Hongying had been unhappy for a long time, and she had glared at the Wen family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law countless times.
Every family lives a happy and joyful life. This Wen family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law must have lost their minds, running around crying and making a scene at other people's homes. It's so unlucky.
Upon hearing her mother-in-law's instructions, her eyes lit up, and she immediately went out.
Grandma Li leisurely lit her pipe, took a few deep drags, and exhaled thick blue smoke, which soon filled the room with a pungent odor.
Madam Wen was so focused on crying that she choked on her sob.
Grandma Li quickly laughed and said, "Old sister, you cry your heart out, I'll keep slapping my fists, it won't delay you! I'm getting anxious listening to what Mr. Wen was saying again."
"Yes, he's over thirty and still unwilling to get married, go on..."
Her anxious expression, like someone watching a play at a crucial moment, actually calmed down Old Madam Wen. She changed her handkerchief to a dry one and secretly glanced at her eldest daughter-in-law.
Madam Wen cursed her mother-in-law inwardly for being useless. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Madam, we have been disturbing you for quite some time. It has been very impolite of us to do so. Why don't we go to Jinrou's courtyard with her and sit for a while..."
Grandma Li quickly waved her hand, "No, no, my sister and I hit it off immediately. We haven't even had a proper chat yet, how can you leave already? Besides, Jinrou just got back yesterday, and the house is still a mess. How can we entertain guests here!"
At this point, she seemed to suddenly realize something and said, "Oh dear, you don't think our home is too simple, do you...?"
"No, no, how could that be!" Madam Wen, of course, couldn't admit it, and said with a smile, "I was just afraid of disturbing the old lady..."
"How could it be a bother? I'm so bored at home all the time. You'll have to come visit more often with my older sister." Old Mrs. Li warmly pushed the tea and snacks towards the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, saying, "I'm just not good with words and don't know how to persuade people. I'm afraid I'll neglect my older sister."
Just then, a commotion broke out outside the courtyard, and three elderly women, all around the same age as Old Lady Li, entered. However, they were dressed in less fine clothes.
Grandma Li quickly pulled them onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and then introduced them to the Wen family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law one by one, "This is Aunt Zhang Wu, Grandma Feng Ba, and Aunt Wu. They are the most persuasive old sisters in our village. Whenever I am in a bad mood and shed a tear, they are the ones who comfort me."
After saying that, she said to the other old ladies, "This is Mr. Wen's mother. She said Mr. Wen is unfilial and has hurt her. She started crying as soon as she arrived at my front door and has been crying ever since. I'm really afraid she'll go blind from crying. You all have to help me talk to her!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com