When Meng Liang saw his wife, he guiltily looked away.
Mencius' mother started scolding him.
"You spendthrift woman! You've broken such fine porcelain! This bowl isn't one of those cheap, low-quality ceramic bowls your Guan family makes; this is something only nobles in the palace could afford. You've squandered all the money my son worked so hard to earn!"
She jumped up, intending to hit Guan.
Normally, Mr. Guan would have tolerated it.
Before she married into the family, she knew that Meng Liang's mother was fierce and unreasonable. Her mother had warned her to be tolerant of her mother-in-law if possible, and if she couldn't, to talk to her husband in private and not to give her mother-in-law any leverage over her. After all, she was an elder.
Guan always tolerated Meng's mother and never resisted, because she felt that Meng Liang treated her very well.
Even though Mencius' mother constantly made veiled criticisms, and even though she had to take care of all the housework right after giving birth, she never complained.
But today, she no longer wanted to endure it.
She walked up to Meng Liang.
"Was what Mother said just now true? You...you want to divorce me?"
Meng Liang hurriedly explained, "No! I didn't want to divorce you, it's just... you don't understand things in the palace. The eldest princess fell into the water, and I saved her... Mother said that there's no need to divorce you, you can still stay at home."
Guan gave a bitter smile.
"Degrading my wife to a concubine, you've got a good plan! I'd rather die than endure this humiliation! Meng Liang, put your hands on your conscience! Since I married into your Meng family, I've done everything personally, and I've never done anything wrong to your mother or to you! And you actually want to divorce me?!"
She started speaking in a trembling voice, but became more and more agitated as she spoke, until she almost shouted it out.
"It wasn't me, it was Mother's intention..."
"What does your mother mean? Meng Liang, you're already twenty-two, not two or twelve, and you still have to listen to your mother in everything?"
Guan wanted to sneer, but she couldn't control the tears in her eyes, which streamed down her face.
She raised her hand and roughly wiped away her tears with the back of her hand.
"I'll ask you one question right now: do you want me, or your mother?!"
At this moment, Mencius' mother realized what was happening and angrily slapped her across the face.
"You troublesome brat! How dare you sow discord between us, mother and son? Who do you think you are? I didn't waste those twenty taels of silver as a dowry! Disrespecting your mother-in-law, I'm going to the yamen to report you right now!"
Guan tilted her head to the side, dodging the slap, and didn't even glance at her, her eyes fixed on Meng Liang.
Meng Liang opened his mouth, his mind filled with conflict.
He liked Guan Shi, but he couldn't bring himself to oppose his mother at all.
When Meng's mother saw that her slap had missed, she became furious and rolled up her sleeves, lunging forward to push Guan out the door.
Guan took two steps forward and dodged again.
But Mencius' mother couldn't stop herself and crashed into the door frame with a thud.
Immediately afterwards, the Meng family let out a scream like a pig being slaughtered.
"Murder! The daughter-in-law is trying to kill her mother-in-law! What kind of wretch is the Guan family raising?! I want my twenty taels of betrothal money back!!!"
They lived in a rather crowded alley, with neighbors separated only by a thin wall. Even a slightly loud noise at night could be heard by the neighbors, let alone Mencius' mother shouting at the top of her lungs.
Soon, the neighbors came running over.
Someone tried to help Mencius' mother up, but she refused to get up, covering her forehead with her hands and wailing as if in mourning.
Some acquaintances also tried to persuade Guan.
"You should apologize to your mother-in-law right away and call a doctor to take a look. This head injury is no small matter."
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