Li Xiuju's hands, placed under the table, were clenched into fists. Because the elderly were present and it was Qingming Festival, she swallowed all her resentment.
"I, as your mother, will take care of Shen Yu's marriage. You don't need to worry about it."
"Sister-in-law, what are you saying?" Chen Cuiping teased. "We're just doing this for your own good."
Chen Cuiping wiped the oil off her beloved grandson's face and said relentlessly, "Chen Yu is, after all, the eldest daughter of our Zhou family. She can't really become an old maid and stay at home with you for the rest of her life, can she? We're family, so we don't care, but it's hard to shut other people up."
“I don’t intend to keep her by my side forever. If a suitable person comes along, I will naturally be happy to send her off to get married.” Li Xiuju looked at Zhou Chenyu and flatly rejected Chen Cuiping.
Chen Cuiping sighed softly, "Sister-in-law, at her age, where are you going to find a suitable man? In my opinion, she should hurry up and find someone to marry."
The older woman added fuel to the fire, "That's right. Otherwise, if this girl gets a few more years older, she won't be able to have a son anymore."
"Enough!" Li Xiuju was furious when she heard this. She slammed her hand on the table, attracting the attention of the villagers.
Zhou Chenyu saw Chen Cuiping and that woman exchange a smug look, thinking no one had noticed, little did she know that Chen Cuiping had seen it all.
It turns out these two were in cahoots, specifically looking for trouble.
“Sister-in-law, we only went to great lengths to find a husband for you and your child because you are a widow and orphans and we are so pitiful. Why are you not only ungrateful but also taking it out on us?” Chen Cuiping put away her aggressive demeanor and put on a pitiful look.
Upon hearing Chen Cuiping's words, everyone believed that this was the truth and began to discuss Li Xiuju's faults.
Li Xiuju had long suspected that this was a trap set by Chen Cuiping, but she still couldn't help but lose her temper. Now she was speechless and her body was trembling violently.
"Grandma, don't worry, I'm here." Zhou Chenyu gave Li Xiuju a reassuring smile, slowly stood up, faced Chen Cuiping, and said pitifully, "Auntie, I know you're worried about me, but how can I accept that?"
Can't accept it?
Chen Cuiping wiped away her tears. Ever since she was tricked last time, she felt that this brat's smile was not easy to deal with.
What mischief is this girl up to now?
Chen Cuiping avoided Zhou Chenyu's shrewd gaze, "You're too young to understand. I'm only doing this for your own good."
"For our own good? You're not doing well yourself, why are you worried about us?"
Zhou Chenyu walked between her and the old woman, blinking innocently: "Have you forgotten how you came to our house last time to tell us about your hardships over the years?"
Chen Cuiping turned her face away and stammered, "I haven't forgotten!"
"It's good that you haven't forgotten." Zhou Chenyu smiled lightly. "Do you remember telling my mother that your two sons forgot about their mother after getting married, and listened to their wives' instigation, not only not giving you food and drink, but also giving you two old folks a hard time every day. It's made you, at your old age, have to swallow your pride and borrow a vegetable plot from my mother to grow vegetables."
Although Chen Cuiping had many complaints about her two daughters-in-law, she doted on her younger son and needed her older son to support her in her old age, so on the surface, she maintained a polite relationship with her daughters-in-law and managed to get by.
Now that Zhou Chenyu has spread rumors and exposed the truth in public, if these words reach the ears of the two daughters-in-law, the family will likely be in turmoil.
Chen Cuiping could no longer sit still and jumped up angrily, shouting, "Zhou Chenyu, you're talking nonsense! I just said that there are too many people in the family and I wanted to borrow a piece of land to grow vegetables and have a better harvest. I didn't say anything bad about my daughter-in-law!"
She panicked.
Zhou Chenyu hid the smile in her eyes, looking at the child's rosy cheeks, then at Chen Cuiping's thin, sunken cheeks with a pained expression.
“Auntie, don’t be afraid. Although I, Zhou Chenyu, am young, I will get justice for you today no matter what. You raised my two older brothers with your love and care, and raised their children to be healthy and chubby. But these two unfilial sons don’t even want their mother after they get married. If you ask me, it’s better for a son to become an old maid like me than to marry a wife like that.”
After Zhou Chenyu finished speaking calmly, a young woman walked out from the crowd. She pushed through the crowd and came to Chen Cuiping, snatching the child from Chen Cuiping's arms.
The child was hurt and cried loudly.
Chen Cuiping felt sorry for the child and cursed, "I was holding him so nicely, why did you take him away?"
The young woman turned her head and sneered, "Didn't you hear? Everyone says you're the mother who raised your son with great hardship, and I'm the wicked daughter-in-law who sows discord. You get all the good reputation, and I'll take all the blame. What a clever scheme! If you dislike me so much, why don't you have your son divorce me? Stop crying, go home and cry!"
The young woman, carrying the child, strode away, leaving Chen Cuiping standing there, a laughingstock. Seeing Chen Cuiping's face turn green, the older woman said, "Sister Cuiping, you don't look well. Let me take you home."
"I'm not going back!" Chen Cuiping flung her hand away, stormed up to Zhou Chenyu, and raised her hand to hit him.
Li Xiuju pushed her away, "Shen Yu was just trying to stand up for you, and you still hit her? What kind of aunt are you?!"
Zhou Chenyu squatted down behind Li Xiuju, secretly pleased: "That's right, that's right."
Seeing the commotion, the villagers rushed over to stop the furious Chen Cuiping. They didn't care about the truth; they just didn't want her to ruin today's important event.
Everyone sided with Li Xiuju. Chen Cuiping clenched her fists, stomped her feet, and roared like a madwoman before chasing after her daughter-in-law.
"You old hag, you think you can fight me?"
Zhou Chenyu was in a great mood after her complete defeat of Chen Cuiping. Even Li Xiuju couldn't help but secretly give her a thumbs up.
Zhou Chenyu rarely saw her lose her temper, so he deliberately teased her by saying, "Grandma, I had a falling out with her, you're not angry with me, are you?"
Having vented her anger, Li Xiuju felt much better. "Why would I blame you? Mother has figured it out; it's better to have relatives like that!"
"I thought you still wanted to be a pushover," Zhou Chenyu teased. Seeing the sliced suckling pig being served, she quickly picked up her chopsticks and took a bite.
"You silly child, how can you start eating before the elders have even touched their chopsticks?" Li Xiuju scolded with a smile, then picked up a piece for Grandma Lin across from her.
After what just happened, Granny Lin realized that Chen Cuiping and the others had ulterior motives, and she herself almost became an accomplice in stirring things up.
The old woman felt a little guilty and looked kindly at Li Xiuju, speaking some words of wisdom from someone who had been through it all, "Xiuju, what Cuiping said just now was harsh, but it was the truth. We should hurry up and arrange a marriage for this little girl, Chenyu."
"Cough cough cough, cough cough cough." Zhou Chenyu thought the farce was over, but she didn't expect this to happen, which really gave her a hard time.
Fortunately, Li Xiuju took her words to heart. Rather than rushing into marriage and causing more suffering, it was better to keep her by her side.
Li Xiuju just smiled and whispered to Zhou Chenyu, "What's the rush? I know you don't like getting married, I won't force you."
Are you really not going to pressure me anymore?
Zhou Chenyu shed tears of gratitude, "My mother is so wise!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com