Chapter 16 In this life, I will surely protect my father and brothers, ensuring their safety and happiness.
Lu Zhaoruo explained gently, "Although I am now in charge of the shop, every account book must be reviewed by my uncle. Even if a single copper coin is missing, he will investigate to the end. These three winter clothes were obtained by my daughter through favors from the two shopkeepers. If he had taken nine sets at once, he would have been accused of embezzlement."
Madam Tu's face immediately darkened: "What do you mean by embezzlement? Aren't their food, clothing, and daily necessities all earned by you? What's wrong with taking a few pieces of clothing?"
He suddenly narrowed his eyes and scolded, "Could it be that you put on airs like a scholar in the Shen family and didn't serve your aunt and uncle well?"
With a stern face, Madam Tu instructed, "Now that you've become someone's daughter-in-law, you should know your duties! Paying respects to your parents-in-law morning and evening, serving them tea and meals, and preparing warm water for them to sleep in the middle of the night—that's the proper duty of a daughter-in-law! Your parents-in-law are like heaven; if they tell you to go east, you can't go west. That's the way of a wife!"
"Don't think you can act high and mighty in front of your parents-in-law just because you know a few words from your parents' home!"
"A woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent. Your poetry, books, and calligraphy are worthless in your husband's family!"
Lu Bohong was slightly angry: "Mother, my little sister has been well-educated and reasonable since childhood. She can recite the 'Admonitions for Women' and 'Biographies of Exemplary Women' by heart. Even if she wants to fulfill her filial duties, she should have a sense of proportion. Your teaching is just sending her to the Shen family to be a lowly maid."
Tu slammed the fire tongs she was holding onto the edge of the charcoal brazier with a loud bang: "What do you know, you brute!"
She didn't care when sparks landed on her coarse cloth skirt. "If I really served my parents-in-law well, would they not send back a single penny for three years?"
She grabbed the fire tongs and stirred the charcoal fire fiercely, saying, "You can't even afford a few winter clothes? You must be putting on airs like a young lady and pissing off your aunt and uncle!"
Looking at the firelight in the charcoal brazier, Lu Zhaoruo smiled bitterly: "Mother always suspects that I am not serving my parents-in-law well enough, but she never thought that even if I serve them well, they would still make things difficult for me and treat me harshly."
"My daughter always keeps in mind her mother's teachings. In the Shen family, she not only greets her mother morning and evening and serves her tea and meals, but also prepares warm water for her to sleep at midnight. In addition, she also cooks soup, washes clothes, chops firewood, carries water, and sweeps the courtyard every day. She does all these heavy chores, while the maids and servants are idle and spend their days eating melon seeds in the corridor."
"My daughter always remembers her mother's words that one should regard one's parents-in-law as one's heaven. Therefore, even in the coldest days of winter, when she kneels on a mat that has been deliberately splashed with water and frozen, her knees turn blue and purple, she remembers not to move an inch. In the sweltering heat of summer, when she kneels on a scorching hot stone slab to copy scriptures, her back peels, but she is not allowed to wipe away a single drop of sweat."
“If he makes even the slightest mistake, even if his ears bleed and ring from being slapped by his aunt, he won’t utter a word in protest.”
When she looked up, her eyes were still calm: "My aunt often said, 'The daughters of the Lu family are not even as good as maids'..."
The charcoal fire crackled and sparked, illuminating the tears that hadn't yet fallen from her eyelashes: "Daughter...daughter just recited 'Rules for Women' again from memory."
Upon hearing these words, Lu Bohong's eyes reddened and his fists clenched.
Even Lu's father, who had been like a walking corpse all day long, had two lines of tears rolling down his cloudy eyes at this moment.
In my previous life, I only realized the true nature of the Shen family's mean faces and their even more vicious intentions when I was dying.
In this life, she no longer wanted to be that fool who swallowed her pride and pain.
She had her brother with red eyes for her and her father shedding tears for her, so why should she swallow all her grievances alone?
The person who was always calm and composed, like still autumn water, now had trembling shoulders, and a long-suppressed sob welled up in his throat. Finally, a broken cry burst out—
"I'm not doing well..."
"I'm not doing well at all..."
"I'm suffering... I'm suffering terribly..."
Every word seems to be stained with blood, carrying the grievances and bitterness of these past years.
Lu Bohong suddenly stood up, his voice hoarse: "I always knew my little sister wasn't doing well in the Shen family, and I always thought of helping her out, but I never knew those two old bastards in the Shen family would be so vicious to you. Let's go..."
“Brother will take you to seek justice now, and then go to the county government to submit a petition for divorce.”
Mr. Lu wiped away his tears and said, "A-Ning, I'm so sorry to have wronged you."
"What justice are you seeking?"
"What form of separation?"
What are you all doing?
Tu roared.
She looked at Lu Zhaoruo with a little pity in her eyes, and said in a low voice, "Since you've already married into the Shen family, you have to endure it. Women have a hard life, and you can't blame others. Although the two elders of the Shen family are wicked, they can't outlive the Grim Reaper in the end..."
She looked at Lu Zhaoruo: "When they pass away, won't all of the Shen family's assets be yours?"
She then put on a show of concern for her, saying, "A divorced woman is like a rat crossing the street. Forget about remarrying, she'll have a hard time even surviving. Do you really want to end up in a brothel to make a living?"
Lu Bohong's eyes were bloodshot as he roared, "Does Mother mean that my little sister should continue to be tormented by the Shen family?"
Startled by the shout, Madam Tu stammered after a long pause, "Then...so what? Since ancient times, a woman has followed her husband after marriage...and served her parents-in-law..."
She noticed Lu Zhaoruo's simple clothes and thin figure, and her tone softened considerably: "After you go back, you must be cautious and careful. You must be diligent in paying your respects to your parents-in-law morning and evening. When you see your parents-in-law, smile sweetly. Don't always put on that aloof scholar's air. If they slap you on the left cheek, you should offer them the right cheek as well..."
She sighed, "It's better than...it's better than divorce. If we divorce, the gossip from the neighbors will be enough to drown you. How will you, a woman, survive alone?"
Lu Bohong suddenly stood up: "Who said that after the divorce, my little sister lived alone? Doesn't she still have us?"
The pity on Tu's face vanished instantly, and she curled her lip: "What divorced woman relies on her maternal family to support her?"
Lu Zhaoruo listened quietly, her heart gradually growing cold.
It turns out I wasn't wrong in my past life; Mother really didn't love her.
She turned to her silent father, Lu: "Father... what do you say?"
Mr. Lu looked at Lu Zhaoruo with affection and said, "I will listen to you. If you get a divorce, I will teach more students and I can support you."
Tears welled up in Lu Zhaoruo's eyes, but a smile bloomed in her tearful gaze.
Tu pinched Lu's father hard.
Lu Zhaoruo slowly stood up, wiped away her tears, and said softly, "I don't want a divorce."
Of course she wanted a divorce, but the time wasn't right. If Madam Tu found out about her plans, or that Shen Rongzhi had remarried, it would probably reach Madam Zhang's ears in no time.
Upon hearing this, Madam Tu beamed with joy: "That's more like it! Go back and live a good life. When your son-in-law returns with money, your good days will begin!"
Lu Bohong trembled with rage and grabbed her wrist: "Little sister, don't be foolish! Come back and your brother will take care of you. If you insist on staying in the Shen family, those two old killers in the Shen family will grind you down to your last bones sooner or later!"
Lu Zhaoruo grasped her brother's trembling hand in return, a gentle smile spreading across her lips: "Brother, don't worry, I'm no longer the soft dough that can be kneaded by others. From now on, I will take good care of myself..."
Upon hearing this, Madam Tu's expression changed drastically, and she shouted, "You can't disobey your parents-in-law. It's only natural for your parents-in-law to beat and scold you. If you retaliate, you'll be sued in court, and we'll all be implicated."
"Shut up!"
A sudden, furious roar.
Lu's father, who was usually taciturn and allowed Tu to pull his ears and scold him, suddenly slammed his fist on the table and stood up.
The small wooden table hummed loudly from his palm strike, and the water in the teacup spilled out.
Tu was so frightened that she trembled.
Father Lu didn't even glance at her, but stared intently at Lu Zhaoruo: "A-Ning has been intelligent since childhood. I know you have many clever ways to deal with things. However, if the Shen family makes a move against you, you must come home and tell us. Although the Lu family is just a poor family of scholars, we will not tolerate our daughter being bullied!"
Lu Bohong nodded: "Yes, we will never allow them to bully you. At worst, I'll give up my martial arts title."
Lu Zhaoruo looked at her father and brothers in front of her, her eyes slightly warm.
How wonderful! Heaven has taken pity on her and allowed her to live this life again, with her loved ones still alive.
She secretly vowed in her heart: In this life, she would protect her father and brothers, ensuring their safety and happiness, and watch them grow old with white hair, surrounded by their children and grandchildren, never again like in her previous life...
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