Shuiqing stepped out of the dimly lit house and saw her two thin, frail daughters kneeling in the scorching sun in the courtyard, surrounded by a circle of 'relatives' who looked down at her relentlessly.
She looked around but didn't see the original owner's three sons, so they must still be out working and hadn't come back yet.
Upon seeing her come out, Fan's mother lifted her droopy eyelids, her previous guilt vanished, and she smugly said to her younger daughter-in-law: "The Fan family has raised you two to adulthood, feeding you and dressing you."
What, did the Fan family's grain produce only two ungrateful wretches like you?
The youngest daughter-in-law is a pushover, easily manipulated.
Originally, it was unreasonable for her to push her down in the morning, but now that her two daughters dared to steal food, it would be a good opportunity to use them to pressure her younger daughter-in-law into giving her money.
The eldest son has many sons and a heavy burden, while the second son's son is still young. The second son is the breadwinner, so the family relies on her to help support her eldest grandsons...
Shui Qing was annoyed as soon as she heard this!
This is the same kind of thing as saying, "You've grown up, and you haven't gone hungry."
The only difference is that at least the former didn't let their child go hungry or cold, and provided them with adequate material support, while the Fan family genuinely skimped on their daughter's food.
How can a grandmother speak so shamelessly and confidently in front of her two granddaughters!
Shui Qing glanced at the villagers outside the house fence and courtyard wall, who were craning their necks to watch the commotion while eating their food. She lowered her head but spoke in a loud voice: "Eating from the inside and betraying the outside? May I ask, Mother-in-law, who is inside and who is outside?"
If I, as someone without a surname, am considered an outsider, then isn't my mother-in-law, who married into the Fan family, also an outsider? Da Ya and Er Ya are the true members of the Fan family; they can't be considered traitors.
The women who had gathered outside the fence to watch the spectacle burst into laughter.
"Sister-in-law Fan, I remember your maiden name is Huang. You've been hearing people in the village call you 'Fan' for decades, have you forgotten your own surname?"
"According to your logic, your daughter-in-law is an outsider, so aren't you an outsider too?"
"So, the two girls on the ground are the real members of the Fan family! Oh dear, it's really hard to tell who's 'inside' and who's 'outside' here."
The midday sun was scorching, so Shuiqing took the opportunity to pull her two daughters, who were kneeling on the ground, up.
The two little girls still had tears in their eyes. Their thin bodies, still weak from the beating, immediately helped their "mother." The three of them huddled together tightly in the large courtyard.
Da Ya and Er Ya held back their tears. Their mother was actually protecting them?
She protected the two girls who gave her no status at home.
But Mother actually came out when they were being beaten, instead of hiding in the house as usual.
It feels so good to have your mother protecting you...
Mrs. Fan's original plan fell through, and she stood there stunned for a long time before finally opening her mouth and saying, "Wasn't that because the two of them divided the food among themselves?"
Shui Qing rolled her eyes to the heavens. Her granddaughter was giving her mother, whose fate was unknown, half a dark-colored steamed bun, and it was as if she had committed a grave offense.
It is an unforgivable crime!
Instead of explaining along with her mother-in-law's words, she shifted her gaze and asked, "Mother-in-law, look at your two granddaughters. They're over ten years old, but they're as thin as corn stalks in the field."
The clothes they wore had been passed down from several of their older cousins, patched upon patched before finally reaching them. Is this what you mean by "giving them food and clothing"?
"As the saying goes, family scandals should not be aired in public, but since you brought it up first, your daughter-in-law has no choice but to speak up as well."
My two daughters have never had a full meal since they were little! They can't sleep at night because they're hungry, their stomachs ache and they feel weak and limp. They go to bed every night to the sound of their rumbling bellies. Can you imagine how miserable that is?
Playing the victim, anyone can do that.
The women watching were all on the side of whoever was weaker. "To be fair, Aunt Fan, you're being way too biased."
It's not like the famine days when we couldn't get enough to eat. No matter how good or bad the food is, we still have to make sure our granddaughter is fed.
"These babies are so small, and girls don't eat much, so even if we cut back a little bit, it'll be enough for them to be full."
"That's right, it's not like a half-grown boy can eat his father out of house and home. Hey, Aunt Fan, your grandsons are really good-looking! They're as strong as calves. How did you raise them? You should feed them the same way as your granddaughter."
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