The three of them burst into laughter.
This startled the two girls, Zhao Di and Pan Di, who were looking at the little figures. They stared at their mother with wide eyes.
They had never seen their mother smile.
Zhao Di looked at her mother and said, "Mom, you look so beautiful when you smile."
Su Xueli glanced at Du Mei, then smiled and said to Zhao Di, "Your mom is just beautiful."
Du Mei's dull eyes brightened slightly. How long had it been since she had looked in the mirror?
She didn't dare look in the mirror; she didn't dare look at the woman with grimy hair and a dusty face, the woman with sorrowful eyes, or the woman with a face full of despair.
Actually, she used to be very beautiful, with jet-black hair, bright, sparkling eyes, an oval face, and small lips, but now, she is unrecognizable.
"Eldest daughter-in-law!" A rough and fierce voice suddenly rang out in the courtyard.
"Oh!" Du Mei was startled.
His face turned deathly pale, and his eyes widened in terror.
She got up and pulled her two younger daughters, saying, "Quick, quick, come home, your grandma is here."
Su Xueli felt a pang of heartache seeing her expression.
Her mother-in-law, Bai, had already started cursing, "You tailless eagle, you nosy rooster, running around to every house during the New Year! My son must have had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to be associated with you, you jinx..."
It just so happened that Wei Tiezhu and Cao Maizi weren't home at the time. They had been busy cooking for most of the day, and the house was filled with the smell of cooking oil, so they went out to play in the street.
So no one could stop her from cursing.
Du Mei was so frightened that her mouth trembled, and she repeatedly explained, "Mother... Mother, I'm not visiting, I'm looking for... my two daughters..."
"What kind of tree sprouts what kind of buds? Even dung beetles can produce good insects. You three are all cut from the same cloth, three jinxes..."
"Second Aunt, watch your mouth! This is my house, not yours. If you curse me again, I'll throw you out!" Wei Mingshen shouted as he walked out of the house.
Su Xueli gave him an approving look. What a man!
This old woman thinks it's right for me to scold my own wife, so why should you interfere? Besides, you're just taking advantage of your age; how dare you, a mere young man, talk to an old woman like that?
She immediately clapped her hands and started cursing at Wei Mingshen, "You little bastard, how dare you talk to your aunt like that? Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?"
Wei Mingshen said with disgust, "When God strikes thunder, it's to catch you, you heartless, rotten old woman."
That's a powerful statement.
Su Xueli almost clapped.
The second old woman was stunned by the scolding. After a moment of blankness, she slapped her thigh, jumped up and down, and cried out in a hoarse voice, "Oh dear, come and see! This brat Ming Shen has insulted an old woman like me! I'm over sixty years old, and a young man in his twenties is pointing his finger at me and cursing me! Why didn't the heavens hear this on New Year's Day...?"
Du Mei was terrified. Trembling, she pleaded with her, "Mother, it's all my fault. I'll never go out again. Let's go home."
The second wife was already seething with anger, and upon hearing this, her eyes widened. "You spendthrift woman, how dare you say that? I'll scratch your face until it's raw, then let's see if you still have the nerve to visit neighbors..."
She stretched out her Nine Yin White Bone Claw and scratched Du Mei's face.
In the blink of an eye, her hair was grabbed and pulled back. Before she could reach her daughter-in-law's face, she fell backward onto the ground.
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