"Zhao Zhenzhu earns money to support herself and her three children? What does that mean?"
"Didn't Ding Ermei say that Zhou Bingchen sends back twenty yuan a month? Isn't that enough for Zhao Zhenzhu and her two children?"
"Old Nian, are you stupid? The money Zhou Bingchen sent home is all in Ding Ermei's hands. If Ding Ermei doesn't let Zhao Zhenzhu spend it, then Zhao Zhenzhu will have to earn money to support herself and her three children."
...
Seeing that everyone's emotions had been ignited, Zhao Zhenzhu quickly continued her performance—or rather, her lamentation.
"Waaaaah... I've suffered so much these past years! I've kept quiet because I didn't want to air my dirty laundry in public."
“My mother-in-law is unfair! When the children of the first and second wives are sick, she spends both money and effort on them. But when my Yunyun and Jiakai are not feeling well, I ask her to give me some money to buy medicine, but she doesn’t care at all.”
“During holidays, my mother-in-law would prepare nice gifts for my two older sisters-in-law when they returned to their parents’ homes, but when it came to me, she wouldn’t give me anything.”
“We, the third-born children, have to pay ten yuan a month for food and lodging, while the first and second-born children don’t have to pay a single penny. We’re all our own flesh and blood, how can you be so biased?”
“I, Zhao Zhenzhu, have been married into the Zhou family for more than seven years. Except when I was sick, my hands have never stopped. During the busy farming season, I worked in the production team to earn work points, and during the slack season, I made clothes at home to earn money. I never neglected any of the household chores either, always busy here and there. I have never uttered a single complaint before.”
“It rained heavily yesterday, and my second sister-in-law asked me to help her pick vegetables in the garden, so I went. When I came back, I got soaked in the rain, and I wanted to boil some water to soak my feet, but my mother-in-law wouldn’t let me. I started to have a fever last night, and I got up a little late this morning. There wasn’t even a drop of thin porridge left for me in the pot.”
······
"I used eggs given to me by my family to make steamed egg custard, and I was wrongly accused of stealing. What sins did I commit in my past life to end up marrying into such a family?"
While crying, Zhao Zhenzhu clearly recounted all the grievances she had suffered in the Zhou family over the years.
She is a vivid portrayal of a young wife who, unable to bear her mother-in-law's torment any longer, begins to rebel.
Since they had already broken off relations, Zhao Zhenzhu never considered the possibility of reconciling with Ding Ermei.
After today, Ding Ermei will definitely be infamous and notorious throughout the surrounding villages.
The crowd gasped in disbelief.
Ding Ermei is very concerned about her image.
In public, she often boasts about her kind heart and her caring nature towards her daughters-in-law. She argues with her eldest daughter-in-law, Chen Jinfeng, because Chen Jinfeng is too difficult to manage, and she feels she has no other choice.
Chen Jinfeng has a fiery temper and is not well-regarded in the village.
When Ding Ermei said that, everyone believed her.
Zhao Zhenzhu is different.
Zhao Zhenzhu is virtuous and hardworking, speaks softly, and her family often provides her with financial assistance. She is the most ideal daughter-in-law in the hearts of many mothers-in-law in Zhoujia Village.
Zhao Zhenzhu laid out all the conflicts between herself and Ding Ermei in front of everyone, and everyone's hearts were definitely tipped in Zhao Zhenzhu's favor.
There are biased mothers-in-law, but someone like Ding Ermei isn't biased; she's just stupid.
Most of the money Ding Ermei had came from Zhou Bingchen, yet she treated Zhou Bingchen's wife and children poorly. Anyone with a sense of justice would find this unacceptable.
"Poor Pearl, what a cannibalistic family she married into!"
"Pah! Ding Ermei is shameless. Yesterday she was telling me how good she is to Zhao Zhenzhu!"
"Ding Ermei has lost her mind! She's pushing away the family's most capable son!"
······
One accusatory word after another flooded into Ding Ermei's ears. Ding Ermei opened her mouth wide, forgetting even to feign pitifulness.
Ding Ermei did want to manipulate Zhao Zhenzhu, but she never thought it would ruin her reputation.
In rural areas, reputation is very important.
Having an unreasonable elder in the family makes it much more difficult for the younger generation to get married.
Ding Ermei's son and daughter are already married, but she still has grandchildren!
Just thinking about how her beloved grandson Zhou Jiaxiang might not be able to find a wife when he grows up makes Ding Ermei feel as if her heart has been submerged in ice water, chilling her to the bone.
"Aunt Ding, look at the mess you've made! Get up quickly!" Taking advantage of Ding Ermei's distraction, Chen Yufeng used a little force to pull Ding Ermei up from the ground.
This time, Ding Ermei couldn't care less about putting on airs as the "military officer's mother" and quickly explained to the people around her, "Folks! That's not how it is at all. Don't be fooled by Zhao Zhenzhu."
Ding Ermei paused here, gathering her emotions, preparing to passionately recount her grievances.
“You rich family, which of Pearl’s words were false? Ask yourself, have you never done anything that goes against your conscience?” a gaunt old woman interrupted, asking.
The old woman with the sunken lips is named Yang Jinhua. She is seventy-eight years old this year and has a very high seniority in the village. Even the village secretary, Zhou Dazhu, has to call her "Grandma Jinhua."
Yang Jinhua lived next door to Zhou Fugui's house and was Aunt Zhang's mother-in-law.
As people age, they become more shrewd. Yang Jinhua can often guess the truth of a matter with remarkable accuracy just by glancing at it.
Yang Jinhua had long been aware of the conflict between Ding Ermei and Zhao Zhenzhu.
Previously, Zhao Zhenzhu never resisted.
Even if Yang Jinhua sympathizes with Zhao Zhenzhu, she will not rush to stand up for Zhao Zhenzhu.
Now that Zhao Zhenzhu is going to resist, Yang Jinhua will definitely speak up for her.
"Grandma Yang, you're old enough to manage your own family affairs. My family's affairs are none of your business," Ding Ermei said irritably, giving Yang Jinhua a disapproving look.
Ding Ermei is a bit of a snob.
Because Zhou Bingchen was an officer in the army, Ding Ermei believed that, apart from the village secretary and the brigade leader's family, their family was the most powerful in the entire Zhoujiazhuang village.
Yang Jinhua's family were all ordinary commune members. Ding Ermei felt that her family was a cut above Yang Jinhua's.
Ding Ermei never greets Yang Jinhua when they run into her on the street.
"What did I say wrong? You're from a wealthy family, weren't you the one who cried and begged everyone to judge? Now that everyone's here to judge you, I'm saying a few fair words and you're not happy. Are you just playing with everyone's feelings?" Yang Jinhua glared, her face lengthened, and her imposing manner immediately came through.
Yang Jinhua was never intimidated by the village party secretary and the brigade leader.
If it weren't for Zhou Bingchen's sake, Yang Jinhua would have said even harsher things.
Ding Ermei turned pale with anger. Her lips moved, but she didn't dare say that she didn't care if Yang Jinhua came to judge her.
In the end, it was Chen Yufeng who gave Ding Ermei a way out.
"Aunt Ding, is what Pearl said true? You can't go too far and hurt Zhou Bingchen's feelings!" Chen Yufeng advised.
Chen Yufeng was also helpless.
After all, they are relatives. Chen Yufeng couldn't just stand by and do nothing about Ding Ermei's embarrassment.
"Yu Feng! I'm so wronged!" Ding Ermei grabbed Chen Yu Feng's hand and cried, "I didn't know Zhao Zhenzhu was sick. Today it was her turn to cook, but she wouldn't get up when I called her. I was so angry that I didn't leave her any food. After our whole family went to work, Zhao Zhenzhu stole eggs from home and ate them. Jiaxiang saw it with his own eyes. There was a whole plate of steamed eggs, with at least four or five eggs in it. Zhao Zhenzhu and her daughter ate it all up."
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