Li Zhiyuan's face turned ashen, and he was momentarily at a loss for words to refute.
Zhang Shuiniang had already started crying, and seeing this, Li Zhiyuan quickly pulled her away.
When Granny Li saw that Li Zhiyuan was not comforting her and had even taken the fox spirit with him, she cried even more bitterly.
"Auntie, don't cry, come to my house and wash your face first!" A woman from the same village quickly pulled her away and helped her off.
Ye Caiping, having witnessed a good show, was in a great mood. She turned to Li Zhigang and said, "I'm sorry for making such a fuss."
Li Zhigang had accepted one tael of money as a funeral gift from Ye Caiping, and was in a good mood, so he wouldn't blame her.
"Hehe, it's not your fault. They're just being mean. Please go inside and offer incense!"
Ye Caiping entered the mourning hall with her two daughters.
The mother and her two daughters knelt before the coffin, offered incense and burned paper money, and then left.
...
By the time I got home, it was almost noon.
Ye Daquan hurriedly ran off to deliver the goods.
When Ye Caiping and her two companions entered the house, they saw Old Lady Ye sitting on the porch, picking vegetables and chatting with Granny Zhao.
When Granny Zhao saw Ye Caiping, her eyes lit up: "I heard that Caiping went to Lijia Village for a funeral. Did you run into that scholar Li and his new wife?"
Ye Caiping's lips twitched slightly. This old woman Zhao really has a gossip spirit that's always burning!
"There really is." Her eyes flickered slightly as she recounted what had just happened.
Upon hearing such explosive news, Granny Zhao exclaimed "My God!" three times.
Ye Jin'er said, "We didn't provoke them; they came at us on their own."
"Caiping is absolutely right, she just loves being a lowly servant!" Old Madam Ye finally understood.
Li Pozi earned a reputation for "liking to serve others like a lowly maid," so her daughter's suffering over the past ten years was not in vain.
Granny Zhao excitedly gossiped about some details, and then left without waiting.
Ye Caiping found it amusing, believing that it wouldn't be long before the surrounding villages all knew about the "filial piety and benevolence" of Li Xiucai's family.
Ye Caiping underestimated Granny Zhao.
The next day, several villages knew about it.
But Li Zhiyuan quickly devised a countermeasure.
Ye Caiping's family had just finished lunch and were digesting their food in the main room when Granny Zhao burst in: "Caiping, let me tell you, that scholar Li's family..."
"Speak quickly!" Grandma Ye hurriedly pulled her down to sit, and thoughtfully stuffed a handful of melon seeds into her hand.
While chatting, Granny Zhao said, "That Granny Li said that she had a fight with her daughter-in-law that day and was talking nonsense, saying that Zhang Shui Niang is very filial! The reason she has never gone to the river to wash clothes is because she fell into the water when she was a child and is afraid to go near it."
"That old woman Li has quieted down so quickly." Old Mrs. Ye pursed her lips. "I wonder what method Li Zhiyuan used."
Ye Caiping said, "I guess it's money!"
Ye Caiping guessed correctly.
When Li Zhiyuan and his mother returned home, they had another argument.
One of them is cursing her for being unfilial; she can't be expected to do any housework in the future. A mother-in-law serving her daughter-in-law—doesn't she fear being struck by lightning?!
She's arrogant, stubborn, and sarcastic, claiming to be from a wealthy family. Asking her to do housework is an insult to her! If you can't afford to marry her, don't marry her!
Li Zhiyuan was in a real bind.
On one hand, they felt sorry for Zhang Shuiniang, and on the other hand, they were indignant at Li Pozi for causing trouble.
A man's pride prevented him from admitting that he couldn't afford to marry Zhang Shuiniang!
Even if he were completely out of his mind, he would know that there is no such thing as a mother-in-law serving her daughter-in-law.
If things don't escalate, it's fine, but once they do, it's hard to control.
In the end, he could only humbly coax Granny Li, saying that he would take good care of her in the future, and promised to give her three hundred coins every month to help her cover up and clarify the situation to the outside world.
Granny Li, out of love for her son and not wanting family matters to affect his examination, agreed to clarify the situation.
As for housework... oh, for now, I've left it all to Gu Han!
The story is about the lame male lead who was a beggar that Li Jiaojiao picked up!
"Although Granny Li explained, who would believe her! Tsk tsk!" Granny Zhao cracked melon seeds. "But Zhang Shui Niang is from a wealthy family, so it's understandable that she can't do that kind of work."
Ye Caiping said, "What are you pretending to be, a rich young lady? Auntie forgot, she's been married before! She was mistreated by her former mother-in-law, treated worse than a pig or a dog. I heard she even licked her former mother-in-law's feet! Now that she's remarried, she's suddenly become noble again!"
"What, does that mean her ex-mother-in-law is superior to her current mother-in-law? She can serve her ex-mother-in-law but not her current one? Or is it that Sun Dongbao is superior to Li Zhiyuan? She can be a lowly servant to Sun Dongbao's mother but can't give Li Zhiyuan's mother a decent face. Is Li Zhiyuan unworthy?"
Ye Caiping deliberately said these words in front of Granny Zhao.
Granny Zhao's eyes lit up when she heard this, and she rushed out the door like a whirlwind.
Before evening, Ye Caiping's words reached the ears of Li Zhiyuan and Zhang Shuiniang.
Li Zhiyuan sat in the study with a livid face.
He always knew that Shui Niang had been abused and mistreated by her former in-laws.
At that time, and even now, he only felt that Shui Niang was too pitiful, and that she, being so noble, should not suffer like this.
But as soon as Ye Caiping said those words, he instantly realized that Zhang Shuiniang had also been so lowly.
Moreover, what she said made a lot of sense. Shui Niang was willing to work at the Sun family's house, so why was she unwilling to work at his house?
If Sun Dongbao treated Shui Niang better than he did, treating her like a princess, Li Zhiyuan wouldn't mind; Shui Niang's favoritism towards the Sun family would also be reasonable.
Sun Dongbao gambled away his family fortune and committed domestic violence. Shui Niang and her two children were treated like slaves in Sun's household, and she even washed Sun's feet.
And he, a scholar, is inferior to Sun Dongbao? Why is Shui Niang treated like a princess in his household when she was a lowly maid in the Sun family?
Zhang Shuiniang and Li Jiaojiao were also feeling unwell, sitting in the room with gloomy faces.
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