The whole thing started with Old Madam Xiao. Because of Li's resistance, she was reminded of Xie Yushu. Thinking of Xie Yushu made her even angrier, so she went to Xie Family Village to ruin Xie Yushu's reputation!
This brings us to what happened after Xie Yushu took Xiao Haitang away.
Back to Phoenix Mouth and the Xiao Family
The Xiao family originally relied on exploiting the Xiao family to survive.
This time, Xiao Yi, that great traitor, left without a word with Xiao Jinyu.
Xie Yushu was also divorced by Old Madam Xiao.
Even Xiao Haitang was replaced by Xie Yushu!
So the Xiao family, including the old man and woman, shifted all their exploitation efforts onto the Xiao family!
Oh, right, Xie Yushu left, so no one is paying the monthly allowance, and Widow Liu was dismissed by Old Madam Xiao again.
If life were still the same as before, with Old Madam Xiao simply having Li do the laundry, cook, and serve the whole family, then she would accept it, after all, she was used to it!
However, ever since Xiao Yan found a good husband, even the old lady Xiao has become arrogant and started acting like a mistress and servant, treating Xiao Dayong's family like servants!
Li had to get up at five o'clock in the morning to boil water for the whole family to wash their faces, then cook, then serve them at the table and around the house. After serving them, she had to tidy up the yard, wash clothes, feed the chickens, ducks and geese, and then clean the chicken coop.
Before I could even catch my breath, I was busy making lunch. In the afternoon, I had to do sewing and mending for the whole family, and then I had to make dinner. I was so tired that I could barely stand up straight all day, and I was constantly being scolded by Grandma Xiao!
Xiao Dayong and his two sons spent their days in the fields. After finally finishing the harvest and leveling the land, they went to the mountains to chop firewood to prepare for the winter. When the three of them returned, the old man Xiao carried the firewood to Xiao Yuanhang's yard first!
We've been chopping wood for so long, but we still haven't chopped enough firewood to burn all winter!
Peach Blossom, who was only ten years old, was completely treated as a servant girl by Old Madam Xiao, Xiao Yan, and Xie Yujiao!
No one knows where Xiao Yan heard it, but the young mistresses all need someone to serve them by combing their hair and washing their faces. So, every morning, Tao Hua would get up and bring water for washing the faces of Old Madam Xiao, Xiao Yan, and Xie Yujiao, and serve them by washing their faces, combing their hair, dressing them, and putting on their shoes. Then, she would stand and serve them food for all three meals. She also had to massage their shoulders and legs and serve them tea and water!
And I get scolded from time to time, with people complaining that this is wrong and that is wrong!
Even a maid trained in a wealthy family would be exhausted serving just one master, let alone little Peach Blossom serving three at once! The little maid was so tired and listless that she cried in distress!
Li was so angry that her heart ached and her liver hurt. She cursed the old lady Xiao for causing trouble. The whole family only ate a wretched wild vegetable and a pot of cabbage stewed with radish, which was bland and watery. What did she have to do with being a noblewoman and waiting for people to serve her food?
A group of people at the table stared at a bowl of cold wild vegetables, practically wanting to bury their heads in it, yet they still tried to act all refined!
Pah!
This family of chickens with the fate of phoenixes insist on acting like phoenixes! If they're so capable, why don't they hire some maids and servants to wait on them? They should only serve them lavish meals! She thinks she's superior, so what right does she have to order them around?
Li did try to resist, but Old Lady Xiao suppressed her with force!
After all, Old Mrs. Xiao's crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide were a whole set of actions that not an ordinary person could withstand!
But everything in excess is as bad as too little!
When things develop to a certain point, there should be a new breakthrough!
Back then, Xiao Damei returned with her husband's family. Relying on Old Madam Xiao's favoritism, she occupied Xiao Yi's house and drove Xie Yushu away. Before leaving, Xie Yushu exchanged food, clothes, and bedding for Xiao Haitang.
Although Xie Yushu left behind a considerable amount of grain, the clothes she left behind were all single-layer garments, and not enough for fifteen or sixteen people to wear and cover themselves with. For Xiao Damei's large family of fifteen or sixteen, winter clothing and quilts would be a significant expense!
Grandma Xiao was naturally reluctant to give it. She might be willing to help her daughter, but she would never help her son-in-law's whole family!
With no other option, Xiao Damei's family had to sell most of their grain to buy cotton-padded clothes and quilts.
But then there won't be enough food to eat!
Xiao Damei felt sorry for her husband, her husband felt sorry for his mother, and his mother felt sorry for her brother-in-law and brother-in-law. Most of the food ended up in the mouths of the men in the family, and the women were so hungry that their eyes were blurry. In the end, Xiao Damei shamelessly brought her two sons and two daughters to Xiao's old lady's house for a free meal every day!
Although Old Madam Xiao had squeezed some money out of Xiao Yi and borrowed Xiao Yan's betrothal gifts, she gave some to Xiao Yuanhang, kept some for Xiao Yan to take back, prepared some decent dowry items, and kept some for herself. The remaining money was only enough to feed such a large family, and Li Shi and Tao Hua were only half full.
Xiao Damei brought four children, and they were immediately full!
However, since Old Man Xiao and his wife doted on their daughter and grandson, Li couldn't say anything!
Li should never have laid a hand on Tao Hua!
It was lunchtime that day, and just as Li had put the food on the table, Xiao Damei arrived with her daughter and son.
They didn't need anyone to serve the food; they devoured it in no time. Luckily, the Xiao family used large porcelain bowls to serve the food, otherwise the food would have been gone before anyone else even touched it!
Just as Tao Hua finished serving the stewed cabbage to Grandma Xiao and Grandpa Xiao, Xiao Da Mei and the others had already finished a bowl of corn porridge and ate quite a lot of vegetables.
Perhaps it was the way the mother and her children were eating like vicious dogs that made Xiao Yan and Xie Yujiao restless, urging Tao Hua to quickly serve them more.
Madam Li cursed the Xiao family inwardly, thinking they were all crippled and couldn't do things themselves. On the one hand, she felt sorry for her daughter and took Xie Yujiao's bowl to help serve the food, while Taohua took Xiao Yan's bowl to serve the food.
However, Tao Hua was short and had to stand on tiptoe to serve the soup. Xiao Yan scolded her for being too slow, and she panicked, spilling the soup on Xiao Da Mei.
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