Cheng was very dissatisfied and glared at Wan Cunhua.
That brat, her biggest takeaway from coming home this time was that Da Niu's wife had become quite fierce.
Previously, she didn't dare to be arrogant in front of her, but now this Wan Village Flower is truly intolerant of any dissent and is targeting her at every turn.
Hmph, I really don't know who gave her the courage.
Cheng gritted his teeth, his anger reaching a boiling point.
She reluctantly got up, not wanting to give up the good seat she had secured.
Fatty Zhao and Skinny Zhao also hung their heads and went to invite Old Lady Zhao.
Cheng dawdled as she went to the kitchen to get the dishes. When she passed Wan Cunhua and saw the large plate of fragrant chicken, her expression softened a little.
Old Mrs. Zhao was completely unaware of what had just happened. She was helped over to eat by Fatty Zhao and Skinny Zhao, one on each side.
She smiled and exclaimed, "This is what a big family should be like. We all need to contribute to make a good life for each other."
Old Mrs. Zhao's biggest worry in her life was that her only two remaining sons would become estranged.
So even after they separated, Old Lady Zhao still interfered, trying her best to make her two sons appear to be a family on the surface.
Wan Cunhua put the plates down and muttered, "Grandma, it's good that everyone contributed. But today's meal was all prepared by my mother-in-law and me. Where did my aunt's family contribute? Did they even eat?"
Old Mrs. Zhao had just returned from chatting outside, so naturally she knew nothing of these messy things happening at home.
Upon hearing Wan Cunhua's words, Old Lady Zhao's face immediately darkened.
"That damned, lazy, sly hussy, make her wash the dishes and pots later," Old Mrs. Zhao cursed angrily.
Seeing how angry Old Lady Zhao was, Wan Cunhua felt a little better.
Although they really wanted to cook ten or so dishes, the Zhao family simply didn't have the resources.
A pot of stir-fried chicken, two plates of green vegetables, a large pot of radish and cabbage stew, and a scrambled egg. In addition, a large pot of corn cakes were steamed.
Although there weren't many dishes, it was a huge improvement compared to what Old Zhao's family used to have.
However, the Cheng family has always been petty and not that magnanimous.
She went to the kitchen and saw a plate of scrambled eggs on the stove, and swallowed hard, her mouth watering. But she still pretended to be disgusted and pouted, "Sister-in-law, why did you only make such a few dishes for the New Year? Don't you think it's stingy? Look at the He family at the entrance of the village, the aroma of their meat wafts all the way to the other end of the village."
Tao was serving rice and had no intention of paying attention to what Cheng was saying.
Zhao Xiaocao, who was tending the fire in the kitchen, couldn't stand it anymore. "Mother, all these ingredients came from my eldest uncle's family. What did we contribute? If you think the food at home is meager, then go eat at my second uncle's house."
Wan Cunhua gave Zhao Xiaocao an appreciative look, thinking that she would give her a big chicken leg later.
Mrs. Cheng never expected that the one who would talk back to her was her own daughter. She glared at Zhao Xiaocao with annoyance.
"Shut up, you brat! You think you're above everyone else just because you got a little something extra? I'm telling you this seriously, you're not allowed to go to school after the New Year!"
Zhao Xiaocao's hand trembled as she held the firewood, and her anger flared up instantly.
"Fine, if you won't give me money for school, then I'll earn it myself! But Mother, you're not allowed to bring any of the good things back to your parents' house for Chinese New Year this year!"
Cheng was so angry she almost fainted, and grabbed a stick, ready to strike Zhao Xiaocao.
Zhao Tiezhu quickly stepped in front of Zhao Xiaocao, "Auntie, don't be angry. Xiaocao didn't mean it."
Cheng wouldn't listen to a word, but with Zhao Tiezhu standing there like an impenetrable wall, she couldn't reach Xiaocao.
"You damned brat, you traitor! I'm going to see where you're going to get your tuition money if I don't give you any!"
Zhao Xiaocao was furious from being scolded. Her mother had been using her education as leverage for the past year, and she had had enough!
Anyway, this time we've completely fallen out, and I won't rely on my family anymore.
"Me, a traitor? Mother, you should think about what you've done! Last year during the drought, you sent all the water to your own family!"
Zhao Xiaocao shouted so loudly that not only everyone in her family heard it, but even the neighbors next door could probably hear a few words.
In an instant, everyone's eyes turned to the Cheng family.
Even Old Lady Zhao, Zhao Xiangnan, and Zhao Xiangbei, who had just reached the kitchen door, all looked at Madam Cheng.
Cheng's arrogant flames immediately subsided; she hadn't expected this brat to speak so recklessly at this moment.
She had even paid extra tuition fees for this brat for several months because of this.
Wan Cunhua was someone who loved watching a good show and couldn't wait for her aunt to suffer.
So he feigned surprise and exclaimed, "Auntie, you actually lent water to your family? This... if Chief Zhao finds out, how will our whole family be able to hold our heads up in the village?"
"You damned woman, you've been doing this behind my back! How come you managed to keep it a secret for so long!" Zhao Xiangnan was furious.
Old Mrs. Zhao picked up her cane and swung it at Cheng Shi.
"This is all your doing! You're trying to drag our whole family down with you!"
If word gets out that they're supplying water to other villages, even without Zhao Tingzhang's reprimand, their entire family will be driven out of the village.
Cheng took the blow squarely; she had been beaten by her mother-in-law more times this year than Zhao Xiaocao had been beaten by her.
Mrs. Cheng was also indignant. She roared, "This happened so long ago, what's the point of bringing it up now!"
"Besides, no one noticed, right? As long as you don't say anything, who would know? Who would know?"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
