Allure of a Country Maiden-Chapter 102 - 100: Pacifying the Wife

Shen Chengyao took his wife and child, leading a cart full of New Year’s gifts to Guishu Village, meeting many people who were similarly laden with huge bags making their way back to their maternal homes.

Except for the first year after her wedding, when Mrs. Liu visited her parents on the second day of the New Year, she had always waited until after the New Year to return home in all these years. In recent years, due to poor business, they even stopped providing gifts for family visits, saying if you want to visit, go empty-handed. Since her family hadn’t split yet, she didn’t even have a single coin to her name. With so many villagers watching, she didn’t want to embarrass Shen Chengyao or her own mother, so she chose not to return. Even in the poorest families, a daughter-in-law wouldn’t return to her parents’ home empty-handed.

Just as Xiao’er’s family entered Guishu Village, the passers-by envied the sight of Mrs. Liu dressed in fine silks and satins, every individual in the bullock cart wearing new clothes so bright they hurt the eyes. And the cart itself was full of goods that further fueled their desire.

There had long been rumors that the family whom Mrs. Liu had married into had become wealthy and built a huge mansion at the head of Lianxi Village. Such a mansion couldn’t be built without a minimum of a few hundred taels, but many people didn’t believe it. After all, during the autumn harvest, Mrs. Liu had returned home looking thin and sallow, her clothes patched and washed to a pale hue, clearly worn for many years.

But now it seemed that the rumors were true. Looking at the current Mrs. Liu, her complexion glowing and the clothes on her body, the pearl hairpins on her head, the bracelets on her hands, all spoke volumes of her newfound wealth.

No one cares for the poor in the bustling city, but even the remotest relatives remember the rich in the deep mountains.

Many people greeted their family warmly, some even joked about being hired the next time they needed short-term workers, having heard their house construction paying well and providing good food.

Watching Mrs. Liu walk into the village, an old man sighed, "You see, one should never write off somebody, poverty cannot undermine the nobleness of a youth. Look at them now, they have finally come out on top!"

His friend was familiar with Mrs. Tan’s mother and knew that Mrs. Liu’s family had bought a shop in the county, planning to open a furniture shop in partnership with Liu Minhong after the New Year.

"But Mrs. Fang, how do you know they have made it? Maybe they are just pretending to be rich!" chimed in another woman who was also visiting her family, her voice sour with envy.

"They do have a mansion, Mrs. Tan and her family even attended the housewarming party recently. In addition, they have purchased a shop in the county, the same one where Minhong used to work. And now they are planning to open a furniture shop in partnership with Minhong!"

"Really? How come no one has mentioned this? Even a shop in the county costs several hundred taels at the least!"

"You know Mrs. Tan Fang, don’t you? She told me herself." Mrs. Tan Fang, Mrs. Tan’s mother, was known for her kind and caring nature. She was a capable and efficient woman, but her mouth had no gates, causing her to spill out anything and everything. But she was no rumormonger, her words were credible. Everyone in the village knew about her character.

"Wow, this is true. Mrs. Tan Fang must be so pleased now! Remember when so many men wanted to marry Mrs. Tan, but she insisted on marrying her daughter to Liu Minhong who didn’t even have a house of his own. She even had to give her own house to the bridegroom’s family. Turns out she really did have an eye for people!"

"No wonder Mrs. Tan Fang always appears delighted. That explains it." The villagers expressed their envy.

In the crowd, the face of an old woman darkened upon hearing these words. She thought about Mrs. Liu Lin, who she had bullied almost all her life, and how her children had such good fortune. She compared this to her own children; her eldest son was a gambler, asking her for money every time he lost. Her younger son was a drunkard, who would beat his wife whenever he was drunk. His wife had even run away with another man. Her daughter’s husband, although from a somewhat impoverished background, was a womanizer and frequented brothels, pushing her daughter to the brink every time. Despite being the legal wife, she had lived under Mrs. Liu Lin’s care all these years.

Seeing someone she had bullied for half her life start to live a good life, how could she stand it!

Ever since she had been married off, Mrs. Liu had never visited her second mother or her older and younger brothers. That was unacceptable! She needed to demand the New Year’s gifts from all these years!

Mrs. Liu Ma patted her own dirty and old clothes and headed to the dilapidated house.

"Mrs. Liu Li, Minling, you little brat, come out!" Mrs. Liu Ma shouted into the courtyard through the wooden gate.

Mrs. Liu Li and Mrs. Liu hadn’t heard such a shout for many years. The sudden noise brought back hidden fears from years ago, their expressions changing in response.

Xiao’er detected their abnormality and was curious. Who was this person outside that made her mother and grandmother so afraid?

"Mom, who is outside?"

"Some mad dog barking frantically!" freewёbnoνel.com

Mrs. Tan was a lot more headstrong, she wasn’t afraid of Mrs. Liu Ma. After commenting, she immediately retorted, "Which mad dog is barking in front of my house? If you don’t leave, don’t blame me for splashing you with foot-washing water!"

"Mrs. Liu Li, is this how you educate your daughter-in-law? Shouldn’t she have some respect? I am her second mother-in-law after all. She doesn’t even have basic manners. What sort of example are you setting? Hurry up and give me the New Year’s gift, or else unpleasant things may happen!"

"I spit on your statement. You call yourself my second mother-in-law? God bless us, we have long severed our ties. I read that severance paper every night before bed. I only have one mother-in-law in my lifetime. You, as a mad dog, better not randomly recognize daughters-in-law. Yours has long ago run away with someone else. And you don’t have to be polite, come at me, I’d like to see what you dare to do!"

Mrs. Liu Ma didn’t really dare to do anything. Mrs. Tan’s brothers were notorious for being hard to bully.

"Mrs. Liu, you haven’t given me the New Year’s gift as a mother for all these years. It’s about time this year to make up for those past years’ presents."

"I’ve gotta say, the woman outside, are you sick? If you are, you should hurry to the clinic and get some medicine. There’s no child of yours in this house. Are you going crazy thinking about New Year’s gifts? Hasn’t your daughter who married a rich man sent you any New Year’s presents? Have you been begging all the way to my house?"

Xiao’er was eager to give Mrs. Tan a thumbs-up. What a fearless aunt her mother is! She never knew about Mrs. Tan’s strong fighting spirit!

Mrs. Liu Li came back to her senses. Times had changed, old Master Liu was no longer present, and they had already severed ties. They had been driven out and had nothing to fear anymore!

"Don’t bother with her, let her rant. Once she finishes, she’ll leave on her own."

Mrs. Liu Ma had been shouting outside for quite a while, but no one paid her any attention anymore. She angrily stomped her foot and decided to leave. When Mrs. Liu returned home, she planned to intercept them halfway.

The villagers laughed when they saw Mrs. Liu Ma preparing to leave. "Mrs. Liu Ma, you have the audacity to ask Mrs. Liu for a New Year’s gift? Now, are you feeling upset seeing them prosper? Did you even reflect on how you left them penniless and homeless back in the day? And now you want a New Year’s gift? If I were you, I’d be too embarrassed to show my face!"

"What happens in my family is none of your business. When was it your turn to put in your two cents!" After saying that, Mrs. Liu Ma left.

"Tsk tsk tsk, an empty shell acting tough!"

After having dinner at home, Xiao’er’s family started their journey home. Halfway home, they encountered a gang of people blocking the road, each one armed with a stick and looking menacing.