Madam Huang’s words carried undeniable reason, leaving Madam Zhao momentarily stunned, unsure how to formulate a rebuttal. Yet, the pause was brief; Madam Zhao quickly recovered, letting out a wail mingled with shouts: “Woe is my fate! After laboring and suffering to raise these children with my old man, I thought we could enjoy the comfort of our daughters-in-law in our old age. What is the use of marrying a wife if she treats me, your old mother, like this and bullies me to death? Er Niu, where are you? Mother is about to be bullied to death by your wife!” With that, she dramatically sat down on the ground, crying out to the heavens.

Lin He had witnessed such theatrics before, and while this escalation wasn't entirely anticipated, it remained within the scope of what she expected. It was truly headache-inducing. She noticed several neighbors already standing by the courtyard gate; her grandmother’s cries would surely attract more attention. The family’s troubles seemed endless lately, making them the undisputed sensation of Linjia Village.

“Indeed, Er Niu’s wife, you have gone too far this time. Your mother-in-law is a good person. She merely came to your house to say a few words, and you push her to this extent—it is truly excessive.” Lin He looked up to see a crowd of neighbors gathered outside. The speaker was the same cousin-in-law who had caused a ruckus at their home previously—Tie Zhu’s wife.

After adding fuel to the fire and stirring the pot at Madam Zhao’s house, Tie Zhu’s wife waited nearby, anticipating that Madam Zhao would inevitably storm over to Er Niu’s home. Tie Zhu’s wife knew Madam Zhao’s character; she was certainly no pushover. Sure enough, it wasn't long before she saw Madam Zhao, face grim, heading toward Er Niu’s house, and she followed to watch the spectacle unfold.

Lin He shot a glance at Tie Zhu’s wife but refrained from saying much more. She looked at her mother, Madam Huang, who stood beside her, equally at a loss, stripped of the assertiveness she’d possessed moments before. In the past, when the cousin-in-law or He Shi had caused trouble, the family, if they were in the right, were unafraid of public scrutiny and would even escort them out. Once the matter was laid bare, right and wrong would naturally be clear. However, concerning the mother-in-law, regardless of who held the moral high ground, the daughter-in-law would always be perceived as the one at fault in the eyes of others.

Moreover, with agitators like this fanning the flames here, it only emboldened Madam Zhao’s arrogance. But Madam Huang could not speak out in front of so many people; to the outsiders, the comments sounded like impartial justice. If she were to argue or quarrel, she would certainly give others further grounds for gossip.

If it were Lin He herself, she would have slammed the courtyard gate shut long ago. However, the people of this era were different from those in her previous life. Here and now, if conflict arose between a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law, people felt entitled to pass judgment, and any attempt to argue or fight back would inevitably result in the daughter-in-law being branded as the wrongdoer, no matter the truth.

Seeing that the situation was spiraling out of control, Lin He decided she needed to find her father. Besides the few of them, there was no one else in the house. Lin He exchanged a look with Ziqing; Ziqing, being sharp, understood immediately and retreated, rushing out to find Er Niu. It took Ziqing a while, but he finally located Er Niu by the edge of the fields. Ziqing simply told him there was trouble at home and urged him to return quickly. Er Niu asked no further questions and hurried back with Ziqing.

Madam Zhao had already been crying and shouting, and hearing others speak in her defense outside only amplified her wails. She began recounting every detail of Er Niu’s childhood, emphasizing how she and her husband had toiled to raise him, only for him to marry a wife who was now so unfilial. Before she could even finish, Er Niu returned.

By the time Er Niu entered the courtyard, a sizable number of neighbors from the vicinity had gathered outside. He saw his mother seated on the ground, still crying out, and his wife standing stock-still nearby. He frowned. Seeing Er Niu arrive, Madam Zhao’s crying intensified. At first, her cries were just for show—a keen observer could tell there were no tears—but upon seeing Er Niu, she actually began to weep, real tears flowing as she cried out, “Er Niu, why did you take so long? If you’d been any later, your mother would have been driven to death by your wife!”

“That’s right, Er Niu, you must stand up for your mother. This wife of yours is no good; treating your mother like this when she’s already old, nearly driving her to death with anger,” chimed in Tie Zhu’s wife again.

Er Niu shot Tie Zhu’s wife a cold, silent look. He walked over to Madam Zhao, helped her up from the ground, and asked, “Mother, what is wrong now? What is the matter this time? What did the child’s mother do?”

Madam Zhao leaned on Er Niu’s arm as she rose, saying, “My child, your father and I are old now, we can’t do much for you anymore; we’re useless. Today, we only wanted to see the horse you bought and the maid you hired. I only said a few words, and your wife’s words nearly drove me to death.”

Er Niu felt a familiar helplessness listening to his mother. He knew his wife’s character better than anyone; he wouldn’t believe for a moment she would utter such words. It must be his mother making trouble without reason again. His wife, no longer enduring the bullying as she used to, had only spoken a few words, which his mother then twisted into a threat of driving her to death. But seeing his mother in a rage, Er Niu dared not voice what he truly thought.

Er Niu glanced at the neighbors clustered outside watching the spectacle and said, “Mother, let’s go inside to talk. Look, everyone is watching a joke. Our family has been making quite a name for itself in Linjia Village recently. Let’s go in, and you can tell me slowly.”

With that, he helped Madam Zhao toward the inner room, subtly signaling to Madam Huang with his eyes to follow him in. Madam Huang sighed and trailed after them. Lin He also followed them inside. Before closing the door, she overheard Tie Zhu’s wife speaking to the crowd: “You all don’t know. Don’t be fooled by this Er Niu’s wife’s quiet and honest appearance; she actually has a cruel heart. Look how fierce she is to her own mother-in-law! She lives well, eats well, wears fine clothes, and hires servants, yet her own parents live in that dilapidated hovel. How can she stomach such things? And Er Niu is useless too, letting his wife have her way in everything.”

Lin He, hearing Tie Zhu’s wife’s words, turned around and shot her a look—a cold, sharp glare that met Tie Zhu’s wife’s eyes directly. Tie Zhu’s wife flinched back slightly but continued, “And Huang Shi’s children are so young, yet each one is so fierce. Truly, what kind of mother raises what kind of child.”

Lin He pretended not to hear and walked into the house, thinking that this Tie Zhu’s wife really deserved a good beating; finding a wife to settle the score would be ideal, but now was not the time. Tie Zhu’s wife continued her pronouncements at the gate. Seeing the Er Niu family retreat indoors, most of the onlookers dispersed as the entertainment had ended. However, a small fraction followed Tie Zhu’s wife, nosily prying for gossip about the unfolding events. (To be continued)

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