Chapter 35 Beating the Autumn Wind
Liu put down her sewing work on her gown, stood up and opened the gate. "Who is it?"
When I opened the door, I saw that it was my mother-in-law, Mrs. Liang, and my sister-in-law, Mrs. Zhu, who came. They were standing at the gate of their house with a threatening look on their faces.
Before Liu could even open her mouth to call her mother and sister-in-law, Old Lady Liang put her hands on her hips and pointed at Liu and started to curse: "Liu, you evil-hearted woman, you bought cloth for the family, caught an old hen, and bought two large baskets of good things, why don't you come to take care of your parents?"
At noon, she heard from the villagers that Liu and Qianhuan came into the village in a ox cart at noon, carrying two large bamboo baskets of good things, including an old hen and two pieces of cloth.
She thought that her son and daughter-in-law should come to their house first to show their filial piety to the old couple. She waited at home for a long time, but they didn't show up. She was so angry that she rushed over.
Liu didn't know how to answer her. The money was earned by her daughter, and it was her daughter who decided what to buy.
"Mom, what are you doing?"
When Liang Laoer heard the noise, he hurried out on crutches.
When he walked into the main room, he saw her mother and sister-in-law rushing into the yard and starting to scold Liu. His face looked extremely ugly and he was very unhappy.
"You're still asking me why, you unfilial son. You hide away all the good things to enjoy them yourself, and you don't respect your parents. I've raised you in vain." Old Lady Liang pointed at Liang Lao Er and started scolding.
Before he could say anything, Old Mrs. Liang rushed into the couple's room on her own.
Entering the east wing, she saw the two pieces of cloth Liu had placed on the bed, and her eyes lit up: "This stone blue one is really beautiful, it's perfect for making clothes for our grandchildren. This gray-brown one is just right for me and my old man."
She greedily picked up the stone blue cloth and looked at it, then picked up the gray-brown cloth and looked at it.
She picked up the two pieces of cloth, along with the piece of cloth that Liu had cut to make a robe for her daughter, and was ready to leave.
"Mother, you can use the gray-brown one to make new clothes for yourself and father. The dark blue one is for Qianhuan to make clothes. She is growing fast, and her clothes are too short and small for her."
Liu followed Old Lady Liang into the room. Seeing that Old Lady Liang wanted to take away both pieces of cloth, she immediately became anxious.
It was okay for her and her husband not to wear new clothes, but Qianhuan's clothes were too small and old, and her mother couldn't take the dark blue one away.
"I told you to give her less food but you refused to listen. Have you ever seen a 13-year-old girl as tall as her? She needs a few more feet of cloth to make clothes than others. Look, hasn't Jiang Tongsheng's family rejected her engagement? If she gets older, no one will be willing to propose marriage to her. This dark blue color is not suitable for a girl like her. It's just right to use it to make clothes for Wen Zhi and Wen Yong."
Old Mrs. Liang thought that it was a waste for a girl like her to wear old clothes. This piece of fabric could be used to make a new dress for Wen Yong and Wen Zhi, and when Wen Zhi grew up and couldn't wear it anymore, it could be given to her grandson Wen Jie.
Zhu stood aside without saying a word. She was so happy that her mother-in-law favored her two sons.
Qianhuan was taking a nap in her room, but was woken up by the voice of Old Lady Liang.
Old Mrs. Liang asked Zhu to hold the cloth and her eyes looked around the room. She found the eggs under the bed again. She picked up the whole basket of eggs and put them on her hand.
Thinking of the old hen, she turned and rushed to the kitchen again, and Zhu and Liu followed quickly.
Fortunately, the rice, salt and other things were kept in the guest room, otherwise they would have been looted by Old Lady Liang.
Liang Laoer also walked towards the kitchen with a cane, but his leg injury had not healed yet, so he walked very slowly.
Old Lady Liang discovered the old hen in the kitchen. She grabbed the old hen and began to scold Liu: "You are such a good woman, Liu. You have an old hen but you don't honor your parents first. You hide away and eat it all by yourself. You are such a selfish, evil woman with a black heart. What good things are hidden in your home? Take them out and honor your parents."
Liu was so anxious that she couldn't utter a word. She bought the old hen specifically for her daughter and husband to nourish their bodies, and the dark blue cloth was also for making a new robe for her daughter.
She couldn't just reach out and snatch it back from her mother-in-law, otherwise everyone would say she was unfilial.
Old Mrs. Liang found a small pottery jar in the corner of the kitchen, so she walked over to see what was inside.
"Put everything down." Qianhuan shouted at the door.
Zhu was so frightened that the cloth in her hand almost fell to the ground.
Just as Old Lady Liang was about to reach out to lift the lid of the pottery jar, she was stunned by a loud roar. She turned around to see who was so reckless as to speak to her in such a tone.
When she looked up and saw that it was Qianhuan, she was no longer afraid: "You are so bold, you actually dare to talk to your grandmother like that, aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?"
"Even if the god of thunder wants to strike, he will kill you, a shameless old man. You came to your son and daughter-in-law's house to steal things after the family division."
Qianhuan's voice was chilling; she really couldn't stand people like Old Lady Liang.
"You, you, you... you are so rebellious that you even dare to scold your grandmother. Damn it, what an ungrateful bastard you are! We, the old couple, have worked hard to raise you little bastards for so many years, and now you grow up to beat and scold your elders... God, please open your eyes..." Old Mrs. Liang howled like a ghost.
The noise here was quite loud, and the villagers who were working nearby dropped their hoes and ran over to her house to watch the fun.
"Second brother, look at the kind of girl you raised. She actually told her grandmother to go to hell. You shouldn't have raised a child like this in the first place."
When Mrs. Liang saw her second son walking to the kitchen door with a cane, she beat her chest and began to accuse Qianhuan.
"Mom, Qianhuan is not that kind of person." Liang Laoer naturally heard Qianhuan yelling at his mother, but he also couldn't stand his mother bullying his wife and daughter.
At this time, many villagers had come to his yard to watch the fun.
Qianhuan also pretended to cry, and complained about the evil deeds of Old Lady Liang: "Dad, grandma cursed mother as soon as she came into the room, and even snatched the cloth that mother used to make clothes for me. Grandma scolded me for being a money-loser and that wearing new clothes was a waste of cloth. She also took away the eggs and old hens that you bought for me to nourish my body."
The onlookers began to point fingers at Old Lady Liang.
Old Lady Liang yelled, "I am your grandmother. What's wrong with me taking your cloth? What's wrong with me eating your eggs and a hen? The younger generation should respect the elders."
"Grandma, we should indeed respect you. But respecting the elderly and loving the young is not only about respecting the elderly, but also loving the young. I fell into the water a while ago, and you refused to give me money to buy medicine. I was saved only after my grandfather came back. I was weak after falling into the water, so my parents bought hens and eggs to nourish me, but you came to snatch them away. My clothes are too short, and anyone with a discerning eye can see it, but you came to snatch my cloth. If you don't love the young, why do you ask us to respect the elderly?" Qianhuan said with tears in her eyes. Who can't act?
The onlookers criticized even more fiercely.
"Such a grandma is too cruel."
"Yes, yes, it's really not decent."
……
"My father's leg injury has not healed yet, and I was divorced. You completely ignored our lives and separated our family. You still come to steal our things. You are pushing us to death. Where in the world can there be such a grandmother?" Qianhuan continued to accuse Mrs. Liang of her evil deeds.
Zhu felt a little embarrassed by what the people around her said, so she quickly returned the cloth to Liu. She didn't want to be criticized as her son Wenzhi still had to take the exam.
Old Mrs. Liang didn't care about the advice of people around her and insisted that Old Mr. Liang and his family were unfilial.
Liang Laoer really didn't know how to end this. One was his mother and the other was his own daughter.
"Grandma, you should go home quickly. Although you were reluctant to share even a chicken or an egg with us when we divided the family property, we will not give you less food for your old age. Please don't come over so often to disturb our family's life."
"Grandma, don't forget that our cousin Wenzhi is still studying in a private school. He will have to take the county exam next year. If I tell others about what happened a while ago, it will delay his studies." Qianhuan continued to warn.
When Wen Zhi and what happened a while ago were mentioned, Old Lady Liang immediately became obedient. Qianhuan was threatening her by saying that Cuihua had pushed her into the water.
In the end, Mrs. Liang and Mrs. Zhu returned home in disgrace, having gained nothing.
The onlookers dispersed after watching the excitement.