Lin Juhua saw her usually gentle mother-in-law speak such harsh words and quickly urged her out the door, "Mother, I’ll stay with my sister-in-law, you take Mai Miao ho first."
Mother Zhang squeezed Lin Juhua’s hand and pulled her eldest granddaughter out the door. This confused fool hadn’t even bothered to find out how her family was handling things before creating a ss, leaving herself at a loss.
"Grandma, my grandpa..." Mai Miao didn’t know how to describe her feelings. Her annoying cousin really got abandoned by her family.
Mother Zhang sighed, "Do you think your grandpa is being unfeeling?"
"A little bit."
"That’s why you all need to rember this lesson. If a girl doesn’t respect herself, who can she bla? Your grandpa must let her go for the sake of the other grandchildren, he can’t be blad."
"If it weren’t for pitying your mother, for the sake of you siblings, I would’ve wanted your mother to sever ties with her family. Just think, if you siblings date soone in the future, and this cos up..."
The more Mother Zhang thought about it, the more worried she beca. So things said to little girls are misunderstood. In the past, she could sympathize a little with those falsely accused, but this ti there’s no escaping judgnt for damaging the family’s reputation.
When the assembly requires a few of her grandkids to speak up to distance themselves, that’ll be another distressing matter. Oh dear, how did her good eldest grandson get involved with such people!
Leaving Mother Zhang and her worries aside for now, Lin Juhua saw her mother-in-law off and returned to sit down beside her sister-in-law. She felt it wasn’t suitable for her to speak now; better to wait until the other cald before advising.
But not speaking didn’t an Huang Cuilan was silent.
Disheartenedly, she said, "Mother is angry."
"You say, how do I have such an embarrassing niece. That child always wanted our good fabrics and food, later improved a lot, to the point I thought she’d changed for the better, who’d have thought she’d do such disgraceful things behind our backs. My parents are truly furious, otherwise, they wouldn’t sever ties."
"Recently she even told she’d be getting a full-ti position soon, I was happy for her. Who knew she’d make such a foolish mistake, that’s it now, she ruined her life..."
Lin Juhua listened to her nonsense, her furrowed brow could crush a fly, hearing for nearly half an hour only talk of family scandals, talking from Eldest Huang to Huang Laoer, then from Huang Laoer to Old Huang, not considering the negative impact on Xi Zi’s family.
Finally, she’d had enough, "Sister-in-law, do you rember the young daughter-in-law from the Qian Family severing ties with her family?"
"Brother hasn’t returned yet, think of what he will decide? Xi Zi will graduate and be ready to date and marry; he’s the family’s first grandson, if anyone brings up your niece, do you believe there’s no good family willing to connect with you?
At this point, if you don’t consider your kids first, still talking about your family, if it was , if brother was here, and you kept prattling about your family, do you believe he’d imdiately divorce you?"
Huang Cuilan imdiately looked up in disbelief at the words.
"Even the in-laws are severing ties with their granddaughter, what does that say? I don’t believe you don’t understand. You even sympathize with that niece of yours, have you thought about it?
There’s a tough hurdle ahead of you. During the assembly, people will definitely point fingers at those connected to her, might even force you... you still sympathize with her and talk of her misfortune?"
Huang Cuilan shook her head quickly, "Then I won’t go, I’ll stay ho."
Lin Juhua gave a sarcastic smile, "Do you think staying away will help? People will turn this against you, there are those eager to see you leave Old Zhang’s family."
Huang Cuilan slumped to the ground, staring absentmindedly at the floor.
Lin Juhua sighed deeply, went out to get so water, placed a towel in the bowl, brought it to her, "Brother will be back soon, clean up, don’t let him see you in distress over saving your niece. He cares most about Xi Zi and siblings, don’t let him be disappointed in you."
After saying this, Lin Juhua looked at her once more, turned around, and went out.
As a sister-in-law, she felt she’d fulfilled her duty. She’d offered lots of advice before; if her sister-in-law still couldn’t co to her senses, no one could help. If divorce was the result, so be it, as a sister-in-law watching for so long, she’s also feeling disheartened.
Lin Juhua left the courtyard of the oldest brother’s family, deciding to go straight back ho, rode the bicycle left by her husband, heading back to her own family.
From Huang Cuilan, she was reminded that even her own family wasn’t flawless. If trouble arose, she wouldn’t intervene, but what about her sister-in-law and young nieces and nephews?
Along the way, the formidable figure, dodging people, occasionally encountering familiar folks, where they once stopped to chat loudly on the paths, now fell silent.
Lin Juhua grew more alard as she walked, spending recent tis at ho working or at her mother-in-law’s, truly unaware of the outside situation.
Arriving at her family’s village, even the gossipers were fewer and quieter. These events had frightened the n working the land, terrified of being implicated.
Returning to the Lin Family, how Lin Juhua repeatedly warned her parents and detailed the gravity of the situation, terrified Lin Fu and Mrs. Lin into gathering around their youngest son wasn’t ntioned.
anwhile, when the door slamd shut outside, Huang Cuilan imdiately stood up, took up the washbasin, and slowly began to clean and change.
Once cleaned up, noting the ti, she ignored her sorrow, hurried to the kitchen to prepare dinner, sighing repeatedly as she handled the vegetable roots.
Two hours later, Zhang Guofu entered the house, surprised to find his wife, Huang Cuilan, rather than their youngest daughter in the kitchen, he looked up in shock at the sky.
Did the sun rise from the west?
No, it’s sumr, with the sunset painting the sky red.
Standing at the kitchen door, Zhang Guofu looked at her, ultimately asked why she didn’t go to et her parents, even if she had gone already.
"Kids’ dad, are you hungry? It will be ready soon."
Zhang Guofu hesitated, "No rush, let’s wait until the kids co back and eat together."
He watched his wife’s back, finding it more puzzled, unable to guess what’s on her mind. Shouldn’t she have ntioned family issues by now?
If the mountain doesn’t co to , I’ll go to the mountain.
Ugliness can’t be kept quiet, avoid foolishness.
"Xiao Lan, our family isn’t suited for visiting your family right now. You often let your niece co to our ho, now it might lead people to sar my na."
Huang Cuilan’s face turned pale, these words carried bla, how could she not hear? Now it seed, her mother-in-law blad her, her husband blad her, even the kids hadn’t returned, evidently blaming her too. What did she do all this for?
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