“He took a liking to Xiaoman. He was the one who offered to take her home.”
Li Xianrong decided to fool her mother. In any case, neither of the cousins could carry this blame, so they might as well let Ye Xiaochen take it.
That way, there would be no internal conflict.
“What did you say?” Huang Hongxia’s eyes widened as she turned to Lin Xiaoman. “Xiaoman, I sent you along to accompany your cousin on her blind date, not to steal her man! Ye Xiaochen was clearly introduced to Rongrong by my cousin. How could you go and snatch him from her?”
“Auntie, I didn’t…”
Lin Xiaoman’s voice was extremely weak as she said this.
What she actually wanted to say was that her cousin had told her to go for it.
“You didn’t? Then why would Ye Xiaochen drive you home and make Rongrong ride a bicycle back?” Huang Hongxia was furious. “I’m going to ask Li Yunshu what kind of daughter she has raised. Even rabbits don’t eat the grass around their own burrow, yet your daughter specifically went after someone she knew!”
“Mom, it’s not like that…”
Li Xianrong watched as her mother threw down the broom in her hand and stormed outside. When Huang Hongxia reached the eaves, she grabbed a bamboo pole and headed straight toward the Lin family home by the river.
Li Xianrong panicked. “Mom, listen to me. It really isn’t like that…”
“Get out of my way. I’ll settle accounts with you when I get back.”
Huang Hongxia marched angrily toward the Lin family home.
“Sis, what do we do?”
Lin Xiaoman was dumbfounded. “Ye Xiaochen hasn’t even agreed to date me yet, and Auntie is already like this. If we really end up together, Auntie… won’t our two families become enemies?”
“Why are you thinking so much? Just remember that Ye Xiaochen was the one who took a liking to you. Whoever asks, that’s what you say.” Li Xianrong warned her, “And don’t be so honest that you end up getting yourself into trouble. By then, even the gods won’t be able to save you.”
“But Auntie has gone to find my mom. We should go save her.”
The two cousins quickly agreed on a plan and ran toward the Lin family home, but halfway there, Lin Xiaoman stopped.
“Come on, keep moving. What are you hesitating for? Those two sisters- in-law are going to start fighting soon.”
“Sis, that man from San Ceng Yan is still at my house. I’m not going.”
She was too afraid that seeing him would immediately drag her into the ill fated relationship from her previous life, ruining her entire life all over again.
“What are you afraid of? Just tell him clearly that you already have someone, and that your boyfriend even drives a car. Tell him to get lost.”
“Sis… I’m a coward.”
Lin Xiaoman genuinely felt that even after being reborn, she was still nowhere near as clever as her cousin. She was simply too timid and afraid of trouble.
“You have the brain of a pig. Forget it, I’m not dealing with you anymore. I’m going to check on my mom and Auntie. Those two sisters- in -law had better not actually start fighting.”
At the Lin family home, Huang Hongxia stormed straight inside with the bamboo pole in her hand.
“Li Yunshu, come out here! Take a good look at the daughter you raised.
She has no shame at all and is even trying to steal another woman’s man!”
Inside the Lin family home sat a matchmaker, a middle aged woman, and a young man. All three turned toward Huang Hongxia after she barged in.
“Sister in law, what are you talking about?”
Li Yunshu looked at her in confusion. “Did you bring that bamboo pole to chase chickens?”
“I could chase cats with it too.” Huang Hongxia said, “I’ve finally figured it out. You never had good intentions when you let Xiaoman accompany Rongrong to the blind date. You saw that Rongrong’s match was good and had Xiaoman steal him…”
“Sister in law, you can’t just say things like that.” The accusation was too filthy for Li Yunshu to accept. “Sister in law, you were the one who asked Xiaoman to accompany Rongrong. You said Rongrong was afraid to go alone, so you asked Xiaoman to accompany her to town.”
“Besides, Xiaoman already has a blind date here. How could she possibly steal Rongrong’s match? If you make wild accusations and ruin my daughter’s reputation, don’t blame me for refusing to treat you as my sister in law anymore.”
The argument grew more heated by the second. Neither side was willing to back down, and they were already on the verge of grabbing and shoving each other.
Although the two families were normally very close, when it came to their daughters’ reputations and future husbands, they became as sharp as needles against wheat. Neither would give an inch.
“Mom, don’t say that about Xiaoman. It really isn’t her fault. He simply didn’t like me.”
No wonder Xiaoman had been too frightened to come home. With her mother and aunt putting on such a show, anyone would be scared.
“Get out of my way. I’ll deal with them first, then I’ll deal with you.”
“My cousin introduced him to Rongrong. How could your Xiaoman have the nerve to steal her cousin’s marriage prospect?”
“I already told you, my Xiaoman didn’t steal anything from your daughter.
It’s not as though there’s only one man in the entire world.” Li Yunshu was getting angry too. She grabbed Chen Jian, who had been standing to the side watching the spectacle, and pulled him forward. “Look at him. This is the son in law I chose. He has the looks, he has a skill, and as for everything else, I don’t care!”
“Bah! You make it sound so nice.” Huang Hongxia refused to believe her.
“You’re pretending to arrange a blind date here while secretly having Lin Xiaoman cause trouble. Young man, don’t let them fool you. They’re always looking at the mountain beyond the one they’re standing on, eating what’s in their bowl while staring at what’s in the pot…”
“Uh, Auntie, you carry on. I’ll be leaving first.”
Chen Jian also felt that something was wrong. They had supposedly arranged a blind date, yet the girl was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she had apparently gone off to steal her cousin’s match.
A woman that fickle and disloyal could never be a suitable wife, unless he wanted to spend his whole life wearing one cuckold’s hat after another.
“Then forget it. Let’s go.” Chen’s mother said to the matchmaker, “Looks like our family simply doesn’t have the good fortune to marry a girl from the Lin family.”
With that, the group turned and left.
Li Xianrong thought, Very good. Even though my mother caused such a scene, at least it worked. Xiaoman’s troublesome marriage prospect has been cut off.
Honestly, that Chen Jian fellow had looked like a decent and honest man in her previous life. Back then, her aunt had said that a man like him was suitable for settling down with.
Who could have known that after making a little money, he would become restless? He drank, ate, visited prostitutes, gambled, and did everything imaginable outside, yet he refused to bring any money home to support his child.
Whenever anyone confronted him, he blamed Xiaoman for giving birth to a daughter, claiming she had broken the Chen family’s line. If he hadn’t pitied her, he would have divorced her outright and abandoned her.
Xiaoman had endured all of that humiliation and misery for her entire life.
Fortunately, she had been reborn in this life, and everything could still be changed.
“Get lost, you scumbag.”
Li Xianrong couldn’t help spitting toward them.
She turned around.
Oh no.
Her mother and aunt had already launched into a full scale verbal battle.
“Bah! You ruined my Xiaoman’s marriage prospects. I don’t have a sister in law like you. You’re nothing but a shameless woman!”
“You’re the shameless one! You’re like a dung beetle moving house, leaving a stink everywhere you go. If you dare do those things, why should you be afraid of me talking about them? From now on, I’ll tell everyone who asks exactly what your Lin Xiaoman is like. She steals her cousin’s blind date. She really has no shame…”
“Shut up!”
Li Xianrong shouted, “Mom, Auntie, can’t you listen to me for a moment?”
“What’s there to say? You’re no good either!”
This time, the aunt and mother fired at her in perfect unison.
Li Xianrong was both angry and amused, with a helpless look on her face.
“If you listen to me, I’ll tell you everything that happened.” Li Xianrong said, “If you refuse to listen, then keep arguing and fighting. I don’t care whether the horse beats the cow or the cow beats the horse. Xiaoman and I are good sisters!”
Why were the adults fighting over this like children?
The two sisters- in laws…
You’re here to go on a blind date, not play house like children!