“Yang Zhaodi!“
Wang Hehua let out an angry roar, startling the chickens in the yard so much that they scurried everywhere.
Lights flickered on in the yard one after another. Hearing Wang Hehua shouting Yang Zhaodi’s name, Meng Wenshan didn’t even have time to put on his shoes; he ran out with them half-dragged on his feet.
Yang Zhaodi was also startled, and the thing in her hand nearly slipped.
Looking at the furious Wang Hehua, her eyes darted around, and she squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying: “Eldest sister-in-law, you’re up so early.“
While her mouth called out to her, her hands didn’t stop moving.
Early! Heaven had eyes, allowing her to catch this thieving woman red-handed today.
Wang Hehua stormed toward Yang Zhaodi and yanked away the dirty rag she had just used to cover and conceal the item.
Sure enough, it was her basin!
The basin was actually filled with half a basin of cornmeal.
That damned thief!
“Very well! You’ve actually managed to practice your petty thievery!“
Wang Hehua’s voice was sharper than a chicken’s squawk.
“It’s only been a few days since the family split, and you’re already so anxious to empty the house out!“
Yang Zhaodi had some talent for being a thief, and the first requirement was a thick skin.
She stood there stunned for a moment, then immediately put on a face of grievance.
“Eldest sister-in-law, what are you saying? We are all one family; why would I do such a thing?“
“I’m just borrowing it. The basin in my room broke, so I wanted to borrow yours for a bit.“
“Borrow!“
Hearing Yang Zhaodi’s shameless words, the fire in Wang Hehua’s heart shot straight up.
“I’ll beat you to death, you shameless thief!“
With a loud shout, she prepared to lash out.
Meng Wenshan stood at the door of his house, his face flushed red, his hands tightly clenched into fists.
“What is all this arguing about!“
Ever since Wang Hehua shouted the third sister-in-law’s name, the old couple had already woken up. The eldest daughter-in-law had always cared about her reputation and knew her limits. It wasn’t even dawn yet, and if this turned into a scene now, they would be the subject of discussion for the whole month.
It shouldn’t be a big deal; they could just discipline them later.
That was what the two elders were thinking.
Who would have imagined that the eldest daughter-in-law, who usually valued her reputation so much, would throw all shame away today.
Seeing that Wang Cuihua had come out, Yang Zhaodi thought about using her mother-in-law to suppress Wang Hehua, making the ‘borrowing’ story a settled fact so she wouldn’t have to deal with old accounts later.
She spoke before Wang Hehua could.
“Mother, my basin is broken, so I thought, since we’re all family, I’d just take Eldest Sister-in-law’s to use for a moment.“
Wang Hehua was so angry her head felt dizzy.
“Borrow? How did I not know you were borrowing it? Besides, do you dare let me go into your room and check?“
Yang Zhaodi curled her lips: “It’s just a basin, what’s so precious about it? You’re the eldest daughter-in-law; why are you nitpicking so much with me, a sister-in-law a few years younger than you?“
Wang Hehua let out a cold hum, too lazy to bicker with her any further, turned around, and walked toward Yang Zhaodi’s room.
Seeing this, Yang Zhaodi panicked, and her words started to lose all order.
“Hey, why are you so shameless? My husband is right here at the door, where are you going!“
“Enough!” Could Wang Cuihua not be clear about the true character of her daughters-in-law?
She clapped her hands, intending to set the tone for this matter so it could be finished.
“What are you arguing about so early in the morning! Third daughter-in-law, go apologize to your eldest sister-in-law; taking her things is wrong.“
But Wang Hehua was not going to let it go. She had originally been intentionally indulging Yang Zhaodi as a thief—otherwise, how could she find an opportunity to drive her out?
She immediately cried out with a hoarse voice to Wang Cuihua, demanding justice: “Mother! You listen to what she just said!“
“I know I am the eldest sister-in-law. Usually, whatever happens, I just let it go and don’t bicker with them. This isn’t the first or second time for the third family. The cotton and grain in my room—the things she has stolen over these days—I’ve known about them all, and I never made a sound.“
“Why? It was all to repay the kindness of Third Brother helping me and Eldest Brother raise the kids, Zhuzi and Yezi, before he was married.“
Wang Hehua’s eyes were bloodshot: “I’ve kept all of this in my heart. Third Brother is an honest man; I know he is good to the children.“
Meng Wenshan felt like burying his head in the ground as he listened. Wang Hehua was his cousin. When she first married in, she helped his mother raise them, and she never complained even when it was bitter or tiring.
After Wang Hehua finished speaking, her tone shifted: “But today, she took the basin that was part of my dowry!“
“Mother already spoke, and I originally wanted to just let it go, but… but look at what she’s saying!“
Liu Chunfen, with her door half-open, had been standing to the side listening for a long time. She said to Meng Wenjia beside her: “Looks like the eldest sister-in-law is planning to drive the third family away.“
Meng Wenjia shook his head, “Not necessarily, but after such a scene today, the third family will have to keep their tail between their legs from now on.“
Just as Wang Hehua was about to comfort her eldest daughter-in-law, Yang Zhaodi’s son, Huzi, came out rubbing his eyes.
He didn’t know what was happening in the yard. He walked past Meng Wenshan, and with a sleepy look, he said to Yang Zhaodi: “Mother, why are you hiding Auntie’s basin? I wanted to use it to wash my face.“
The yard suddenly went quiet. Yang Zhaodi’s face changed color instantly. She rushed forward and covered her son’s mouth.
“What nonsense are you babbling!“
Huzi was still clueless, not knowing what his words implied.
He continued to struggle and said: “I’m not babbling, last night I clearly saw you hide the basin behind the chicken coop…“
At this moment, everyone in the yard could no longer sit still. The children had been instructed not to step a foot out of the house, and all the adults had come out of their rooms.
Meng Wenshan walked up to Yang Zhaodi and her son with a dark face. Only then did Huzi realize he might have said something incredible; other than himself, everyone in the yard was an adult.
Everyone’s expression was grim. Huzi hid behind Yang Zhaodi in fear.
Yang Zhaodi was so angry her teeth ached, but looking at the child’s pitiful appearance, she couldn’t bring herself to hit him.
She could only stand there with a cold face, staring at Meng Wenshan.
Wang Hehua, however, couldn’t be bothered to look at their faces and headed toward the chicken coop on her own.
Before long, she returned carrying a basin; the bottom of the basin was still stained with chicken droppings.
Wang Hehua let out a sneer and placed both basins side-by-side on the ground.
The basins were right there, yet Yang Zhaodi was so guilty, which showed exactly what kind of unsightly things she had hidden in her room.
“Your abacus is calculated very finely, isn’t it? Hiding your own away and running to steal my basin—wasn’t that just your plan to keep it once you took it?“
Liu Chunfen, who had been watching the play the whole time, spoke up: “If you ask me, since the family has already split, people should keep a closer eye on their own things.“
She wasn’t wrong, but speaking up now was just pouring oil on Wang Hehua’s fire!
Sure enough, Wang Hehua’s expression grew even uglier.
It was right then that Meng Wenzhou entered the gate.
Wang Hehua’s chest heaved as if she could no longer endure it, and she cried out in immense grief and anger.
“Father, Mother, you must make the decision for me!”
Meng Wenguo hadn’t come out at first; he only stepped out after Huzi started yelling outside.
He had been hiding to the side, not making a sound, letting Wang Hehua make a scene outside.
Only now did he jump out.
“Go, go, go, let’s go to work. Don’t make it difficult for your father and mother.”