From her trembling figure and terrified expression, it was obvious that ever since Ye Wen left, she had remained frozen in that same position.
Ye Wen looked at her beautiful eldest daughter-in-law being so obedient and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She had only casually told her, “Wait here,” yet this foolish woman truly hadn’t dared to move an inch. Squatting half-crouched like that—wouldn’t her legs go numb?
“Take this.” Ye Wen tossed a menstrual pad wrapped with cotton into Jiang Lian’s arms. “There’s cotton inside. Change it when it gets dirty. Let the eldest wash it for you. Don’t touch cold water during your confinement.”
Holding the brand-new menstrual pad, Jiang Lian was both shocked and delighted. Delighted that her mother-in-law wasn’t punishing her, and shocked that her mother-in-law was actually willing to use such precious cotton to make a menstrual pad for her!
Jiang Lian returned to her room in a daze, increasingly convinced that the story about her father-in-law appearing in a dream was real. Otherwise, how could that usually mean and harsh mother-in-law suddenly treat her so well?
She remembered when she gave birth to Xiaocao—on that very afternoon, her mother-in-law had dumped the entire family’s dirty laundry on her and forced her to wash it by the river. It was the dead of winter, the river water biting cold. She washed while crying tears…
After returning to her room, Ye Wen finally lay down to rest. Just as she was drifting off to sleep, a woman’s sharp scream suddenly came from the east wing.
“Ah—!”
Immediately after came the heart-rending cries of two children, one older and one younger.
Ye Wen jolted upright, all sleep gone. Suppressing her anger, she threw on her clothes and hurried toward the east wing.
Inside the east wing, dim candlelight flickered, illuminating the figure of the eldest son, Wen Xiangdong, holding a baby high in the air. Jiang Lian was slumped on the floor, clutching his leg tightly with both hands, her knuckles white.
“Wen Xiangdong! If you dare drown my Second Girl, I’ll fight you to the death!” Jiang Lian’s eyes were bloodshot, her voice hoarse as if squeezed out of her chest.
“Whatever Mother says is the law of heaven!” Wen Xiangdong’s arms trembled slightly as he held the baby, his face full of struggle. “Lian-niang, I thought you were the most sensible. I never expected you to dare push Mother and knock her unconscious. That’s unforgivable unfilial behavior!”
As he spoke, he moved to press the baby into the nearby chamber pot. Jiang Lian let out a piercing scream, “Wen Xiangdong—!”
At that moment, Ye Wen burst in. At a glance, she saw the numbers above Jiang Lian’s head plummeting again and immediately shouted, “What kind of ruckus are you making in the middle of the night? Are you letting anyone sleep or not?!”
“Mother!” Seeing her arrive, Wen Xiangdong immediately spoke as if seeking credit. “Didn’t you say you wanted to drown Second Girl? This woman was disrespectful and talked back to you. Once I finish dealing with the child, I’ll deal with her!”
As he spoke, he moved again. Ye Wen lunged forward in one stride, snatched the baby away, and then slapped Wen Xiangdong twice across the face with loud cracks.
She had truly had enough of this mama’s boy today—now he even wanted to harm his own flesh and blood. Those two slaps were delivered with full force, leaving her palm stinging.
“You bastard!” Ye Wen trembled with rage. “When did I ever say I wanted to drown the child?!”
Wen Xiangdong covered his burning cheek. “Wasn’t it the younger sister-in-law who said… said Lian-niang stopped you from drowning Second Girl and even knocked you unconscious? I was just standing up for you, Mother. Why did you hit me…”
Tian Chunhua!
Ye Wen ground her teeth and glared toward the west wing, where a candle was still lit. But the moment her gaze fell there, the light went out.
There was no need to think—it had to be the second daughter-in-law stirring up trouble again. Ever since Jiang Lian was allowed to rest during confinement, all the chores that should have belonged to the eldest daughter-in-law had fallen onto Tian Chunhua. She was unhappy about it and must have gone to poison the eldest son’s ears again.
What Ye Wen didn’t know was that Tian Chunhua had just happened to see her giving Jiang Lian the menstrual pad.
Already seething from having to do extra work, Tian Chunhua saw her mother-in-law even giving her sister-in-law such a good thing, and her anger flared even more. She immediately went to the eldest brother to slander Jiang Lian. She knew all too well how blindly filial her foolish eldest brother was—he would surely go find trouble with his wife to “vent Mother’s anger.”
After sorting out the twists and turns, Ye Wen said sternly, “I already said that wasn’t important! What’s important is that I fainted and only then dreamed of your father!”
“Did everything I said at dinner go in one ear and out the other? Talk back again and believe it or not, I’ll split the household and make you live separately!”
Those words struck like a bolt from the blue. The eldest son dropped to his knees with a thud. “Mother! You can beat or scold me all you want, but please don’t split the family!”
With his parents still alive, splitting the household—if that got out, how could he ever face people?
Seeing her son thoroughly cowed, Ye Wen finally placed the swaddled baby back into the arms of Jiang Lian, who was still slumped on the floor.
“Your father said in my dream that this child is blessed. She’ll bring great fortune to our family in the future and must be raised properly!”
Jiang Lian’s lifeless eyes suddenly lit up. Trembling, she asked, “Mother… truly?”
“Of course it’s true. Your father even gave her a nickname—Afu.” Ye Wen lied without batting an eye.
Jiang Lian immediately burst into tears of joy and hugged the child tightly as she sat back on the edge of the bed. Wonderful! Her Second Girl—no, Afu—could finally live!
“Mother… what you said—is it all really true?” The eldest son looked at her hesitantly.
“What, do you think I’d lie to you?” Ye Wen shot him a sideways glance, her voice rising sharply. “If it weren’t for this, would I have thought about drowning that girl before I fainted? And after waking up, why didn’t I mention it again? Are you questioning your own mother?”
The eldest son immediately shrank his neck and forced a smile. “How would I dare? If Mother says keep her, then we’ll keep her.”
Seeing that his mother’s expression was still unpleasant and his slapped cheeks were still burning, the eldest son feared she might continue dealing with him. His eyes darted as he lowered his voice. “Well… Lian-niang was disrespectful and made you angry, and that Xiaocao girl is troublesome too. How about… I go teach them a lesson?”
He calculated that as long as he pleased his mother, maybe he could avoid more scolding and beating. Being cursed out with spit flying in his face every time truly terrified him.
On the bed, Jiang Lian’s body stiffened suddenly, her fingers gripping the quilt tightly.
Ye Wen felt her temples throbbing. If a domestic abuser like this existed in modern times, he’d already be torn apart online! She took several deep breaths before suppressing that surge of anger.
After a moment of thought, she decided to change her approach. Softening her tone, she said earnestly, “Eldest, being filial to your mother is a good thing. But now you have a family of your own. Your wife and children are the ones closest to you. If you keep beating and scolding them at every turn, chilling their hearts, then after Mother is gone…”
She even wiped the corner of her eye. “All I wish for is that your family lives in harmony. In the future, when your father and I look down from the afterlife and see you living well, we’ll be at peace.”
“Mother!” The eldest son’s nose stung, and tears came immediately. “I’ll listen to everything you say!”
Jiang Lian stared wide-eyed at this deeply affectionate scene between mother and son, as if she had seen a ghost.