Standing in the middle of the crowd, wearing clothes in a style similar to Zhang Lanhua’s, was Third Aunt. She looked like someone very hard to get along with.
Her smiling face made Su Mo feel it was extremely fake.
Third Aunt walked up to Su Mo. “Mo Mo, come here.”
She somehow produced a booklet of the Lin family rules, and Su Mo was completely dumbfounded.
It felt like her whole being had split apart!
“What is this?”
Third Aunt smiled and answered, “Family rules. After you marry into the Lin family, these are the rules you must follow.”
“We have a custom here. Knowing you’re a girl from out of town, Yuyi’s mom and I added a few more.”
Su Mo: “…” She really wanted to ask what kind of bizarre rules are these?
What did it mean that because she married into the Lin family, more conditions had been added?
Opening the so-called family rules in her hands, Su Mo saw a series of very unreasonable regulations.
Why follow things like the “three obediences and four virtues”?
Why did she feel she wasn’t marrying a man, but marrying the entire Lin family?
Third Aunt patted Su Mo’s shoulder. “Mo Mo, you must memorize all of this and keep it in your heart at all times.”
Su Mo refused simply and directly.
“I won’t memorize it, and I can’t. Whoever wants to memorize it can do it.” Perhaps because she’d been angry these past few days, her words were sharp.
“You child! You’ve married into the Lin family you are one of us now. How can you defy your elders like this?”
Defy elders? This counted as defying elders?
Su Mo truly felt she had broadened her horizons.
Now she finally understood why Lin Yuyi had been called away early in the morning. If he were here, he would never have let Zhang Lanhua force her to memorize it.
“Mom, I’m sorry. I really can’t memorize it.”
Zhang Lanhua signaled to Third Aunt with her eyes. “Forget it, forget it. If our Mo Mo can’t memorize it, then let it be.”
“Don’t force her.”
A trace of surprise appeared in Su Mo’s eyes. Was Zhang Lanhua really being this easygoing?
Not forcing her at all?
With suspicion, she watched Zhang Lanhua’s face. And indeed, the whole morning passed without anyone mentioning the family rules again.
But at noon, Zhang Lanhua didn’t suggest going home and instead stayed to eat at Third Aunt’s place.
As for the food, Su Mo simply treated it as dieting.
Who knew Third Aunt would come in carrying freshly picked greens from the field and place them in front of Su Mo.
“Mo Mo, everyone is busy. Could you help wash the vegetables?”
Such a small request wasn’t something Su Mo would refuse. But was everyone really busy?
In the courtyard, Zhang Lanhua was cracking sunflower seeds and gossiping enthusiastically with several neighbors.
And after placing the vegetables in front of Su Mo, Third Aunt went to sit in front of the TV.
Su Mo understood.
This was deliberate.
She took the greens to the water tap and washed them leaf by leaf. Then Third Aunt’s little grandson, Yaya, came over holding several eggplants.
“Auntie, Mom says these need washing too.”
Yaya was only four and understood nothing, so Su Mo had no choice but to take the eggplants and keep washing.
And so it went on, over and over Su Mo spent an entire hour washing vegetables.
Her hands were soaked and starting to peel.
Her freshly done nails were scratched and chipped.
She let out a long sigh. Thinking that everything would be fine once she went back, she decided not to argue.
After finally finishing, Su Mo maintained her last bit of politeness and walked to Third Aunt.
“Third Aunt, they’re all washed. Please take a look.”
Without even glancing, Third Aunt ordered, “Mo Mo, go to the yard and chop some firewood. We’re cooking.”
Chop firewood!
Those two words exploded in Su Mo’s mind.
She would rather be struck by lightning instead.
Third Aunt’s family wasn’t that poor the kitchen even looked renovated.
Surely it shouldn’t come to chopping wood to cook?
Little Yaya tugged at Su Mo’s skirt. “Auntie, that one broke, so we can only use firewood.”
Broken? What a coincidence nothing breaks except when she arrives.
Without another word, Third Aunt put an axe into Su Mo’s hands. The heavy weight made it impossible for her to lift.
In the yard, Zhang Lanhua brought over many logs all for her to chop.
Unwillingly, Su Mo walked into the yard.
“I don’t know how.”
Zhang Lanhua took the axe from her. “What’s so hard about that? When I married Yuyi’s father, didn’t I learn from not knowing too?”
“Just try. Everyone’s waiting to eat.”
“Mo Mo, don’t be willful at a moment like this.”
Willful?
Wasn’t it Zhang Lanhua and the others bullying her because she seemed easy to push around?
It was just chopping wood, right?
Su Mo grabbed the axe and hacked wildly, as if she were chopping a person. Red marks formed across her delicate palms.
Even Zhang Lanhua couldn’t bear to watch and sent her away.
“Forget it, forget it. Go help your Third Aunt in the kitchen. I’ll do it.”
So when Zhang Lanhua carried the chopped wood into the kitchen, Su Mo suppressed her grievance and asked back,
Pointing at the suddenly working gas stove: “Wasn’t it broken? Why is it working again?”
Zhang Lanhua didn’t care. “Maybe it was just out of gas. Don’t make a fuss.”
She was making a fuss?
Wasn’t this deliberate humiliation?
She thought it would end there but instead she was made to cook, and with chili peppers.
She couldn’t continue, yet Zhang Lanhua still wouldn’t let her leave the kitchen.
The range hood wasn’t turned on; only one window was open. Su Mo choked on the smoke until tears streamed down her face.
She didn’t know whether it was from grievance or the choking fumes.
After finishing everything, Su Mo looked at the table there wasn’t a single dish she could eat.
She put down her chopsticks. “You all eat. I’ll go back first. I don’t feel well.”
No one tried to stop her. As she reached the door, she could still hear Third Aunt’s annoying voice.
“What a delicate girl. We only asked her to cook one meal.”
“How did she end up so wronged? You didn’t see just now crying with snot and tears. Someone might think our Lin family bullies the daughter-in-law.”
“Lanhua, tell me how will you deal with a girl like this in the future? You must be tougher and keep her in line.”
Zhang Lanhua’s face darkened. “No choice. My youngest likes her. If he had chosen Bai Qing, none of this mess would exist.”
“Sigh, such bad luck. Why did he pick Su Mo?”
Su Mo truly couldn’t bear to hear another word. If she had brought her phone, she would have recorded it and let Lin Yuyi hear it properly hear how vicious his relatives’ words were.
What on earth had she, Su Mo, done to deserve such dissatisfaction from Zhang Lanhua and those relatives?
There was no answer. She lowered her head and looked at the blisters in her palms, inhaling sharply from the pain.
When Lin Yuyi returned, it was already evening. The first thing he said was:
“You argued with my mom?”