Chapter 142 - 136 Spot the difference
Tian Manlan deliberately finished work early, as she was tasked with cooking lunch. Lunch was straightforward: reheat last night’s leftover meat dishes, cook the tofu obtained in exchange that morning, and prepare some vegetables. That was enough to get by. In the countryside, having several bowls of such dishes was considered quite a feast.
Right when Tian Manlan was rinsing the rice to cook, a wave of scolding came from outside. It turns out that Old Mrs. Shou spent the morning dwelling on her resentment at home, feeling more and more suffocated by the thought of the perceived injustice from last night, which she refused to let slide. She was determined not to let that little wretch Tian Manlan off the hook, leading to the increasingly bitter Old Mrs. Shou storming to Tian Manlan’s doorstep and launching into a tirade.
"Tian Manlan, you shameless wretch lacking in virtue, using sweet potatoes to trick your mama, I spit on you! Do you think your mama is blind? You ungrateful thing, ugh, why is my life so miserable, giving birth to such an unfilial son, and the daughter-in-law is no better, what’s the point of me living on!" Old Mrs. Shou cursed tirelessly, with each word laced with ’ungratefulness’. Meanwhile, the villagers coming off work heard the commotion and gathered around to watch the spectacle. Shou Yaowu, the village chief, also rushed over. Seeing the scene, he was livid; this cousin-in-law of his had a real knack for stirring up trouble—it had only just calmed down, and here she was, causing another uproar.
Feeling guilty, Tian Manlan hid in the kitchen, too scared to come out, without the slightest bit of confidence, her face was a mix of red and purple. Tian Sisi sighed deeply upon seeing Tian Manlan’s state, lamenting how naive her younger aunt could be!
She had no expectations for Tian Manlan to handle the situation, so the resigned Tian Sisi shook her head and, together with Tian Xinhua, stepped out. Tian Qinghua and He Chengsi were still up in the mountains, planning to hunt wild game to bring back as meat.
Seeing that Tian Manlan hadn’t come out, Old Mrs. Shou’s voice grew louder, "Where is that little wretch Tian Manlan? She doesn’t dare to come out because she’s guilty, huh? Hmph, sneaking sweet potatoes in place of meat for me and the old man, I’ve never heard of such a thing. If she didn’t want to give, she shouldn’t have bothered—Mama’s not wanting for that bit of meat."
The surrounding villagers who heard these words started murmuring among themselves, disbelieving that the always honest Tian Manlan could do such a thing. It must be that Old Mrs. Shou was again picking on her second daughter-in-law.
Just as Tian Sisi was about to speak up in rebuttal, Shou Jizu returned. Having worked all morning, he was thirsty and aching all over, already in a foul mood. Upon seeing his own mother making a scene at his doorstep, his anger surged instantly.