Chapter 12: Cousin
Xiaoyi Village and Zhao Village were right next to each other, separated only by a small river. Crossing the small stone slab bridge, one would arrive in Zhao Village.
It was now noon. Although early summer had just begun, the midday sun was fierce, and the villagers who had been working in the fields were gradually returning home.
Walking along the road, Sun Mei occasionally encountered fellow villagers coming back from the fields.
Just as she reached the entrance of Zhao Village, she met Shi Tou’s wife, Sun Liuniang. Sun Liuniang’s maternal family was from the same village as Sun Mei’s, and the two had known each other since childhood.
Coincidentally, after they married, their husbands, Zhao Shitou and Zhao Dong, were also good friends. Now, with the two families living as neighbors, separated only by a wall, their bond was very strong.
Upon seeing Sun Mei, Sun Liuniang greeted her warmly. After exchanging only a few words, Sun Liuniang brought up Sun Mei’s Elder Sister-in-law, Miss Zhu.
"Tsk tsk, I tell you, your eldest brother was truly unlucky to marry a shrew like Miss Zhu. But then again, he passed away early; who knows if that was a blessing or a curse."
Sun Liuniang was a simple person without a malicious bone in her body. Her only flaw was a tendency, common among countryside women, to gossip and criticize anything she found displeasing.
Today, she must have witnessed some of Miss Zhu’s misdeeds and was beginning to grumble indignantly.
"Once your eldest brother passed and the family property was divided, Miss Zhu completely showed her true colors. She’s nothing but a lazy glutton. Her three children are the ones who suffer—no, wait, now it’s two. I heard she sold her daughter this morning! Tell me, in these peaceful and prosperous times, with favorable weather, what family would be driven to sell their children? If you ask me, she’s just heartless!"
Sun Mei sighed silently but didn’t respond to Sun Liuniang’s words.