Farm Girl's Manor

Mo Hong’s family let out a cold huff, displeased, "I am your mother-in-law; don’t I have the right to call on you when there’s nothing urgent?"

Seeing her making a scene without reason, Mo Wu’s patience was wearing thin, but her face showed even more deference, beyond reproach to any onlooker, "Mother, what are you talking about? It’s just that Tie Tou’s shoes are broken, and I must hurry to mend them so he can wear them tomorrow. If mother doesn’t have any other matters, I must get back to my work."

Mo Hong’s family was furious, stood up, and pointed at Mo Wu, loudly chastising her, "You’re always away from home, and when your old mother wants to speak a few words with you, you come up with the excuse of fixing shoes. Where were you before? I see that you do not take your mother-in-law into consideration at all!"

Mo Wu’s expression remained unchanged, though her tone was particularly mocking, "I dare say, since I came to Lao Mo’s House nearly twenty years ago, serving my in-laws and raising children, I have never wronged this family. Otherwise, when mother and your younger sister were unable to leave their beds, wouldn’t I have taken out Tie Tou’s dowry money to pay the doctor? If, despite that, mother still thinks I have not done well enough, I have nothing more to say. From now on, if your younger sister needs to see a doctor or take medicine, mother, you’ll have to figure out how to get the silver yourself; I won’t interfere."

Mo Hong’s family was left speechless, glaring at Mo Wu with a pair of old, gloomy eyes, her complexion turning extremely unsightly.

Seeing her mother-in-law at a disadvantage, Mo Niu’s, who had been watching the drama unfold, began to meddle, "Elder sister-in-law, what you say is very unfilial. Although mother and your younger sister are not your blood relatives, they are still your husband’s own mother and sister. It is only right for you to pay their medical expenses when they fall ill. How can we, as daughters-in-law, ignore the wellbeing of our mother-in-law and sister-in-law?"

Mo Wu gave her a cold glance, having already guessed that it was she who had stirred up this situation. In a way, she should thank her for enabling her own realization, but this woman was always causing trouble, envious of anyone better off than herself, eager to share in good fortune and quick to drag others down when she couldn’t gain from them. Mo Wu truly couldn’t feel close to such a person.

"Since you put it that way, sister-in-law, I must lay things out for you! By rights, the cost of mother’s and your younger sister’s treatment should be split between our two households. But the expenses have already reached seven to eight hundred wen, and you have contributed only a hundred wen. That’s hardly fair, considering that mother and your younger sister are also your Uncle’s own mother and sister."

Mo Niu’s glared with wide eyes, exclaiming, "Elder sister-in-law, how can you say such a thing? Our second household isn’t like yours with a good son working at the rice shop. If Tie Tou were willing to let his uncle have that job, we in the second household would happily pay not just a hundred wen but even two or three taels." Her words implied that Mo Wu was stingy and unwilling to part with more silver.

Mo Hong’s family also caught the undertone and glared at Mo Wu even more viciously, as if Mo Wu’s silver was being gouged from her very flesh.