Chapter 519: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 519: A Plan with No Regrets (3)
Therefore, any movement or action in the old Mo family could not escape Mo Yan's ears. Inappropriate plans were adjusted accordingly, eventually achieving their desired results, even better than expected.
...
June was the hottest month of the year. After a day of scorching heat, the villagers finished their work, had a simple dinner, and then gathered in groups under the cool breeze of the ancient poplar trees to relax.
With more people, naturally, there were various topics of conversation. The men mostly discussed the weather and crops, while the women were more interested in neighborhood gossip. Soon enough, someone spilled some juicy news.
"Hey, hey, did you hear? Old Granny Mo Hong Shi has caused trouble again! This time, what she did was even more despicable than forcing Wu Shi and her daughter to leave!" a young woman whispered mysteriously.
As soon as these words were heard, someone immediately responded, "Ah? She caused trouble again? Tell us what happened. My mother-in-law got heatstroke, and I've been too busy to find out what's going on! I heard earlier that the old maid in the old Mo family, who couldn't get married, was spotted by a wealthy family in the city. They want to bring her back as the main wife, and Mo Hong Shi was flaunting it around the village!"
Before the first woman could respond, another slightly older woman interjected, "Hmph, it's all because of that unmarried old maid that Mo Hong Shi caused trouble, isn't it? In my opinion, Mo Hong Shi isn't causing trouble; she's digging her own grave. If we let her continue like this, the old Mo family will sooner or later be ruined by her."
Upon hearing this, the uninformed women became even more curious and began to ask eagerly.
When they finally learned what kind of trouble Mo Hong Shi had caused, they couldn't help but spit on the ground in disgust and relief. "Back then, I married into my husband's family for several years without giving birth to a child. My mother-in-law treated me like dirt and caused me a lot of grievances! When I finally got pregnant and gave birth to a daughter, my mother-in-law slapped me in the face and kicked me out of bed on the third day to work in the fields. During the months of breastfeeding, she didn't even give me an egg to eat!
At that time, I felt like there was no other daughter-in-law in the whole village who suffered more than me! Now, thinking back, my mother-in-law was still pretty good. Although she wasn't good to me, she was very kind to her granddaughters and grandsons. During the drought a few years ago, she even shared her food with several children! Later, when human traffickers exchanged biscuits for children, my mother-in-law refused to sell her child, saying she wouldn't sell even if she starved to death. Just because of this, I have to honor my mother-in-law well. If my mother-in-law were like Old Granny Mo Hong Shi, I'm afraid I would have hung myself with a rope long ago!"
After hearing the woman's words, the other two women fell silent for a moment and involuntarily thought of their own mothers-in-law.
Although their mothers-in-law were not as severe as the woman's, they were not easy to get along with either! Sometimes, they hated their mothers-in-law so much that they wished they would die sooner. But now, with the comparison to Mo Hong Shi, they realized their mothers-in-law had already been quite lenient. At least they had never beaten them, kicked them when they were pregnant, or broken their granddaughters' bones. Nor had they ever forced their sons to marry a brothel woman for her dowry money, as Mo Hong Shi had done to her own grandson for a hundred taels of silver.
Leaving aside the brothel woman's background, she had money but had long ruined her body and could never have children. Yet, to pave the way for her own daughter, Mo Hong Shi had no problem using her grandson as a stepping stone, even if it meant he would have no descendants!
The brothel woman was sensible and honest about her situation, wanting to find a good man to settle down with. She revealed her background and infertility, giving the Mo family the option to refuse. However, somehow, her background and infertility soon spread throughout the village.
Unbeknownst to Mo Yan, this scheme not only highlighted Mo Hong Shi's shamelessness but also became a "reference point" for many young wives in the village. Comparing their mothers-in-law to Mo Hong Shi, they all felt their own were reasonable people. They dropped their prejudices and began trying to get along better with their mothers-in-law.
For a time, the petty squabbles between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law significantly decreased, greatly improving the atmosphere in Liuyang Village.
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