10. Self-Awareness
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As soon as Li Cuihua finished speaking, she swung her arms and hurried back to her room. It was mainly a matter of speaking out in the heat of the moment; if she really confronted her sister-in-law, her small stature would not stand a chance against her. It wasn’t cowardice, but self-awareness.
Thinking of her own daughter’s lack of such awareness, Li Cuihua felt a headache upon returning to her room. She paid no attention to the shouting outside the door, where her eldest sister-in-law was being restrained by the third brother’s wife.
“Li Cuihua, how dare you talk to your sister-in-law like that? You even curse that our eldest brother can’t find a wife! Come out here, or I’ll tear your mouth apart...”
“Enough with the noise! What are you fussing about? You clearly have energy to spare, so put it to work in the fields. If you don’t finish the chores today, don’t expect to eat.”
“Mother... I really can’t blame me. It was the second brother’s wife—I kindly reminded her to properly manage Eldest Daughter, and she immediately cursed that our eldest nephew can’t get a wife. No matter what, that’s her eldest nephew. Is that respectful?”
Wang Xiaocao looked at her mother-in-law with grievance and pointed at the slowly emerging Li Cuihua.
“I’m not interested in your quarrels. Just know this: if the fieldwork isn’t done today, no one is allowed to eat.”
Glancing fiercely at the stomping eldest sister-in-law, Old Lady Liu then turned her gaze toward the hesitant second sister-in-law.
“And Eldest Daughter, you’re no longer young. Which family in the village has a grown girl who doesn’t work the fields? From today on, you’ll join the work in the fields.”
“Mother...”
Hearing this, Li Cuihua stopped hesitating, took a few steps closer to her mother-in-law, and looked at her anxiously.
“Mother, Eldest Daughter knows her mistake. Please don’t be angry with her. You said it yourself—she’s not young anymore. If her skin gets darker from working in the sun, it’ll be difficult to find a good match later...”
“As if your Eldest Daughter would be fair-skinned if she didn’t work in the sun...”
The eldest sister-in-law sneered from the side. If anyone dared speak ill of her son, she wouldn’t show mercy.
“You...” Li Cuihua was rendered speechless.
Eldest Daughter’s skin was indeed dark, so be it.
“Whether the in-law family is good or not has nothing to do with skin color,” Old Lady Liu, who had firmly decided to let Eldest Daughter learn a hard lesson, was not about to change her mind easily.
No matter what, Li Cuihua’s daughter was hers, and she couldn’t help but feel pain. She still wanted to fight for her daughter a little more.
“Mother, if Eldest Daughter goes to the field, who will do the housework?”
Before she could finish, Old Lady Liu’s anger flared. “What? Without Eldest Daughter, the household can’t function? You’re all useless. From today on, the three sisters-in-law take turns doing the housework each day, each handling the chores in their own rooms.”
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“Mother...”
The eldest sister-in-law, accustomed to laziness and indulgence, grew anxious upon hearing this.
“If you don’t want to do it, fine. But if you refuse, you’ll go to the fields with your men every day.”
Good grief, before she could utter an objection, her mother-in-law had already clamped down on her, leaving her speechless.
The eldest sister-in-law pouted, suddenly finding the sunflower seeds in her hand tasteless.
As for the third sister-in-law, who usually spoke little and already had plenty of housework, her mother-in-law’s arrangement was no hardship at all, so she naturally had no opinion.
Li Cuihua felt somewhat dispirited. With no outlet for her frustration, she glared resentfully at her eldest sister-in-law.
If not for that sharp tongue, how could she have angered mother-in-law?
Thinking about the work ahead and the fact she could no longer rely on her daughter, Li Cuihua felt utterly disheartened.
She wanted to speak but upon meeting her mother-in-law’s stern face, she dared not say a word.
“Hurry up, what are you waiting for? If the fieldwork isn’t done today, neither of you will eat. Take Eldest Daughter with you so I don’t have to see her and get annoyed.”
“Mother...”
“What? My words don’t work on you?”
“We’re going now.”
Seeing the darkening expression on her mother-in-law’s face, the eldest sister-in-law gathered her sunflower seeds and grudgingly took up the tools.
Skipping a meal was out of the question—that would be like courting death—so she had no choice but to appease mother-in-law.
Still, before leaving, she gave Li Cuihua a furious glare.
“Mother, I’ve felt unwell since early this morning. Can I go tomorrow instead...?” Li Cuihua tried to struggle one last time, rubbing her head as she spoke.
Since marrying into the Jiang family, except during busy farming seasons, she had never willingly set foot in the fields. She had no desire to do so now.
“Fine...”
“Really, Mother, you’re so kind, I know you don’t want to see me suffer...”
“If you don’t go, you’ll starve!”
That one sentence shattered the smile on Li Cuihua’s face instantly.
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Seeing the unyielding severity in her mother-in-law’s eyes, she knew she had no choice but to obey.
“Eldest Daughter, Eldest Daughter...” Li Cuihua could only call her daughter.
Inside the room, Eldest Daughter clenched her fists tightly, her eyes seeming to bore holes through the wall, glaring fiercely at Old Lady Liu. But feeling the rumble of her hungry stomach, the courage to resist her grandmother vanished in an instant.
Right now, she could only depend on her family. If her grandmother branded her as unfilial, the villagers would mock her mercilessly.
Without the means to support herself, she had no choice but to endure.
Li Cuihua called several times but received no response from her daughter. Seeing her mother-in-law’s face darken further, she grew increasingly anxious.
“Mother, Eldest Daughter hasn’t eaten. Maybe she’s so hungry she fell asleep. I’ll go...”
“Go where? No, you’re not allowed. If she’s stuck in bed and refuses to come out, then she shouldn’t come out at all. Whose family has too much food?”
“Living in luxury has made her forget her place. She doesn’t see what life is like for the village girls. Ungrateful whelp! You’ve eaten and drunk your fill, yet still harbor resentment...”
Old Lady Liu’s curses kept pouring in from outside the door, while Eldest Daughter inside ground her teeth until they ached.
“Grandma... am I not your granddaughter? Could you please not be so biased...”
“Eldest Daughter—” Li Cuihua was nearly frightened out of her wits when she saw her daughter confront her grandmother head-on. She hurried forward, patted her daughter, and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her outside.
“Mother, I’m taking her to the fields now.” Then she pinched Eldest Daughter hard. “Stop sulking. Do you want Grandma to keep nagging and scolding every day while you go hungry?”
“Wait...” Li Cuihua wanted to calm things down, but Old Lady Liu laughed and blocked the second daughter-in-law.
“Mother, the child is just talking nonsense. Please don’t take it to heart.”
“Hmph, I don’t think so. That girl clearly harbors deep resentment toward me and this family. I don’t understand—she’s fed well every day, so why is she so ungrateful? Why does it feel like she’s been wronged here...”
“Grandma, don’t think you’re not biased...” Eldest Daughter shook off her mother and stood angrily before Old Lady Liu.
“We’re all grandchildren, yet why does Jiang Ruo get to do nothing and still enjoy the whole family’s favor? I’m the eldest granddaughter. Don’t I do the most chores? Everyone in the village praises me for being diligent, and still Grandma isn’t satisfied...”
“Sounds like you really feel wronged...” Old Lady Liu sneered with fury.
“So you’re finally getting cocky and daring to argue with me? Fine. Today, I’ll show you who’s wronged whom... Let’s see if it’s you or Jiang Ruo who’s truly wronged.”
The commotion in the courtyard had long been heard by Jiang Ruo, who was too lazy to come out. Now that she heard herself mentioned, she decided it was time to make an appearance.