Volume 1, Chapter 7: The Widowed Mother Abandoned by Her Sons During the Famine 7

Wu Xiuying sneered at Chen Ling’s back, feeling incredibly smug. Hmph, so what if she’s pretty and has a good figure? She still can’t win my son’s affection.

She rose, wiggling her heavy, fleshy buttocks as she waddled to the kitchen doorway. Leaning against the frame, she watched her daughter-in-law cook while cracking sunflower seeds and barking orders:

"Move faster! This sluggishness won't fly here—you're not back at your maiden home anymore. Once you’re married, you must be diligent and serve your parents-in-law with all your heart. More importantly, you need to capture your husband's heart; otherwise, when will I ever get to hold a golden grandson? Huh? Did that widowed mother of yours not teach you anything?"

Chen Ling’s hand, gripping the kitchen knife, froze instantly. She looked up, her gaze fierce and murderous as she stared at her mother-in-law: "Do not insult my mother!"

Rage consumed her reason; she thought only of taking her mother-in-law down with her today! She tightened her grip on the knife, ready to charge, when she saw her beloved mother appear behind her mother-in-law. Her beautiful eyes widened in disbelief, and tears instantly flooded her cheeks.

"Mother."

Seeing her daughter-in-law ready to hack at her, Wu Xiuying was startled and shrieked. When she saw Chen Ling pause, she immediately began berating her: "This is outrageous! A wicked daughter-in-law is trying to kill her mother-in-law! When Wenxuan gets back, I will make sure he divorces you! I’ll go ask that Widow Mo just how she raised her daughter! Get on your knees and beg for forgiveness right now! I might consider sparing you!"

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept behind her. Wu Xiuying felt her scalp tighten as someone grabbed her hair and slammed her to the ground. Then, a rain of heavy punches landed on her face. She couldn't help but howl and scream in agony!

"How could a 'Scholar's wife' possibly trouble herself to come find me? I’ve come myself to tell you exactly how I raised my daughter! I raised her with such care that I couldn't bear to lay a finger on her since she was a child—afraid she'd break if held too tightly, or melt if kept in my mouth. My daughter is beautiful, capable, and knows propriety, justice, integrity, and honor. How did she become worthless in the mouth of an old hag like you? If your Scholar Wang family’s threshold is so precious, why did you lick your shameless faces to come beg for her hand in marriage? Shouldn't you have found a young lady of noble birth to match your status?"

Mo Mo grew angrier the more she scolded, swinging her fists with even more vigor. She grabbed the old hag’s hair and beat her until her face was bruised and swollen, even knocking out several of her teeth!

As it turned out, 3-Bao had sensed in advance that her silly daughter was planning to kill her mother-in-law with a knife and then commit suicide, so she had hurried over ahead of time. The moment she arrived outside the gate, she heard the woman surnamed Wu spewing filth, and she couldn't help but want to beat her to death!

Seeing his wife beaten into such a miserable state, Scholar Wang rushed out from his study to intervene. "Dear sister-in-law, please stop! Xiuying has no filter, but she doesn't mean it. I will certainly give her a good scolding. Please calm your anger; if you keep beating her, you’ll take a life. How will Ling-ya ever hold her head up in this house afterward?"

Mo Mo laughed in anger at this. She sat squarely on top of Wu Xiuying and cursed at him: "Haha, you’re killing me! Is this old thing threatening me? Your family has beaten my precious daughter to this state; do you really think I would leave her in this den of tigers and wolves? You know how to beg for mercy when I beat this foul-mouthed creature, but why didn't you offer a word of advice when my daughter was being beaten? I am here today to take my daughter home and help her file for a legal separation!"

Chen Ling looked at her mother in shock, sobbing with emotion. Mo Mo gave her "cheap" daughter a reassuring look, causing the girl to cry even harder, yet she ran to her mother's side with a face full of joyful tears.

Scholar Wang frowned: "A legal separation? I do not agree. If you really want to take your daughter, it can only be my son Wenxuan divorcing her! A divorced woman has no easy road ahead; if she goes back with that reputation, will her brothers tolerate her? Will the villagers tolerate her? You should think carefully for your daughter's sake. If you drop the talk of separation, we can let today's incident pass."

Thinking he had won the argument, he held his head high and stroked his beard with a faint smile.

Wu Xiuying, pinned to the ground and wailing, panicked when she heard the old man say this. She couldn't let this beating go to waste! "Divorce! She must be divorced! Our family can't afford a daughter-in-law like this! My son will be back soon—you just wait!"

Seeing her still clamoring, Mo Mo slapped her twice more across the face—*smack, smack*—perfectly symmetrical.

"Don't you worry about that. It doesn't matter if her 'useless' brothers agree or not; I am the head of the household, and I will support my daughter for the rest of her life! As for the villagers of Shanbei Village, they are all people with hearts of gold. Unlike you people, they will only feel for my daughter."

As soon as she finished speaking, the Village Chief’s voice came from outside: "That’s right! We are here today to take Ling-ya back. We wouldn't dare visit a family like yours a second time."

Chen Qingxiang and his group crowded into the courtyard. A-Cai, seeing his mother's majestic display, ran excitedly to his older sister and took her hand: "Big Sister, don't be afraid! We’re here to back you up!"

Huzi also ran over and grabbed her other hand: "Sister Ling! We’re here to support you!"

Chen Ling squeezed her brother’s and Huzi’s hands, whispered a soft "Mhm," and smiled happily.

On the ground, Wu Xiuying was so terrified that she immediately closed her eyes and played dead! The villagers were shocked by the scene, whispering among themselves with grins: "Whoa, Auntie Mo is truly formidable!"

"Is that the one on the ground Ling-ya’s mother-in-law? Did she faint from fear?"

"Look at that bruised and swollen face—oh my! She probably fainted from the pain!"

Chen Dadan stared at Mo Mo with glowing eyes. Good heavens, sister Mo is truly enchanting!

Scholar Wang accompanied them with a forced smile, cupping his hands in a bow. "Village Chief Chen, what are you saying? It’s all a misunderstanding. Our family has treated Ling-ya very well."

Chen Ling, feeling indignant, let go of her brothers' hands and stepped forward in anger, rolling up her sleeves to reveal the injuries on her arms. "That's not true! Wang Wenxuan beats me often. I do all the chores in the house, and my mother-in-law constantly sets rules for me and starves me. Yesterday, Wang Wenxuan beat me again. I was in too much pain, and when I couldn't help but fight back, my mother-in-law joined in to beat me." She pointed at Wu Xiuying on the ground: "She even insulted my mother!"

Just then, Wang Wenxuan returned. Seeing the situation, he rushed in to push Chen Ling’s hands down. Seeing his mother-in-law pinning his mother to the ground, he said hurriedly: "Mother-in-law, what is going on? Any misunderstanding can be resolved. Please, let my mother up. What kind of decorum is this? It is a disgrace to scholarship, a disgrace to scholarship."

Mo Mo took a look at him. This "cheap" son-in-law had delicate, feminine features and was indeed handsome. With red lips, white teeth, and a pair of affectionate eyes, dressed in pale green scholar's robes, he looked every bit the refined talent.

3-Bao, perched on her shoulder, licked its paw and sighed: "Those eyes are so affectionate they could look at a dog with deep love."