My Haughty Adorable Wife Has Arrived

After she finished sweeping the courtyard and heating up some water, her in-laws returned, accompanied by two younglings and Han Dongchen—Han Chuxia had just been dismissed from school as well.

Polite as ever, Su Xiaowan met them with a warm greeting:" Father, Mother, you must be exhausted having worked all day. I heated the water; it's still warm. Why not wash up? Dinner will be ready soon."

As she spoke, she quickly filled the basin with water. Everyone was covered in dust and grime after a day's work.

Upon entering the tidy courtyard and seeing the warm water in the basins ready to be used, the mother-in-law expressed her contentment at Su Xiaowan's diligent performance. She declared: "Hmm, at least you're hardworking."

She continued washing her hands and casually remarked, "Elder daughter-in-law, you should learn from your younger sibling - see how clean the courtyard is and how she has prepared warm water. Every day you come home and just flop onto the kang[1] without feeding the chickens or taking care of the pigs. You only know how to eat." Old Master Han and the elder brother usually kept silent, finished washing, and then rested.

Seeing Su Xiaowan, clean and dust-free, standing there and comparing herself in all her dusty drudgery, sister-in-law turned red with jealousy. She complained bitterly, "Ah, how blessed is my sister-in-law! She doesn't need to work all day, she can even go to town while I'm stuck laboring all day, nearly exhausted to death. And I get scolded when I get home. I can't compare to her. Oh, mother, you've spent so much money to bring home a golden egg to raise."

Hearing this, the mother-in-law got angry and scolded her, "How much I spend to get a daughter-in-law, it's my business! You're in no place to say anything. You better take a look at yourself - always lazy and shirking work. By the way, where did those eggs go from the day before yesterday? And where is that piece of cloth and the rice missing from the house? Did you send them to your maternal home again?"

Upon hearing the mother-in-law had discovered the missing items, the elder daughter-in-law was a little guilty. But considering the exorbitant amount of money spent on acquiring a daughter-in-law, she was so angry her chest threatened to explode. She retorted without hesitation: "Why don't I have the say? I'm part of this family too. How much dowry did you pay for me? Why did you spend several times on getting a daughter-in-law for my brother-in-law? I've labored like a horse in this household, raising kids for all these years. If the dowry for me had been this much, I wouldn't need to send things to my maternal home."

The altercation attracted the attention of the curious neighbors. But neither seemed bothered by the audience.

Upon hearing her arguments, the mother-in-law lost her temper and began fighting, screaming all the while, "So you admit it, you wastrel?! You've practically emptied our house! Why don't you just die? What I spend on getting a daughter-in-law is none of your business. I'm not dead yet, and you still cannot play the woman of this house."

The mother-in-law had been swindled, leading to her to squander all their savings and even incur debt to get Su Xiaowan married into the family. The entire ordeal had left her livid, causing her to lash out at her daughters-in-law the very next day after the wedding.

So she particularly hated anyone mentioning the exorbitant marriage costs. Not only did the elder daughter-in-law touch a sore point when she brought up the money spent, but she also admitted to taking items to her maternal home. This only agitated the mother-in-law further.

The elder daughter-in-law didn't back down even when faced with physical assault. Feeling that the mother-in-law favored the younger brother's family, she fought back and cried, "You favor him, Old Master Han! I bore two sons for your family, and yet you can be so heartless. I can't continue living like this. But don't you dare think I'm easy to bully."

Before long, the fight became so intense that it was impossible to tell who was who. Su Xiaowan was bewildered. Hard as it was to believe, the fight had happened as a result of a few choice words and it was all because of her. She hastily took a step back.

The scene was chaotic with the yelling of the mother-in-law, the screeching of the elder daughter-in-law, the crying of the two children, and Old Master Han and the elder brother trying to break up the fight. There was also Han Dongchen and Han Chuxia, as well as the tsking of the neighbors. The situation was completely out of control.

Finally, they managed to separate the two women. Their hair was a mess, covered in dirt and hay, clothes ripped at places. Both the mother-in-law and the elder daughter-in-law had scratches on their faces and bodies.

The mother-in-law continued cursing. Seeing her, Han Qiushou didn't say a word; instead, he went over and slapped the elder daughter-in-law twice, rendering her dazed. The force of the slap was evident from the trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth.

Stunned momentarily, the elder sister-in-law came to herself and started to curse loudly, "Aah, Han Qiushou, you're not human! You're a coward, who only knows how to hit his wife! Have some courage and kill me, kill me! I'm not going to let you live either. I can't live this life any longer! We labor all day and earn so little, and all the money goes to your brother to marry a wife. How much can a wife cost, you tell me? Mother spent 500 yuan, when the family is so poor. How are we going to survive this way?"

While the elder sister-in-law continued crying and hurling abuses at the seniors for favoring others and Han Qiushou for not being man enough, everyone else in the family fell silent. Su Xiaowan tread very carefully, fearing they would turn their attention towards her, though luckily, only Han Dongchen glanced at her.

At last, the fight was over and they dragged the elder sister-in-law back into her room. Many good-hearted neighbors tried to help out. Everyone else dispersed, and Su Xiaowan hurried back to the kitchen to help her younger sister, Xia Hua, prepare dinner and serve it at the table.

This meal was consumed in oppressive silence. Nobody uttered a word. The grim atmosphere was palpable even to the two younger ones, who finished eating and went out to play. After cleaning up, Su Xiaowan retreated to her bedroom. Han Dongchen hadn't returned; he was probably discussing her planned departure with the army the following day.

After washing her face and cleaning her feet, Su Xiaowan headed to the kang, made her bed, and crawled under the covers. Night fell early here; there were no sources of entertainment, and it was eerily silent, save for the occasional calls of domestic animals and the chirping of crickets outside.

In the main room, the elders were in a heated discussion. Old Master Han was inhaling deep drafts of smoke; elder brother Han Qiushou sat silently, head bowed. Old Lady Han, still livid, was ranting about the elder daughter-in-law, "The good-for-nothing wretch dares to cry after pocketing items from our house! I need to teach her a lesson, or she'll forget her place."

Uncle Han, still consumed by rage, was about to confront Old Master Han just as Han Dongchen coldly interjected, "Father, Mother, stop arguing. I'm sorry for marrying this woman and causing you distress." (Of course, this "distress" was directed at Old Lady Han)