READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 10: The Battle between the Su Family’s Mother and Daughter-in-law
How can she really make money from embroidery?
Feng Fangfang asked, “Then what kind of embroidery can you show eldest sister-in-law?”
“I'm showing the red-crowned cranes to celebrate longevity embroidery to sister Hong. Eldest sister-in-law, come tomorrow morning when you finish your work if you want to see it,” Su Danhong said.
Feng Fangfang nodded in satisfaction when she received a definite answer. She looked at the pork meat and spare ribs in her hands, and asked, “Where did these come from?”
“Oh, didn't I earn some money? I just wanted to be filial to father and mother.” Su Danhong smiled.
Father Ji and Mother Ji lived a very frugal life. They put out pickled vegetables and salted peanuts on the table the last time she came over and she couldn't bear it when she saw it.
Feng Fangfang didn't say anything when she heard these words. She snorted in her mind. Who’s watching what she’s doing?!
You, Su Danhong, married three years ago and father-in-law and mother-in-law have never eaten a bowl of rice or a scoop of water from you. Now you’re putting on an act, how long can you pretend to be like that?
However, Feng Fangfang only dared to say that Su Danhong was not good in her mind. She didn’t have to go head-to-head with her, and she would go with her tomorrow to see how she made money!
“Eat meat! Eat meat! I want to eat meat!” Hou Wazi shouted as he stared at the pork.“Smelly brat, what are you being so noisy for? This is your third aunt’s respect to your grandparents. You don’t get any!” Feng Fangfang scolded him in a bad mood.
Upon hearing this, Mother Ji's complexion didn't look so good. She glared at Feng Fangfang and then looked at Su Danhong. She was about to say a few words, but Lao San’s wife was most annoyed by Lao Da’s wife coming over to hit the autumn breeze1.
She never thought Lao San’s wife would say, “Hou Wazi wants to eat meat? You can if you address me. Your third aunt bought this meat for your grandparents.”
“Third aunt!” Hou Wazi looked at her and shouted with all his energy.
Don't look at how young he was, but he knew that this third aunt was not a good person. She used to dig at him with her eyes, but this was nothing compared to meat.
“Mother, if Hou Wazi wants to eat, then have him stay for lunch. You and father should not save it,” Su Danhong said to Father Ji and Mother Ji.
“Okay. ” Mother Ji was shocked for a moment before she came to her senses and replied with a smile on her face.
Feng Fangfang, on the other hand, looked at Su Danhong like she was a ghost. Her acceptance of this change was unlike Father Ji and Mother Ji, who had slowly accepted it over the days and thus had a higher level of acceptance. She had not seen Su Danhong in a long time. She originally suspected Su Danhong today for talking so nicely without irritating her, but now her son was still allowed to eat the pork meat and ribs she bought for the two elders?!
Feng Fangfang was going to wonder if the meat had been poisoned!
“Don’t cook lunch, just come here and let’s eat together,” Mother Ji invited her.
“No need, mother. I also bought something for my parents. I was going to take it to them and eat over there,” Su Danhong said, and took out the Youyi vanishing cream and clam oil from her pocket. She continued, “It's very cold these days. Mother and father should be careful, too. Keep this oil against the cold and apply it.”
“Your father and I can't use this rare oil. You can take it back to use,” Mother Ji said at once.
“I have my own. Keep it. I'll go back first.” Su Danhong left the things behind and left.
Feng Fangfang looked at her third sister-in-law, who became so gentle that she could hardly recognize her!
“Mother, what's the matter with third sister-in-law? Why is she like a different person?” Feng Fangfang asked. As soon as Su Danhong left, Feng Fangfang no longer covered up her doubts.
“Hurry up and wash your clothes. Lao San’s wife is fine. Don't always look at her in the old way,” Mother Ji said.
Lao San’s wife used to be fussy, but her personality was also straightforward. She wasn’t like Lao Da’s wife who had many twists and turns in her.
Feng Fangfang rolled her eyes and said, “Mother, look at Hou Wazi. His face is almost cracked by the blowing cold wind. If you don’t use this vanishing cream or clam oil, why don't you give it to Hou Wazi?”
Hou Wazi received his mother's eye signals and repeatedly said, “Grandmother, give it to me, give it to me.”
Mother Ji saw how her eldest grandson’s little face had indeed become red from the wind, so she said, “Go do laundry first, and then come and get it when you pick up Hou Wazi.”
When Feng Fangfang heard this, she happily picked up the clothes to leave, and asked, "Mother, do you have any clothes to wash? Bring it and I can wash it together.”
“None,” Mother Ji replied.
Feng Fangfang went to wash the clothes. She tried to come back earlier to freeload a meal, but Hou Wazi had already eaten his fill by the time she came back and there wasn’t any left for her.
“Take this box of clam oil back to put on Hou Wazi.” Mother Ji gave her a box of clam oil.
Feng Fangfang thought she would be given both boxes, but it was not bad to get this rare box of clam oil for nothing. She knew this box of clam oil only cost 70 cents, but she didn’t want to buy it!
After Mother Ji made Lao Da’s wife leave, she brought the vanishing cream to her second daughter-in-law’s home. She gave the vanishing cream to Lao Er’s wife, and said, “Keep this cream that is fragrant like tangerines and pears to put on your face.”
Ji Mudan's eyes lit up, “Thank you, Mother. Why did you suddenly buy vanishing cream? This thing is not cheap.”
“Danhong made money and bought it for me and your father. We don’t need it so I brought it here. Hou Wazi, that side, has a box of clam oil,” Mother Ji said.
Ji Mudan was shocked and questioned, “Su Danhong made money? How did she earn it?”
“Danhong made money from embroidery. You can go and have a look at it tomorrow after you finish your work. Your eldest sister-in-law will be there, too. You two will go together, so you won't have to go one by one,” Mother Ji said.
“That’s fine, tomorrow I'll find eldest sister-in-law and go with her! By the way, mother, how much money did Su Danhong make?” Ji Mudan said. She wanted to see what Su Danhong embroidered to make money. How much did it take to buy vanishing cream and clam oil for her parents-in-law?
“100,” Mother Ji said.
“100?!” Ji Mudan's eyes widened and gasped. “Mother, are you sure? She can't even thread a needle. How did she earn 100 yuan from embroidery?”
“If she can or not, you will know when you take a look tomorrow!” Mother Ji said in a bad mood.
“I must go tomorrow!” Ji Mudan’s thoughts became zealous. If Su Danhong could earn 100 yuan, couldn’t she earn 200 or 300 yuan? And if her needlework dared to be the second among the three sister-in-laws, then who would dare to recognize the first?
Su Danhong brought the pork meat and ribs to her mother's house and did not know that her sister-in-law had such a big opinion about how she had made money through needlework. She also never thought that she would see a battle between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law when she took some pork back to her mother's house.
Her own mother was holding her fierce sister-in-law under her body. She was grabbing her hair and pulling it. She endlessly spat out vulgar words, “You slut! What's wrong with my Lao Su family? How dare you go out and be a whore? Let's see if I don't hit you to death, you bitch! Die slut!”
Su Danhong, who was seeing such a scene for the first time in her life, froze. It was only after a while that she came to her senses and hastily intervened, “Mother, what are you doing? Why don't you get up quickly?!”
“Get out of the way! This slut dares to put a green hat2 on my Lao Su family! See if I don't kill her!” Mother Su pushed her away and cursed.
“Sister-in-law, quickly! Pull mother away! I didn't cheat! It’s all because mother is paranoid!” Second Su sister-in-law immediately screamed in her wretched state.
- 打秋风 (dǎqiūfēng) – means someone asking for gifts or favors because of their relationship
- 戴绿帽子 (dàilǜmàozi) – when a woman cheats on her man or cuckold