Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 190

Cheng Jinxiang stayed at her parents' home for a while, but her eldest sister, Cheng Jinxi, didn't tell her about Zhao Dage being wrongly accused by Wang Guixiang. She only said that Wang Guixiang had been imprisoned again, but was vague about why. She only found out about it from Zhou Chunwen on her way to the market.

Her dissatisfaction with Wang Guixiang increased dramatically in an instant.

This mother-in-law is really going too far. Zhao Da'e is just a child of a few years old, and Wang Guixiang bullies her when her mother is not at home.

what.

“I don’t know either. My mother-in-law is so wicked. She’s lazy and greedy. If my husband and I don’t work, her whole family will starve to death.”

Zhao Da'e tugged at Cheng Jinxiang's clothes, "Mom, stop talking, it's all in the past." Zhao Da'e originally wanted Cheng Jinxiang to talk less and not keep looking back, but to look forward, so that there would be hope for the future, right?

Besides, there's no point in saying all that. It's all in the past, like millet that's been stored for a thousand years, or chaff that's been stored for ten thousand. Talking about it over and over again is pointless.

Moreover, I find it irritating to listen to.

But Cheng Jinxiang ignored them, feeling increasingly aggrieved as she spoke, and muttered under her breath. It wasn't until Zhao Da'e tugged at Cheng Jinxiang's clothes that she calmed down.

Zhao Da'e didn't know what had gotten into his mother, complaining to you and Old Ma's mother about it, which was somewhat...

Zhou Chunwen, who was standing next to him, kept nodding and said, "My third aunt is absolutely right. The Zhao family doesn't have a single good thing; they're all useless."

A few people started talking about the Zhao family in the bustling market. Winter brings many idle people, and many curious onlookers. Before long, a crowd had gathered, listening to Cheng Jinxiang recount her family's troubles as if they were watching a story or a play.

In the end, Cheng Jinxiang felt increasingly aggrieved, recalling what had happened at the hospital.

Cheng Jinxiang didn't need to embellish the story; a simple description was enough to vividly portray the mean-spirited nature of the Zhao family.

"Your mother-in-law is almost like Empress Dowager Cixi. Didn't Empress Dowager Cixi drive her daughter-in-law to commit suicide by jumping into a well?"

"It's because her son is incompetent. If he were, your mother-in-law would have kicked you out the door and let her son marry a rich man. What a piece of trash..."

"Of all the people in the surrounding area, I feel that your mother-in-law is absolutely the worst. She bullies the weak and fears the strong. With a mother-in-law like that, why are you still putting up with her? Fight her, kill that old hag."

The crowd was abuzz with discussion, all agreeing that Wang Guixiang was truly despicable. They even joined in the condemnation of Zhao Tiesheng's incompetence.

Some say that a man like Zhao Tiesheng is nothing. Others pity Zhao the Goose.

There was even a vendor selling frozen pears nearby who gave Zhao Da'e a few: "Girl, eat up."

Zhao Da'e looked embarrassed: "Hiss... My mom's so pitiful act has gotten me some good food."

But since it was free, Zhao Da'e simply accepted it.

It's not that everyone is being sarcastic or critical of Wang Guixiang; it's just that her kind of mother-in-law is truly rare in its shamelessness. While many are from rural areas, biased mothers-in-law are quite common. Many favor their younger sons, which is quite normal in the area.

However, those who favor their daughters and harm their sons and daughters-in-law are actually very rare.

That explains why everyone's so interested in this. Wang Guixiang is a total hypocrite. She favors her daughter, but if her daughter-in-law gives birth to a daughter, it affects the Zhao family's ability to continue the family line. And with the Zhao family being so poor, what's the point of having a male heir…?

It was almost a famine.

It's said that parents' hearts are full of love and worry for their children. Parents work tirelessly to save up some wealth for their children so that they won't have any regrets when they get old. When they pass away, their children and grandchildren will have something to remember them by when they visit their graves, and they will burn more paper money for them during festivals.

Wang Guixiang is a complete oddball. Is she planning to rely on her daughter to support her in her old age when she's frail and unable to move? Even if her daughter doesn't mind, what about her son-in-law? Even the most devoted sons can become disobedient when their wife is chronically ill, let alone a son-in-law. Nobody has ever heard of a son-in-law supporting his mother-in-law in her old age.

While a group of people were talking, Wang Guixiang was also shopping at the market. She was carrying a basket, picking and choosing things along the way. Halfway there, she looked up and saw several familiar figures. She took a few steps forward and suddenly realized that they were her "good" daughter-in-law and "good" granddaughter!

It turned out they were also shopping at the market! Wang Guixiang even saw Zhao Da'e, the granddaughter who had made her walk through the fence twice; she couldn't forget that grudge!

Wang Guixiang was a little curious, so she took a few steps forward, but not wanting them to notice, she hid behind them to eavesdrop.

Cheng Jinxiang was still talking non-stop, and Wang Guixiang could still hear some of his voice even after adjusting her angle several times.

She grew increasingly agitated as she listened; it's unpleasant to be talked about behind someone's back. But not a single person in the group sided with Wang Guixiang. She couldn't very well lash out.

Cheng Jinxiang glanced around and finally spotted Wang Guixiang hiding in the back of the crowd, a cold smile playing on her lips.

Xu Meihua was getting old, and she couldn't bear to see such human suffering: "What kind of person is this? Bah! Your mother-in-law is worse than a dog. If she were a dog, she would wag her tail if you fed her some food and water. You do all this work, and not only do you get complained about, but she also makes things difficult for the children while you're not home. Luckily, God isn't blind and didn't let this wicked person get away with it. But you shouldn't even think about that money. Even if you had it, it wouldn't be for you to spend. Daughter, it's not that I'm being mean, but a man like you is better off with... he has no ambition at all."

On the other side, Wang Guixiang's eyes widened. She was already cursing Cheng Jinxiang to death in her heart. Was Cheng Jinxiang out of her mind? Why would she bring up such family matters to outsiders? Didn't she care about being laughed at? She was broke; she'd lent out all her money, and her daughter couldn't pay it back. What could Wang Guixiang do? Where could she possibly get the money?

And who is Xu Meihua calling useless? How dare she say her own son is useless!

Wang Guixiang was furious, but she chose to listen a little longer.

Xu Meihua was already filled with anger. She looked at Zhao Da'e and felt sorry for him. "Da'e, you have really suffered so much. You have suffered so much over the years. Your parents have suffered too. Why don't they make a fuss? It's so frustrating."

Zhao Da'e shook her head, feeling a little bitter, but she didn't want to say too much.

Would it help to say it? No, it wouldn't. A leopard can't change its spots. Zhao Da'e can't expect Wang Guixiang and Zhao Tingxu to suddenly become kind and gentle grandparents. Instead of complaining, he should think of a way to torment Wang Guixiang.

The family is now dirt poor. The mother lives with her parents, and the father is in a bad mood and has no energy to work. The third uncle is drunk all the time, and Zhang Cuilan has run away. All that's left is Zhao Yongbo, who is always crying and making a scene. The Zhao family has basically reached the point where the wife is crying and the children are yelling, the father-in-law is throwing tantrums because he has no money, and the mother-in-law is so poor that she wants to hang herself.

As long as Cheng Jinxiang isn't doing the work, they won't be able to properly farm. Relying on Zhao Tiesheng to farm alone, haha...

Zhao Da'e didn't look down on Zhao Tiesheng; after all, he was her biological father. But her father was always making a fuss whenever there was work to be done. He, in turn, thought he was quite capable, that he could save money well, and that he was very competent.

The truth is, my mother, Cheng Jinxiang, did half of it.

Let Zhao Tiesheng farm by himself. Let's see if he can farm by himself when spring comes.

In those days, there was no mechanization. People used donkeys to pull iron plows to turn the soil and cultivate the land. Someone had to put out the seeds, someone else had to put out the fertilizer, and most importantly, someone else had to put out manure to help the crops grow stronger. Finally, the soil had to be covered and rolled down twice with a stone roller.

Previously, Zhao Tiesheng would lead Cheng Jinxiang and Zhao Dage in the work, and even then, the three of them would have to work twice to cultivate a single plot of land. Now that there's only one left, let him do the work and see what he's capable of.

Zhao Dage was definitely not going again, and she wouldn't let Cheng Jinxiang go either. Anyway, they'd just wait and see the show in the spring. Look at Old Zhao's land, lying fallow, making the whole village laugh their heads off.

"My grandparents are alright. My grandma had three daughters-in-law, two of whom ran away. And then there's my aunt, who cut off all contact with my grandparents. My aunt said that she wouldn't come back to our old house until my grandma died..."

Upon hearing Zhao Da'e's words, Xu Meihua's eyes lit up. The Zhao family was certainly having a lively time. She would definitely embellish what she'd overheard today and tell her other old friends, letting them properly judge this mean-spirited Zhao family and see what kind of people they were. She couldn't stand Wang Guixiang's shameless behavior; it was truly appalling, far beyond just ordinary appalling.

"Girl, you really have a hard time having such in-laws. Life must be so difficult," Xu Meihua couldn't help but comfort Cheng Jinxiang.

Cheng Jinxiang lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought, only saying that it didn't matter if she suffered a little, but she felt uneasy when her child suffered.

Zhao Da'e didn't care. Compared to a month ago, Zhao Da'e had indeed become fairer and had gained some weight. He was no longer as haggard and thin as before. But in Cheng Jinxiang's eyes as a mother, her child was always thin and weak, not eating enough, and not living a good life.

Parents always feel they owe their children a lot and always want to give the best things in the world to their most beloved daughter.

Parents are always pitiful. But not all parents are well-intentioned.

Xu Meihua shook her head, feeling even more disdain and disgust for Wang Guixiang. But she also felt increasingly sorry for Zhao Da'e, a well-behaved and filial child who cared for his mother. She also felt sorry for Cheng Jinxiang, this woman with a tragic fate.

Zhao Da'e saw all of this. With her there, she vowed to herself that she would never let her mother suffer any more grievances.

Wang Guixiang, who was eavesdropping nearby, overheard all of this. She was furious. This bitch Cheng Jinxiang, she really had to expose everything to the outside world. Did she think it wasn't enough for outsiders to laugh at her family?

Why can't you talk about this behind closed doors? It's bad enough that people in the village know about it, but that bitch Cheng Jinxiang even went to the market to say it in front of so many people.

The market was packed with people from dozens of nearby villages. And since it's December, the off-season for farming, people have nothing to do, so there are always crowds of onlookers. If so many people go back and spread the word, without even embellishing it, the Zhao family will be ruined. Good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast. Their reputation is tarnished; forget about Zhao Tiesheng getting divorced or anything else—if their son gets divorced, he'll be a lifelong bachelor. It might even affect their grandson's chances of finding a wife.

When a daughter is looking for a husband, she always inquires about his family background, including their character, financial situation, and whether his parents are good-natured.

With so many people listening to Cheng Jinxiang's complaints today, putting everything else aside, it's clear that even if the Zhao family's granddaughter gets married in the future, she'll have to go to another place to find a partner on her own. They're completely ruined in the local area.

Wang Guixiang was furious. "Cheng Jinxiang, you've given birth to two girls, so you don't care anymore? You don't have to worry about your son getting married anyway, so you're just going to humiliate me like this? Humiliate our Zhao family?"

This vicious woman wants to ruin the reputation of our Zhao family in the entire surrounding villages, making us all feel inferior whenever we go out! This is absolutely wicked!

And she kept calling her an ungrateful mother-in-law! All I did was ask her to do a few extra chores, and she had such a big problem with that! If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have let Tiesheng marry this slut in the first place. She made me so angry that I almost died, and her daughter is no exception. She's practically my nemesis, causing me to end up in jail twice.

She hasn't even had a chance to settle accounts with them properly, and instead they're talking badly about her outside. It's unbearable!

Wang Guixiang had a bad temper, so she grabbed a broom from the side and jumped out, yelling, "You bitch, I'll teach you to talk nonsense!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Cheng Jinxiang subconsciously turned her head and saw Wang Guixiang jump out from some unknown corner, holding a broom in her hand and cursing, "You bitch! I'll beat you to death! How dare you slander my reputation and the Zhao family's reputation outside? Tiesheng is really unlucky to have married you."

After saying that, Wang Guixiang couldn't wait to teach Cheng Jinxiang a lesson. She picked up a broom and stepped forward to hit her.

Upon seeing this, Cheng Jinxiang immediately and instinctively put her hands in front of her.

Zhao Da'e was a little stunned; she really didn't know Wang Guixiang was eavesdropping nearby. If she had known Wang Guixiang was there, Zhao Da'e would have already exaggerated and given her a piece of her mind.

Zhao Da'e doesn't care about his reputation; reputation is too much of a burden. If he's unhappy, he'll settle his score. Thinking too much is exhausting.

With so many people at the market, no one noticed that Wang Guixiang had also come to the market.

She stepped forward to protect her mother. Even if the broom hit her and she was fine, the key was that she absolutely could not allow her mother to be hit. Her mother had just finished her postpartum period. What if the broom hit her and caused her to get sick?

However, Cheng Jinxiang simply used her hand to block, preventing Wang Guixiang from hitting her face. She remained motionless, waiting for Wang Guixiang's broom to come down.

Once this blow lands, the image of Wang Guixiang as a wicked mother-in-law will become even more vivid!