The sky gradually darkened.
Wu Hui Niang was tidying up in the kitchen, while Cheng Loan Loan and her four sons sat by the table.
Just as she was about to speak, a torrent of curses erupted from outside the courtyard gate.
"You wasteful wretch! The Zhao family must have had eight generations of bad luck to marry a good-for-nothing woman like you into our home! The funeral money for Da Shan’s father was only twenty taels, yet you took all of it to subsidize your maiden family! It serves you right that your maiden family beat you up – why didn’t they just beat you to death? That would have saved us a disaster!"
"Pulling up wild greens right in front of all the villagers – stop pretending to be so miserable in front of everyone, as if the Zhao family treats you harshly… You little hussy, if you have money, you give it to your maiden family, but when you don’t have money for food, you go around borrowing from others! Do you have any shame?!"
Cheng Loan Loan looked out the gate.
She recognized this as the original body’s mother-in-law, a woman who had always been at loggerheads with the original body. A year ago, after the original body had cried and wailed to demand a household division, she and her mother-in-law had ceased all contact, to the point where they wouldn’t even greet each other if they met in the village.
She felt a little lucky that the original body had already divided the household; this way, she wouldn’t have to deal with the entire Zhao family.
This old madam certainly had a lot of energy – it was pitch dark, yet she still ran all the way to the gate just to scold her!
Was she the type to just stand there and take a scolding?
Cheng Loan Loan stood up and went outside.
Old Madam Zhao saw her come out and immediately said, "Da Shan's wife, come here!"
Wu Hui Niang hurried over.
"This is food I prepared for my four grandsons, you cook it for them to eat!" The old madam threw a bag over. "You're a mother now, toughen up a bit for me! If not for others, then at least think a little for the child in your belly!"
Old Madam Zhao glared fiercely at Cheng Loan Loan, then turned and left immediately, her retreating back looking suspiciously like someone fleeing for their life.
Cheng Loan Loan remembered.
The original body and the old madam would occasionally have a big fight. The original body, relying on her youth, would always scold the old madam so fiercely that she couldn’t retort.
So, the old madam would come in the evening, vent her anger with a good scolding, then quickly flee, fearing that her daughter-in-law would scold her back and she would lose face.
"Mother..."
Wu Hui Niang stammered out a call, then handed the bag in her hand to Cheng Loan Loan.
Even the grandmother (Old Madam Zhao) was afraid of her mother-in-law (Cheng Loan Loan), so how could she (Wu Hui Niang) dare to go against or anger her mother-in-law? If she did, she would have to kneel all night.
Cheng Loan Loan originally didn't want it. This was the old madam's subsidy for her biological grandsons, and she would be taking it without proper justification.
But she still had some food on hand and needed a legitimate and honorable excuse to bring it out.
She took the bag and said, "It's getting late. Boil some water so we can wash up and go to bed."
Wu Hui Niang hurriedly brought over a basin of already boiled water and said, "Mother, there's a little water left in the house. You bathe first."
First?
This meant that after she bathed, the rest of them would use the same water?
The corner of Cheng Loan Loan's mouth twitched.
Alright, she couldn't ask for too much. During a drought, having water to even wash her face was already good enough.
At this moment, she felt incredibly lucky again that she had transmigrated into a mother-in-law. An ancient mother-in-law was at the top of the pyramid; even for bathing, she was the first one!
The family took turns washing their faces and hands, and a basin of clear water turned black.
Finally, Zhao Da Shan walked to the edge of the field and poured the basin of black water onto the dry, parched land.
By the time it was bedtime, Cheng Loan Loan was petrified again.
The house only had two rooms; the eldest son and his wife occupied one, while she and her three remaining sons shared the other.
On the single bed, the four of them – mother and sons – had to lie together.
Heaven knew, she had never slept with anyone before, let alone three men on one bed!
The three boys were the biological sons of this body, but they had no connection to her; her mind simply couldn't accept it, not even for a moment!
As she wrestled with her thoughts, a chorus of snores rose beside her ears, one after another.
With the snoring coming in waves, how could she possibly sleep?
Cheng Loan Loan was so frustrated she couldn't even cry.
Once she had money, the first thing she would do was build a house; she absolutely had to have a room of her own.