country bumpkin

Old Mrs. Xu, who had been watching the commotion from behind the crowd, muttered under her breath, "Who did Mu Shuyun offend at home? Her daughter is married and has no right to interfere with what business she does. Besides, she lives so far away, Mu Shuyun wouldn't even know her daughter changed careers! How can you blame Mu Shuyun?"

The villagers watching the commotion chimed in, with one tall, dark-skinned, burly man saying, "This daughter-in-law is really shameless for bullying her mother-in-law. She can argue even when she's in the wrong. What a daughter does after she gets married is none of her family's business."

Everyone present agreed with her point and condemned Wang Cuihua.

Wang Cuihua looked at the man who had just spoken, wanting to curse him to vent her anger, but she swallowed the words back.

She didn't dare. The man was tall and strong, and she was afraid that if she cursed him, he would hit her. She couldn't possibly beat him.

She looked around and found that the villagers were all looking at her with condemnation, which made her feel a little scared.

Just then, a frail old woman suddenly stepped out from the crowd. She walked up to Wang Cuihua and spoke earnestly.

“Girl, you should be forgiving. Your mother-in-law is usually a very honest and kind person, so you can’t blame her for her daughter’s situation. If you keep making a scene like this, it won’t be good for your reputation. Besides, everyone in the village knows what kind of person your mother-in-law is. You can’t just make accusations against her.”

Wang Cuihua gritted her teeth, her face alternating between pale and flushed. She knew in her heart that she wouldn't gain anything by making a scene any longer; didn't she see everyone siding with her mother-in-law? If she continued to argue, she would only become a laughingstock.

After a moment of silence, she stood up, forcing herself to remain calm. "Hmph, consider her lucky. Let's just let this matter drop today."

After saying that, she stormed out of the crowd and left without looking back.

The villagers who had been watching gradually dispersed when they saw that there was no more excitement to be had, leaving only a few close old friends chatting.

Granny Zhang and Granny Niu helped Mu Shuyun back into the house. Granny Xu followed behind, worried that Mu Shuyun would be upset by her daughter-in-law.

The frail old woman who spoke earlier is Granny Niu's mother-in-law. She's 80 years old this year, but still very healthy. After persuading Wang Cuihua, she went home.

Wang Cuihua dared not go against her; if she argued back, she might get furious, and she couldn't bear that responsibility.

That's why when Granny Niu's mother-in-law came to mediate, Wang Cuihua gave her face and didn't continue the fight.

Back inside, Mu Shuyun was made to sit on a stool in the living room. Granny Zhang poured her a glass of water and handed it to her.

"Hey sis, don't be angry. You know that's just how she is, she's completely unreasonable. Why bother with her? Here, have some water to soothe your throat, look at your chapped lips."

Mu Shuyun took the water and gulped it down in a few mouthfuls. Her thirst and dry mouth from a moment ago had disappeared.

Granny Xu and Granny Niu stayed behind to talk to Mu Shuyun and comfort her for the grievances she had just suffered.

On the other side, Zhang Cuihua returned to her doorstep and met her old best friend, Granny Wang, who lived across the street.

Granny Wang didn't go to see the commotion and had no idea that Wang Cuihua had gone to the old house to cause trouble.

With a beaming smile, she said to Wang Cuihua, "Oh! Cuihua, I heard your husband went to the city to do business and made a lot of money, is that true?"

Wang Cuihua looked bitter. She said, "Aunt Wang, how much money do you have? Where did you hear that you earn so much money?"

Wang Cuihua took a deep breath and continued, "It makes me so angry just thinking about it. You have no idea how shrewd my third sister-in-law is. She helped out with Xiangguang in our family for a while and learned all our skills. Then, she and her husband secretly started doing this business too. Can you believe how shameless they are? Isn't that just cheating their own brother?"

Granny Wang's mouth dropped open. "What? Is that really true?"

Wang Cuihua angrily spat on the ground.

"Pah! It's true. My shameless third sister-in-law and her husband have already rented a storefront and opened a business. They're doing exactly what we do."

Granny Wang said, "What? You're just going to put up with this? You haven't gone to make a scene with your mother-in-law."

Wang Cuihua replied, "Why didn't I go? I went at noon today, and I just came back after making a scene."

Granny Wang wasn't too surprised. She was already used to Wang Cuihua causing trouble at the old house.

Granny Wang then asked, "How did your mother-in-law explain this matter?"

Wang Cuihua curled her lips: "How would she know what business her daughter was doing? She didn't even go to the city. I know she has no idea about this. I just wanted to vent my anger, to disgust her, to make her angry. After all, she's that third son's mother."

Granny Wang gave a thumbs up and said, "It has to be you! That's the way to do it. Her daughter made a mistake, and we can't see her for the time being. We can't just keep this to ourselves! We have to go find her mother and get our revenge."

Wang Cuihua nodded in deep agreement. "Aunt Wang, you're right. I've vented my anger now, and I feel extremely relieved."

Granny Wang asked again, "How is your mother-in-law? Did she get so angry that she collapsed?"

Wang Cuihua said smugly, "She didn't fall down, but she was almost. Anyway, her face turned white and her body was trembling. If it weren't for Granny Zhang and Granny Niu supporting her, she probably would have collapsed there."

Granny Wang clapped her hands and laughed heartily, "Oh my! It has to be you, your fighting power is really amazing."

No one knows how Mu Shuyun offended Granny Wang, but the more Granny Wang stirred up trouble, the happier she became.

In reality, Mu Shuyun and she didn't really have any interaction. It was just that Granny Wang was envious and jealous that Mu Shuyun's daughters had all married into the city.

Furthermore, their family rebuilt their house, and since their own family wasn't doing as well as theirs, they developed a twisted mentality. They couldn't stand seeing others doing well.

Wang Cuihua was no better; the two were birds of a feather.

They are selfish, malicious, and full of bad intentions. They wish that everyone in the village would be inferior to them and be surpassed by them.

The two women chatted on and on about how there were few good people in the village, and that any family that was wealthy was considered an enemy of them, with a deep-seated resentment towards the rich.

The story of Wang Cuihua causing a scene at the old house and making her mother-in-law faint quickly spread throughout the village. This was all thanks to Granny Zhang's loudmouth.

She likes to wander around the village in her spare time, gossiping and gathering information. She also enjoys collecting village news and information, spreading any major, bizarre, or unfair events.

It's not that she's malicious; it's just her hobby. If she knows any news or gossip, she'll feel uneasy if she doesn't spread it around.

She had this kind of personality when she was young and unmarried. Now that she's an old lady, she still hasn't changed.

Therefore, a person's personality is determined at birth and cannot be changed later in life.