After transmigrating, I became a stepmother.

She steadied herself, knowing that even if things had fallen apart today, she couldn't bear such a stigma: "Fellow villagers, everyone knows who I am, and you've all seen how my family has lived these past years."

Seeing that everyone's expressions had softened, she continued, "I have always been dutiful to my parents-in-law and harmonious with my siblings. I don't seek merit, but only to avoid mistakes."

As she spoke, her voice trembled slightly: "The whole thing started because Shi Tiedan didn't do the chores his second aunt told him to, and he got a scolding for it. But honestly, isn't it normal for children to compare themselves to each other? He's just unhappy that he always has to do chores while his younger brother doesn't. Is it wrong for him to feel resentful?"

She held Tiedan's head in her arms, lowered her head, and sobbed softly.

The voice was very restrained, yet it made those who heard it feel a pang of sadness and a strange ache in their hearts.

“I also heard from my son that Tie Dan is always being ordered around at home, while his cousin doesn’t have to do anything. Look at the hands of those two brothers, they don’t look like they were raised by the same family!”

Everyone's eyes followed the look, and sure enough, they saw that Tie Dan's hands were very rough, with red and swollen cracks on them, which was not like the hands of a child of this age.

If it were because of their poor family background, it would be understandable, but the Xue family was not considered poor in their area.

Besides, look at Xue Er's family portrait; his hands are fair and tender, with little dimples—it's adorable at first glance.

How could a poor family raise such a child?

"I knew it! Tie Dan's mother is usually such an honest person, why is she so angry today? It turns out it's because Tie Dan was wronged! How can a mother stand to see this!"

"Sigh, Tie Dan has never been wronged before, and I've never seen her stand up for the child! She's changed her tune today, I wonder if there's another reason!"

……

In short, some people sympathized and understood, while others speculated wildly; for a time, all sorts of opinions were expressed.

Once the matter was explained, Tie Dan's mother no longer cared what they were saying. She wiped away her tears, looked up at Old Madam Xue and her second aunt, and said, "From now on, please stop ordering my Tie Dan around. Either treat the two brothers equally, or don't make it seem like one is a servant and the other is a young master. They are both children of the Xue family, so why distinguish between them?"

This was a difficult question to answer. The aunt secretly tugged at her mother-in-law's sleeve and whispered, "Mother, what are you saying, sister-in-law? She's saying that even you, her grandmother, can't be bossed around anymore. She's really not taking you seriously."

Surprisingly, her mother-in-law, who usually charged ahead whenever she stirred things up, remained silent and unresponsive this time.

She was stunned.

At this moment, Old Mrs. Xue was thinking: I don't know what triggered my eldest daughter-in-law today. If I anger her now, who knows what will happen! If I really push her too far, who will do the chores? She can't do them all by herself! My second son's wife is all talk and no action, but when it comes to chores, she's the first to run off!

She wouldn't say anything until she figured out what was going on. Anyway, the eldest daughter-in-law couldn't do anything to her, her mother-in-law! Once she found out what was going on, humph, she'd be in for a beating!

Having made up her mind, Old Mrs. Xue adopted a detached, indifferent expression and refused to respond.