Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The mother-in-law's face turned pale, her mouth quickly drooping, and her round eyes seemed ready to pop out. As she opened her mouth, spittle flew everywhere: "What are you doing! What are you cursing our family for during the New Year? What are you thinking!"
The aunts looked around with troubled expressions. One aunt seemed to want to approach but hesitated at the sight of the mother-in-law's terrifying expression. She slightly lifted her foot but then relaxed, trying to explain in a strained voice: "It's not like that, sister. How could we say such things? We are all family."
"So what you mean is that I'm lying? Auntie, don't you know what you just said?"
The mother-in-law shot another glare at the aunts, watching their expressions turn extremely awkward.
"No, no, Zhuang Jun, I didn't say you were lying. What I meant was that this is all a misunderstanding. Don't take it to heart; we are all family. How could there be anything—oh dear."
The aunt forced a smile and kept trying to explain.
I coldly twitched my lips and wiped away the tears at the corners of my eyes: "Aunt, I respect you as my elders. You have watched Wang Xu grow up and it's natural for you to care for him. Although I am an outsider, once I married into the Wang Family, I considered myself one of them. Don't you think it's disrespectful to slander me like this?"
"Zhuang Jun, please don't get agitated. Take care of your health; don't let it affect the baby!" Wang Xu hurriedly supported me, worried that I might fall. The anxiety on his face was palpable.
The usually polite Wang Xu no longer regarded the aunts as family.
"What is going on with you all? Is there something we've done wrong that can't be said openly? Why are you speaking behind Zhuang Jun's back like this?!"
"It's not true; really not! Oh dear, you've all misunderstood. We were just a few women chatting idly; it was all nonsense!"
"Nonsense? Second Aunt, since it's a misunderstanding and you admit to talking nonsense, it seems you really don't believe I'm pregnant. Dr. Li examined me in front of you, yet you're still suspicious. If you truly dislike me, just say so directly instead of disparaging the child in my womb."
I pressed them hard with each word, firmly placing the blame on the aunts.
The usually smooth-talking aunt also reddened her eyes. She trembled as she reached out to pull me closer but was forcefully blocked by Wang Xu, causing her to shrink back.
"Zhuang Jun, dear sister, this is our fault. You know there's not much going on in the village; we just like to gather and chat idly. But we didn't mean anything by it; please don't take it to heart. We apologize sincerely, Zhuang Jun's Sister."
The aunts were in disarray, each trying to explain that they had just been idly chatting without any real intent behind their words.
But I still pretended that this matter had seriously hurt me. I bit my lip, tears streaming down my face continuously. Even though my mother-in-law and Wang Xu wanted to ease the situation, seeing my appearance, they probably couldn't bear to let it go.
"Enough!" My mother-in-law suddenly hissed, calming the chaotic scene. Wang Xu wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his embrace, occasionally whispering in my ear, "It's okay, it's okay."
But in reality, it was far from okay; it had escalated to a point where it could no longer be ignored.
"I see you all calling me to bring Wang Xu and Zhuang Jun back every single day, and it's clear you don't want to celebrate the New Year properly! You just want to see me, Wang Min, make a fool of myself! My daughter-in-law is genuinely pregnant. I've even called Dr. Li over; he did the examination right in front of you. So what is it? Do you want me to dig out what's inside Zhuang Jun's belly right now for you to see before you believe that I'm going to be a grandmother?"
The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, and several Aunties were brought to tears by my mother-in-law's words, all crying together, some apologizing while others tried to explain.
Now everyone's mood was terrible, except for mine.
At that moment of discovery, countless thoughts flashed through my mind like a revolving lantern, turning that moment into a dead end.
But when I heard the footsteps approaching closer, a terrifying thought suddenly struck me.
Since things had already escalated this far, I might as well make a big deal out of it—make it as big as possible. I wanted to create a rift between my mother-in-law and the relatives. I would openly pull Wang Xu and my mother-in-law into my camp, quickly amplifying the conflict between my camp and the Aunties' camp. I needed to shorten my time here; after all, Dr. Li had already come by. If I stayed too long, more people might start noticing something was off.
To leave, I couldn't bring it up myself; I needed my mother-in-law to advocate for me and believe that leaving was a good thing.
I would use everything that had just happened as my weapon in this battle and win this fight.
This was my plan; it was also a form of retribution against Wang Xu and my mother-in-law.
Crying day and night made it easy for me to shed tears. At that moment, I didn't have much time to decide. Since I had chosen this path, there was no turning back; I hadn't even considered the negative consequences that might follow.
"No, sister, it's really not like that. We were just joking around! Dr. Li came over and we all saw it together; it was just idle chatter! Don't take it to heart; don't hold us farmers' wives accountable!" An Auntie tried to reach out to my mother-in-law but was forcefully pushed away.
The Auntie's face was filled with grievance and innocence, yet she knew deep down that she had done wrong. My mother-in-law glared with red-rimmed eyes, fiercely scolding the Auntie until she extinguished any last glimmer of hope within her.
"I'm really sorry, sister. I truly apologize."
As Auntie loosened her grip, the sounds of crying around us grew louder. The grandmother seemed to be taking advantage of her position, scolding each of the aunts one by one. I was watching the scene with cold indifference when Wang Xu tugged at my arm, signaling me to step aside.
Reluctantly, I followed Wang Xu, putting on a facade of being hurt and upset.
"Zhuang Jun, don't take it too seriously. My aunts have been living in the village for years and aren't very good with words. They mean no harm; they might just be joking. Don't take it to heart; those were just jokes. You shouldn't let it affect your health!"
I sniffled and managed to put on a pitiful expression. "Wang Xu, didn't you hear what they said about me behind my back? It was really hurtful. They said I wasn't even pregnant and that our family was just fabricating false news to frame them. Wang Xu, after all the effort I put into getting pregnant, how can I stand being talked about like this? Am I wrong for being upset?"
I pretended to wipe my eyes, and while there was some truth in my words, most of it was just a reflection of what I had heard verbatim. Even if the truth came out, I hadn't lied.
Wang Xu quickly took my hand and said sympathetically, "I understand why you're upset. This isn't your fault at all. You did nothing wrong. It's a crucial time for you, and they shouldn't be bothering you like this. Don't worry; Mom cares for you so much and will definitely stand up for you."
Wang Xu's ability to lie without flinching made me realize that I could pretend to be moved as well; his sincerity might not even match mine.
"Alright then, let's leave it at that for now."
I didn't want to say much more; having made a strong start, I could accept any developments that followed.
Wang Xu walked with me outside for a bit. When we returned, night had fallen. He asked if I was thirsty or hungry. Not wanting to go back so soon, I declined his offer. However, as it got darker, there was no avoiding returning home. So I followed Wang Xu to the entrance where everything was silent inside.
It seemed that the grandmother and several aunts had already come to an agreement? I was curious about the outcome.
As Wang Xu held my hand and stepped inside, he cautiously glanced around but didn't see his mother. He murmured softly, "Where's Mom? It's so quiet."
We took a few more steps toward the living room door and finally saw a crowd inside—people of all ages were present. Children were being held by adults, their innocent eyes scanning the room. One child seemed uncomfortable and squirmed in their caregiver's arms until they were gently reprimanded and settled down.
In the center of the room sat the grandmother.
"You just say how to handle this matter. I cannot allow my unborn grandson to suffer this injustice, being gossiped about by you women, affecting his bright future!" The old lady said with a stern face.
"Old Lady Wang, look at what you're saying. Your grandson is blessed and has a great fate; a few words won't cause any trouble. In the future, I'll make sure to talk to them and guarantee that such things won't happen again. How does that sound?" The Elder beside her advised earnestly, looking like he held a high status.
"Hmph, I must have an explanation today; otherwise, this matter is not over." The old lady was relentless.
"Alright, what kind of explanation do you want? We've been discussing this for quite some time now; everything that needed to be said has been said, and apologies have been made. If you want to resolve this, feel free to bring it up so we can discuss it together."
"Discuss? Resolve? They love to gossip behind my back about how I raised Wang Xu alone. Just listen to what they are saying! Isn't this cursing my grandson from being born?"
"No, no, you're just being stubborn. How about this: when Wang Xu's wife comes back, let them apologize in front of everyone. We're all family; we can let this go. It's the New Year; let's not make things unpleasant—it's bad luck."
It seemed they had already talked a lot, and the topic was mainly about the apology. Wang Xu tugged at me, signaling me to go back to the room and let him handle it, but I shook my head. If Wang Xu dealt with it, it wouldn't achieve the effect I wanted.
Taking a deep breath, I gave Wang Xu a reassuring smile, released his hand, and stepped into the living room. All eyes in the room turned toward me, and even the Elder who was speaking fell silent, joining the crowd in looking at me.
I calmly said, "Some relatives here may not have met me yet. Hello everyone, I am Wang Xu's wife, Zhuang Jun."
Comment 0 Comment Count