Aunt Ju stood outside the courtyard and watched as the village men chased an entire family of outsiders away. A woman cried miserably next to them.
However, no matter how miserable she was, no one sympathized with her. Everyone could see that the older men in that family had ashen faces and were coughing.
They did not even dare to take in those who appeared well, let alone sick.
The men covered their faces with white cloths and held broomsticks and rods as they faced the family, stopping them from entering the village.
When the woman saw that everyone refused to let her bring her family into the village, she knelt down before them.
“I beg you, Junior Officer, Chief. Please take pity on my parents. They’ve been chased out and have nowhere to go. Please let me bring my parents in.”
But what was the use of kneeling down?
Without waiting for the Chief and the Junior Officer to say anything, a 50-year-old woman pushed through the crowd. Her face was also covered with a white cloth as she looked at her daughter-in-law with teary eyes.
“Don’t blame me for being ruthless, Xing’er. Even if the Chief and the others agree to your request, I won’t. If you really can’t bear to leave your parents, go with them. I’ll tell your husband to get you a divorce letter!”
Everyone in their village knew the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law never quarreled since the latter married into the family.
The daughter-in-law was always allowed to take whatever she wanted from her in-laws’ house to send to her parents.
However, the situation was different now.
The epidemic was very serious. If she relented and allowed her daughter-in-law’s family to enter, she would not be able to bear the responsibility if anything happened to the villagers in a few days.
“You…” The woman stood up in anger immediately.
“Mother, how can you do this? They are my biological father and mother! You’re my mother-in-law. How can you not care about my parents? Do you still have a conscience? Think about it. I suffered so much after I married into your family.
“I served you and your family every day. Oh, but now that my family is in trouble, you want your son to divorce me? How can there be such a good thing?
“I will bring my parents into the village today. I will enter even if you stop me!”
“You…”
The old woman almost fainted from anger when she heard her daughter-in-law’s words.
Suffering so much? So she feels wronged marrying into our family?
However, the old woman remembered that she was the one who did most of the chores at home. She was also the one who took care of her grandchildren. Why was her daughter-in-law, who barely did anything, the one suffering?
She toughened up and retorted, “If you dare to enter, I’ll ask them to chase you out. I won’t care even if they beat you to death!”
“You—” The woman felt her anger caught in her throat and pointed at her mother-in-law.
She thought that her mother-in-law would do as she said and plead for her after saying something harsh. She did not expect the old woman to be so difficult to deal with.
When did someone weak and gentle like her harden like iron?