Chapter 21: Throwing Dirty Water, Who Can’t Do That?

Chapter 21: Throwing Dirty Water, Who Can't Do That?

"What? Did that little Su just say something about Auntie Xiao Jiliang and her own son? Am I hearing this right?" A woman holding a child's hand widened her eyes in shock.

What kind of obscene and disgraceful event is this?

After the initial shock, everyone’s eyes lit up with gossip and excitement. Whether true or not, they all hoped it was, eager for the drama.

"Holy cow, I’ve heard stories about widows treating their sons like husbands, but I never thought it could happen here!"

"Yes, yes, I didn’t believe it either. I never thought such a rare event would happen right next to me. I’ve really seen things today! No wonder when Li Li was here, Auntie Xiao Jiliang would always complain about her daughter-in-law's faults, saying there wasn't a single good thing about her. She gave birth to three children for them, carrying one in her arms and dragging another by the hand, managing everything inside and outside the house, almost treating Auntie Xiao Jiliang like an empress. Yet, Auntie Xiao still treated her poorly. The root of the problem is here."

"Exactly, exactly. Do you remember the big bump on little Su's head on the day she entered the Zhao family? I remember it was said that Zhao Long and Zhao Hu did it, but later little Su said it was taught by the adults in the family. Who else could have taught them?" The woman holding her grandson winked at Auntie Xiao Jiliang as she spoke.

The woman next to her immediately added, "I was wondering about that. Which daughter-in-law almost lost her life before even entering the family? The root of the problem is here."

At first, it didn't seem like much, but now that everyone was recalling it, everything seemed off. Every word Auntie Xiao Jiliang said and every event in the Zhao family seemed connected to the inappropriate relationship between the Zhao mother and son.

"That’s why! What other explanation could there be? Li Li was clearly a good woman. She kept the house clean and took good care of the three children. Her personality was soft, like dough. Auntie Xiao Jiliang would never let her go against her will, yet she was always covered in bruises. When asked, she always said she fell. How can someone fall so often?"

"In my opinion, maybe she was killed by the Zhao mother and son working together. Oh dear, how pitiful. The three children are so young, yet they were treated so harshly. They still say little Su is ruthless..."

"Shame on them."

A few children playing with their grandparents heard this conversation with partial understanding. One boy, about seven or eight years old, shouted at Zhao Long and Zhao Hu.

"Zhao Long, Zhao Hu, did your real mother get killed by your grandmother?"

Auntie Xiao Jiliang, who had been stunned, finally came to her senses, her face twisted with anger as she spread her hands and rushed towards Su An.

"Su An, you foul-mouthed bitch, I'll kill you for spreading lies!"

Su An's eyes darkened. Isn't spreading rumors and throwing dirty water something anyone can do?

Spreading rumors is easy—just talk, and the more shocking, the better. After all, people's entertainment world is severely lacking nowadays, and they love sensational topics the most. Even if they know it might not be true, they'll still spread it around for fun.

Seeing Auntie Xiao Jiliang's claws heading for her face, Su An nimbly sidestepped and avoided her.

Auntie Xiao Jiliang, who had viciously rushed at Su An, couldn't stop her momentum and tripped over the threshold, falling inside the house with a loud bang.

"Oh my goodness, this is terrible! The new daughter-in-law hit her mother-in-law! Everyone, come and see! Oh heaven, I'm so miserable. I've been wronged and slandered. I'd rather die!"

"My dear husband, why did you leave this world so early, leaving me to suffer and toil alone? You're at peace now, but I'm being bullied to death. Take me with you!"

"Waaaaa!!"

Auntie Xiao Jiliang was truly heartbroken. The whispers of the crowd and their strange looks, even Zhao Long and Zhao Hu looking at her with unfamiliar eyes after hearing that she had caused their mother's death—she felt truly wronged.

It was unfair. Li Li had bad luck; who could she blame? Couples fight; she had only scolded her a little. It was clearly Li Li's sickly body that caused her death, not her. This was like snow in June, a sign of great injustice.

Su An, looking at the weeping and wailing Auntie Xiao Jiliang, felt a sense of satisfaction in her eyes. This was the root of the evil stirring stick. Although Zhao Daxing wasn't a good person either, this was the source that ground down the two wives of the Zhao family.

"Mother-in-law, don't spread lies. Everyone saw it clearly. You tried to hit me, but you lost your balance and fell. In broad daylight, you dare to wrong me like this. If no one had seen it, who knows what else you would have made up about me."

"I was a pure and innocent girl when I was at my parents' home. The neighbors all praised me for being good and virtuous. But as soon as I entered your family, I became wrong in every way. From your mouth, I became a heinous person."

"If anyone deserves to cry, it’s me."

As she spoke, Su An genuinely felt wronged, and her voice cracked with emotion.

Xiao Jiliang's crying came to a halt, and she immediately retorted with a stiff neck, "Bah, do you even know who you are? Don't you know that? Do I even need to say anything bad about you? On the day you entered our home, didn't you hit my child? Didn't you steal money from me? And today, didn't you send Daxing to the hospital?"

"Oh, what misfortune for this family!" Xiao Jiliang slapped her chest repeatedly with her large hands.

A cold glint flashed in Su An's eyes. "Mother-in-law, do you remember why I hit the child on the day I entered the family? Wasn't it because you couldn't tolerate me as your daughter-in-law? You didn't want a new member in the family, and you didn't want anyone to compete with you for your son. So, you incited the child to attack me with deadly intent, didn't you?"

"This morning, wasn't it you who made a scene and forced Daxing to hit me? Mother-in-law, you were already trying to take my life before I even entered the family. If you didn't want Daxing to marry, you should have just said so. You could have just kept Daxing by your side. Why torment us good girls from decent families?"

"Mother-in-law, you're becoming unhinged. I'm really scared living in the same house as you. If you're really struggling, why don't you ask Daxing to find you someone your age? You like taking the children for walks, don't you? Find someone who suits you. Don't just torment the daughters-in-law."

With an air of concern for Xiao Jiliang and the Zhao family, Su An firmly pinned the label of psychological distortion on her.

When children do something wrong, people just brush it off by saying they don't know any better.

But when an adult manipulates a child into attacking a future daughter-in-law, that's something worth serious consideration.