Chapter 119 Jealousy

Chapter 119: The Green-Eyed Monster

"If you think it stinks, then just leave. Why insist on coming to my house?" Wu Yanhua rolled her eyes so hard they might’ve gotten stuck.

She had made up her mind—if Fu Dajun continued his blind filial piety, insisting on respecting this sister-in-law who mooched off them nonstop, she would divorce him to prove her point.

"Oh, Wu Yanhua, what kind of talk is that? Whenever you have something good to eat, you just hide it away and refuse to share with my family." Chen Shufen started flying off the handle again.

"Dajun, aren’t you going to rein in your wife?"

Seeing how she bossed her husband around, Wu Yanhua’s blood boiled.

Su He watched the dispute among the three and could only facepalm.

In her eyes, her father-in-law had always been a decent man—but to a fault. When it came to dealing with his eldest sister-in-law, he was wishy-washy. Now, with Chen Shufen constantly bothering them, it was seriously affecting their family harmony.

Her mother-in-law, though usually indifferent, was clearly a ticking time bomb.

People who usually seemed indifferent to everything, once they made up their minds, might actually go through with something drastic—like divorcing her father-in-law.

So she stepped forward and said, "Eldest Aunt, we really don’t have anything good here. We were just trying that reeking abomination earlier—would you like to try it too?"

The moment Chen Shufen heard that the Fu family had been trying that foul-smelling thing, her eyes widened in shock, and she gaped at them like they’d lost their minds.

"Dajun, even if there’s no food at home, you don’t have to eat something that smells like shit. Oh dear, I didn’t realize your family was struggling so much. I was actually going to hit you up for rice."

In these times, not every household could afford to eat white rice with every meal. Many people’s staple foods were sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, or rough-ground meal buns or gruel. At present, rice yields weren’t as high as they would be in later years.

"We don’t have any rice to lend you. By the way, when are you coming collecting for the rice and money you borrowed from us the last few times?" Before Fu Dajun could speak, Wu Yanhua came collecting.

"How stingy! Dajun, don’t forget—when you were little, it was me, your sister-in-law, who scrubbed your backside and spoon-fed you."

"Save the sob story. By the time you married into the family, my husband was already in his teens and could help with farm work. What diapers are you talking about?" Wu Yanhua immediately retorted.

"Fine, maybe not me, but what about my late husband? For the sake of Dajun and his brothers, my husband worked himself into an early grave, leaving us widowed and orphaned. Wu Yanhua, you ice-hearted snake—"

In just a few sentences, the two were spitting nails, nearly coming to blows.

Seeing the situation about to throw down, Fu Dajun quickly stepped in and pulled Wu Yanhua away.

"Enough, both of you. My eldest sister-in-law may be a bit unreasonable, but she’s right about one thing—my eldest brother really did work himself into an early grave raising us brothers."

Hearing this, Wu Yanhua sneered and asked, "So what? Are you planning to let your sister-in-law leech off you for the rest of your life?

Then why doesn’t she go bother Da Cong and the others? Why only you? Isn’t it because you keep indulging her?

Da Cong’s wife and the others have long since shut the door on her. Only I—day after day, fed your lies—Fu Dajun, I’ve had enough of you. I want a divorce!"

Every time Chen Shufen came over, Wu Yanhua went nuclear with divorce threats.

And Fu Dajun, caught in this crossfire, was at his wit’s end.

"Wife… look… I know, it’s all my fault. But how can I spit on my brother’s grave?"

"You won't wrong him, but you'll wrong me? You'll be the death of me one day." Wu Yanhua's chest tightened as she spoke, and she could barely breathe.

"Now, now, don't be mad, dear. Don't work yourself up—you'll make yourself sick!" Fu Dajun quickly stepped forward, patting Wu Yanhua's back to comfort her.

Meanwhile, Chen Shufen was secretly pleased when she saw Wu Yanhua being led away by Fu Dajun.

Heh, Dajun still sides with his sister-in-law. Like she'd one-upped Wu Yanhua.

Let's face it, she was just jealous of Wu Yanhua—her husband doted on her, and she had given him several sons.

Back then, Fu Dacai hadn't married for love.

The Fu family was poor, and Fu Dacai had actually had his heart set on another girl, but couldn’t afford the bride price, so he couldn’t marry her.

Chen Shufen, on the other hand, was known far and wide for her temper, and no one came to propose by the time she reached the age to marry.

Fu Dacai choosing her had been his only choice.

After marriage, Fu Dacai kept his distance from her. They were just going through the motions, without a shred of the affection expected between husband and wife.

Chen Shufen’s brash, combative ways often left Fu Dacai too furious to speak.

But since she was still his wife and had wrecked her health giving him sons, before his death, Fu Dacai made his younger brother Fu Dajun promise to look after his wife and children.

Among Fu Dajun’s brothers, he was the most dutiful and kind, always remembering kindnesses done to him.

So how could Chen Shufen not envy Wu Yanhua?

Fu Dajun and Wu Yanhua had a love match.

After marriage, Fu Dajun let her call the shots at home in almost all matters.

They rarely argued, and even when they did, Fu Dajun never laid a hand on his wife.

But Fu Dacai? From the moment Chen Shufen married him, he subjected her to the silent treatment—their marriage was just putting up with each other.

Doting on her? That never happened.

Though sisters-in-law living under the same roof, the night-and-day difference in how their husbands treated them led to vastly different lives.

Later, Wu Yanhua bore Fu Dajun several sons, making Chen Shufen even more insecure.

With so many men in their family, if she didn’t throw her weight around, wouldn’t her own family be bullied to death?

In those rural times, families without enough male offspring were indeed easy targets—not just to villagers, but even conflicts between sisters-in-law could escalate into unbearable oppression.

So Chen Shufen kicked up fusses, forcing Fu Dajun’s family to avoid her at all costs.

Thinking of this, she couldn’t suppress her smugness.

What use was having many sons if they still had to yield to her?

Ah, Wu Yanhua—why was her fate so blessed? Now she even had a son working as a doctor in the city.

Meanwhile, her own son slaved from sunup to sundown just to feed the family.

If she didn’t go knocking on their door for help, her son would keep suffering.

If you really thought about it, Chen Shufen’s behavior was entirely Fu Dajun’s fault for indulging her.

Weren’t Fu Dajun’s sons also slaving tirelessly? More men meant more mouths to feed.

But such considerations were beyond Chen Shufen’s concern.