Ji Shuyu’s sudden shift in attitude left Li Cuihua utterly bewildered.
One moment, she had been calmly and logically reasoning with her, and the next, she was throwing her head back and wailing at the top of her lungs?
She was even copying Li Cuihua’s usual tactic of making a scene.
The key point was that Shuyu’s performance was even smoother and more dramatic than Li Cuihua’s.
“You! What nonsense are you spouting!” Li Cuihua’s face turned green with rage as she pointed at Ji Shuyu. “How old is my Qiangzi? What could he possibly do with the cured meat? Stop making baseless accusations!”
“How could you slander a child? Are you even human?”
Li Cuihua hoped to shut Ji Shuyu up with such words.
To her surprise, Ji Shuyu snorted coldly and immediately began to wail in despair.
“Oh, heavens above!”
Ji Shuyu completely ignored her remarks, raising her voice even higher, laced with sobs, sounding utterly pitiful and wretched.
“I’ve only been here for a few days! I’m still unfamiliar with everything, and now my sister-in-law is bullying me like this! My little nephew took something, but no one dares to admit it, so they’re framing me, the new bride! I can’t go on living like this!”
“Sister-in-law, you’re bullying me just because I’m new here. Are you trying to drive me to my death? Accusing me of stealing, of having sticky fingers—I can’t bear such slander!”
As she wailed, she even made a show of preparing to slump to the ground.
Her demeanor was a heightened replica of Li Cuihua’s usual antics.
By this point, Li Cuihua was completely dumbfounded by Ji Shuyu’s performance.
Where on earth had Ji Shuyu learned all this?
Wang Shufen, who had been tidying up inside, heard the commotion outside. It sounded like an opera was unfolding, and her heart sank. She hurried out.
He Junshan was also alerted, frowning as he followed behind.
“What’s all this noise? It’s early in the morning. Can’t you let anyone have some peace?”
Wang Shufen’s voice arrived before she did. She lifted the door curtain and was met with quite the scene.
In the courtyard, her third daughter-in-law, Ji Shuyu, who usually seemed gentle and soft-spoken, was covering her face and sobbing.
Her shoulders shook with each cry, looking as though she had been terribly wronged.
Meanwhile, the eldest daughter-in-law, Li Cuihua, stood with her hands on her hips, her face flushed and neck thick with anger, pointing at Shuyu, her mouth twisted in fury.
“Mom, you came just in time!”
The moment Li Cuihua saw Wang Shufen, she perked up, playing the accuser first—clearly forgetting how she had bullied He Min just the day before.
Wang Shufen’s anger from that incident had yet to subside.
If it weren’t for He Junshan’s insistence on family harmony, she would have already demanded they split the household.
But both her sons were her flesh and blood. He Jiang was her son, and He Yuan was her son too.
“You need to discipline your precious daughter-in-law! She stole the cured meat from my room, and when I caught her, she refused to admit it! Now she’s turning the tables, saying my Qiangzi took it!”
“Isn’t this slandering a child? My Qiangzi is so young, and he’s already being made a scapegoat! As his aunt, her heart is truly malicious!”
Wang Shufen’s temper flared the moment she heard Li Cuihua’s words.
“Li Cuihua, watch your mouth! Who stole your cured meat? Do you have any proof? Is Shuyu that kind of person? I think you’re just looking for trouble!”
“Mom!”
Li Cuihua hadn’t expected her mother-in-law to scold her right away and felt even more wronged.
“I’ve been wronged! I clearly left the cured meat on the table yesterday, and today it’s gone… If she didn’t take it, then who? In this house, she’s the only one…”
“What do you mean, ‘she’s the only one’? Is she an outsider? She’s the properly married third daughter-in-law of the He family!”
Wang Shufen looked at Li Cuihua and coldly delivered this line.
“Li Cuihua, let me tell you, this family isn’t yours to control as you please!”
Stung to the core and furious, Li Cuihua’s voice grew even shriller.
“She’s a delicate city girl who can’t carry a load or lift a hand. What would I have to envy about her? Mom, you can’t be this biased!”
Why did everyone in the family like Ji Shuyu as soon as she arrived?
Just because Ji Shuyu had bought things for the family?
“I’m biased?”
“When Shuyu entered this household, she bought gifts for everyone, even your son Qiangzi got something. And you? What have you ever done besides scheming over the family’s belongings and hoarding everything in your own room? How dare you accuse others of having sticky fingers? I think you’re the one with the dirtiest hands!”
Li Cuihua was left speechless by her mother-in-law’s retort, her face flushing red then pale.
“Mom, if you can’t stand the sight of me, then let’s just split the household!”
She’d had enough. She had worked like a dog in this family, and in the end, her own mother-in-law spoke to her like this.
So what if Ji Shuyu bought a few things for the family?
A bunch of snobs!
At that moment, Ji Shuyu lifted her head, tears still glistening on her face.
“Mom, please don’t argue with Sister-in-law because of me. It’s all my fault. I never should have come to this family. When Sister-in-law said the cured meat was missing, I just remembered that I seemed to see Qiangzi hanging around outside the room yesterday afternoon.”
“I truly didn’t mean anything by it. Who knew Sister-in-law would accuse me of framing Qiangzi and say I stole the meat? I can’t clear my name even if I jumped into the Yellow River.”
When Li Cuihua heard Ji Shuyu twisting the facts, she pointed at her and said, “If you really didn’t take it, then let me search your room.”
“Why should you get to search my room just because you accused me?”
Ji Shuyu naturally wouldn’t back down. Did Li Cuihua think she could just barge in whenever she wanted?
He Junshan had also heard enough. His face darkened. “Eldest daughter-in-law, you need evidence to make such claims. Accusing someone of theft without any proof—is that reasonable?”
In all her years of throwing fits in the He family, when had Li Cuihua ever suffered such a defeat in silence?
And to be bested by a newlywed bride, no less.
If she swallowed this anger, she wouldn’t be Li Cuihua.
Just as Li Cuihua was about to force her way in, He Qiang and He Ming returned home from school.
“Mom, what’s going on?” He Qiang asked, confused.
Ji Shuyu sneered and said, “Your mom says you stole the cured meat from the house.”
“Didn’t you tell me to hide it? You said you were afraid someone would…”
Before he could finish, Li Cuihua clamped a hand over his mouth.
Ji Shuyu pretended to have a sudden realization. “Oh, so it really was the thief crying ‘stop thief’.”
“Mom, I’m new here. I don’t know how I’ve offended Sister-in-law, but she’s been giving me dirty looks repeatedly. It’s really hard for me to bear.”
“I’ve caused trouble for the family. I should just go back where I came from.”
As she spoke, Ji Shuyu made to leave. Wang Shufen quickly grabbed her. “If anyone should leave, it’s her! Why should you go?”
Ji Shuyu’s words infuriated Li Cuihua, but He Qiang was even angrier.
He shoved Li Cuihua away and pushed Ji Shuyu.
“It’s all your fault! If you hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have to live in the small room!”
Although He Qiang was young, he was tall and stout for his age, chubby and surprisingly strong.
Fortunately, Ji Shuyu reacted quickly, swiftly pulling out the blood capsule she had exchanged for from the points mall.
She had told He Yuan yesterday that they couldn’t be the ones to suggest splitting the household, but that didn’t mean others couldn’t bring it up.
Using the momentum from He Qiang’s push, Ji Shuyu fell to the ground. The blood capsule burst, staining her hand red.
Wang Shufen, seeing this, cried out in alarm, “Aiyo! Someone, quick, someone help!”
The He family courtyard instantly descended into chaos. He Ming, witnessing the scene, immediately ran to the military compound to find He Yuan.
“Third Uncle! Come home quickly! Auntie fell and she’s bleeding so much!”
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