"Who cares about your opinion?" scoffed the old hag. "We’re just laughing at how some people have no shame..."
"Why the hell are you always sticking your nose in, you old hag?" Yang Anshi charged at the old hag, "I’m asking my granddaughter for money, what’s it got to do with you?"
Although most of the crowd was criticizing Yang Anshi and the others, there were also voices that agreed, arguing that if there was silver, why not give a little to the grandparents; some also said that Yang Ruxin was unfilial.
The one who spoke the most enthusiastically was a daughter-in-law in her thirties, her saliva flying as she spoke: "...If you ask me, that Yang Dani is nothing but an ingrate, always taking things from home to support her man, and yet he’s never grateful. Now look, she’s causing a fuss about splitting up the family assets. A woman who’s nothing but a loss to her family wants to divide it up, tsk tsk, that kind of person deserves to be drowned in a pond..."
Guan Tongshi couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the daughter-in-law, wanting to scold her, but since her own son Qingshu’s name wasn’t mentioned directly, she couldn’t just jump into the conversation. She became even more infuriated with Yang Ruxin, blaming this damn girl for causing all the trouble and tarnishing her son’s reputation – she was a jinx, drowning her wouldn’t be unjust at all...
"Treasure Bead’s Mom," Wang Hehua looked over, turning her head to the enthusiastic woman, "Everyone can talk, but you have no right, do you? Kicking your mother-in-law out of the house over a mere pound of meat, and now you have the nerve to talk about others being unfilial? If anyone should be drowned, it ought to be you first, right?"
"Yeah, in the dead of winter, your mother-in-law spent a night outside; wasn’t she almost tormented to death by you?" Zhao Xinghua chimed in, "You have the face to criticize others, why don’t you take a piss and look at yourself?"
Wang Hehua and Zhao Xinghua got along well, their families always had good relations, and usually in public, if one of them spoke up, the other would back her up.
"The reason she’s saying all this now is that she’s sticking up for her future in-laws..." Liu Cuiyun laughed, and although she didn’t make it explicit, most people understood.
Instantly, laughter erupted from the crowd.
Treasure Bead’s mom was called Tian Jinhua, and her son Horse Pup had taken a shine to Lin Yue’e’s young daughter Wang Baozhu. Many times people in the village had seen the two sneaking off into the forest behind. Since they were both young and neither family was well-liked, no one had really commented. Today, however, seeing Tian Jinhua berate Yang Ruxin, Liu Cuiyun, who was always straightforward, just couldn’t stand by and pointed it out bluntly, as those two had been caught kissing under her bean trellis, startling her when she went to pick beans.
Nevertheless, Liu Cuiyun was never one to gossip, so she had only mentioned it to her husband, and the reason she brought it up today was to show goodwill to Yang Ruxin. After all, she realized that the Gu Family had an unusual relationship with Yang Dani, and her son’s hunting relied on them, so she couldn’t afford to look back and forth.
"Nonsense, what in-laws?" Tian Jinhua panicked, "My son’s still young. Don’t you dare slander people here. It’s your sons and daughters who are messing around."
"My son behaves himself, he’d never pull a girl under a bean trellis." Liu Cuiying sneered.
"Exactly, we may not be from a wealthy household, but we still seem to understand the concepts of propriety, integrity, decency, and honor..." Zhao Xinghua also sneered, "As the saying goes, ’If the upper beam isn’t straight, the lower beam will be crooked.’"