Chapter 110 Rumors (2/2)

"It's not cold, Mom. You take a rest. I'll wash the rest." Su Wantang put down what she was doing and made to get up.

"Sit still!" Wen Yuzhen immediately put on a stern face, but her tone was full of concern. "With your belly like that, can you even bend over? Sit up straight. The sun is nice, get some sun. It's good for you and the baby."

After saying that, she lowered her head again and continued to struggle with the pile of clothes.

Standing at the doorway, Li Hongxia felt a surge of anger rising from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. The empty bowl in her hand creaked as she gripped it tightly, jealousy gnawing at her heart like a venomous snake.

Why? Why does Su Wantang have such a good life? Her mother-in-law treats her like royalty, while her own mother-in-law treats her like livestock!

After washing the clothes, Wen Yuzhen hung them one by one on the line, then found a small hoe somewhere and went to the corner of the yard where the soil had been turned over.

"Spring is here, I'll fertilize this land and plant some vegetables so you can eat fresh ones." As she spoke, she began to dig the ground with a hoe.

Li Hongxia's eye twitched violently.

An old woman, after washing a large basin of clothes, went straight to farm work without even taking a breath. Her young and strong daughter-in-law sat beside her watching.

This scene is too jarring.

Li Hongxia had already devised a grand scheme in her mind. She didn't linger any longer, gave a few perfunctory words, and then turned and left with her bowl.

As soon as she stepped out of the Lu family courtyard, the fake smile on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a look of indignation.

That afternoon, when the women in the family compound were gathered at the tap washing vegetables and rice, Li Hongxia spoke up.

She first let out a long sigh, her face full of sympathy and regret.

"Hey, you guys didn't see it, Battalion Commander Lu's mother is so pitiful."

Someone immediately came over and asked, "What's wrong? Hongxia, tell us quickly."

“I just came from their house,” Li Hongxia said in a low voice, feigning mystery. “That Su Wantang was sitting in the yard sunbathing like an old empress dowager, and her mother-in-law, who’s over sixty, was squatting there washing her clothes! In such cold weather, a whole basin full! She even washed her underwear!”

"Really?" someone exclaimed. "A mother-in-law washing her daughter-in-law's clothes? That's outrageous!"

"What's so bad about that!" Li Hongxia exclaimed indignantly. "After washing the clothes, the old lady couldn't even straighten her back, and then she ran to the yard to dig! She said she wanted to grow fresh vegetables for her daughter-in-law! And what about Su Wantang? She just sat there watching without even blinking! I even heard the old lady ask her if she was cold and if she wanted some malted milk powder!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the crowd.

"My goodness, this isn't a mother-in-law, it's more like a hired nanny!"

"And it's the kind where you don't have to pay! This is just too much!"

"I knew it! Those educated people from the city are so cunning, they're nothing like us honest folks. They seem so gentle and quiet, I never imagined they'd torment the elderly like this behind their backs!"

"Absolutely! Treating your mother-in-law like a beast of burden, aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?"

For a time, all sorts of opinions were expressed. Li Hongxia exaggerated Su Wantang's "laziness" and Wen Yuzhen's "misery" to the extreme, twisting Su Wantang's joke, "I'm almost becoming a lazy pig," into "shameless boasting."

Rumors spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of the island overnight. (This chapter has been read. Please click to continue reading the next chapter!)