Chapter 2: Chasing Away the Elder Sister-in-Law

Lin Hui retreated repeatedly, incessantly shouting, “Shen Yuchu, what are you doing? I’m your elder sister!”

“Go to hell, elder sister!” Shen Yuchu bent down, picked up a small wooden stool from the ground, and threw it at Lin Hui.

With a ‘crash’, the small wooden stool was smashed to pieces.

Lin Hui dodged, but upon seeing the smashed stool on the ground, she was stunned.

Shen Yuchu went over and yanked a hairpin from Lin Hui’s hair, throwing it on the ground and crushing it with her foot.

“Damn it, I’ll crush it even if I don’t give it to you!”

“Shen Yuchu, I’m your elder sister.”

“Shut your mouth! A married daughter is like water spilled – a qualified elder sister-in-law either brings things home or acts as if she’s dead!

I’ve never heard of someone constantly bringing things from their parents’ home to their husband’s. What? Your parents raised you since childhood, and after you got married, they still have to support your husband’s family? Are you dreaming?”

Shen Yuchu went to the nearby tricycle and forcefully pulled Lin Hui’s child down. She then exerted all her strength to unload the things Shen Chunfen had just helped Lin Hui load onto the tricycle.

Shen Yuchu said to Lin Hui, “I’m not letting you take a single thing today! Try me!”

Lin Hui stared at her. Shen Yuchu picked up a basin and went to the river. The river was still icy, with bits of ice floating on the surface.

Shen Yuchu scooped up a large basin of icy water and threw it at Lin Hui. “You come back to your parents’ home to take things? When you were young and didn’t do any work, you ate and drank at your parents’ home, and they even paid for your college education.

Now that you’re married, you still take things from your parents’ home, carrying bag after bag, and still feeling it’s not enough, now even using a snakeskin bag? Doesn’t your husband’s family have anything?

Your husband’s family has three daughters. You took all the things from your elder, second, and third sisters-in-law.

Now you’re still taking things from your parents’ home. I see you’re not doing well in the city, are you? You must be dirt poor!

Otherwise, why would you come back to the countryside to shamelessly take things? Is your father-in-law’s cannery about to go bankrupt?”

Hearing this, Lin Hui jumped three feet in the air, the ice chips on her body falling off. “You’re lying, it’s not bankrupt!”

“Then why have you never brought a single can of canned food back to your parents’ home after you got married? Tell me!”

“…”

The onlookers started pointing at Lin Hui after hearing this.

Aunt Dong said, “Yes, every time Lin Hui comes back to her parents’ home, she comes empty-handed. But when she returns to the city, she carries bags and bags of things.”

Aunt Li: “Oh, luckily my daughter isn’t like that. After our Sanhua got married, she always brings back delicious food from the city. A while ago, she even brought back a Dacron shirt.”

“That’s right, my daughter is the same. She brought back a bag of snacks yesterday. City snacks are just better, they’re dripping with oil.”

“…”

The people around started talking, making Lin Hui unable to stand her ground.

In addition to being drenched in cold water, Lin Hui shivered uncontrollably. She looked at the dazed Shen Chunfen lying on the ground and said, “Mom, I’m leaving. Since this family doesn’t welcome me, I won’t come back again.”

Lin Hui said, picking up her child and leaving. She walked along the dirt road towards the asphalt road at the village entrance.

Because it was a rural area, the dirt road was closer.

Before, Lin Hui wouldn’t have walked this way. She would have taken the asphalt road because Shen Chunfen’s tricycle would carry her things.

Now, she was relieved, carrying only her child.

Shen Yuchu looked at the onlookers and loudly said, “Aunties, come and eat peanuts. Don’t just stand there!”

As she spoke, Shen Yuchu opened the snakeskin bag Shen Chunfen had given Lin Hui and distributed peanuts to everyone.

“Aunties, try some. I usually wouldn’t dare to eat these things. My mother-in-law actually sent them to Lin Hui.

I heard that Lin Hui’s family also has land. She’s a city person, but doesn’t her family’s land still remain in the countryside?”

“Yes, yes, they have land.”

“They got land when the land was distributed!”

“My aunt lives in their village, they have land!”

“…”

Shen Yuchu distributed the peanuts and said, “I’ll go change my clothes. Let my mother-in-law stay there to sober up. Don’t any of you bother her.”

Everyone understood Shen Yuchu’s meaning and waved their hands with smiles. Those who eat someone’s food and take their things tend not to cause trouble. Having eaten her peanuts, they naturally wouldn’t interfere.

Shen Yuchu took out the hairdryer. Shen Chunfen never let her use it before, but now she washed her hair and plugged it in to use it.

Then, she took out the hat Shen Chunfen only let her wear during the New Year and put it on, changing into the new clothes she only dared to wear during the New Year.

After changing, she looked at herself in the mirror and rubbed her hands. She wasn’t that dark or ugly, was she?

Why was she constantly scolded by Shen Chunfen?

…Could it be because the original owner didn’t bathe regularly?

Thinking this, Shen Yuchu grabbed the family’s money and went out. “Auntie, is the bathhouse near here open?”

“Yes! Just follow the path, there’s a bathhouse over there. What’s wrong? Are you going to take a bath?”

“Lin Xuan’s wife, it’s not a holiday, and Lin Xuan isn’t back, why are you taking a bath?”

Shen Yuchu covered her nose, “Didn’t I just fall into the river? If I don’t go to the bathhouse to soak, I’ll catch a cold and have to take medicine. Taking medicine and going to the bathhouse both cost money, I choose the bathhouse.”

“That’s true, go ahead.”

Shen Yuchu, carrying her new clothes and wearing her new hat, left.

Aunt Dong ate the peanuts, “Auntie, I feel something’s wrong with Lin Xuan’s wife.”

“What’s wrong?”

“She usually avoids us, now she dares to look at us and is so generous?”

“Humph, she fell into the icy river, and Shen Chunfen didn’t care, busy packing things for her daughter. Someone who’s come back from the gates of hell isn’t afraid of anything anymore.”

“That’s right…”

Shen Yuchu arrived at the bathhouse and took a nice bath. After washing and paying, as she left the bathhouse, a military jeep passed by, kicking up dust.

Shen Yuchu’s newly cleaned face was covered in dust, and the dust made her cough.