77: Chapter 77 Outburst 77: Chapter 77 Outburst After a dinner where everyone probed each other, Old Lady Zhou stood at the door with a smile as she watched her youngest son see the Liang Family off.
Once their figures disappeared from view, the smile on her face vanished suddenly, and she turned and slammed the door shut.
Seeing the change in her mother-in-law’s expression, Madam Lu’s heart skipped a beat.
Hurriedly dropping her smile, she said, “Mother, I’ll go get some patterns from the Old Gui family and make you a headband.”
She hadn’t even finished speaking when she tried to slip away as if to grease her feet and flee sidelong.
“Stand right there!” Old Lady Zhou barked sharply.
Madam Lu stopped in her tracks and started nervously, “Mother…”
“Don’t call me mother!” Old Lady Zhou’s face darkened as she said, “Kneel down!”
Madam Lu’s face slightly changed, kneel down?
Seeing the uncompromising look on Old Lady Zhou, Madam Lu slowly knelt down and asked, “Mother, what did your daughter-in-law do wrong for you to punish me ?”
“Do you still have the nerve to ask?
Do you even have the face to ask?” Old Lady Zhou pointed at her and scoffed coldly, “You clearly knew that today was your younger brother-in-law’s matchmaking day, yet what did you do?”
“What did I do?” Madam Lu retorted, stiffening her neck.
Seeing her reaction only fueled Old Lady Zhou’s anger, and she grabbed a bamboo basket at her feet, hurling it toward Madam Lu.
Madam Lu let out a piercing scream, instantly sprang up from the ground to dodge, and the bamboo basket whooshed past her head, its protruding splints snagging and unraveling her hair.
Today, when Xueli went to the matchmaking meeting, how many times did I instruct you not to mention that unlucky business?
I told you to send Ying Mei away, and how did you handle it?
You even deliberately brought out two fishes in front of the Liang family and said they were from her?”
Old Lady Zhou grew increasingly angry as she spoke, her voice filled with resentment, “I wish I could bury this matter, yet you, on the contrary, seem afraid that they wouldn’t know about it, constantly reminding them?
Tell me, what are you scheming?
Are you deliberately sabotaging this matrimonial alliance?”
Of course, I am not foolish.
To bring such a sister-in-law over to overshadow me—that’s just asking for trouble, isn’t it?
Though she thought this, Madam Lu dared not show any trace of it on her face, and loudly protested, “It’s unjust, Mother, how could I harbor such ill intentions?
How does it benefit me if the match doesn’t go through?
I could not be more eager for Xueli to get married early, to have one more person here to serve you!”
If not, why would you do such a thing?
You’re just afraid that Miss Liang might outshine you,” Old Lady Zhou accused furiously.
Madam Lu, feigning grievance, began to fake cry, “I might as well be dead.
Mother, you make me sound so despicable, how do I have the face to live?
Saying I’m afraid she’ll outshine me—is that even possible?
I am the Zhou family’s chief daughter-in-law, I have borne the Zhou family two sons to carry on the family line, who am I afraid of outshining me?”
Old Lady Zhou pressed her lips tightly together, glaring at her relentlessly.
“Ying Mei brought the fish, saying they were to honor you and as a token for Xueli.
I merely mentioned it because I thought she meant well; did I also do wrong in that?” Madam Lu continued sobbing.
“Her good intentions?
If she doesn’t bring bad luck to our house, we should thank Buddha!” Old Lady Zhou said with a face full of anger.
I told her and her daughter a hundred times not to show up, yet they never listened and still dared to come over to our house.
Madam Lu stayed silent, stealing glances with the corner of her eye, and after a long pause said, “The Liang family didn’t say anything.”
“What do you know, you dumb clod!” Old Lady Zhou couldn’t help but curse.
The Liang family had taken the opportunity to inquire about Ying Mei, who had been claiming to have a Marriage Certificate, stating that the man had been unfaithful and his unknown status between life and death was the cause of the delay.
Later, the Liang Family also tactfully refrained from saying more, but it was apparent that their enthusiasm had diminished a bit.
“If this marriage falls through, neither you nor she will escape the blame!” Old Lady Zhou tossed her sleeves and went back to her room, now waiting to hear from the matchmaker.
Mumbling silently behind her, Madam Lu thought it would be better if the match was called off and, sensing that the storm had passed, she breathed a huge sigh of relief.