Benita scowled as she tried to recall how that woman was tonight, but thanks to the mask of darkness, she could barely see enough, but that wasn't bad at all. She had heard enough, and that was all that mattered.
"Mother, that woman should be sleeping around with married men, I swear. The ox-cart was filled with a lot of things. I can assure you that whatever was in there, she would need around one hundred silver coins. Where did she get that kind of money?" Benita accused and slandered mercilessly, her eyes emitting so much hatred she didn't bother to hide it.
When Benita heard that slander, her eyes flashed for a second as if she was recalling something before. She responded to her daughter and said, "Child, that woman is no longer part of our family. If I were you, I would stop minding whatever she is doing? Whether she is sleeping around or doing what, it's no longer our business!" as she massaged her throbbing temples.
"Hah, mother. Are you kidding me? That whore came into our lives, ensnared father and let him turn his back on us. Because of that shameless woman, our family became a laughingstock in the whole district!" Benita shouted angrily as memories of her childhood resurfaced.
"Mother, I will never let that woman rest in peace! Never! She is still alive, splurging my father's money when we are suffering here! She must be the one who killed our father. Since when was it possible for such a young whore like her from the city to fall for a man like our father? Look at her, she still looks so young and can even compete with us the young ones. If she hadn't sucked my father's vitality and blood to live longer, would she still be alive and my father dead?"
"Mother, that woman, I will make sure I drag her to hell this time. I have left her for so many years and enough is enough. Does she think that just because she moved to a different village, everything was forgotten? If I can't deal with her personally, hehe, I know what to do. Mother, I am going to take revenge for everyone. I am going to shame her so much that she would kill herself in disgrace and repay everything that she took away from us and father especially."
Mary looked at her daughter, who was blazing and fuming with so much hatred and anger that she was in shock and honestly didn't know what to do.
She didn't know what words to tell her daughter to let her stop this wishful thinking of hers and the slander and accusations she was throwing around.
If that woman were to hear all this, would her daughter be spared?
As a mother and the person in question who once shared her husband with that vixen who was literally a fox demon who descended to the mortal realm to seduce and take her husband from her, that young woman scared her.
She didn't want to have anything to do with that person at all, especially when she knew much more than what most people, and even her children, knew.
Having her live in that village made her relieved as she was away from her and she no longer had to see the other, even by accident.
And yet her daughter, ever since returning from the city, was like a different person. She was now always poking around, seeking trouble, and now she wanted to do what? How could she be a match for that many-faced vixen?
"Child, you …. Benita, my daughter. I love you so much. I know that I have spoiled you greatly, but this …
I don't support you in doing this. Leave that woman be and let us just live our lives, I beg of you!" after sorting her thoughts, Mary gritted her teeth and spoke, trying to convince her daughter to stop her foolish idea.
"Hehe. Mother. I won't stop! Never! If you can't support me, then stay at home and wait for the good news! I will not rest until that woman is buried underground. Instead of letting her sin, swaying her slutty hips now and then, seducing more men, I will let her rest in peace. I will be the savior of everyone!" Benita declared solemnly, her eyes blazing with firmness and determination Mary had never seen before.
"You _" Mary wasn't given time to talk as Benita scoffed at her before running out of the hut, leaving her speechless.
"Child … you … no .. this, no, I can't let her fall in her hands. I will need to meet with that vixen and have a talk. But will she listen to me? If I meet with her, then wouldn't that be sending myself in her den? No, I will talk to her brother later and see what can be done. I can't let Benita suffer under that witch's hands. Never!" Mary contemplated as she walked up and down before deciding on what to do.
Once she was certain, she left the hut, the plates and pots still on the floor, and hurried to find her son, who was still in the village and hadn't left to work elsewhere.
Her son still lived in the same yard, so it didn't take her long before she was in front of his house. When her husband died, all the children received a portion of the land, so they could build their own houses.
As the mother, she still lived with Benita, her unmarried daughter, whenever she was around. The children all split, so the wives were managing their households. It was safer and better this way, as she didn't need to fight with her daughters-in-law over food or other things.
When she arrived, she found her son coming out of the door. His eyes droopy and it was visible that he had been asleep and probably was awakened by Benita's unreasonable tantrums.
"Son! You are awake!" she guiltily asked as she scratched her nose.
Jack looked at his mother as he tried to shake the sleepiness away. He had slept early that day after having supper. As he had been working the whole day nonstop, he needed some rest, but who would have guessed that his sister, the stubborn little girl they all spoiled, would shout so loudly like that, that he was awakened by it.
To see what was going on and whether his mother was fine after Benita yelled at her li
like that, as a filial son who refused to leave the village to seek greener pastures elsewhere like his two brothers, Jack forced himself to leave the warm blankets and his wife.
And when he saw his mother standing in front of his door, he knew that things weren't looking so good. Otherwise, she wouldn't have come to his house so late at night.
"Mother. Why are you here and what's happening?" he asked as he took a few steps towards her.