"This back and forth also takes time, how about I go up the mountain with Mom tomorrow instead?" Xu Qiaoqiao said with concern.
"It's fine, I walk fast and will be back early," Zhang Xiaoying waved her hand and left with the firewood cutter.
Madam Lin pulled Xu Qiaoqiao aside and whispered, "You'd better not say anything about what Mom is doing, she doesn't like others meddling too much, be careful or you'll get a beating."
"Asking should be alright, shouldn't result in a beating, right?" Xu Qiaoqiao looked at Zhang Xiaoying's departing figure, unsure.
"You'll know if you try it often enough," Madam Lin huffed.
Her man had been beaten, and she had seen it happen all too many times; she was indeed experienced.
In short, do not talk back to the mother-in-law, do as you're told, and don't take matters into your own hands if you're uncertain—this is the Xu Family's current survival strategy.
