"Grandmother, since my mother said she did not steal, then she did not steal. My mother is honest and diligent, which everyone in Mo Family Village can see. Besides, without evidence, you should not beat someone randomly. I can report you to the village head for misuse of private punishment," Xuexue said indignantly while pulling Madam Xie up from the corner of the wall.
"You...you little wretch...how dare you speak of reporting your grandmother? It's utterly unfilial, too unfilial! Have you grown the Courage of Bear's Heart and Leopard's Gall?" Old Lady Mo trembled with anger upon hearing Xuexue's words.
"Grandmother, I am not being unfilial—it is you who have wrongfully accused my mother of stealing meat first."
"She did not steal? Then where did my cured meat go? Look for yourself, every piece has marks from being cut, and fully half is missing. Don't think this old maid cannot see just because I am old, hmph!"
Old Lady Mo angry pointed at the plate on the stove containing several pieces of cured meat, heartsick over the substantial amount stolen, and now, she wished she could beat several pieces of cured meat out of Madam Xie.
Mo Xiaoqiang had just returned from the brothel today, and Old Lady Mo wanted to provide a nourishing meal for the men of the Mo family, so she took out the usually reserved cured meat, cut it into four pieces, and had Madam Xie steam it. Just as they were about to start the meal, she noticed the cured meat had shrunk by half and seen the marks from a knife, which instantly enraged her.
In the Mo family, consuming meat was a serious affair; Old Lady Mo always personally cut it and knew exactly how much there should be. Aside from the men, no one else got any, just longing glances—of course, except for Old Lady Mo herself.
Upon hearing this, Xuexue glanced at the stove and saw indeed, each piece of cured meat had marks from being cut. It was easy to tell that the steamed cured meat had been sliced with a knife.
"Oh! Xuexue, a junior like you daring to lecture your grandmother, you are quite bold. Is it because your mother stole the meat for you, fattening your courage?" Xiuzhi added fuel to the fire as she spoke from the side.
Since the last incident where she was injured by Xuexue with a tile pillow, Xiuzhi had held a grudge. Today, seeing Madam Xie steaming cured meat, she conspired with her mother, Madam Ruan. One of them deliberately distracted Madam Xie while the other stealthily cut some of the meat and hid it in her pocket.
Glimpsing Xiuzhi's greasy mouth, Xuexue immediately understood and turned to tell Old Lady Mo, "Grandmother, my mother truly did not steal the meat. It was them who stole it." She pointed at Madam Ruan and her daughter after speaking.
Old Lady Mo sharply stared at Madam Ruan and Xiuzhi, her triangular eyes narrowing with suspicion as she said, "Them?"
The guilty Madam Ruan, shocked, knew she could not admit to the deed. She stiffened her neck and shouted at Xuexue, "You little wretch, stop talking nonsense! It was clearly your mother who stole, why blame it on us?"
"Exactly, it was your mother who cooked, so she was the one who stole it," Xiuzhi also retorted, jumping up and down.
Xuexue silently glared at them, coolly watching. In her past life, it was because of Madam Ruan and her daughter, who had stolen meat and then blamed it on her foster mother. This led to her foster mother being brutally beaten by Old Lady Mo and lying in bed for three days unable to get up.
One late night when Xuexue had a stomachache and went to the outhouse, she passed by Xiuzhi's room. Unintentionally, she overheard a conversation between her and Madam Ruan, finally learning the truth about the incident. Helplessly, in her last life, Xuexue had been too timid to come forward and clear her foster mother's name.