Hua's second wife didn't bother with her and picked up that piece of yam again, biting it into her mouth.
Seeing that she didn't respond, Grandma Jing turned to Jing Taihe: "Taihe, it's not that I, as your mother, am nagging you too much, but you really lack propriety. If you truly have that spare money, you should be honoring your elders first. How come instead you're providing for outsiders? This girl has been eating well and living large with you every day, yet your grandmother and parents are at home eating bran and swallowing vegetables. If this gets out, people are going to point fingers at your backbone!"
"All these days, as I've been out and about, I always get asked about this by acquaintances. I never know what to say!" Old Master Jing added on the side.
Hua Xiaomai quickly turned her head to look at Hua's second wife, and seeing her face full of anger and her tightly clenched chopsticks going white at the knuckles, she couldn't help but feel anxious.
Hold back, you must hold back. Don't fall into their trap!
"Dad, Mom, don't say that." Jing Taihe was very embarrassed, scratching the back of his head and smiling an uglier smile than crying, "The little sister encountered difficulties. Out of utter helplessness, she had to come to our Fire Knife Village. Don't underestimate her because she's young; she's very capable. You should try..."
"Capable?" Grandma Jing let out a strange cry, "You've got a wife to tend to the household chores. Why should an outsider lift a finger? What, it wasn't enough for your sister-in-law to marry into our family, now you want to bring her sister along too? Our peasant households don't have the custom of taking concubines or secondary wives!
"Bang!" Having listened to the conversation for a while, Hua's second wife could no longer endure, slamming the chopsticks down on the table with a gnash of her teeth, she pointed at Grandma Jing furiously and yelled, "Watch your mouth and don't overstep! When has Taihe ever shortchanged you? Two hundred coins delivered on time every month. What more do you want?"
"Two hundred coins?" Grandma Jing's eyes bulged, her tone suddenly shifting from sarcastic to shrill, "Are you treating your own parents like beggars? Don't think I'm unaware; today you've earned four strings of coins from the east side Qiao's Paper Shop! I thought you would show filial piety, waiting at home with great expectation, yet you never sent a dime our way. When I came to see, my goodness, you yourselves were feasting on fish and meat!"
She had indeed guessed it; it was all about that four strings of coins!
Hua Xiaomai wasn't aware of the specific conflicts between Hua's second wife and her in-laws. She only knew that losing her temper now would ruin the grand scheme, and that would do Hua's second wife no good. In haste, she reached out and tightly grasped her arm.
However, Hua's second wife was impulsive. The fire had already been ignited, and she pushed Hua Xiaomai aside with one move and said through gritted teeth, "It's my family's money, what does it have to do with you? When Taihe and I first moved out, we barely had enough to eat from meal to meal. Did you care to spare us a single penny? Now you're eyeing my four strings of coins, I spit on that! I'd rather throw this money into the river than give you a cent!"
Grandma Jing spat on the ground, "What do you count for? Why would I care about you? People marry off daughters-in-law to have children, and in three years you haven't produced as much as an egg, let alone lead my son astray! You barren harbinger of doom, you're not even as good as the old hen we raise in our home!"
Old Master Jing also jumped and roared, "Your money? This is my son's house, everything my son has is mine!"
Hua Xiaomai was still in shock from Grandma Jing's words, but hearing Old Master Jing say that, she couldn't help rolling her eyes, thinking: Right, your son's wife is also your wife, huh? You've really got the nerve!
Hua's second wife, with veins bulging in fury and beyond caring, swept the bowls and dishes off the table with a clang and was ready to pounce. Grandma Jing knew how formidable she was and dared not meet her head-on. Still refusing to be outdone, she snatched the remaining chopstick basket from the table, grabbed a bunch of chopsticks, ducked to the side, and threw them at Hua's second wife like darts.
The scene was extremely chaotic. The chopsticks thrown at Hua's second wife caused no harm, but they made her seething anger burn even more fiercely. She reached out to grab Grandma Jing. Old Master Jing could not bring himself to strike his daughter-in-law, red-faced and thick-necked, he stood by shouting, "I think you're trying to turn the world upside down, touch her and try, just you try!"
Jing Taihe stood between Hua's second wife and Grandma Jing, clumsily preventing them from attacking each other directly, his expression almost on the verge of tears. As for Grandma, she just sat by the table, her eyes fixated on the yam and meat on the floor, occasionally crying out, "Oh, I can't take it, I'm in so much discomfort..."
My goodness, what a mess! If it weren't for Hua's second wife being involved, Hua Xiaomai really wanted to squat down, hold her stomach, and laugh out loud!
"Second sister!" She chased after Hua's second wife and finally caught the woman who was like a tiger coming down the mountain, grasping the sleeve of her clothes tightly, saying, "Please calm down. Can't we talk this out slowly?"
Hua's second wife was pulled back by her, Grandma Jing hid behind Old Master Jing, tired from the half-day's commotion, panting heavily. In the tumultuous hall, there was suddenly quiet.
Hua Xiaomai, without lingering on the meaning behind Grandma Jing's words, pondered briefly, then turned her head as if confused and said, "Uncle, Aunt, didn't you just say that I'm an outsider?"
"You are an outsider!" Old Master Jing huffed loudly.
"But those four strings of coins were earned by me..." Hua Xiaomai continued playing innocent, frowning and muttering, "Since I'm an outsider, why should I share my earnings with you?"