Tang Maolin and his wife, Mrs. Ding, sat in silence, not uttering a word for a long while.
The piece of waterlon squeezed in their hands for too long, the juice flowing down their fingers all the way to the elbow, trailing a sticky streak.
ng’s mother’s words were very appropriate, not only with sufficient reason but also with the promise of bearing the rent for them, which really left no room for criticism. It’s beneficial to have soone help with the money, but...
After a long silence, it was Mrs. Ding who managed a smile and said, "Elder sister, we really don’t know how to respond to what you’ve said. Our arrival was so sudden, and we didn’t even notify you in advance. We already feel terribly sorry. If we let you pay for our rental, how could we be at ease?"
"Yes, elder sister," Tang Maolin also nodded, "If it weren’t for our ho being truly unlivable right now, I really wouldn’t have brought my family to bother you. I wanted to try not to make things difficult for you... If it’s inconvenient for you here, we’ll leave after a couple of days, and think of another solution. Please, don’t ntion renting another house again..."
"Hmph, what are you implying with that sour tone? Our hotown has been hit by a disaster, you’ve co from far to seek refuge with . If you rush off after just two days as if I had driven you away, wouldn’t it seem like I was chasing you off? Then the people back ho would gossip about behind my back, wouldn’t they?"
ng’s mother was never one to suffer a loss, and wasn’t afraid of offending others. When she felt angry, she wouldn’t suppress it. Hearing this, she imdiately glared and stood up abruptly, pointing at Tang Maolin and shouting, "Renting out a separate house would allow us both to live more comfortably—what’s wrong with that? Yet you insist on cramming into this small courtyard with . Tell , why is that?"
She leaned forward and asked them straight, without a single stutter, her deanor and actions embodying righteousness and confidence. Not only did the couple’s faces change color, but even Hua Xiaomai, who sat beside ng’s mother, was taken aback, silently impressed.
While Tang Maolin’s words seed to consider ng’s mother’s feelings on the surface, the underlying implication was sowhat distasteful. Not to ntion ng’s mother, Hua Xiaomai herself felt slightly uncomfortable, yet it wasn’t her place to speak up, so she could only listen from the side, feeling sowhat frustrated.
Luckily, ng’s mother was formidable! That’s why having a fierce mother-in-law wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, right?
"Auntie, my father and mother didn’t an anything else, please don’t misunderstand..." Tang Dongyan, seated behind Mrs. Ding, hesitated and tried to diate in a soft voice.
"When the elders are speaking, it’s not your place to interrupt!" ng’s mother was not easily appeased. She glared and scolded, "Look at your cousins, have they said a word? Your father speaks ill of , am I not even allowed to get angry? What he thinks, I may not know, but do you? Are you a worm in his belly?"
Tang Dongyan flinched and couldn’t help but tug at the back of Mrs. Ding’s clothes, her face scrunched as if she were about to cry.
Tang Maolin was also sowhat panicked, standing up quickly, his face full of sincerity as he waved his hands at ng’s mother, "Elder sister, the things I said were inappropriate, and I’ve angered you, but I truly had no other intentions! To tell the truth, I’m just worried about you spending more money..."
Mrs. Ding was also persistently apologizing on the side.
After ng’s mother had her outburst and clearly laid her attitude on the table, that was enough; she didn’t really want to fall out with them completely. She accepted the olive branch they extended and slightly softened her tone, "If you still consider your elder sister, don’t argue with about this matter. Settle down for now, and in the next few days, look around the village and the county to see where it might be more profitable, and make a plan. I’ve already said, if I didn’t have the money, I wouldn’t have brought this up today. But since I do have so, renting a house is not sothing you need to worry about—the day is nearly over, and you must be tired from your long journey. I’ve prepared your room, so go to sleep early."
Then she turned her head without much patience towards Hua Xiaomai, "And you too, go wash up and rest! If I don’t speak up, are you planning on sitting up until midnight?"
"Oh..." Hua Xiaomai looked up at her with a smile, quickly nodding in agreent. She went to fetch her clothes to change into, and when she ca out, Tang Maolin’s family and Tang Dongyan had already retreated to their own side rooms.
Since arriving at Fire Knife Village, Hua Xiaomai had never lived in such a noisy environnt with so many people.
When living with her Second Mother Hua and Jing Taihe, the young couple had lived by themselves. After marrying ng Yuhuai, their family was equally small, without any inconvenience.
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