izi gave her a look like she was an idiot and said, "Aren’t I cleaning the house? This place is a disaster zone! Mother, how can you not know how to clean? I thought I’d be done in a bit, but who knew the more I pick up, the ssier it gets. And under your bed... Ugh! Mother, how can anyone live in this house? I’m not saying any more. Mother, just hurry up." With that, she bustled away again.
Granny Hua’s face turned a little red from her words. ’That attitude doesn’t seem like sothing her own mother taught her. This girl is a hard worker.’ Feeling embarrassed, she quickened her pace. She finished washing the bowls and fed the pigs. Just as she was done, izi shouted again.
"Mother, wash these first. Ugh! It stinks to high heaven!" As she shouted, izi erged holding a pile of dirty clothes at arm’s length. Her head was tilted to one side, her lips pressed tightly shut, trying to avoid getting dust on herself.
’I regret this so much. If I’d known my mother-in-law’s room was this filthy, I would’ve changed my clothes. Great. Now I’ll have to wash my hair and take a bath after I’m done.’
Granny Hua hadn’t even had a chance to catch her breath before she was surrounded by the pile of things.
She stared, dumbfounded, at the ragged clothes and old padded jackets that had been pulled from the nooks and crannies. Her mouth twitched as she said with difficulty, "izi, these can’t be worn anymore..."
izi quickly cut her off. "I know. They’re the clothes Changming and Changling have outgrown, right? They still need to be washed. We can use them to make new shoe soles. Leaving them in a pile to collect dust is just too dirty. It makes the room look like a woodshed. No, even my family’s woodshed is tidier than your room. Mother, you’d better just wash them. I still have more cleaning to do."
With that, she scurried off again.
Granny Hua stared blankly at the pile of ragged clothes, but she didn’t even have a mont to space out before she heard izi shouting from inside the house, "Mother—"
Granny Hua’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly called back, "Yes! I’m washing, I’m washing!"
izi replied, "Wash faster! We’re running out of ti to cook."
So, Granny Hua packed two large baskets with the ragged clothes and carried them over to the well at Li Changxing’s house to wash them.
Her appearance drew a curious question from Changxing’s mother, who asked why she was washing so many tattered clothes. Granny Hua could only give a vague reply, not wanting to admit that her new daughter-in-law was running her ragged.
She drew water and scrubbed the clothes at her usual slow pace, even preparing to exchange a bit of gossip with Changxing’s mother. But then, from her own courtyard not far away, ca izi’s clear voice: "Mother! Wash faster! We need to cook—"
The last syllable was drawn out long and loud, making her heart pound with anxiety. Afraid izi would chase her down and rush her in front of Changxing’s mother, making her a laughingstock, she hastily replied, "Yes! Coming!" She no longer cared about talking to Changxing’s mother. She finished washing in a few quick scrubs and hurried back.
She hadn’t even entered the courtyard when, from a distance, she heard izi yelling, "Mother! Hurry and help !"
She hurriedly put down the baskets, rushed into the house, and was imdiately put to work by izi hauling out trash.
Watching izi clear out so much trash from her own room, Granny Hua couldn’t help but feel her face burn with sha. How could she dare to complain? ’This daughter-in-law is cleaning my room right after moving in. People will only praise her for being sensible and filial, and call lazy.’
The room was already shabby, and clearing out all the junk made it look even more empty. However, it was now much cleaner and tidier.
So, after hauling out the trash, she went to hang the ragged clothes out to dry. After finishing that, she was ordered by izi to clean the pigsty—who claid that if the pigsty wasn’t clean, the pigs would get sick.
She suggested waiting for Changming and Changling to co ho and clean it.
izi imdiately stared at her as if she’d seen a ghost. "Changming and my brother-in-law work themselves to death outside. If they have to co ho and clean the pigsty too, then what’s the point of getting married? Isn’t getting a wife supposed to an having help with the housework?"
’Her tone was exactly the sa as Gou Dan’s on New Year’s Eve. It seems the two of them really are brother and sister.’
Stared down by her bright, wide eyes, Granny Hua felt a pang of guilt and had no choice but to go clean the pigsty.
’If I didn’t go clean it, I couldn’t predict what izi might do. But one thing was for sure: she definitely wouldn’t just let get away with not doing it, like I usually do. She might even start a scene. Just a mont ago, when I rely suggested letting Changming do it, izi’s voice imdiately jumped an octave. That sharp, clear sound gave quite a fright.’
And why didn’t she fight back against izi?
Because izi had taken it upon herself to cook, saying that Granny Hua’s cooking was so terrible she couldn’t stand it anymore after these past few days. From now on, unless things were too busy, izi would be the one cooking.
She finished cleaning the pigsty and, before she could even catch her breath, heard izi call out again, "Mother, co help with the fire."
Reviews
All reviews (0)