Mo Chunyue couldnât help but burst into tears. Her mother was Old Mo familyâs eldest daughter-in-law, honest and hardworking, only ever burying her head in her work. She wasnât a flatterer like her second aunt, nor as shrewd as her third aunt, and in the Old Mo family, she suffered endlessly.
During the famine, her mother scoured daily to find food and water for the family, yet she herself barely managed to eat a bite.
"You bastard, you made my daughter-in-law cry; I will beat you to death!" He Sanlai, seeing Mo Chunyue cry, immediately swung his fists at Mo Dali.
Mo Dali was struck, both angry and anxious, but due to not having eaten for a whole day, he had no strength and could only beg for mercy, "Donât hit, son-in-law, donât hit; I am your father-in-law after all!"
"Pah, whoâs your son-in-law, donât give yourself so much credit." He Sanlai loved his beautiful daughter-in-law Mo Chunyue the most; the idea that Mo Dali dared to come to their door to threaten her made him want to beat him to death.
Mo Dali was beaten quite badly, and in anger, he yelled at Mo Chunyue, "You wretched girl, will you help your family or not? If you wonât help, donât even think about living peacefully in this village. Being thrown into a pond would be getting off lightly!"
Thrown into a pond?
Mo Chunyue, with tears in her eyes, scoffed, "Exactly as Young Master said, for your own sake, youâre bound to bite me back."
When the Mo family people were driven out of the village, Young Master, alongside Brother Cheng, made a detour to her home to warn her to be wary of the Old Mo familyâthat they would certainly act in desperation.
And now, sure enough, it was her own father who had come.
"Speak, how do you want to ruin me?" Mo Chunyueâs smile grew colder, looking into Mo Daliâs eyes with not the slightest affection of father and daughter left.
Mo Dali said, "Itâs not about ruining you, we just want you to help us, to persuade the village chief not to cancel our household registration."
"I wonât help!" said Mo Chunyue even more firmly.
If Mo Dali hadnât come to threaten her, she might have given him some Silver out of father-daughter kinship to help him settle down, but now she had no intention of helping them.
Enraged, Mo Dali blurted out, "If you donât help, your grandfather will spread rumors about you serving men for a bite to eat on the road fleeing the famine..."
He hadnât finished his sentence when He Sanlai interrupted him with a punch.
"Bastard of a grandson, dare to spread rumors and tarnish my daughter-in-lawâs reputation; I will slaughter you!" He Sanlai was truly furious this time. How could the Mo family be so despicable? First using his mother-in-law to threaten, and now seeking to ruin his daughter-in-law.
Wasnât He Sanlai wise to whether his daughter-in-law was pure or not?
"Bastard, do you think getting a daughter-in-law was easy for me? Youâre in such a hurry to destroy her; Iâll cripple you!" He Sanlai showed no mercy, punching Mo Dali so hard that he lost two teeth and his mouth was full of blood, nearly fainting from the pain.
Mo Chunyue stopped him, saying to Mo Dali, "Get up, Iâll go with you to see Elder Mo."
"Wife..." He Sanlai didnât want Mo Chunyue to go, but thinking of Young Masterâs instructions, he swallowed his words, grabbed the still astonished Mo Dali, and shoved him forward, "Hurry up, whatâs with the wobbly legs? Donât walk now, and Iâll split you alive!"
Mo Dali was still dazed and could only shuffle forward stiffly.
Outside the courtyard, He Shengzi and He Tieshu saw them come out and, without asking much, led them to find Elder Moâs family.
However, they only went as far as the village entrance and stopped, not going any further, only instructing He Sanlai, "If the Mo family people dare to lay a hand, just shout, and weâll rush over immediately."
Although they didnât like He Sanlai, after all, he was still a member of the He Family and they couldnât let Elder Moâs Family bully him.
"Hey." He Sanlai, pushing Mo Dali and bringing Mo Chunyue, arrived at the wild field where the Mo Family People were resting.
Elder Mo saw Mo Chunyue arriving in person and was very pleased. He said to Mo Chunyue, "Has your dad told you everything? Then go ahead and do it. And yes, we have no money at home right now, you bring two taels of silver first, tomorrow we need to buy grain in the town."
"Hmph~" Mo Chunyue sneered, "Is Elder Mo planning to live off me for my entire life?"
Elder Mo laughed, "What do you mean live off you for a lifetime? Weâre family, is it not right for you to take care of your natal family?"
Humph, thinking that marrying into the He Family means you can leave the Mo Family behind? Dream on!
Mo Chunyueâs smile grew colder, "Since Elder Mo is so unkind in his actions, then donât blame me. Tomorrow I will go to the county government and beat the drum to accuse your whole family, claiming that you robbed food from people on the road while fleeing from famine, causing the death of a whole family of six."
The Mo Family People exploded upon hearing this. Old Mrs. Mo shouted, "You wretched girl, what nonsense are you spouting? When have we ever caused peopleâs deaths?"
Mo Chunyue, smiling cheerfully, retorted to Old Mrs. Mo, "Really? Do you have evidence to prove you didnât commit murder? Without evidence or witnesses, who would believe you?"
The Young Master said if the Mo Family tries to bite back and sully her reputation, she would vehemently accuse them of planning murders, threatening to sue them. Considering how terrified the Mo Family People are of death, they would certainly compromise and dare not harm her again.
Mo Chunyue continued, "I heard that Lord County Magistrate is currently eager to find cases to handle so as to accumulate political achievements for a promotion. In Great Chu, murder has always been a grave crime. If the County Magistrate takes on such a case, the credit would be substantial."
"We are innocent, we havenât killed anyone, and your suing will be in vain!" Old Mrs. Mo pointed at Mo Chunyue and screamed, trembling all over in fury.
Mo Chunyue smiled and said, "Lord County Magistrate doesnât care about that, as long as someone sues, the County Magistrate only needs to investigate the case, sentence, and then accept the credit."
Hearing Mo Chunyueâs words, Elder Mo was both furious and anxious, and unable to hold back, he spat out a mouthful of old blood and almost fainted.
After recuperating for a while, Elder Mo pointed at Mo Chunyue, "Get out, get out at once... From now on, I, the Mo Family, will not have such a vicious granddaughter!"
Having achieved her goal, Mo Chunyue couldnât be bothered to entangle with the Mo Family any longer. However, before leaving, she still warned them, "If I hear a single word that damages my reputation, all of your family had better prepare to go to prison!"
After speaking, she walked away with He Sanlai.
He Sanlai was smugly triumphant, and before leaving, he spit toward Elder Mo, "Pah, this will teach you to slander my wife, weâll see if we donât annihilate you."
After Mo Chunyue and her husband had left, Elder Mo blacked out and fainted, and the Mo Family People were thrown into chaos, wailing and crying for help, but no one came to their aid.
No matter how miserable the Mo Family was, everyone had no sympathy for them; they got what they deserved.
However, after such a commotion, Mo Chunyueâs reputation for being fierce had thoroughly spread.
Third Grandma sighed at home, "It might be a bit hard for Sister Qin to find a husband now. Although Sister Qin is not at fault, not many mothers-in-law would be willing to take in such a fierce daughter-in-law."
Most mothers-in-law want a soft and easy-to-bully daughter-in-law, not a fierce one who might oppose them.
Gu Daya quite liked Mo Chunyue: "It all depends on the person. I like Sister Qin very much; sheâs not weak, and she can shoulder responsibilities at crucial moments, even stronger than a man."
Like her Brother Ping, who is too gentle in nature and should marry a strong-willed wife, only then can the household be upheld.