More and more neighbors gathered around to watch, gossiping all at once:
"Ma'am, what happened to your hand? Did your daughter-in-law beat you?"
"This is too outrageous, right? A daughter-in-law beating her mother-in-law?"
"Not just the mother-in-law, look at the sister-in-law's face, she got hit too."
"My goodness, what kind of daughter-in-law is this arrogant?"
Hearing everyone's discussion, Wang Meijuan quickly pointed at Lin Wanyi and said:
"It's this vicious out-of-town woman! She bullies my mom every day, doesn't give her food or wash her clothes, and even almost crippled her hand.
"She wouldn't even let my mom go home, and almost pushed her down the stairs trying to snatch her keys.
"I was so angry I came to demand an explanation, but I didn't expect her to hit me too!"
Liu Chunlan shed even more tears, crying pitifully:
"What sin did I commit to marry such a thing into the family?
"I always served her with good food and drink, terrified that her slightest displeasure would ruin our relationship.
"I didn't expect that even after all I've done, she still wouldn't be satisfied. She pushed her luck and actually laid hands on me.
"Neighbors, please give me justice."
The neighbors were filled with righteous indignation:
"Daughters-in-law nowadays just want to turn the world upside down. They sit at home acting like ancestors, so hard to please."
"Yeah, it's so hard being a mother-in-law these days. They work themselves to the bone like servants and the daughters-in-law are still not satisfied."
Lin Wanyi was furious. Seeing she was about to explode, Wang Hao quickly said:
"Everyone has misunderstood, it's a misunderstanding. It's not what my mom said, my wife never hit her.
"She fell and hurt herself by accident.
"And it's not my wife who won't let her live in this house, it's my idea. It's all my idea."
The neighbors spoke up again:
"Heh! Sure enough, he marries a wife and forgets his mother! Sons these days have no heart at all. They only have eyes for their wives; where is there any room for their own old mothers?"
"Yeah, if daughters-in-law are arrogant, it's because these men spoil them."
Seeing Lin Wanyi being cursed at, Liu Chunlan and Wang Meijuan couldn't be happier.
They had planned this before coming.
Today they had to secure the room. If Lin Wanyi disagreed, they would pin the label of a vicious daughter-in-law on her.
They wanted to make her notorious in the neighborhood right from the start.
They wanted to make sure everything she did from now on would be seen as wrong, so no one would stand on her side.
Lin Wanyi's eyelids twitched violently.
With a bang, she slammed the door shut, locking all those nosy old men and women outside.
Inside, she stared dead at Wang Hao:
"You have two choices. One, kick them out. Two, sell this house and we divorce immediately!
"Wang Hao, choose."
Before Wang Hao could speak, Wang Meijuan interrupted:
"Divorce! Divorce right now!
"Hao Hao, you're a man, what are you afraid of? Once you divorce, your sister will immediately find you another one.
"Lin Wanyi, you're different. You're a woman. Once you divorce, you're just damaged goods, and you have to drag along Wang Keke, that burden. Who do you think would want you?
"You still have the nerve to ask for a divorce? Hahaha, do it, I dare you!"
She had no idea that it wasn't Lin Wanyi who didn't dare, it was Wang Hao who didn't dare.
Of course, Liu Chunlan didn't dare either.
As soon as Lin Wanyi mentioned divorce, Liu Chunlan's momentum instantly weakened.
She stood up and pulled Wang Meijuan:
"Let's go, come back with me first."
Wang Meijuan wouldn't leave. She shouted:
"Mom, this is my home, it is my home, where am I supposed to go?
"I'm not leaving! I'm going to live here."
"Come out with me, we need to buy some New Year's goods anyway, let's go!"
Wang Meijuan still refused to leave. It hadn't been easy for her to get here.
She genuinely wanted to settle down here.
She had secretly gone back to the Li family's house to check. Li Jun was living happily alone in the Li house, having completely forgotten about her as his wife.
Even Li Borui didn't miss her at all.
She had to secure the house here as soon as possible and then bring Li Borui over.
Otherwise, if this continued, not only would she lose her husband, but she might even lose her son.
Liu Chunlan's hand was still wrapped in gauze, and she couldn't physically pull Wang Meijuan.
And talking to her was useless.
For the first time, she felt a bit anxious and powerless.
Her daughter-in-law wouldn't listen to her, and her daughter wouldn't listen to her either.
Wang Meijuan strode into the second bedroom. The next second, Wang Keke's crying rang out:
"Waaah, Auntie, this is the doll Mommy gave me, you can't throw it out.
"Auntie..."
Lin Wanyi hurried over. Before she even reached the door, she was hit in the face by a thrown Barbie doll.
Wang Meijuan clamored:
"This is the room for me and your brother Borui. Who told you to put your dolls here?
"Take them all away right now, or I'll throw them all in the trash."
Wang Keke cried as she stuffed all the dolls into her arms one by one.
But there were too many dolls. She picked one up and dropped another, picked one up and dropped another.
She just couldn't pick them all up.
Finally losing her patience, Wang Meijuan kicked the dolls on the floor straight out the door.
Coincidentally, they hit Lin Wanyi right in the face.
Lin Wanyi went mad with anger.
Wang Keke's crying stimulated her, and she stopped caring.
She didn't care about anything anymore.
After handing the doll back to Wang Keke, she suddenly grabbed Wang Meijuan's hair and slapped her across the face.
Still not satisfied, she delivered a backhand slap as well:
"Wang Meijuan, who gave you the nerve to bully my daughter in my house?
"Do you think I'm still the same Lin Wanyi from before?
"Let me tell you, the old, submissive Lin Wanyi is dead. If any of you dare to touch my daughter now, just try me."
Wang Meijuan covered her red and swollen cheek, looking at her in disbelief:
"Are you... are you crazy?
"You've already hit me twice today.
"Wang Hao, she's your wife, she's hitting your sister, are you just going to do nothing?"
Wang Hao carried Wang Keke out and said coldly:
"Sister, you've gone too far. Keke is just a child, how can you stoop to her level?
"Besides, this is our house. Keke is my daughter, why can't she live in the second bedroom?"
Wang Meijuan went wild with anger. She didn't expect Wang Hao to actually speak up for Lin Wanyi.
She stomped her feet:
"I am your sister! And Borui is a boy! Wang Keke is just a money-losing burden, what right does she have to fight for a room with my son?
"Tell me, what right?"
She still refused to give up.
Lin Wanyi raised her hand and slapped her again:
"Wang Meijuan, you keep calling her a money-losing burden, you keep looking down on daughters. Let me ask you, are you a woman or not?
"Are you? You look down on daughters so much, yet you yourself are a woman.
"Don't you find that pathetic? I'm asking you, isn't that pathetic?"
Wang Meijuan hadn't expected her to say this and was suddenly left speechless.
Indeed, Lin Wanyi was right.
But she still refused to admit defeat.
Covering her face, she sat cross-legged on the Peppa Pig bedsheets Lin Wanyi had prepared for Keke:
"I don't care! Anyway, Hao Hao promised me, this room is mine, and no one can drive me away!"
Wang Hao was getting desperate. He tried to pull Wang Meijuan up:
"Sister, I'm begging you, go back with Mom. There will definitely be a place for you back in our hometown!"
