âOne should be careful with whom they associate; our two families have gone our separate ways and donât interfere with each other now. Please donât call me your in-law, I canât bear the weight of that title.â
Mother Yu had always tolerated this family for the sake of her son, but now she wouldnât be polite.
âI, I justâ¦â Wang Xiaohongâs mother clearly shrank back when Mother Yu confronted her. She was fierce towards others but was somewhat wary when dealing with people like Mother Yu.
The man beside her nudged her. âDa Gu, you canât back down. What did you say when you came here?â
Thinking of the suggestions and promises made to her before coming, Wang Xiaohongâs mother gained confidence, suppressed her fear of Mother Yu, and said in a pretentious manner.
âIn-law, even though you donât recognize us now, weâve always appreciated your kindness. Yes, our family is poor, and our daughter doesnât look as good as your son, your son has a good job and appearance. But he married our daughter, shouldnât he treat her well? Everyone, judge for us, isnât that right?â
Although she was an uneducated woman who hadnât seen the world, Wang Xiaohongâs mother was quite good at inciting the crowd.
The onlookers didnât know the truth and only listened to Wang Xiaohongâs motherâs one-sided words, feeling that her points were reasonable. The idea that a poor wife is a treasure in the family and that you shouldnât abandon an ugly spouse resonated with their moral values.
âIf you have something to say, go inside and say it. Donât make a scene here. And you, stop taking pictures. Turn it off now!â Mother Yu pointed at the man taking pictures nearby.
That man pretended not to hear and continued taking pictures. They had a clear division of labor and were determined to make a big scene; they came for just that purpose.
âI know my daughter isnât good, butâ¦â Mother Wang slapped her thigh and began to cry with a trembling voice, using a dramatically exaggerated performance. She fell on her knees in front of Mother Yu.
âIn-law, you are all wealthy people, and your family has power too. But my daughter has been with your son for so long. She even raised a child of unknown origin for your family. How could you drive her out? My poor daughter~~~â
Her string of little tremors was so moving that it shook everyoneâs heart. The onlookers began to point at Mother Yu and discuss the situation. Was this the rumored real-life case of a wealthy family kicking out their daughter-in-law?
Mother Yu didnât like overly fancy brands, so she casually wore some simple clothes. But even ordinary clothes gave her a neat and cultured middle-aged intellectual image, clearly a lady of status.
Looking at Wang Xiaohongâs mother, she was dressed in ragged clothes, her hair messy, and her dark, bark-like hands revealed her village background.
This contrast in appearance easily led people to believe that the wealthy city folks were taking advantage of their wealth to bully the poor.
Feeling that this was not enough, Wang Xiaohongâs mother started to kowtow to Mother Yu, a sight so humble it not only frightened Mother Yu but also successfully deceived the passers-by.
Oh my, the rich are really too good at bullying others!
Many people had preconceived impressions, judging the situation by their own social experiences. Mother Yu was standing and well-dressed, while Wang Xiaohongâs mother was kneeling and wearing rags.
At a glance, many people felt that Mother Yu was bullying the helpless, that her family relied on their wealth and power to despise their daughter-in-law from the countryside and drove her away!
Now, the âpitifulâ village daughter-in-lawâs mother has come to their door. With no power or resources, she can only use the most humble method of kneeling before Mother Yu, hoping that this would somehow salvage her daughterâs marriage.
Mother Yu was speechless. This whole situation was a messy disaster. Wang Xiaohongâs family was a group of shrews who made no sense at all. They were the ones who took things to the extreme, and now they were playing the victims.
This wasnât just disgusting, it was like encountering a pile of dung on the side of the road â if you walked around it, there would be no problem. But Wang Xiaohongâs family was like aggressive dung! They smeared themselves onto others without being provoked!
âDo I need to say what your family has done? Stop kneeling here and get up!â Mother Yu was a refined person and wouldnât expose Wang Xiaohongâs misdoings in public.
Wang Xiaohongâs mother may have no shame, but Mother Yu couldnât lose face; she had to save her sonâs dignity.
However, Wang Xiaohongâs mother brought this group of people with her just because she knew this. She wanted to create chaos, taking advantage of their vulnerability since the Yu family could not afford any scandal.
Wang Xiaohongâs mother was determined to be as shameless as possible, continuing to kneel on the ground and feeling as if the whole world owed her family and that her daughter was the most pitiable person in the world.
As for the people she brought with her, they werenât idle. The man who called Wang Xiaohongâs mother âDa Guâ suddenly shouted to hit her, and they each took out eggs and threw them at Dong Yi!
Mother Yu tried to pull Dong Yi away, but it was too late. An egg hit Dong Yi on the head and the broken egg yolk slid down her hair. Dong Yi was both frightened and helpless, not understanding why they were doing this.
After throwing the eggs, these people started chanting exaggerated slogans.
âDown with the hateful mistress! Shame on Xiao San!â
âXiao Sanâs father, mother, and whole family should die!â
âThose who become Xiao San will be cursed!â
Their collective outrage easily influenced the onlookers, who followed without thinking or questioning. For many, following othersâ lead was easy as they are too lazy to think deeply for themselves.
Initially, only Wang Xiaohongâs family was causing a commotion, but eventually, the onlookers also started joining in.
As for Dong Yi, the world seemed to be moving in slow motion.
The sound of cursing around her kept flooding into her ears, especially the continuous cries of âhit the mistress,â which whipped her heart mercilessly.
Mother Yu was able to control the situation at first, but later she was overwhelmed by Wangâs familyâs irrational tactics, and the crowd became increasingly agitated. They stopped listening to Mother Yu. She tried to take Dong Yi inside, but they were surrounded by layers of people, unable to move. The ground was still filled with people kneeling and crying, while others pointed accusingly at Dong Yi.
This was the so-called âvulnerable group.â
The scene had turned into total chaos. Xiao Qian stood outside the crowd, and as Mother Yu tried to protect Dong Yi from Wang Xiaohongâs unreasonable family, Xiao Qian made two phone calls: one to Yu Mingyi and one to report the incident.
After Xiao Qian calmly handled the situation, her eyes swept around and saw a brick on the ground. She quietly picked it up.