Reborn as an Ugly Wife in the Countryside

So it turned out that over these years the younger aunt had given birth to three daughters, and had always been suppressed by her mother‑in‑law, who despised her for not being able to bear a son.

This year the harvest was bad over on their side, there wasn’t enough grain to eat, so the younger aunt’s mother‑in‑law set her eyes on the three girls, wanting to sell them to a rich family as maidservants in exchange for some Silver Tael so the whole family could have food and drink.

The younger aunt and uncle absolutely refused to sell their daughters, so they quarreled with the younger aunt’s mother‑in‑law.

The result was that the younger aunt’s whole family was split out on their own.

They were given one room to live in and a sack of grain, and nothing else, not even any land; it was basically being kicked out with nothing.

This had all happened right before the New Year.

After hearing this, Xiaoxiao was speechless; so there really are such creatures as vicious mothers‑in‑law.

When the old lady finished speaking, she said, "I was thinking of having your younger aunt and uncle move back to our Yang Family Village. You few households are all doing well now, you’ve all got livelihoods. There’s bound to be places where you need extra hands. Help them out a bit, even if it’s just giving them some work to do, so they can support this whole family."

Not letting the younger aunt’s family go it completely on their own, just giving them work to do—that wasn’t hard to arrange. Xiaoxiao agreed readily, "Grandma, don’t worry, there are lots of places at home where we need people. When the time comes there will definitely be work for younger aunt and uncle."

At this time, the old lady looked over at the eldest aunt, "Eldest daughter‑in‑law, when we split the family, this whole big courtyard was given to you. Now your sister‑in‑law is in trouble. You free up two rooms for your sister‑in‑law to live in. When they’ve earned some Silver, then let them build a house of their own."

"Ma, it’s all as you say. Then we’ll tidy up those two rooms behind the west wing for younger sister‑in‑law and let them live there." Yang Dazhu’s wife spoke up.

Hearing this, Yang Ming’s younger aunt was stunned; her sister‑in‑law actually agreed?

This sister‑in‑law of hers had never been so easy to talk to before; how come she’d changed her temper now?

"Thank you, big sister‑in‑law."

If it had been before, Yang Dazhu’s wife really wouldn’t have agreed, but now the situation at home was different. Younger sister‑in‑law living here would definitely only be temporary. Later, if she followed Yang Ming’s wife to do something, maybe they could move out pretty quickly. So why should she go and poke at the old lady’s sore spot again.

By agreeing right away like this, it even made her, as the eldest sister‑in‑law, look generous; it was good for the whole family to live in harmony.

The old lady was now thinking only of everyone in the family being united and peaceful. If they kicked up some foolish trouble at this time, maybe next year the sauerkraut work wouldn’t be given to their family. She could still tell which was more important.

Actually, the main thing was, she wasn’t a bad person to begin with.

Seeing that the eldest aunt could agree, Xiaoxiao was quite relieved. A family ought to live in harmony. She believed that once the younger aunt moved in, she would also know her place and work hard.

Suddenly thinking of their own house‑building, she spoke up, "Grandma, our family is going to build a house after the New Year. It should be only a few months before we can move over. When that time comes, the house we’re living in now will be empty, and it can be given to younger aunt’s family to live in, if younger aunt doesn’t mind our place being too shabby."

At this moment Yang Ming’s mother also spoke, "Yes, when the time comes we’ll have younger sister‑in‑law move into the courtyard we’re living in now."

The old lady was overjoyed when she heard this and hurriedly said to her little daughter, "Aren’t you going to thank your second sister‑in‑law."

"Thank you, second sister‑in‑law." The younger aunt expressed her thanks, her heart a mixture of feelings. She hadn’t wanted to ask help from her maiden family, but her own home really had nothing left to cook. She had thought it would be very hard, yet she hadn’t expected that things were better at home now, and she seemed to be able to see good days ahead.