Su Ermei shot her second sister-in-law a disdainful look and said, "What’s wrong, cat got your tongue? Weren’t you quite the hotshot before? Weren’t you always trying to crush me?"

"Eldest Sister-in-law, how could you say such a thing? Am I that kind of person?" Second Madam Hu said, trying to curry favor.

"You know exactly what kind of person you are. Now hurry up and go move the things. You have no manners at all. I’ll take my time teaching you a lesson later."

"You’re right to scold me, Eldest Sister-in-law. Eldest Brother-in-law, would you like some tea? I can go pour you a cup."

"Oh? ’Eldest Sister-in-law’? Funny, I don’t think I’ve heard you call me that in years," Su Ermei said relentlessly.

"I swear, I’ve always respected you, Eldest Sister-in-law. But Third Sister forbade us from calling you that, and who in our family dares to cross her?"

’You don’t dare cross her either, do you?’ The Second Wife of Hu’s eyes darted, but she kept that last thought to herself.

She didn’t like the Hu family’s third sister either. The woman was as ruthless in her betrayal as she had once been sycophantic toward her eldest sister-in-law.

But every time she came home, she would bring lots of candy for the Hu family’s grandchildren. Her own son would spare one or two pieces for her to try.

Third Sister would also bring back clothes she no longer wanted from her maiden home.

But they were still in good condition, made from fine fabrics and in styles they couldn’t even bear to buy for the New Year.

She would pointedly not give any of the things she brought back to this eldest sister-in-law. How could a woman so used to being the center of attention stand that!

Just when Second Madam Hu thought Su Ermei had been crushed under the Hu family’s heel, never to recover...

...her brother came back completely unscathed. ’If I’d known her brother would be fine, I would have secretly been sucking up to this bitch all along!’

’Ugh! I regret this so much!’

"Hmph. You’re smart enough to know what’s good for you. I’ll let the past go, but don’t you dare follow her in ganging up on me again."

Su Ermei warned her second sister-in-law, riding on her brother’s coattails. The feeling of being proud and vindicated was back.

"Eldest Sister-in-law, I’ve always respected you! Third Sister forced me to go along with them and pick on you, really."

Su Ermei sneered, "Stop pretending. Don’t think I don’t know what’s going on in that little head of yours."

"Where is this coming from? If Third Sister hadn’t forced me, how would I ever dare to step on you, Eldest Sister-in-law!" the Second Wife of Hu said, stubbornly refusing to admit fault.

Su Ermei scoffed disdainfully, "Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. And don’t bother making tea. My brother won’t drink it."

"If my brother-in-law won’t drink, I’ll pour a cup for my eldest sister-in-law. No matter what, you’re still my eldest sister-in-law. Pouring you tea is the least I can do."

Second Madam Hu sounded sincere. She figured that Third Sister’s husband held a high position, and this brother-in-law of hers might not necessarily be able to best him. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

If her eldest sister-in-law’s brother could get the upper hand, she’d be happy. But what would be even better was if they both destroyed each other; then she could just sit back and watch them get their comeuppance.

"I said he’s not drinking. Stop being an eyesore and go help move the things. Sucking up to me is useless. I’ll make all of you understand the consequences for stepping all over me."

"You..." Second Madam Hu was so angry she was speechless. She stormed into the house in a huff.

Su Ermei watched her leave and cursed inwardly, ’Bitch. I knew you were a fickle opportunist.’

’Trying to curry favor with my brother while still sucking up to Third Sister. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.’

Su Ermei knew full well that the Hu family had only been so eager for her to marry Hu Yungeng because she was riding on her brother’s coattails.

Before her brother became successful, no family in Shuanghe Village was willing to let her marry into their home.

This was because she had been fiery and aggressive since she was a child, always saying whatever was on her mind and refusing to be diplomatic or suck up to anyone.

So, the villagers would call her "straightforward" to her face, but behind her back, they’d say she was arrogant, always with that annoyingly self-righteous attitude.

But the Hu Family was different. They were outsiders, not a family native to Shuanghe Village.

The wife of their eldest son needed to be a fiery local girl to keep them from being ostracized by the other villagers.

By the time she married into the Hu Family, her brother was already successful and sent a lot of money home every month.

Her mother doted on her daughter and granddaughter, so every time she received the money order, she would give a few yuan to her married daughter.

Her mother would also buy candy for her granddaughter whenever she went to town, so Hu Yungeng’s two younger brothers and his sister would all try to get on her good side.

Back then, it wasn’t just the Hu family that had to show her deference; even the entire production team gave her a wide berth.

Even during collective labor, she would just go through the motions and slack off. If she could do one bit less work, she wouldn’t lift a finger to do an iota more.

But ever since her brother was crippled, whether it was at collective labor or in the Hu household, most of the work was dumped on her.

How could she, who had always had such a smooth life, endure that? She watched her second sister-in-law’s retreating back with a cold expression.

She secretly swore to herself that she would never let them off easy.

While Su Ermei was watching her second sister-in-law’s back, Su Shuochi was sitting in his chair, watching his own sister.

He had left Shuanghe Village in his teens. Young and naive, he didn’t understand the ways of the world, so he never paid much mind to his sister’s temperament.

Just now, he’d heard the village chief say that this sister of his was too "straightforward" and easily offended people.

A "straightforward" person, to put it bluntly, had a screw loose. In the eyes of others, she was just a big fool.

The Hu family had praised his sister until she grew arrogant and reckless, turning her into a weapon in their hands.

When her husband’s younger brother got into a fight, she would jump in and curse out the other party indiscriminately, regardless of whether her brother-in-law was in the right.

When her sister-in-law argued with another girl, she would roll up her sleeves and start cursing like a shrew in the street.

And that was to say nothing of her mother-in-law. If the Hu family’s matriarch got into an argument with another village woman...

...his sister would definitely charge forward and curse them until they were raw before she’d stop.

And every time, the Hu family would flatter her with awe, telling her how amazing she was, saying the whole family depended on her.

So she, too, began to believe the Hu family couldn’t live without her, and she became even more eager to take the lead in every conflict.

Little did she know, in doing so, she had offended everyone in Shuanghe Village, young and old alike.

And why did everyone secretly hate her but not dare to criticize her to her face? It came down to the same reason: her brother was successful!

Then one day, her brother fell. He was crippled. And his sister became a public enemy that everyone wanted a piece of.

When she was being controlled and tormented by the Hu family, not a single person in the village stepped forward to help her.

When Third Madam Hu got into a fight with Aunt Wang, her mother-in-law even forced her to go and beat Aunt Wang until she was bloody.

A villager reported it to the police, and the Hu family used the opportunity to kick her while she was down, unanimously making her the scapegoat and trying to get her sent to prison.

Even the villagers wished that this menace would go rot in jail.

Thankfully, her husband, Hu Yungeng, had some genuine feelings for her and stepped up to defend her. But he was outnumbered and weak, and the Wang Family’s father and son beat him until he was bleeding profusely.

At her most helpless and desperate moment, he returned. And his sister had her confidence back.

Look at her now, the very picture of a villain triumphant. And her arrogant behavior toward her second sister-in-law just now—wasn’t that a textbook case of bullying others with borrowed power?