While Second Madam Hu was cursing Su Ermei in her heart, she also looked down on Hu San. ’That damned girl is really too much!’

’Before, she forced us all to hate Su Ermei, and now she wants to suck up to her all by herself.’

’She’s trying to seduce Su Ermei’s older brother... She has no shame.’

Although Second Madam Hu was furious, she didn’t dare say it out loud. She just banged and slammed things around as she worked.

Occasionally, she would scorn her husband for being muddle-headed, but Hu Erge just kept his head down and worked.

He wasn’t quick-witted like Second Madam Hu, who was always overthinking things. He was an honest, simple man who knew nothing but work.

The rest of the Hu Family also remained silent, unsure of what they should do next.

Take the Hu Family’s youngest son, for example. He liked to suck up to his brother-in-law, but the man had just left them in the lurch.

The youngest son’s wife liked to curry favor with Hu San, but right now, Hu San was eagerly trailing behind Su Ermei!

She had wanted to keep Su Ermei’s things for herself before. Now, not only did she not dare to, but she even had to help move them to the Su family’s house. It was so frustrating.

When Second Madam Hu saw that her husband remained silent and had no intention of speaking up for Hu San, she grew bolder. "Honestly, Hu San, why are you so thick-headed?"

"What’s it to you?" Hu San had always looked down on this sister-in-law, so her tone was hostile from the start.

"You haven’t done anything to me, no. But Su Ermei’s brother didn’t marry you back then, and now you’re already married. Do you really think he’d still be interested in you?"

"You... You stop slinging mud! I have no such designs on him."

"Anyone with eyes can see it, and you still won’t admit it? Aren’t you afraid of what people will say? How can a married woman be so shameless?"

Hu San’s face flushed red with fury, but her sister-in-law’s every word struck a nerve.

She was too embarrassed to retort, but her younger sister-in-law dared to. The youngest son’s wife rolled up her sleeves and stormed up to Second Madam Hu. "What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Nonsense? Look at your husband! He loafs around all day, messing with the riffraff in town... Goodness, he’s a complete disgrace to our Hu Family..."

It was the first time her second sister-in-law had ever pointed a finger at her and said such things. The youngest son’s wife trembled with rage.

She couldn’t understand how her usually timid sister-in-law had suddenly become so sharp-tongued and vicious!

Seeing the two Hu women—the sister and sister-in-law—silenced by her words, Second Madam Hu held her head high like a victorious rooster.

The truth was, ever since she was little, her grandmother and father had always berated her for no reason, all because her mother couldn’t get pregnant again after she was born.

While scolding her, her father would also kick her mother and curse, "You useless hen who can’t even lay an egg! Such bad luck."

Muttering curses, her father would go off to work in the fields.

Her grandmother would come out of the kitchen, hold her, and look at her with an expression of disgust.

She would mutter to herself, "You little jinx, you got rid of your little brother. Life isn’t going to be so easy for you from now on. You need to be more perceptive, stop running around outside, help more around the house, and try not to make your parents angry. If only you were a boy. Sigh..."

From her grandmother’s words, she began to understand. It was her fault her brother was gone. It was her fault her parents didn’t have a son.

From then on, her life became one of a major beating every three days and several smaller ones every day.

After being hit so many times, she became obedient and sensible. She did whatever her parents told her to, worked more, and played outside less.

But no matter how hard she tried, her family was no longer as harmonious as it once was.

Her father would always go out to drink his sorrows away. When he came home drunk, he would beat her and her mother, even threatening to beat her mother to death.

Then he’d find another woman who could give him a son.

When her father beat her mother, her mother would cry and then beat her in turn. It was a vicious cycle...

Her grandmother thought divorce was a disgraceful affair and wouldn’t allow her parents to split up.

Although her mother couldn’t carry on the Zhu Family line, she was, after all, the daughter of a relative from her grandmother’s side of the family.

So it was impossible for her father to get a divorce. As Second Madam Hu grew older, she blamed herself more and more, feeling it was her fault that her parents lost their son.

By the time she was eight, under the constant threat of her parents’ sticks, the little girl had learned to do laundry for the whole family. After washing clothes, she would cut pig feed, feed the pigs, and even cook meals...

No matter how hard she worked, she could never win back her parents’ affection.

This continued until she was sixteen. One day at dinner, her grandmother, for once, was all smiles.

She said there was something important to discuss and piled a full bowl with food for her, telling her to eat by the stove.

That night, her father, for a change, didn’t go out drinking. He went to bed early with her mother.

After cleaning up, she crawled into bed and had a dream. She dreamed her mother gave birth to two little brothers.

She and her grandmother took care of the adorable babies, and when her father came home, he would bring her candy just like he used to.

She woke up smiling and told her grandmother about the dream.

Her grandmother patted her head affectionately. "Pandi, my dear child, you’ve suffered so much all these years. Grandma has arranged a marriage for you."

Second Madam Hu was stunned. She was only sixteen!

And the match her grandmother had arranged was with an old butcher from the next village, a man whose previous wives had all died.

Fortunately, her mother truly cared for her. She told her to go after Hu Erge of the Hu Family, saying the Hu Family’s wife treated her daughters-in-law like her own flesh and blood.

Although her mother would beat her after being beaten by her father, she understood her mother’s feelings.

She listened to her mother, and at a young age, latched onto Hu Erge and didn’t let go. In the end, she got her wish and married into the Hu Family.

But the old witch of the Hu Family wasn’t good to her at all. She was only good to Su Ermei, because Su Ermei’s family often sent her nice things.

Her own family, on the other hand, was dirt poor. Forget sending gifts; it was a blessing if they didn’t come scrounging for handouts!

Second Madam Hu recalled all this in the blink of an eye, but by now, Hu San had recovered.

She glared at Second Madam Hu. "And you? Dare you say you weren’t always hovering around my second brother? That you weren’t secretly watching him?"

"Hmph, you cheap woman. You knew what was what even at such a young age, and you still pretend to be so proper..."

The more Hu San cursed, the angrier she got. A raw nerve had been struck in Second Madam Hu. She shot to her feet, her eyes wide with fury.

Pointing at Hu San, she let loose a torrent of abuse. "Don’t you dare slander me! How was I ’secretly watching’ a man?"

"Your second brother wasn’t married and had no children. We were courting normally, what’s wrong with that? Besides, how old were you back then?"

"What could you possibly know? Look at you, a young girl with such dirty thoughts all day long."

Hearing her sister-in-law’s rebuttal, Hu San felt even more irritated. How dare someone so meek talk back to her like this!

She was the town mayor’s wife, for crying out loud! So she stood up too, puffing out her chest. "That’s nonsense! Everyone knows you were just a pitiful little thing nobody wanted."

"Ooh, aren’t you something special? Marrying an old man as his replacement wife. In the old days, they’d call you a concubine."

Hu San was left speechless by Second Madam Hu’s sharp retort, her face turning pale with rage.