Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The story of the wicked mother-in-law, Xing Ruyi, has been heard and seen many times. However, one as malicious as Honghua is something she had never encountered before, and one as pitiful as Honghua is likely something that future writers will struggle to create.
Ordinary mothers-in-law, no matter how harsh they are, tend to soften after the person dies. Once someone passes away, even their words carry a hint of disguise, making one wonder if the daughter-in-law's death truly had anything to do with her mother-in-law. But Li Nan's mother clearly didn't even want to pretend; she forced her son to divorce his wife right before her death. That scoundrel Li Nan actually complied.
At this moment, the atmosphere in Luoyang City had returned to normal, as if the recent dark clouds and strong winds were merely a figment of one's imagination. Only those still at the Li Family Tavern understood what had truly happened.
The fox and Yin Yuan had already arrived. The fox was holding Xing Ruyi with one arm, looking at her with a hint of pity, his gaze never leaving her pale lips since entering. Yin Yuan was more carefree and had taken the girl Li Lu out to play.
Li Siniang and Lingling couldn't see Honghua, but the sudden drop in temperature inside the room made them feel a chill. This time, without needing Xing Ruyi to urge her, Li Siniang took Lingling out herself.
Honghua stood there awkwardly; although she was filled with resentment, the hostility radiating from her had diminished considerably.
The fox drew a circle around himself and Xing Ruyi, creating a barrier that enclosed them both. He then cast a spell, and only then did Xing Ruyi start to feel warm.
"As the old saying goes, when one person suffers, if two share the burden, it becomes half; when one person experiences joy and two share it, it becomes double joy. Although your past is your own story that I shouldn't pry into or inquire about, you must have a place to vent all this resentment. If you don't mind sharing it with me, perhaps I can help you and your child."
"Can you really help us?"
Honghua took a step forward, but black smoke suddenly rose from beneath her feet. The smoke seemed to have limbs of its own as it rushed toward the barrier created by the fox.
"Don't be agitated! Please calm down!" Xing Ruyi saw the swirling black mist approaching and disregarded any sense of decorum; she squatted down and poked at the black mist through the barrier. When she saw it retreating in defeat, she looked up at Honghua: "You died feeling wronged, so there's a pent-up frustration in your chest that hasn't dissipated. Coupled with your child’s presence, it has coalesced into an incredibly powerful resentment. If this were in Japan, it might resemble an ancient curse. But we people of the Golden Tang Dynasty are broad-minded; you are especially kind-hearted. Therefore, until now, this resentment has only manifested in this form.
Although this resentment doesn't harm others, it's quite troublesome in the eyes of those Ghost Messengers. They won't recklessly take you back to the underworld while this resentment lingers. Even though my husband is handsome enough to walk confidently in the underworld, he might not be able to persuade the King of Hell on your behalf due to this matter. So for now, we need to eliminate all your grievances so that you can take your daughter and start anew."
"Well..." Honghua hesitated: "There’s a saying that family shame should not be aired outside; how can I bring this up?"
"Family shame indeed should not be aired outside, but are you still part of the Li Family?" Xing Ruyi blinked at Honghua: "Sister Honghua, don't forget that you were personally ordered out of your home by your mother-in-law and that your husband gave you a document called a divorce decree just before you left. So what you're dealing with now isn't family shame; it's a story about a wicked mother-in-law and a weak daughter-in-law from someone else's household."
Xing Ruyi poked the fox with her hand and pointed to a nearby stool, saying, "Hurry up and conjure up a stool for Sister Honghua too, so she can sit comfortably while telling us stories."
The fox shot a sideways glance at Xing Ruyi but still complied, conjuring a stool for Honghua.
Honghua smiled shyly. Being a ghost, she didn't need to sit to talk. However, since the fox had already created the stool, it would be inappropriate for her not to use it. So she bowed slightly and said, "Thank you, miss! Thank you, sir!"
If Honghua's story were placed on modern forums, it might attract a sensational title like: "Wicked Mother-in-Law Causes Granddaughter's Death and Even Tells Son to Divorce!"
Whether it would cause an uproar, Xing Ruyi did not know, but such posts would certainly garner attention, and those who read them would likely feel their teeth grinding in frustration.
Growing up, Honghua and Li Nan were somewhat like childhood sweethearts, as their families lived not far apart. Li Nan was raised solely by his mother, while Honghua relied on her father. Their similar backgrounds made their union seem appropriate; however, Li Nan's mother did not share that sentiment. She always felt that Honghua was unworthy of her son.
The reason Honghua was able to marry Li Nan was partly due to Li Nan's insistence and partly because the Li family was not well-off and could not afford to marry another girl. Thus, Li Nan's mother reluctantly agreed.
Since Li Nan was an only child and lived with his widowed mother, after marrying Li Nan, Honghua continued to live with her mother-in-law, who controlled everything in the household.
After their marriage, Honghua tried her best to please her mother-in-law in hopes of gaining her approval or even a little affection. Yet no matter what she did, her mother-in-law always found fault.
Li Nan was originally a dutiful son who went against his mother's wishes by marrying Honghua, which caused his mother much sadness. Therefore, after their marriage, no matter how much hardship Honghua endured, Li Nan only advised her to be patient.
When Honghua was seven months pregnant, her mother-in-law forced her to work; earning even one copper coin less was unacceptable. After working hard all day and returning home, she had to wash clothes, cook meals, and give massages—nothing could be neglected. If she failed to meet her mother-in-law's expectations in any task, she would go without food.
At that time, Honghua was only about sixteen or seventeen years old. With her husband Li Nan not supporting her verbally, she could only grit her teeth and endure. Occasionally, there were times when her mother-in-law was in a good mood.
On those good days, Honghua was allowed to serve nearby while her mother-in-law and husband ate first. Only after they finished could she sit at the table. However, by then the leftovers were often cold and unappetizing. Under pressure from her mother-in-law, Honghua didn’t dare heat them up. Spring, summer, and autumn were manageable; winter was the worst when the food turned icy cold—eating it made her shiver all over. But for Li Nan's sake, for the child in her womb, and for her own family, Honghua endured.
Some neighbors couldn't bear to watch this situation unfold and advised Honghua's mother-in-law: "This girl is already pregnant; don’t make her work anymore. Even if your family is poor, you can manage for this month. As a mother-in-law, you should treat her better; look how thin she’s become! In the end, it will be your own grandson who suffers."
How did Honghua's mother-in-law respond to the neighbors? She said, "My family's affairs are none of your business, so don't meddle and point fingers. After years of being a daughter-in-law, I've finally become a mother-in-law. Why shouldn't I indulge in the pleasures of being a mother-in-law? Besides, all I'm doing is being filial to my role as a mother-in-law and taking care of my husband. How is that mistreating her?"
And so it went on, until finally, after ten months, Honghua gave birth to a beautiful girl for the Li family. However, her mother-in-law didn't even glance at the baby. While other families might have difficult mothers-in-law, at least the daughter-in-law would get an egg to eat after giving birth. But Honghua could only drink thin soup, barely enough to sustain her.
Just after she had given birth, her mother-in-law threw a basin of cold water and a thick stack of clothes at Honghua. Fearing her mother-in-law's anger, Honghua had no choice but to drag her post-delivery body to wash the clothes.
Not only did she have no rest during the month of confinement, but she also had to wash clothes, cook meals, and serve her in-laws. Yet even with all this effort, her mother-in-law was still dissatisfied, complaining that since Honghua had given birth to a daughter, she couldn't go out to work. The food and necessities became increasingly scarce.
Honghua could endure going without food herself, but what about her daughter? Just born and already starving, the baby cried out in hunger. Eventually, the child fell ill. Holding her child in her arms and dragging her weak body, Honghua knelt at her mother-in-law's door all night, pleading for some money to take her daughter to see a doctor. But her mother-in-law thought that having a girl was a financial burden for the Li family and refused to spend any money on medical care.
With no money coming in from her mother-in-law, Honghua could only endure while holding onto her daughter. It was the neighbors who couldn't bear to see this situation and secretly gathered some money for Honghua. However, before she could even warm the money in her hands, her mother-in-law found out. She snatched the money away from Honghua and went off to find a fortune teller who brought back a bowl of "divine water" for the child. Ignoring Honghua's desperate protests, she forced the child to drink it.
After drinking the "divine water," the baby passed away.
Honghua was heartbroken beyond measure while her mother-in-law hummed nearby, saying it was just the child's fate; she was never meant to live.
After ten months of pregnancy and finally giving birth to her daughter, losing her like this devastated Honghua. She felt both anger and hatred towards her mother-in-law and resentment towards her husband Li Nan. In despair, she fell ill! Seeing this, her mother-in-law showed no remorse; instead, she pressured Li Nan into writing a divorce letter for Honghua. From that moment on, Honghua severed ties with the Li family.
At the moment she received the divorce letter, Honghua felt a sense of relief but kept staring at Li Nan and his mother with wide-open eyes that refused to close for a long time. Only then did her mother-in-law feel guilty and reluctantly give Li Nan some coins to buy a mat so they could bury Honghua and her daughter in the outskirts.
Comment 0 Comment Count