The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Chapter 269 The Awakened Daughter

"What are you doing, Chunni? Don't you think your father beat you enough?"

Cao pulled Chunni into the kitchen and scolded her softly.

She saw Chunni raise a stick to hit Chunwang just now, and she saw it clearly.

Privately, Cao Shi doted on Chunwang more. There was no other reason than that Chunwang was the only heir of the Tian family, and the idea that boys were more precious than girls had been instilled in her mind since childhood.

Furthermore, Chunwang gave her the illusion that she would have someone to rely on in the future.

Chunni said indignantly, "Mother, we are all children of the Tian family. Why does Chunwang get to eat meat without doing any work, while I get beaten for eating a piece of meat every day after working?"

Cao sighed and said, "Because you are a daughter and Chunwang is a son."

Chunni frowned as she recalled Tong Huaqiong's words and said, "Why do sons get to eat while daughters don't?"

Cao said, "It's not just our family that's like this; every family is like this. It was like this when I was at your maternal grandmother's house, and it was like this when your paternal grandmother was at her maternal home. Daughters are all the same."

Chunni thought for a moment and said, "No, it's different at Grandma Tong's house. Aunt Taohua has always had good food and clothes since she was a child, and Man'er is now eating and dressing the same way as Yaozu. Aunt Taohua is in charge of Grandma Tong's shop, and Grandma Tong even said that the family property will be divided between Aunt Taohua and Man'er in the future."

Cao smiled wryly; Chunni was far too naive.

Such families are, after all, a minority.

Not to mention the entire Qinghe Bay, there are very few like this even in the whole prefecture city.

Cao said, "How can Chunni's family compare to Grandma Tong's family? Grandma Tong is only good to girls now that she has money from opening a shop. She wasn't good to Man'er before."

Chunni still felt it wasn't about the money.

Xu Jin's family was wealthy, but they still married Xu Zaohua off to the Zheng family. Why couldn't they bear to let their son marry into the Zheng family?

Chunni said, "But Grandma Tong has always been very good to Aunt Taohua. When the Gu family was very poor, Aunt Taohua lived a better life than Uncle Dashu and Uncle Jingzhe."

Cao didn't know what to say, so she hurriedly interrupted Chunni, saying, "Don't say such things. If your father and grandmother hear it, they'll beat you again."

Chunni smiled. How could her father and grandmother know? It was Chunwang who told on her.

"I'm finished eating." Chunwang walked into the kitchen and casually tossed the bowl into the basin, splashing water all over the floor.

Chunni looked at the solidified lard in the bowl, and her heart felt as heavy and uneasy as the lard itself.

"This child." Madam Cao shook her head with a gentle smile, her eyes full of doting affection.

Chunni looked at Cao Shi quietly and said, "Mother, I think Grandma Tong is right. Chunwang is deliberately making false accusations. He knows everything. He's doing it on purpose."

Cao was chopping vegetables when she straightened up and said, "Your brother is still a child. What does he know? If he bothers you in the future, just avoid him."

Chunni frowned and said, "He's not young anymore; he's only a year younger than me."

Cao shook her head and said, "He is a boy. Boys don't grow up until they get married."

Chunni didn't understand why her mother said that. She remembered what Tong Huaqiong had said: Chunwang wasn't ignorant, he was just too knowledgeable, which is why he made false accusations. If Chunwang is this bad now, he'll probably be just like his father when he grows up.

Chunni knew that no matter how Chunwang treated her, Cao would always make excuses for him.

But Chunwang was equally unfilial to his mother.

Chunni thought for a moment and said, "Mother, Chunwang encouraged Father and Grandma to hit me, so I did. You are his mother, and he watched just the same when Father hit you. Father always goes along with him. If Chunwang is willing to speak up for you, Father will definitely listen to him."

These words touched Cao's heart.

My son really doesn't speak up for me.

She was beaten by her mother-in-law and husband several times, all because of Chunwang.

For example, if she scalded Chunwang's foot bath water and made him wipe his own bottom, or if she said something like, "Don't bully your sister," Chunwang would throw a tantrum and cry incessantly. If the fuss reached her mother-in-law and husband, she would be scolded and even hit by them. Just last night, for instance, because she protected Chunni, Chunwang became unhappy, and when Tian Fugui hit her, Chunwang laughed gleefully.

Cao felt a bit disgusted, but she still tried to defend Chunwang, saying that Chunwang was just too young and had been spoiled by his mother.

He will understand his mother's heart when he grows up.

“Your younger brother is still young, he doesn’t understand anything. Once we make money, we’ll send him to school to learn to read and write. He’ll understand once he goes to school.”

Chunni took a breath; her mother was still trying to excuse Chunwang.

Furthermore, Mother actually had the idea of ​​supporting Chunwang's education.

Do you know how much it costs to go to school, Mom?
If her mother arouses Chunwang's desire to study, but the family doesn't have enough money, she will still be the one who suffers.

Dad and Grandma would not hesitate to exchange her for money.

Chunni raised her voice and said vehemently, "Mother, Chunwang is not cut out for studying."

Chunni, who was usually docile, spoke loudly for the first time, which startled Cao Shi.

She hadn't expected that letting Chunwang study would provoke such a strong reaction from Chunni.

Madam Cao sighed and said, "From now on, you and I will both have to rely on your younger brother. I will rely on your younger brother to support me in my old age, and you will rely on your younger brother to support you when you get married. If your younger brother really studies hard and becomes successful, neither of us will have to put up with your grandmother and father's temper."

With tears in her eyes, Chunni said, "Mother, don't you understand? Whether Chunwang is successful or not has no impact on us. Father and Grandma won't treat you better just because he's successful. Mother, have you ever thought about how Chunwang needs money to go to school? If we don't have the money, Father and Grandma will sell me."

Cao remained silent for a while, amazed that her husband and mother-in-law could do such a thing.

But she was unwilling to let her son go to school.

She heard that if her son studied hard and became an official, she, as his mother, would receive an imperial decree, and then no one would dare to bully her.

She had the intention of sending Chunwang to school.

When Chunwang arrives at school and learns principles from the teacher, he will understand the importance of loving his older sister and being filial to his mother.

Ultimately, the reason Chunwang is like this is because no one has taught him reason.

As a mother, she was difficult to teach because of her mother-in-law and husband, while the husband was not afraid of Granny Luo and Tian Fugui.

However, Chunni's concerns were not unfounded.

Cao comforted Chunni, saying, "We'll talk about this later. I can't just watch your grandmother and father sell you."

Cao thought that if she and Chunni earned money together, they would have enough to support Chunwang's education and wouldn't have to sell Chunni.

In the past, Chunni would have been grateful to her mother and felt sorry for her.

But for some reason, ever since she left Tong Huaqiong's house and heard what Tong Huaqiong said, she no longer thought that way.

Chunni asked Cao Shi, "Mother, if the money we earn can't support Chunwang, and if you could only choose one of us, who would you choose?"

Then Chunwang is the obvious choice.

Cao had an answer without hesitation, but she swallowed the words back. Chunni was already hurt, and she couldn't bear to hurt Chunni's heart any further.

When Chunni grows up, she'll understand that every daughter does things for her brothers.

Cao patted Chunni's head and secretly slipped an egg into her hand, saying, "Don't think too much. We'll be able to earn money soon. When I earn money, I'll buy you flowers to wear, like the ones Man'er wears, okay?"

Cao's change of topic left Chunni slightly disappointed.

However, she still felt sorry for her mother and didn't want her to be sad, so she nodded.