After Becoming An Evil Mother-In-Law, She Just Wants To Clear Her Name! - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Zhao Xiaohua Jumped Into the River

Zhao Xiaoshu did not move.

Just as Zhao Dahe’s patience was about to run out, Zhao Xiaoshu inched closer and said, “Dahe, you wanted to sleep in my room, but you didn’t show me any mercy.”

Zhao Dahe was his mother’s favorite son. If Zhao Xiaoshu made him angry, what would his mother do? If Meng Yao scolded Zhao Xiaoshu, it would prove her words were untrue.

Zhao Xiaoshu quietly waited for Zhao Dahe to get angry. However, there was no response. Then he heard rustling sounds. It was Zhao Dahe taking off his clothes.

“Are you angry, Dahe?” Zhao Xiaoshu asked.

“You’re in a sorry state, and I can’t bear to be angry with you. Besides, Mother is right. I live in the school and only return when I take a monthly break. It’s a waste to leave the other room empty, so I’ll be merciful and let you have this one,” Zhao Dahe muttered. “You better remember how well I’m treating you, Xiaoshu.”

Zhao Dahe’s reaction was completely different from what Zhao Xiaoshu expected. Zhao Xiaoshu did not know how to react.

“Hey, Xiaoshu. Do you hate Mother?” Zhao Dahe suddenly asked.

Zhao Xiaoshu did not say anything.

Zhao Dahe muttered, “I’d hate Mother if I were you. That carpenter almost killed you, didn’t he?”

“I didn’t die. Mother saved me,” Zhao Xiaoshu mumbled.

“It was indeed Mother who saved you. I was the one who told her not to go looking for you and that she only had a dream. But Mother insisted on going and promised Mr. Niu several times to send us to the town,” Zhao Dahe said. “I can tell that Mother is worried about you.”

“You’re smart, right, Dahe? Can dreams be a form of warning?” Zhao Xiaoshu asked.

“How would I know? Everyone has dreams. Some of them are memorable, and some of them aren’t. What do you think?” Zhao Dahe replied. “However, it might be true that a mother and her children are connected.”

“We’re Mother’s flesh and blood,” Zhao Dahe added. “Perhaps when I encounter danger in the future, she will dream of it too.”

‘Would she?’ Zhao Xiaoshu wondered.

“However, I still feel that our mother is different from before,” Zhao Dahe continued.

Meng Yao looked the same on the outside but differed on the inside. Zhao Xiaoshu was silent for a while before saying, “I don’t think it’s a big deal.”

He wanted to say, “I think this is good.”

“I know, right? I must be overthinking. All right, hurry up and sleep. You’re injured all over, so you need to rest well,” Zhao Dahe yawned. He was sleepy and did not want to talk to Zhao Xiaoshu anymore.

He had forgotten that he was the one who had pulled Zhao Xiaoshu over to talk.

Zhao Xiaoshu heaved a sigh and slowly fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Meng Yao was dreaming again. In the dream, the fifteen-year-old Zhao Xiaohua fell into a river because she was too fat. She never got married and became a joke in Shanghua village.

Ying Luo’s predecessor, who loved Zhao Xiaohua, exploded after a failed matchmaking attempt. She pointed at Zhao Xiaohua and uttered all kinds of insults.

Zhao Xiaohua ran out of the door and met a young man by the river. Zhao Xiaohua liked him. Zhao Xiaohua told him her true feelings out of impulse.

“Why don’t you take a good look at yourself? You’re as fat as a pig, so what made you think I would like you? It’s simply revolting. A person like you is useless in life. Hurry up and die so the rest of us can have some food.”

Ying Luo’s predecessor’s insults didn’t overwhelm Zhao Xiaohua. Instead, the humiliation of her sweetheart was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. Zhao Xiaohua jumped into the river in despair.

The teenage boy was scared and ran away. He didn’t even go to the Zhao family for help.

When the villagers found Zhao Xiaohua, she had already drowned. Zhao Xiaohua died at such a young age.

Meng Yao gasped as she woke up from her dream. Images of Zhao Xiaohua affectionately holding her arm flashed in Meng Yao’s mind. Zhao Xiaohua was such an adorable young girl. How could Meng Yao watch her die?

The teenage boy’s name was Han Muchi, and he had just moved to Shanghua Village with his widowed mother. Meng Yao did not know where they came from, but she knew Madam Han had bought land in the village, and Li Zheng had settled their affairs.

Han Muchi had red lips and white teeth. He was handsome and didn’t fit in with the teenagers in Shanghua Village, but his mysteriousness made all the girls in Shanghua village adore him.

Since Han Muchi and his mother had settled down in Shanghua Village, Meng Yao could not stop them. However, she could stop Zhao Xiaohua from jumping into the river.

Meng Yao wanted her daughter to have an average body so no one would insult her. That way, even if Zhao Xiaohua wanted to confess her feelings to Han Muchi, he would accept her, unlike in the dream.

Perhaps even a simple “no, I don’t like you.” That way, Zhao Xiaohua would be sad but wouldn’t commit suicide.

After calming her emotions, Meng Yao lay down again, tossing and turning for a long while before falling asleep again.

Meng Yao was stunned when she woke up the following looked at the unfamiliar room. She forgot that she had transmigrated and had four children and a daughter-in-law.

Originally, Song Xiu’er was the one who made breakfast at home. Now that she was in confinement, Meng Yao had to make breakfast. Her cooking skills were quite good. She could make a tasty breakfast for the children.

Using food to win people’s hearts was always an excellent method.

Meng Yao made pumpkin soup, steamed egg custard, pancakes, and cold vegetables. Meng Yao moved quickly, and by the time the children woke up, she had already finished cooking.

Zhao Dahe was the first to wake up. In school, he had to wake up at the stipulated time every day because he had to study in the morning.

The fragrance of the food lured Zhao Dahe into the kitchen.

“Mother, why are you the one cooking?” Zhao Dahe blurted out. He only recalled that his sister-in-law had a miscarriage the day before and was still in confinement.

“You’re just in time. Please bring Xiaoshu’s food to him. He’s injured and can’t get off the bed,” Meng Yao ordered Zhao Dahe around.

Zhao Dajiang also got up, and Meng Yao gave Song Xiu’er’s share to him. Afterward, she went to Zhao Xiaohua’s room to wake her up.

Zhao Xiaohua was still thinking about going to town to get some pretty clothes today, so he didn’t stay in bed like usual. When Meng Yao called her, she immediately got up.

During breakfast, Zhao Dahe was amazed by the taste of the food. “Mother, when did your cooking skills become so good?”

Meng Yao was very calm. “Was my cooking bad in the past?”

Her predecessor’s cooking skills were average, and she couldn’t compare to Ying Luo. However, deliberately making the food taste terrible was disrespectful, and Meng Yao couldn’t do that.

Zhao Dahe did not answer his own question. Instead, he nudged Zhao Dajiang, who was busy eating, with his elbow. “Did mother cook well in the past?”

Zhao Dajiang didn’t know what was going on and answered honestly, “She didn’t cook as well as this, that’s for sure.”