C16 Blind

She panted, "Are they blind or what?" then shot a reproachful look at her daughter-in-law. "Didn't you say there wouldn't be any problems?"

If it hadn't been for her second daughter-in-law's assurances, she wouldn't have given away the plumpest rabbit from the pen.

Zhang Cuihua hadn't expected this turn of events. She originally intended to set up her brother with someone from her side of the family, but that girl got engaged just a few days ago. Now that the rabbit had been given away, her family wasn't about to return it.

So, her mother looked around and found the eldest daughter-in-law from the Gu family. The woman, enticed by the benefits Zhang Cuihua's mother promised, assured her there would be no issue. But the girl in question wasn't interested at all.

After all this running around, there was still no clear solution, and Zhang Cuihua had to come clean.

"What? My son isn't good enough for her or something?"

No one likes hearing their child isn't good enough, and Mrs. Wang was fiercely protective. Hearing that someone didn't think her son was up to par made her eyes widen in anger.

Zhang Cuihua, usually intimidated by her formidable mother-in-law, felt uneasy since she had overpromised and underdelivered. Trying to distance herself from the mess, she quickly added, "Exactly, Mom! Where else can you find someone like my brother? If that Gu girl can't see that, it's her loss. You shouldn't bother with her."

Mrs. Wang was angry but didn't want her son to hear about it and lose face. She glared at her second daughter-in-law, "Keep your mouth shut. If your brother finds out, I'll have to deal with you!"

"Don't worry, Mom. My lips are sealed," Zhang Cuihua assured, patting her chest with a smile.

Mrs. Wang knew her second daughter-in-law loved to gossip, eager to spread any tidbit around the whole village. But she also knew that when it came to this matter, Zhang Cuihua wouldn't dare to blab.

Originally hoping to quickly arrange a good match for her eldest, Mrs. Wang found her plans falling through. She lost all motivation for cooking and chores, setting down her spoon and heading to her room to lie down after giving a few instructions.

Mrs. Zhang watched her mother-in-law retreat into the house, pursing her lips. Even with her own belly round with pregnancy, she was left to handle the cooking and chores. Despite her reluctance, she dared not defy her mother-in-law's wishes, so she picked up the spoon and continued adding water to the pot.

Mrs. Zhang's cooking wasn't great, but most families in the village ate just to fill their stomachs, so taste didn't make much difference. However, when she noticed the small cabinet her mother-in-law had forgotten to lock, her eyes lit up. Normally, she wasn't even allowed to touch the key to that cabinet. The ingredients inside were strictly managed by Mrs. Wang, and just the sight of that small bowl of eggs had made her mouth water for ages.

She touched her belly, thinking it would be a shame not to seize this chance for a good meal. By the time they sat down to eat, Mrs. Wang looked at the pot of pork stewed with cabbage and nearly slapped herself in regret. Her eyes then caught the egg yolk still on the corner of Mrs. Zhang's mouth, and she almost couldn't breathe.

This rascal had actually stolen eggs!

At the table, Mrs. Wang's face was anything but pleasant. Meanwhile, Zhang Cuihua, having already eaten two eggs, ignored her mother-in-law's expression and continued eating her cornbread. Watching her second daughter-in-law take large bites of the food, Mrs. Wang couldn't hold back any longer: "Your husband hasn't eaten yet. Go call him."

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