Chapter 214: Toughened Up

Of course, she agreed.

Then her son said he would send her back to their hometown.

That would never do.

She absolutely refused to go back to their hometown.

She threw a tantrum and even resorted to threats, but this time, her son was dead set.

He wasn’t afraid of her threats at all.

In fact, he said that if she didn’t agree, the whole family might as well move back to the village.

He would leave the army.

His resolve was unshakable.

Mrs. Hao was genuinely frightened by her son’s ultimatum.

’There was no way they were going back to the village, and her son couldn’t leave the army.’

So, she compromised and surrendered control of the household.

Because of this incident, she had come to hate her eldest daughter-in-law to the very bone.

’Wasn’t it just a little brat getting a minor burn?’

’Why did she have to make such a big deal out of it?’

She had used that tube of ointment.

’As the grandmother, didn’t she have the right to use it first? Was it really necessary to cause such a scene?’

’Besides, didn’t they just buy a replacement the next day?’

Of course, she also hated the mother and daughter next door.

’They were the ones who started it all.’

And what’s more, when her son came home and saw how badly she’d been beaten, he didn’t even go next door to demand justice for her.

It really infuriated her.

Cui Meihong saw her getting angry and decided not to say anything else.

It would only encourage her mother-in-law to get even more worked up.

She just ate faster—

But this only made Mrs. Hao even angrier. "Were you a starving ghost in a past life?"

Seeing her grandmother scolding her mother, the little girl retorted in a small, childish voice, "Mama’s not a starving ghost—"

This made Mrs. Hao even more furious.

She detested this damned little brat.

’If it weren’t for this damned brat, how could her son have grown so distant from his own mother?’

"You damned brat, how dare you talk back to me? You want me to slap you?"

The little girl was frightened by her grandmother’s vicious expression. Her eyes welled up with tears, and she was on the verge of crying.

Cui Meihong immediately put down her chopsticks and picked up her daughter. "Mom, why are you taking your anger out on a child? And for the record, I make enough money to support myself and my daughter."

Mrs. Hao scoffed. "With the pittance you earn from sweeping floors?"

Cui Meihong’s expression was placid. "I passed the school’s teaching examination. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be teaching first-grade math."

"You? A teacher? Hah! As if you’re worthy—"

"Mom, I graduated from middle school. I got a perfect score on the exam, and the principal has already agreed to hire me."

Seeing her serious expression, Mrs. Hao stammered, "—Are, are you telling the truth?"

Cui Meihong nodded. "Of course. I would never joke about something like this."

Mrs. Hao was genuinely stunned.

’She never thought the wench had it in her.’

Her eyes darted about for a moment, and then her tone suddenly softened. "Meihong, a middle school graduate like you won’t be able to teach properly. It’ll just be more exhausting for you. Look, your sweeping job is perfectly fine. You should just stick with that."

"Go talk to the principal tomorrow and give your teaching position to your sister-in-law. She’s a high school graduate, you know. Wouldn’t she be a better teacher than you? You shouldn’t be leading students astray—"

Cui Meihong stared in disbelief.

She couldn’t believe that instead of impressing her mother-in-law, her new job only made the woman want to take it from her and give it to her sister-in-law.

In that instant, fury ignited within her. "Mom, I am not giving my teaching job to my sister-in-law. I earned this position on my own merit. If she wants to be a teacher, she can go take the test and earn it herself."

"And another thing, don’t even think about having your sister-in-law move into this family compound. I will not let her live in my house."

With that, she stormed out, holding her daughter tightly.

This left Mrs. Hao positively fuming.

"You... You’re rebelling! Since when is this house yours to run? I’ll bring over anyone I damn well please—"