Casting Nets to Catch a Husband

Chapter 5: Mother and Daughter

“What happened this morning? When did it become your turn to handle the money matters? Are you not afraid your three sisters-in-law will gossip about you?”

Mrs. Wang lowered her voice and began lecturing in a stern manner. She had always been a little slow to react, and it seemed she had only realized there was something wrong after Liu Yu had left earlier in the morning. Her current attitude made it clear that her displeasure had been brewing inside her all morning.

After finishing her scolding, she extended her hand and demanded, “Where’s the money from selling hair ornaments? Hurry up and give it to me.”

Liu Yu looked at the hand extended in front of her and a hint of mockery flashed in her downcast eyes.

It had been five years. Initially, when she could earn some silver from selling hair ornaments, Mrs. Wang was happy. But she never dared to act as if the money were rightfully hers. She always had to come up with reasons to justify why she was entitled to the money, like covering her own expenses in the Wang family, all the money she earned as a girl should be handed to her parents, or saving it up as her dowry.

Back then, handing over the money felt fine, and Liu Yu didn’t find anything wrong with it. But now, perhaps due to the constant brainwashing, Mrs. Wang believed more firmly than Liu Yu that the hard-earned money Liu Yu made was rightfully the Wang family’s. She had no right to spend it herself, and Mrs. Wang extended her hand without any guilt.

Seeing Liu Yu remain silent with her head down, Mrs. Wang felt a pang of anxiety. “You didn’t let the the embroidery workshop cheat you, did you? How much did you make from selling hair ornaments?”

Liu Yu raised her eyes, her expression now different. Her eyes were red, as if she was on the verge of tears, and she looked at Mrs. Wang with a pitiful expression, as if she wanted to cry but didn’t dare. She glanced towards the door to make sure no one was listening before speaking in a very low voice, “Mother, I was in town, and my purse was stolen. All the money from selling hair ornaments was in it.”

“What did you say!” Mrs. Wang’s eyes widened suddenly. She might be a slender woman, but the anger radiating from her felt like it could tear someone apart.

The old Liu Yu would have been afraid of this side of Mrs. Wang, but the current Liu Yu was not afraid. She kept her lack of fear hidden deep within her, and on the surface, she trembled slightly. She suddenly grabbed Mrs. Wang’s hand and tremblingly said, “Mother, please help me cover this up. You mustn’t let Father find out.”

Mrs. Wang’s face turned ugly, and she was about to scold when she saw how frightened Liu Yu was. She reluctantly lowered her voice and said, with a tone of extreme annoyance, “Now you’re scared? How could you dare to carry things to town on your own earlier in the morning? Were you possessed?”

Tears welled up in Liu Yu’s eyes, and she began to sob. “I heard that the embroidery workshop in town not only accepts hair ornaments but also embroidery work, which pays much better. I thought I could go see it for myself and maybe learn some embroidery skills to help you earn some respect. It’s all my fault. Today, I took advantage of the opportunity to sell hair ornaments and tried to sneak into the embroidery workshop, with the sole intention of learning some embroidery skills. I had no idea when a thief would sneak up on me.”

“Mother, whether Father punishes me or hits me, it’s just temporary pain, and I can endure it. What I fear the most is causing trouble for you. I have already come of age, and sooner or later, I will have to leave this home. But you will have to stay here for a long time. Father’s dissatisfaction with me will be held against you.”

“This daughter just wants to help you, to make your life in this household a bit easier. It’s not easy for you here, Mother. If I and Yan’er could have a younger brother, it would give you more support, and you wouldn’t have to be so cautious around sisters-in-law.”

This statement hit Mrs. Wang hard.

Originally, following Mrs. Wang’s temperament, when Liu Yu lost five strings of coins, she should have been the first to make a fuss about it without waiting for others to discover. Then, she would have let Liu Kangsheng just punish her severely without worrying about Mrs . Wang’s face!

Punishing Liu Yu was for Liu Yu’s own good. It was how Mrs. Wang treated her as a beloved daughter. By punishing Liu Yu, she could learn her lesson and show her three sons and daughters-in-law that she didn’t favor her own flesh and blood.

But now, due to Liu Yu’s singing and pleading instead of a punishment, Mrs. Wang’s pride and anger were deflated by about fifteen to sixteen percent. Her attention had suddenly shifted from her daughter losing five strings of coins to self-pity and self-blame.

The words Liu Yu spoke were what Mrs. Wang often whispered in Liu Yu’s ear. This was her inner demon, a pressure point hit by a single move.

Did Mrs. Wang really treasure her three stepsons and daughters-in-law?

No, she just didn’t have her own sons.

Normally, these words couldn’t be spoken in front of others. Liu Yu was the only one she could confide in, but she mostly consoled Mrs. Wang rather than agreeing with her.

Today, hearing these words come from her eldest daughter’s mouth made Mrs. Wang feel validated. Yes, her daughter also pitied her for her tough life. Wasn’t she leading a miserable life herself? Suddenly, she felt a deep sense of self-pity and thought she was even more unfortunate than bitter herbs.

Seeing that her words were having an effect, Liu Yu held Mrs. Wang’s hand, her eyes reddened, and she continued, “I only wish to help you gain some dignity, Mother, but I didn’t expect… It’s all my fault. I got so engrossed in watching the lady in the embroidery workshop that I didn’t notice my purse was stolen.”

“Embroidery?” Liu Yu had mentioned it for the second time, and only now did Mrs. Wang pay attention. She snapped out of her self-pity and asked with excitement, “Can you learn the craft of embroidery?”

A faint blush appeared on Liu Yu’s face. “Not yet, but with a bit more time and practice, I should be able to. It doesn’t seem very difficult to me.”

Mrs. Wang’s eyes lit up. She knew how intelligent her eldest daughter was. In the past, she had learned to make hair ornaments just by observing others a few times. Moreover, she had discovered many intricate patterns on her own. The local embroidery workshop was eager to accept her products, and over the years, her annual income from selling embroidery threads alone had added five to six taels to the household income. This had earned her some respect in the eyes of men and her stepsons, giving her a bit of dignity.

Now that she said she could learn embroidery, Mrs. Wang could almost imagine the future where her eldest daughter would earn more silver for her and bring her a more dignified and comfortable life.

She transformed her worry into joy, her eyes shining brightly. Excitedly, she paced around the room for a few steps before stopping and asked with some hesitation, “Would they really let you learn like that?”

“Just have to be a bit clever about it, visit those embroidery shops regularly,” Liu Yu replied with a shy smile, reminiscent of the times when Mrs. Wang praised her. She then lowered her voice back to the main issue, saying, “Mother, what should we do about the money I lost today? If Father finds out, will he still allow me to go to town? And will it affect your relationship with Father and my brothers?”

Of course, it would affect her relationship. Even if she punished Liu Yu first, she would undoubtedly face criticism from the old man as well. She would also have to endure the scrutiny of her stepsons and daughters-in-law.

However, Mrs. Wang’s attention was no longer on the matter of her daughter losing five strings of coins. Although Liu Yu had caused her trouble, her eldest daughter was always obedient. She didn’t fear her own punishment as much as she feared causing trouble for her as a mother. Today, it was because of her desire to learn embroidery and lingering in town that this incident occurred. She was feeling much less upset now.

Five strings of coins were a substantial sum, but compared to the benefits and dignity that her daughter learning embroidery could bring her, it wasn’t worth much. Seeing Liu Yu’s anxiety, she comfortingly patted her hand and said, “Don’t worry, just wait in your room.”

Saying that, she quietly left Liu Yu’s room and tiptoed back to her own room, closing the door stealthily.

Liu Yu stood in the dimly lit room, watching this scene unfold. The unease and fear on her face faded away, leaving behind a sense of emptiness and a hint of mockery.

So, Mrs. Wang could also raise her hand to protect her at times. However, this kind of protection was not obtained thru sincere filial piety, but thru clever words and calculations might.

A trace of sarcasm curled at the corner of her lips, whether it was for the current Mrs. Wang or her past self, she couldn’t quite tell.

Well, this was all she had left now.

Sansukini: Well, this novel has a little slow start. We’re still establishing the setting of her schemes. Our heroine is really clever, but still very helpless because she doesn’t have an anchor. Her mom is her only family at this point, but her she’s not really a good ally as she doesn’t favor her.

Thanks for visiting. If you like this story, then I’m shamelessly asking you to visit NovelUpdates and give a 5 review.